This article is about the Christian theological concept. For Jesus of Nazareth, see Jesus.

For other
uses, see Christ (disambiguation).
"Christ the Lord" redirects here. For the upcoming film, see Christ the Lord (film).

The oldest known icon of Christ Pantocrator Saint Catherine's Monastery. The two different facial expressions
on either side emphasize Christ's dual nature as both divine and human.[1][2]

Christ (/krast/; Ancient Greek: , Christs, meaning "anointed") is a translation of

the Hebrew

( Mah ) and the Syriac ( M'shiha), the Messiah, and is used as a
title for Jesus in the New Testament.[3][4] In common usage, "Christ" is generally treated as
synonymous with Jesus of Nazareth.[4][5] The followers of Jesus became known asChristians (as
in Acts 11:26) because they believed Jesus to be the Messiah (Christs) prophesied in the Hebrew
Bible,[6][7] for example in the Confession of Peter.
Jesus came to be called "Jesus Christ", meaning "Jesus the Christs" (i.e. Jesus, the anointed; or
"Jesus, the Messiah" by his followers) after his death and believed resurrection.[6][8] Before, Jesus
was usually referred to as "Jesus of Nazareth" or "Jesus son of Joseph". [8] In the epistles of Paul the
Apostle, the earliest texts of the New Testament,[9] Paul most often referred to Jesus as "Christ
Jesus", or "Christ".[10] Christ was originally a title, yet later became part of the name "Jesus Christ",

though it is still also used as a title, in the reciprocal use Christ Jesus, meaning "The Messiah
Jesus".[11]
Jesus was not, and is not, accepted by most Jews as the Messiah.[12] Religious Jewish people still
await the Messiah's first coming, while Christians await the Second Coming of Christ, when they
believe he will fulfill the rest of Messianic prophecy.[13] Muslims accept Jesus as the Messiah (known
as Isa al-Masih) but not as the Son of God, but still do believe he will come again as Christians
believe.[14]
The area of Christian theology called Christology is primarily concerned with the nature and person
of Jesus Christ as recorded in the canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament