Christ

Christ is the Greek translation (Christos, anointed) of the Hebrew title Messiah (Mashiach), meaning anointed one. In the Old Testament, anointing with oil consecrated prophets, priests, and kings to their offices, and the expectation of a supreme anointed figure who would fulfill all three roles developed progressively through the prophetic tradition. The title crystallized in passages like Psalm 2, Daniel 9:25–26, and Isaiah 61:1, which Jesus himself applied to his ministry (Luke 4:18–21). In the New Testament, Jesus of Nazareth is identified as this Christ from the opening verse of Mark (the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ) through the testimony of Peter's great confession (You are the Christ, Matt. 16:16) and the post-resurrection proclamation of Acts (Acts 17:3; 18:5).

The title is so closely linked to Jesus in the New Testament that it functions almost as a second personal name (Jesus Christ / Christ Jesus), though the earliest Christian preaching preserved its titular force: God has made him both Lord and Christ (Acts 2:36). Paul's letters consistently use Christ in the titular sense while also employing the compound name, and his theology of union in Christ made the title central to his entire account of salvation. The risen Jesus as Christ is understood to be the fulfillment of all Old Testament covenant expectation.