# G5547 - christos **Strong's:** [G5547](https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g5547/) · BLB lookup **Pronunciation:** khris-tos' **Part of speech:** masculine noun (originally a verbal adjective) **Root:** from *G5548 - chrio* (χρίω, "to anoint") **Hebrew equivalent (LXX):** [H4899 - mashiach](/codex/h4899-mashiach/) (מָשִׁיחַ), direct translation. **NT occurrences:** ~529 ## Semantic range (Thayer / BDAG) 1. **Anointed one (titular)**, the Messiah, the eschatological deliverer prophesied in the OT. 2. **Christ (proper name)**, when paired with *Iēsous* (Jesus), it functions as a near-surname identifier rather than a title each time. The semantic shift across the NT is striking: in the Gospels, *Christos* is largely titular ("the Christ", Jewish messianic expectation focused on Jesus); in Paul's letters, it has nearly become a proper name ("Christ Jesus," "in Christ"). The shift reflects Christological confession crystallizing in the early decades. ## Theological force Three load-bearing claims travel with the word: 1. **Messianic fulfillment.** Calling Jesus *Christos* identifies Him as the OT-promised Messiah, the *mashiach* of [H4899 - mashiach](/codex/h4899-mashiach/), fulfilling the threefold office (prophet, priest, king). The early Christian *kerygma*, Jesus is the Christ, is the bridge from OT expectation to NT proclamation. 2. **Davidic kingship.** *Christos* carries the Davidic / royal-anointed weight. [Romans 1:3-4](/codex/romans-1-3-4/): "concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh… Jesus Christ our Lord." 3. **Divine identification (in advanced NT usage).** Especially when paired with *kyrios*: *Iēsous Christos kyrios*, "Jesus Christ is Lord" ([Philippians 2:11](/codex/philippians-2-11/)), applies the YHWH-translation *kyrios* to Jesus as *Christos*, locking the identification of Messiah with the divine name. ## *Iēsous Christos*, name + title The full canonical name *Jesus Christ* combines: - **Iēsous**, Greek transliteration of Hebrew *Yeshua* / *Yehoshua* (Joshua), meaning "YHWH saves." The angel's instruction in [Matthew 1:21](/codex/matthew-1-21/): "you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins." - **Christos**, the Greek for *mashiach* (anointed Messiah). The name itself is a Christological confession: *YHWH-saves* + *the Anointed One*. To say "Jesus Christ" is to say "the Anointed One who is YHWH's salvation." ## Notable verses ### Confession of *Christos* - **[Matthew 16:16](/codex/matthew-16-16/)**, Peter's confession: "You are *the Christos*, the Son of the living God" - **[John 1:41](/codex/john-1-41/)**, Andrew: "We have found the *Messias* (which translated means *Christos*)" - **[John 11:27](/codex/john-11-27/)**, Martha: "I have believed that You are *the Christos*, the Son of God" - **[Acts 2:36](/codex/acts-2-36/)**, Peter at Pentecost: "God has made Him both *kyrios* and *Christos*, this Jesus whom you crucified" - **[Acts 9:22](/codex/acts-9-22/)**, Saul "proving that this Jesus is *the Christos*" - **[Acts 17:3](/codex/acts-17-3/)**, Paul "explaining and giving evidence that *the Christos* had to suffer and rise again from the dead" ### Salvation through *Christos* - **[Romans 10.13](/codex/romans-10-13/)**, context: "WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED", applied to Christ - **[Romans 10:9](/codex/romans-10-9/)**, "if you confess with your mouth Jesus as *kyrios* and believe… you will be saved" - **[1 Corinthians 1:23-24](/codex/1-corinthians-1-23-24/)**, "we preach *Christ* crucified… *Christ* the power of God and the wisdom of God" - **[1 Corinthians 15:3](/codex/1-corinthians-15-3/)**, "*Christos* died for our sins according to the Scriptures" - **[Galatians 3:13](/codex/galatians-3-13/)**, "*Christos* redeemed us from the curse of the Law" ### Messianic / Davidic - **[Matthew 1:1](/codex/matthew-1-1/)**, "*Iēsous Christos*, the son of David, the son of Abraham" - **[Matthew 22:41-42](/codex/matthew-22-41-42/)**, Jesus's question: "What do you think about *the Christos*, whose son is He?" - **[Romans 1:3-4](/codex/romans-1-3-4/)**, Davidic descent + declaration of divine sonship - **[John 7:42](/codex/john-7-42/)**, "the *Christos* comes from the offspring of David" ### Exalted *Christos* - **[Philippians 2:11](/codex/philippians-2-11/)**, "*Iēsous Christos* is *kyrios*, to the glory of God the Father" - **[Ephesians 1:20](/codex/ephesians-1-20/)**, God "raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places" - **[Hebrews 9:14](/codex/hebrews-9-14/)**, "the blood of *Christos*… cleanse our conscience" ### "In Christ", the Pauline phrase - **[Romans 8:1](/codex/romans-8-1/)**, "no condemnation for those who are *in Christ Jesus*" - **[2 Corinthians 5:17](/codex/2-corinthians-5-17/)**, "if anyone is *in Christ*, he is a new creation" - **[Galatians 3:28](/codex/galatians-3-28/)**, "you are all one *in Christ Jesus*" - **[Ephesians 1:3](/codex/ephesians-1-3/)**, "every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places *in Christ*" ## Patristic / scholarly note The Christological development from OT *mashiach* through NT *Christos* to credal *Jesus Christ our Lord* is reconstructed in Larry Hurtado's *Lord Jesus Christ* (2003) and Richard Bauckham's *Jesus and the God of Israel* (2008). The *Christos* title was the earliest Christological category, pre-Pauline, and remained foundational throughout the NT period, even as additional titles (*Kyrios*, *Theos*, *Logos*, *Son of God*) accumulated. The Apostles' Creed and Nicene Creed both center on the *Iēsous Christos kyrios* confession. [Cyril of Alexandria](/codex/cyril-of-alexandria/)'s *Christology* (c. AD 425) develops the orthodox doctrine that the *one Christos* has *two natures* (divine and human) without confusion or separation, codified at Chalcedon (AD 451). ## Verses in this codex _See Obsidian's backlinks pane for every verse page linking here._ ## See also - [H4899 - mashiach](/codex/h4899-mashiach/), Hebrew equivalent - *G5548 - chrio*, the cognate verb "to anoint" - [G2962 - kyrios](/codex/g2962-kyrios/), paired in confession "Jesus Christ is Lord" - [G5207 - huios](/codex/g5207-huios/), paired as "Christ the Son of God" - [Romans 10.13](/codex/romans-10-13/), *kalountas to onoma kyriou* applied to Christ