Christians
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A Christian (pronounced /ˈkrɪstjen'/ ) is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, who Christians believe is the Messiah (the Christ in Greek-derived terminology) prophesied in the Hebrew Bible, and the son of God.[1][2] Most Christians believe in the doctrine of the Trinity ("tri-unity"), a description of God as Father, as Son, and as Holy Spirit. This includes Roman Catholicism, Orthodox Christianity, and the vast majority of Protestantism. A minority are Nontrinitarians. As Christian's are followers of Jesus Christ (Yahshua the Messiah), The Son of God (Yahweh), and claim salvation in Christ alone, and are monotheistic, they believe that any other 'god' is either a demon or man-made. Christians do not follow allah or any extra-Biblical character. Other religions are not characterized as Christ-followers/disciples of Christ (believers in Christ's substatory death) and thus, are not "Christian".
The term "Christian" is also used adjectivally to describe anything associated with Christianity, or in a proverbial sense "all that is noble, and good, and Christ-like."[3]
Etymology
The Greek word Χριστιανός (christianos)—meaning "follower of Christ"—comes from Χριστός (christos)—meaning "anointed one"[4]—with an adjectival ending borrowed from Latin to denote adhering to, or even belonging to, as in slave ownership.[5] In the Greek Septuagint, christos was used to translate the Hebrew מָשִׁיחַ (Mašíaḥ, messiah), meaning "[one who is] anointed."[6] In other European languages, equivalent words to 'Christian' are likewise derived from the Greek, such as 'Chrétien' in French and 'Cristiano' in Spanish.
Early usage
The first recorded use of the term (or its cognates in other languages) is in the New Testament, in Acts 11:26, which states "...in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians." The second mention of the term follows in Acts 26:28, where Herod Agrippa II replies to Paul the Apostle, "Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?" The third and final New Testament reference to the term is in 1 Peter 4:16Template:Bibleverse with invalid book, which exhorts believers, "...if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name". Mattison suggests that "[t]he New Testament's use of this term indicates that it was a term of derision, a term placed upon Christ's followers by their critics."[7]
The earliest occurrences of the term in non-Christian literature include Josephus, referring to "the tribe of Christians, so named from him;"[8] Pliny the Younger in correspondence with Trajan; and Tacitus, writing near the end of the first century. In the Annals he relates that "by vulgar appellation [they were] commonly called Christians"[9] and identifies Christians as Nero's scapegoats for the Great Fire of Rome.[10]
Modern usage
A wide range of beliefs and practices is found across the world among those who call themselves Christian. Philosopher Michael Martin, in his book The Case Against Christianity, evaluated three historical Christian creeds to establish a set of basic assumptions which include belief in theism, the historicity of Jesus, the Incarnation, salvation through faith in Jesus, and Jesus as an ethical role model.[11] Included in his analysis were the Apostles' Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Athanasian Creed. It is also a name
Hebrew terms
As the identification of the Messiah with Jesus is not accepted within Judaism, the Talmudic term for Christians in Hebrew is Notzrim ("Nazarenes"), originally derived from the fact that Jesus came from the village of Nazareth in Israel.[12] However, Messianic Jews are referred to in modern Hebrew as יהודים משיחיים (Yehudim Meshihi'im).
Arabic terms
In Arabic-speaking cultures, two words are commonly used for Christians: Nasrani (نصراني), plural "Nasara" (نصارى) is generally understood to be derived from Nazareth[13] through the Syriac (Aramaic); Masihi (مسيحي) means followers of the Messiah.[13][14]
Where there is a distinction, Nasrani refers to people from a Christian culture and Masihi means those with a religious faith in Jesus.[15] In some countries Nasrani tends to be used generically for non-Muslim white people.[15] Another Arabic word sometimes used for Christians, particularly in a political context, is Salibi; this refers to Crusaders and has negative connotations.[14][16]
Asian terms
Nasrani or Nasranee may also refer to the Syrian Malabar Nasrani people, a Christian ethno-religious group from Kerala, India, are a mixed race people of Chaldean, Malayali Brahmin, Syriac, Jewish and other Malayali Hindu Castes in decreasing percentage of ethnic ancestry.
In India Christians also call themselves "Isai", and are also known by this term to Hindus and others in south Asia.[17] This is related to the name they call Jesus, "Isa Mesih".
In the past, the Malays used to call the Portugese Serani which meant "followers of the Nazarene". The term Serani is used for the creole Christian community of Malaysia today.
The Chinese word is 基督徒 (pinyin: jīdū tú), literally "Christ follower."
Christian nation
Anderson Cooper has reported that in the United States, "more than 85 percent is Christian and two-thirds of [Americans], a number that's climbing, consider America a Christian nation. But from there, the lines start to blur."[18]
Demographics
As of the early 21st century, Christianity has around 2.2 billion adherents.[19][20][21] The faith represents about a quarter to a third of the world's population and is the largest religion in the world, with approximately 38,000 Christian denominations.[22] Christians have composed about 33 percent of the world's population for around 100 years. The largest Christian denomination is the Roman Catholic Church, with 1.166 billion adherents, representing half of all Christians.[23]
| Country | Christians | % Christian |
|---|---|---|
 United States (details)
|
243,186,000 | 78.4% |
 Brazil (details)
|
174,700,000 | 90.4% |
 Mexico (details)
|
105,095,000 | 94.5% |
 Russia (details)
|
99,775,000 | 70.3% |
 Philippines (details)
|
90,530,000 | 92.4% |
 Nigeria (details)
|
76,281,000 | 48.2% |
 China, People's Republic of (details)
|
66,959,000 | 5.0% |
 Congo, Democratic Republic of (details)
|
63,825,000 | 90.0% |
 Italy (details)
|
55,070,000 | 91.1% |
 Ethiopia (details)
|
54,978,000 | 64.5% |
 Germany (details)
|
49,400,000 | 59.9% |
 Colombia (details)
|
44,502,000 | 97.6% |
 Ukraine (details)
|
41,973,000 | 91.5% |
 South Africa (details)
|
39,843,000 | 79.7% |
 Argentina (details)
|
37,561,000 | 92.7% |
 Poland (details)
|
36,526,000 | 95.7% |
 Spain (details)
|
35,568,000 | 77.2% |
 France (details)
|
35,014,000 | 53.5% |
 Kenya (details)
|
34,774,000 | 85.1% |
 Uganda (details)
|
29,943,000 | 88.6% |
See also
- Christendom
- Christian Church
- Conversion to Christianity
- Lists of Christians
- Rice Christian, referring to people who profess Christianity for material benefits
References
- ^ "Definition of Christian". Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Cambridge University Press. Retrieved 2010-01-18.
- ^ "BBC — Religion & Ethics — Christianity at a glance", BBC
- ^ Schaff, Philip. "V. St. Paul and the Conversion of the Gentiles (Note 496)". History of the Christian Church.
- ^ Christ at Etymology Online
- ^ Bickerman, Elias J. (April, 1949). "The Name of Christians". The Harvard Theological Review. 42 (2): 109–124.
Generally, the formations derive from a proper name or title and denote the followers, supporters, adherents, or partisans of a person, as in Brutianus, Augustianus, Caesarianus, and so on.
{{cite journal}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Messiah at Etymology Online
- ^ Mattison, Mark M. "What is a Christian?". True Grace Ministries.
- ^ Josephus. "Antiquities of the Jews - XVIII, 3:3".
- ^ Tacitus, Cornelius; Murphy, Arthur (1836). The works of Cornelius Tacitus: with an essay on his life and genius, notes, supplements, &c. Thomas Wardle. p. 287.
- ^ Bruce, Frederick Fyvie (1988). The Book of the Acts. Eerdmans. p. 228. ISBN 0802825052.
- ^ Martin, Michael (1993). The Case Against Christianity. Temple University Press. p. 12. ISBN 1566390818.
- ^ Nazarene at Etymology Online
- ^ a b Khaled Ahmed, Pakistan Daily Times.
- ^ a b Society for Internet Research, The Hamas Charter, note 62 (erroneously, "salidi").
- ^ a b Jeffrey Tayler, Trekking through the Moroccan Sahara.
- ^ Akbar S. Ahmed, Islam, Globalization, and Postmodernity, p 110.
- ^ "Catholic priest in saffron robe called 'Isai Baba'". The Indian Express. December 24, 2008.
- ^ Cooper, Anderson (December 14, 2006). "What is a Christian?; New Moral Values; Evangelicals and Israel; End of Days; Capitalist Christian; The Seekers". Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees. CNN.com.
- ^ 33.2% of 6.7 billion world population (under "People") "World". CIA world facts.
- ^ "The List: The World's Fastest-Growing Religions". foreignpolicy.com. 2007-03. Retrieved 2010-01-04.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Major Religions Ranked by Size". Adherents.com. Retrieved 2009-05-05.
- ^ Hinnells, The Routledge Companion to the Study of Religion, p. 441.
- ^ http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/universal_church_sees_increase_in_seminarians_reports_pontifical_yearbook/