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‘Christ’: The Word Christianity
Refused to Translate By the druid Finn Most
people assume the word Christ is simply Jesus’ “surname.” It isn’t. In
fact, Christos is a Greek word that literally means “the Anointed
One.” It’s the direct translation of the Hebrew māšîaḥ
— Messiah. So why is
it never translated in the New Testament? Why do English readers never see
Jesus called “the Anointed One,” but only ever “Christ”? The
answer is unsettling: the refusal to translate this single word is not an
innocent quirk. It is part of the very strategy by which a small Jewish sect
became a universal religion. 1. The Jewish Meaning In the
Hebrew Bible, anointing was ordinary. Kings, priests, and sometimes prophets
were consecrated with oil. Saul, David, Solomon — all were called anointed
ones. Even Cyrus, the Persian king, was once called “my anointed.” The
point: “anointed one” was a category, not a unique identity. It
signified role and office, not cosmic status. When the
scriptures were translated into Greek, māšîaḥ
became christos. Nothing mystical. Nothing
new. Just “anointed.” 2. Paul’s Takeover Enter
Paul. In his letters, Christos ceases to be a category and becomes
fused with Jesus as a name: “Jesus Christ,” “Christ Jesus.” Paul
pushes it further: ·
To be “in Christ” is to enter a new metaphysical
condition. ·
Christ becomes cosmic, pre-existent, exalted
above all. ·
Adam’s sin (according to Paul’s re-reading of
Genesis) condemned everyone, so only Christ could save anyone. This is
not Jewish messianism. This is Paul inventing a new religion — and installing
himself as its prophet. 3. The Strategic Non-Translation Here’s
where the word game comes in. Translators could have given us “Jesus the
Anointed One.” They didn’t. They left Christos as “Christ.” Why? ·
To disguise Jewish roots. If
readers saw “anointed,” they would be reminded of kings, priests, oil, and
Torah. Leaving it as “Christ” made it sound exotic, unmoored from Jewish
ritual. ·
To brand uniqueness. An
“anointed one” suggests many. But “Christ” sounds like a one-and-only. ·
To sell universality. Gentile
converts could embrace “Christ” without awkward questions about anointing
rituals. The
result? The most important word in the New Testament became an opaque
label, not a transparent title. 4. From Sect to Cult Up until
the AD 50 meeting in Jerusalem, followers of Jesus were still an all-Jewish
sect. But as Gentiles were admitted, rules bent, and Hellenistic ideas
slipped in (immortal soul, afterlife rewards, sin-and-death cosmologies), the
sect morphed into a start-up cult. Paul,
brilliant and ruthless, drove the process. ·
He downplayed Torah. ·
He universalized guilt (through Adam). ·
He universalized salvation (through Christ). ·
He rebranded Jesus not as a Jewish messiah but as
a cosmic redeemer. And the
untranslated word “Christ” became the logo of this new religious brand. 5. Why It Matters When we
read “Christ,” we are not seeing what first-century Jews saw. We are seeing
the result of a linguistic sleight of hand. A word that once meant
“anointed” has been frozen, untranslated, mystified. This is
why most Christians never realize Jesus was being called by a Jewish
political-religious title — one used for kings, priests, even foreign rulers.
The word was deliberately lifted out of its Jewish context so it could float
free, becoming the name of a universal cult figure. Conclusion The
refusal to translate Christos is not a neutral act of translation. It
is part of a cunning rebranding exercise. Paul’s takeover of the Jesus
sect depended on it. Had
“Christ” been honestly translated as “the Anointed One,” the Jewish roots
would have remained obvious. The role would have stayed historical and
political. Instead, “Christ” became a mystical name — the cornerstone of a
cult that claimed universal sway. This is
why Finn calls it a linguistic fraud. Not a slip, not an accident, but
a deliberate disguise. The most important word in the New Testament was left
untranslated to mask its meaning — and to give Paul’s cult the mystique it
needed to conquer the world. |