What does the word “Christian” mean?
The first believers in Jesus were not called Christians. In fact, they were called Nazarenes, or people of “The Way”.
Acts 24:5 For we have found this man [St. Paul] a plague, one who stirs up riots among all the Jews throughout the world and is a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes.”
Acts 9:2 “[Saul of Tarsus] asked [the High Priest] for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.
Acts 24:14 But this I [Paul] confess to you, that according to the Way, which they call a sect, I worship the God of our fathers, believing everything laid down by the Law and written in the Prophets.
It was not until later that the derogatory word “Christian” was applied to those who followed Jesus the Christ. Since the followers of Jesus were first considered a sect of Judaism, “Christian” was probably a title to differentiate them from mainline Judaism.
Acts 11:26 “For a whole year they [Barnabas and Saul] met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians.”
It is obvious that by this time that “Christ” had become an accepted name for Jesus, along with it being title.
So, what does “Christ” mean? It is not Jesus’ last name as in Steve Ray or Jesus Christ. No, Christ was a title — Jesus the Christ. It is the Greek word for “the anointed”. It is the Greek word for the Hebrew Messiah.
Hebrew — Messiah = Greek — Christ
John 4:25 The Samaritan woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.”
So, when someone is called a Christian, they are literally being called a follower of the Jewish Messiah. In this sense, we are all Jewish!
Scott Hahn quotes Pope Pius XI and expands a bit. “Anti-Semitism and anti-Judaism are spiritually destructive and stupid. In the words of Pope Pius XI: ‘Spiritually, we are Semites.’ You cannot be a good Catholic until you’ve fallen in love with the religion and people of Israel” (The Lamb’s Supper: The Mass as Heaven on Earth).
So as a Christian, you are a follower of the Jewish Messiah. We Gentiles have come back to dwell in the tents of Shem. What? Let me explain.
Noah had three sons. Ham, Shem and Japheth. Ham moved into the region of Egypt and Africa. Shem lived in the Middle East of today. Japheth represents the Gentiles who lived in the West, toward Europe.
Noah’s blessing on Japheth contains a Messianic prophecy (adding a new promise in addition to the promise of Genesis 3:15). The blessing of Japheth reads, “God enlarge Japheth, and let him dwell in the tents of Shem.” (Gen 9:27).
The Israelites from the line of Shem dwelled in the Middle Eastern regions. God would work through Shem’s line (from whom Israel springs); but Japheth will be brought back to “dwell in into the tents of Shem,” back into connection with the faith of Shem’s descendant Jacob and share in its promises.
With the coming of the Jewish Messiah, the preaching of the Jewish apostles, and the establishment of the Church, the Gentiles from the lands of Japheth came back to the faith and promise of Abraham “in the tents of Shem.”
The Church is built on Jewish foundations and to believe in Christ and join the Church is to figuratively enter the tents of Shem (Catechism 60). God promises Abraham that “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” (Gen 12:3). Those nations, the Gentiles are US.
Catechism 60 “The people descended from Abraham would be the trustees of the promise made to the patriarchs, the chosen people, called to prepare for that day when God would gather all his children into the unity of the Church. They would be the root onto which the Gentiles would be grafted, once they came to believe.”
But, not only am I spiritually in connection with Jews and Judaism by virtue of believing in the Jewish Messiah, but I also found out through a DNA test that I am genetically 0.6% Jewish. I was delighted to discover I have the blood of Abraham in my veins. Even though I am 98% Northern European (as is my wife Janet), I am part Ashkenazi Jew from a few centuries ago from my German and French family line. My wife Janet is also 0.6% Ashkenazi Jew.
So, we are Nazarenes, people of the Way and Christians. Our heritage goes back to the Jewish root.