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Christian

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This article is about Christian people. For other uses, see Christian (disambiguation).
Christians
χριστιανοί
V&A - Raphael, The Miraculous Draught of Fishes (1515).jpg
After the miraculous catch of fish, Christ invokes his disciples to become "fishers of men" (Matthew 4:19) by Raphael.
Total population
c. 2.4 billion worldwide (2015)[1][2]
Founder
Jesus
Regions with significant populations
 European Union 373,656,000[3]
 United States 246,780,000[2]
 Brazil 175,770,000[2]
 Mexico 107,780,000[2]
 Russia 105,220,000[2]
 Philippines 86,790,000[2]
 Nigeria 80,510,000[2]
 China 67,070,000[2]
 Democratic Republic of the Congo 63,150,000[2]
Religions

Christianity
Scriptures
Bible

A Christian (pronunciation: Listeni/ˈkrɪʃtʃən/ or /ˈkrɪstjən/) is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. "Christian" derives from the Koine Greek word Christós (Χριστός), a translation of the Biblical Hebrew term mashiach.[4]

While there are diverse interpretations of Christianity which sometimes conflict,[5][6] they are united in believing that Jesus has a unique significance.[5] The term "Christian" is also used as an adjective to describe anything associated with Christianity, or in a proverbial sense "all that is noble, and good, and Christ-like."[7]

According to a 2011 Pew Research Center survey, there were 2.2 billion Christians around the world in 2010, up from about 600 million in 1910.[2] By 2050, the Christian population is expected to exceed 3 billion.[2] According to a 2012 Pew Research Center survey Christianity will remain the world's largest religion in 2050, if current trends continue.

Today, about 37% of all Christians live in the Americas, about 26% live in Europe, 24% live in sub-Saharan Africa, about 13% live in Asia and the Pacific, and 1% live in the Middle east and North Africa.[2] About half of all Christians worldwide are Catholic, while more than a third are Protestant (37%).[2] Orthodox communions comprise 12% of the world's Christians.[2] Other Christian groups make up the remainder. Christians make up the majority of the population in 158 countries and territories.[2] 280 million Christian live as a minority.

Etymology

The Greek word Χριστιανός (Christianos), meaning "follower of Christ", comes from Χριστός (Christos), meaning "anointed one",[8] with an adjectival ending borrowed from Latin to denote adhering to, or even belonging to, as in slave ownership.[9] In the Greek Septuagint, christos was used to translate the Hebrew מָשִׁיחַ (Mašíaḥ, messiah), meaning "[one who is] anointed."[10] 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 Church of St Peter near Antakya, Turkey, in Antioch the disciples were called Christians.

The first recorded use of the term (or its cognates in other languages) is in the New Testament, in Acts 11:26, after Barnabas brought Saul (Paul) to Antioch where they taught the disciples for about a year, the text says: "[...] the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch." The second mention of the term follows in Acts 26:28, where Herod Agrippa II replied to Paul the Apostle, "Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian." The third and final New Testament reference to the term is in 1 Peter 4:16, which exhorts believers: "Yet if [any man suffer] as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf."

Kenneth Samuel Wuest holds that all three original New Testament verses' usages reflect a derisive element in the term Christian to refer to followers of Christ who did not acknowledge the emperor of Rome.[11] The city of Antioch, where someone gave them the name Christians, had a reputation for coming up with such nicknames.[12] However Peter's apparent endorsement of the term led to its being preferred over "Nazarenes" and the term Christianoi from 1 Peter becomes the standard term in the Early Church Fathers from Ignatius and Polycarp onwards.[13]

The earliest occurrences of the term in non-Christian literature include Josephus, referring to "the tribe of Christians, so named from him;"[14] Pliny the Younger in correspondence with Trajan; and Tacitus, writing near the end of the 1st century. In the Annals he relates that "by vulgar appellation [they were] commonly called Christians"[15] and identifies Christians as Nero's scapegoats for the Great Fire of Rome.[16]

Nazarenes

Another term for Christians which appears in the New Testament is "Nazarenes" which is used by the Jewish lawyer Tertullus in Acts 24. Tertullian (Against Marcion 4:8) records that "the Jews call us Nazarenes," while around 331 AD Eusebius records that Christ was called a Nazoraean from the name Nazareth, and that in earlier centuries "Christians," were once called "Nazarenes."[17] The Hebrew equivalent of "Nazarenes", Notzrim, occurs in the Babylonian Talmud, and is still the modern Israeli Hebrew term for Christian.

Modern usage

The Latin cross and Ichthys symbols, two symbols often used by Christians to represent their religion.

Definition

A wide range of beliefs and practices is found across the world among those who call themselves Christian. Denominations and sects disagree on a common definition of "Christianity". For example, Timothy Beal notes the disparity of beliefs among those who identify as Christians in the United States as follows:

Although all of them have their historical roots in Christian theology and tradition, and although most would identify themselves as Christian, many would not identify others within the larger category as Christian. Most Baptists and fundamentalists (Christian Fundamentalism), for example, would not acknowledge Mormonism or Christian Science as Christian. In fact, the nearly 77 percent of Americans who self-identify as Christian are a diverse pluribus of Christianities that are far from any collective unity.[18]

Linda Woodhead attempts to provide a common belief thread for Christians by noting that "Whatever else they might disagree about, Christians are at least united in believing that Jesus has a unique significance."[5] Philosopher Michael Martin, in his book The Case Against Christianity, evaluated three historical Christian creeds (the Apostles' Creed, the Nicene Creed and the Athanasian Creed) 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.[19]

Hebrew terms

Nazareth is described as the childhood home of Jesus. Many languages employ the word "Nazarene" as a general designation for those of Christian faith.

The identification of Jesus as the Messiah is not accepted by Judaism. The term for a Christian in Hebrew is נוּצְרי (Notzri—"Nazarene"), a Talmudic term originally derived from the fact that Jesus came from the Galilean village of Nazareth, today in northern Israel.[20] Adherents of Messianic Judaism are referred to in modern Hebrew as יְהוּדִים מָשִׁיחַיים (Yehudim Meshihi'im—"Messianic Jews").

Arabic terms

In Arabic-speaking cultures, two words are commonly used for Christians: Naṣrānī (نصراني), plural Naṣārā (نصارى) is generally understood to be derived from Nazareth[21] through the Syriac (Aramaic); Masīḥī (مسيحي) means followers of the Messiah.[21][22] The term Nasara rose to prominence in July 2014, after the Fall of Mosul to the terrorist organization Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. The nun or ن— the first letter of Nasara—was spray-painted on the property of Christians ejected from the city.

Where there is a distinction, Nasrani refers to people from a Christian culture and Masihi means those with a religious faith in Jesus.[23] In some countries Nasrani tends to be used generically for non-Muslim Western foreigners, e.g. "blond people."[24]

Another Arabic word sometimes used for Christians, particularly in a political context, is Ṣalībī (صليبي "Crusader") from ṣalīb (صليب "cross") which refers to Crusaders and has negative connotations.[22][25] However, Salibi is a modern term; historically, Muslim writers described European Christian Crusaders as al-Faranj or Alfranj (الفرنج) and Firinjīyah (الفرنجيّة) in Arabic"[26] This word comes from the Franks and can be seen in the Arab history text Al-Kamil fi al-Tarikh by Ali ibn al-Athir.[27][28]

Asian terms

The most common Persian word is Masīhī (مسیحی), from Arabic.,Other words are Nasrānī (نصرانی), from Syriac for "Nazarene", and Tarsā (ترسا), from Middle Persian word Tarsāg, also meaning "Christian", derived from tars, meaning "fear, respect".[29]

The Syriac term Nasrani (Nazarene) has also been attached to the Saint Thomas Christians of Kerala, India. In the Indian subcontinent, Christians call themselves Isaai (Hindi: ईसाई, Urdu: عیسائی‎), and are also known by this term to adherents of other religions.[30] This is related to the name they call Jesus, 'Isa Masih, and literally means 'the followers of 'Isa'.

In the past, the Malays used to call the Portuguese Serani from the Arabic Nasrani, but the term now refers to the modern Kristang creoles of Malaysia.

The Chinese word is 基督徒 (pinyin: jīdū tú), literally "Christ follower." The two characters now pronounced Jīdū in Mandarin Chinese, were originally pronounced Jīdū (基督)[31] in Cantonese as representation of Latin "Christus".[32][33] In Vietnam, the same two characters read Cơ đốc, and a "follower of Christianity" is a tín đồ Cơ đốc giáo.

Japanese Christians ("Kurisuchan") in Portuguese costume, 16–17th century.

In Japan, the term kirishitan (written in Edo period documents 吉利支丹, 切支丹, and in modern Japanese histories as キリシタン), from Portuguese cristão, referred to Roman Catholics in the 16th and 17th centuries before the religion was banned by the Tokugawa shogunate. Today, Christians are referred to in Standard Japanese as キリスト教徒, Kirisuto-kyōto or the English-derived term クリスチャン kurisuchan.

Korean still uses 기독교도, Kidok-kyo-do for "Christian", though the Greek form Kurisudo 그리스도 has now replaced the old Sino-Korean Kidok, which refers to Christ himself.

Russian terms

The region of modern Eastern Europe and Central Eurasia (Russia, Ukraine and other countries of the former Soviet bloc) has a long history of Christianity and Christian communities on its lands. In ancient times, in the first centuries after the birth of Christ, when this region was called Scythia, the geographical area of Scythians - Christians already lived there.[34] Later the region saw the first states to adopt Christianity officially - initially Armenia (301 AD) and Georgia (337 AD), later Bulgaria (c. 864) and the Great Russian Principality (Kyivan Rus, Russian: Великое княжество Русское, c. 988 AD).

In some areas, people of that time[when?] came to denote themselves as Christians (Russian: христиане, крестьяне) and as Russians (Russian: русские). Both terms had strong Christian connotations.[citation needed] It is also interesting that in time the Russian term "крестьяне" (khrest'yanye) acquired the meaning "peasants of Christian faith" and later "peasants" (the main part of the population of the region), while the term "христиане" (khristianye) retained its religious meaning and the term "русские" {russkiye) began to mean representatives of the heterogeneous Russian nation formed on the basis of common Christian faith and language,[citation needed] which strongly influenced the history and development of the region. In the region the term "Pravoslav faith" (Russian: православная вера - Orthodox faith) or "Russian faith" (Russian: русская вера) from earliest times became almost as known as the original "Christian faith" (христианская, крестьянская вера).[citation needed] Also in some contexts the term "cossack" (Russian: козак, казак - "free man" by the will of God[citation needed]) was used[by whom?] to denote "free" Christians of steppe origin and Russian language.

Other non-religious usage

Nominally "Christian" societies made "Christian" a default label for citizenship or for "people like us".[35] In this context, religious or ethnic minorities can use "Christians" or "you Christians" loosely as a shorthand term for mainstream members of society who do not belong to "our" group - even in a thoroughly secular (though formerly Christian) society.[36]

Demographics

Main article: Christianity by country

As of the early 21st century, Christianity has approximately 2.4 billion adherents.[37][38][39] The faith represents about a third of the world's population and is the largest religion in the world. 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 1.17 billion adherents, representing half of all Christians.[40]

Christianity remains the dominant religion in the Western World, where 70% are Christians.[2] A 2011 Pew Research Center survey found that 76.2% of Europeans, 73.3% in Oceania, and about 86.0% in the Americas (90% in Latin America and 77.4% in North America) described themselves as Christians.[2][41][42][43]

According to 2012 Pew Research Center survey if current trends continue, Christianity will remains the world's largest religion by year 2050. By 2050, the Christian population is expected to exceed 3 billion. While Muslims have an average of 3.1 children per woman—the highest rate of all religious groups. Christians are second, with 2.7 children per woman. High birth rates and conversion were cited as the reason for the Christian population growths. A 2015 study found that approximately 10.2 million Muslim converted to Christianity.[44] Christianity is growing in Africa,[45][46] Asia,[46][47] Latin America,[48] Muslim world,[49] and Oceania.

Percentage of Christians worldwide
Twenty countries with the most Christians
Country Christians  % Christian
 United States (details) 246,780,000 73%
 Brazil (details) 175,770,000 90.2%
 Mexico (details) 107,780,000 92%
 Russia (details) 99,775,000 70.3%
 Philippines (details) 90,530,000 92.4%
 Nigeria (details) 76,281,000 48.2%
 Congo, Democratic Republic of (details) 68,558,000 95.6%
 China, People's Republic of (details) 66,959,000 5.0%
 Italy (details) 55,070,000 91.1%
 Ethiopia (details) 54,978,000 64.5%
 Germany (details) 50,400,000 61.9%[50]
 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 63.0%[51]
 Kenya (details) 34,774,000 85.1%
 Uganda (details) 29,943,000 88.6%

Notable individuals

Main articles: Lists of Christians and List of Christian Nobel laureates

Christians have made a myriad contributions in a broad and diverse range of fields, including the sciences, arts, politics, literatures and business.[52][53][54][55][56][57] According to 100 Years of Nobel Prizes, a review of Nobel prizes awarded between 1901 and 2000 reveals that (65.4%) of Nobel Prizes laureates identified Christianity in its various forms as their religious preference.[58]

Eastern Christians (particularly Nestorian Christians) contributed to the Arab Islamic Civilization during the Ummayad and the Abbasid periods by translating works of Greek philosophers to Syriac and afterwards to Arabic.[59][60][61] They also excelled in philosophy, science, theology and medicine.[62][63]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Christianity 2015: Religious Diversity and Personal Contact" (PDF). gordonconwell.edu. January 2015. Retrieved 29 May 2015. 
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u ANALYSIS (19 December 2011). "Global Christianity". Pewforum.org. Retrieved 17 August 2012. 
  3. ^ "Discrimination in the EU in 2012" (PDF), Special Eurobarometer, 383, European Union: European Commission, p. 233, 2012, retrieved 14 August 2013  The question asked was "Do you consider yourself to be...?" With a card showing: Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, Other Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, Buddhist, Hindu, Atheist, and Non-believer/Agnostic. Space was given for Other (SPONTANEOUS) and DK. Jewish, Sikh, Buddhist, Hindu did not reach the 1% threshold.
  4. ^ Bickerman (1949) p. 145, The Christians got their appellation from "Christus," that is, "the Anointed," the Messiah.
  5. ^ a b c Woodhead, Linda (2004). Christianity: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. n.p. 
  6. ^ Beal, Timothy (2008). Religion in America: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 35, 39.  Beal states that, "Although all of them have their historical roots in Christian theology and tradition, and although most would identify themselves as Christian, many would not identify others within the larger category as Christian. Most Baptists and Fundamentalists, for example, would not acknowledge Mormonism or Christian Science as Christian. In fact, the nearly 77 percent of Americans who self-identify as Christian are a diverse pluribus of Christianities that are far from any collective unity."
  7. ^ Schaff, Philip. "V. St. Paul and the Conversion of the Gentiles (Note 496)". History of the Christian Church. 
  8. ^ Christ at Etymology Online
  9. ^ Bickerman, 1949 p. 147, All these Greek terms, formed with the Latin suffix -ianus, exactly as the Latin words of the same derivation, express the idea that the men or things referred to, belong to the person to whose name the suffix is added.
    p. 145, In Latin this suffix produced proper names of the type Marcianus and, on the other hand, derivatives from the name of a person, which referred to his belongings, like fundus Narcissianus, or, by extension, to his adherents, Ciceroniani.
  10. ^ Messiah at Etymology Online
  11. ^ #Wuest-1973 p. 19. The word is used three times in the New Testament, and each time as a term of reproach or derision. Here in Antioch, the name Christianos was coined to distinguish the worshippers of the Christ from the Kaisarianos, the worshippers of Caesar.
  12. ^ #Wuest-1973 p. 19. The city of Antioch in Syria had a reputation for coining nicknames.
  13. ^ Christine Trevett Christian women and the time of the Apostolic Fathers 2006 "'Christians' (christianoi) was a term first coined in Syrian Antioch (Acts 11: 26) and which appeared next in Christian sources in Ignatius, Eph 11.2; Rom 3.2; Pol 7.3. Cf. too Did 12.4; MPol 3.1; 10.1; 12.1-2; EpDiog 1.1; 4.6; 5.1;"
  14. ^ Josephus. "Antiquities of the Jews — XVIII, 3:3". 
  15. ^ 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. 
  16. ^ Bruce, Frederick Fyvie (1988). The Book of the Acts. Eerdmans. p. 228. ISBN 0-8028-2505-2. 
  17. ^ Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies: Volume 65, Issue 1 University of London. School of Oriental and African Studies - 2002 "... around 331, Eusebius says of the place name Nazareth that 'from this name the Christ was called a Nazoraean, and in ancient times we, who are now called Christians, were once called Nazarenes';6 thus he attributes this designation ..."
  18. ^ Beal, Timothy (2008). Religion in America: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 35. 
  19. ^ Martin, Michael (1993). The Case Against Christianity. Temple University Press. p. 12. ISBN 1-56639-081-8. 
  20. ^ Nazarene at Etymology Online
  21. ^ a b Khaled Ahmed, Pakistan Daily Times.
  22. ^ a b Society for Internet Research, The Hamas Charter, note 62 (erroneously, "salidi").
  23. ^ Jeffrey Tayler, Trekking through the Moroccan Sahara.
  24. ^ "Nasara". Mazyan Bizaf Show. 
  25. ^ Akbar S. Ahmed, Islam, Globalization, and Postmodernity, p 110.
  26. ^ Rashid al-din Fazl Allâh, quoted in Karl Jahn (ed.) Histoire Universelle de Rasid al-Din Fadl Allah Abul=Khair: I. Histoire des Francs (Texte Persan avec traduction et annotations), Leiden, E. J. Brill, 1951. (Source: M. Ashtiany)
  27. ^ سنة ٤٩١ - "ذكر ملك الفرنج مدينة أنطاكية" في الكامل في التاريخ
  28. ^ "Account of al-Faranj seizing Antioch" Year 491AH, The Complete History
  29. ^ MacKenzie, D. N. (1986). A Concise Pahlavi Dictionary. London: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-713559-5
  30. ^ "Catholic priest in saffron robe called 'Isai Baba'". The Indian Express. December 24, 2008. 
  31. ^ Christ in Cantonese, translation, English-Cantonese Dictionary
  32. ^ Christian - Meaning Definition Synonym Synopsis
  33. ^ Charlton T. Lewis, Charles Short, A Latin Dictionary, Christus
  34. ^ Вселенские Соборы читать, скачать - профессор Антон Владимирович Карташёв
  35. ^ Compare: Cross, Frank Leslie; Livingstone, Elizabeth A., eds. (2005) [1957]. "Christian". The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (3 ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 336. ISBN 9780192802903. Retrieved 2016-12-05. In modern times the name Christian [...] has tended, in nominally Christian countries, to lose any credal significance and imply only that which is ethically praiseworthy (e.g. 'a Christian action') or socially customary ('Christian name'). 
  36. ^ Compare: Sandmel, Samuel (1967). We Jews and You Christians: An Inquiry Into Attitudes. Lippincott. Retrieved 2016-12-06. 
  37. ^ 33.39% of 7.174 billion world population (under "People and Society") "World". CIA world facts. 
  38. ^ "The List: The World's Fastest-Growing Religions". foreignpolicy.com. March 2007. Retrieved 2010-01-04. 
  39. ^ "Major Religions Ranked by Size". Adherents.com. Retrieved 2009-05-05. 
  40. ^ Pontifical Yearbook 2010, Catholic News Agency. Accessed September 22, 2011.
  41. ^ ANALYSIS (19 December 2011). "Europe". Pewforum.org. Retrieved 17 August 2012. 
  42. ^ ANALYSIS (19 December 2011). "Americas". Pewforum.org. Retrieved 17 August 2012. 
  43. ^ ANALYSIS (19 December 2011). "Global religious landscape: Christians". Pewforum.org. Retrieved 17 August 2012. 
  44. ^ Johnstone, Patrick; Miller, Duane Alexander (2015). "Believers in Christ from a Muslim Background: A Global Census". Interdisciplinary Journal of Research on Religion. 11: 8. Retrieved 30 October 2015. 
  45. ^ "Study: Christianity growth soars in Africa – USATODAY.com". USATODAY.COM. 20 December 2011. Retrieved 14 February 2015. 
  46. ^ a b Ostling, Richard N. (24 June 2001). "The Battle for Latin America's Soul". TIME.com. Retrieved 14 February 2015. 
  47. ^ "In China, Protestantism's Simplicity Yields More Converts Than Catholicism". International Business Times. 28 March 2012. Retrieved 14 February 2015. 
  48. ^ Chris Arsenault. "Evangelicals rise in Latin America". Retrieved 14 February 2015. 
  49. ^ Believers in Christ from a Muslim Background: A Global Census
  50. ^ REMID Data of "Religionswissenschaftlicher Medien- und Informationsdienst" retrieved 16 January 2015
  51. ^ Pew Research Center (2010). "Religious Composition by Country". Retrieved 19 February 2016. 
  52. ^ Religious Affiliation of History's 100 Most Influential People
  53. ^ The Scientific 100
  54. ^ 50 Nobel Laureates and Other Great Scientists Who Believe in God
  55. ^ Religious Affiliation of the World's Greatest Artists
  56. ^ The Wealthy 100
  57. ^ Religious Affiliation of History's Greatest Philosophers
  58. ^ Baruch A. Shalev, 100 Years of Nobel Prizes (2003),Atlantic Publishers & Distributors , p.57: between 1901 and 2000 reveals that 654 Laureates belong to 28 different religion Most (65.4%) have identified Christianity in its various forms as their religious preference.
  59. ^ Hill, Donald. Islamic Science and Engineering. 1993. Edinburgh Univ. Press. ISBN 0-7486-0455-3, p.4
  60. ^ Brague, Rémi (15 April 2009). The Legend of the Middle Ages. p. 164. ISBN 9780226070803. Retrieved 11 February 2014. 
  61. ^ Ferguson, Kitty Pythagoras: His Lives and the Legacy of a Rational Universe Walker Publishing Company, New York, 2008, (page number not available – occurs toward end of Chapter 13, "The Wrap-up of Antiquity"). "It was in the Near and Middle East and North Africa that the old traditions of teaching and learning continued, and where Christian scholars were carefully preserving ancient texts and knowledge of the ancient Greek language."
  62. ^ Rémi Brague, Assyrians contributions to the Islamic civilization
  63. ^ Britannica, Nestorian

Bibliography

Etymology

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