Why do people talk as though "Christ" is the last name of Jesus?

Question

It's not. It's another word for messiah, which is a title. Messiah, in turn, is a Jewish word and concept that refers to a great HUMAN BEING (not a demi-god) like King David, who is expected to be a leader who rebuilds the temple. Jesus was Jesus of Nazareth.

Answer 1

You don't know and do not understand what you are saying. When you ask question, go direct to the point. not so many useless comments without knowing what it means.

Messiah is not a title but a word which means messenger. Jesus Christ was also called messiah because he was a messenger of God for the people on earth.
jtm

Answer 2

So to use our way of naming a person, a more correct name would be Christ Jesus Nazareth. With the term Christ being akin to General, or Doctor, or something like that. I can get behind that.
But here's the thing, naming conventions weren't always like they are now. And because at some point the title was after a person's name (which was only a first name) then for Jesus, it stuck. For Simon Peter, we just call him by his surname/last name, Peter. For other early church leaders we call them by a Greek name, or a Roman name, even though they were Jewish. We're first introduced to Timothy in Acts as Timetheous because his father was Greek and he was Greek/Jewish, yet we call him by a Roman name Timothy.
My point is, we know how we're talking about, when we say Timothy, or Peter, or Jesus Christ. You're just being nit picky.

Answer 3

I don't think anyone thinks that Christ is Jesus' last name. It is a title. One could say, Jesus, the Christ, or Jesus, the Messiah, and would being saying the same thing each time. Only the word, "the", has been eliminated and therefore, Jesus Christ. A title.

Answer 4

You are right, Christ is his title. You need to do some more study on what Messiah means. Jesus has many titles, The Christ, the Messiah, the Savior, King, and many, many more. These titles all bring different connotations but all equally apply to him. It is only through him that we can find exaltation and come unto God.

Answer 5

"Christ" is derived from the Greek word "Kristos" which means "Messiah" or "The Anointed One". When a person was anointed, they were set aside for a holy purpose.
Also, even the name "Jesus" is not what He would have gone by 2000 years ago. Back then, His name was Yehushua, but the Greek doesn't have a "sh" sound, and all male Greek names must end with "-s". So it was changed to fit the Greek, and it became "Iesus" (pronounced "Yay-zoos"). Later, the Germanic influence changed the "I" to a "J", because Germans pronounce "J" as "Y". Then the English pronounced the "J" according to the English "dzh" sound.

Answer 6

Because some people do not know that the word "Christ" is a title meaning the Messiah or the anointed one.

Answer 7

I have often asked the same questions. I find that it is a case of habit. We Christians have heard it so many times, over so many years, that we just say it, not even thinking about it.

Jesus, the name, was a very common name in those days, just as it still is in many Latino cultures today. I'm not even sure that in Jesus, the Christ's day they used a sir-name. So, "Jesus Christ" has become a common way of referring to him so it feels comfortable to us. We're used to using two names for everyone. "Billy Mitchel," "Thomas Edison," etc., etc., etc. It's the rare movie star or musical artist that we use only one name for and still feel comfortable about.

Kev

Answer 8

It's just ignorance or simply not knowing better. I thought the same thing until I became a Christian when I was 18. I had no "new" information before that, so I just thought that Mr. and Mrs. Christ gave birth to a son, whom they named Jesus.

I learned, after I turned 18, that "Christ" or "Cristos" was Greek (or Aramaic?) word for Messiah (or Moshiach), and that it was His title... meaning, Anointed One.

Answer 9

Agreed. I would go a step further as this is what I learned studying Catholic Tradition. Jesus did not become 'the Christ' until his death and resurrection. Yep, it's just a title. I do like Jesus though, just not the Christ bit.

Answer 10

Its because people believe Jesus was Christ; thats why its also part of his title. Premodern thinkers (most people before the enlightenment) described themselves by the relationships they have with other people, places they came from and what they were. Most people saw Christ as the most important description of Jesus, and thus Jesus Christ.