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Christ: Profile of Christ, Jewish Messiah, Anointed One

By Austin Cline, About.com

Jesus Crucified

Jesus Crucified

Who was the Christ?:
Christ is a title, not a person. Christ is the Greek form of Messiah, which comes from the Hebrew word mashiah. For Jews, the Christ is the “anointed” or “consecrated” one. Kings, priests, and prophets were all anointed in some fashion, but the Christ is typically regarded as the perfect union of all three: a king, priest, and prophet picked by God to lead his chosen people.
When did the Christ live?:
Whether the Christ has ever lived or not is a matter of religious dispute. Pious Jews do not believe that the Christ has arrived, but they are awaiting a messianic event for some time in the future. Over the millennia various self-proclaimed christs have appeared and attracted Jewish followings. The most famous alleged christ would be Jesus, known as Jesus (the) Christ.
Where did the Christ live?:
Christs have lived wherever Jews have lived: Palestine, Galilee, Europe, and even America. Christs are highly context-dependent: they are only recognized by a community as a christ if they fulfill certain social, political, and religious expectations. It’s not simply a matter of fulfilling prophecy, but also of meeting certain needs that have developed in the Jewish community — for example, promising to free them of political subjugation.
What does a Christ do?:
The expectations of what a christ does are based in part on what the needs of a community are at the time. Every christ is expected to take charge of God’s chosen people and lead them into a better, brighter future. How that is accomplished depends upon what is happening to God’s chosen people. The christ may be expected to drive out the Romans, to lead in the establishment of a new nation, etc.
Why are Christs important?:
In Judaism, the christ is a focus of both political and religious aspirations. The christ is both a religious and a political leader who is carrying out the will of God here on Earth. If someone is recognized as a christ, they can command absolute loyalty and obedience from others. Their commands are not merely the commands of another person, but also the commands of God.

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