Christ is the English term for the Greek Χριστός (Khristós) meaning "the anointed",[1] which as a translation of the Hebrew מָשִׁיחַ (Mašíaḥ,), carries much of its original Jewish meaning of "Messiah"—"one [who is] anointed" or appointed by God with a unique and special purpose (mission) on Earth.[2]
In the 3rd- to 1st-centuries BC, the Tanakh (what Christians in later centuries would call the Old Testament) was translated into a Greek version called the Septuagint, in which Khristós was used as a translation of מָשִׁיחַ "Mašíaḥ." Jewish traditional customs associated an appointment to a special purpose with the customary "anointment" of a person with holy anointing oil.[citation needed]
In the first century C.E., a growing sect of religious converts believed that Jesus is "the Christ" (Messiah), and these became known as "Christians." This usage remains current, such that while "Messiah" may specifically refer to the Jewish concept of "the Messiah" yet to come, or to the concept of such a being in general, the term "Christ" in English is almost exclusively connected with Christianity.
