The Environment Envir. I am a philologist. I trace the meaning of a word from its root and its original use to its present meaning. Too often we lose sight of the significance of words by focusing on a usage which appears to be popular at the moment.
History is a great teacher.
Let's learn from it, even when it comes to understanding words. The word Christian was first used to describe the followers of the fanatical rabbi who had been executed by the Romans. The term was not meant as a compliment. To their contemporaries, a Christian was a follower of Christ demonstrated sacrificial love to other followers. As a matter of fact, that is exactly what they are saying in the countries where Christians are persecuted.