Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1878-12-28
ORIGIN OF THE NAME CHRISTIAN.
For the Intelli2encer.

tian," and the exhortation OF Peter, Yet.
If any man suffer as Christian, let him
not be ashamed" embrace every mem
ton OF the name in the New Testament.
What is Its meaning? The Greek
word christionos is formed from chris
tos by adding to the Greek stem the
Latin termination, AIMS, giving the idea
of a partisan or ddherent. L. G..
Herodians, MARK III, 6. ct aO, a
party of the Jews vino believed that
the hopes OF their nation rested on the
Herods. and who looked to them for the |
ful6lment OF the Messianic prophecies !; |
Cgsaria ms, Pompeians. adherents of
Cesar. Pompey. Hence christie 2s, ad-
hersnts or followers OF Christ.
Whence did they derive the name? :?
There are tour views: lst. That Paul
and Barnabus called them so. I'd. T hat
the name was divinely gwen. 5rd.
That they called themselves so. 4'h.
That their enemies gave them the name.
some suppose through rdicule ;others as
mere distinctive title.
| |. The view that the name was given
by Paul and Barnsbas is supported by
what We regard as an inaccurate trans
lation of the word chrenldtiSui. (Acts
XI. 26). making the passage read some
what as follows: And it came to pass
that they paul and Barnabas assembled
a whole year with the church, and
taught much people. and 'ha. they
first at Antioch called the disciples
Christians.
Our English version. following the
Genevan. dsregards the punctuation OF
the original. and puts period after
much people," where the Greek has
only comma, and the English should
have at most semicolon which together
with the TACT that ch,emutiSai is in the
active voice, has induced some to give
it the same subjects as the other two in
tinitives. and to translate 1t Gated in,
stead OF were Called. But now for the
meaning OF the word chremdtiecin, ,ren.
dered were called in the authorized
version. Formed from the word chrema
a matter, business; it means. first, Il
transact business; hence OF kings. to dc
business III public, to give audience ano
answer to petitioners and in later Greek
to do business as any one, under an.
name. and hence, to take or bear :
name. to be called or named. Cher
seems to be no authority, then, for tn
assertion that the verb, although in tn
active voice, should be translated' t
call; :" but large number OF example
can be cited In which the translation It
be called, ,".to be named" would alon
make the Greek Ineligible. f. g.. Jos
Ant. l3. IL, 8, Aristobulus acnS called
Philhellenic; Plut. Anton. 81, Cleopatr
,cas called the young Isis. The onl
other passage Except one mentione
presently)in the New Testament in whic
the word is used in the active voic'
"She shall be called an adulteress
(Rom. vii. 81, strongly confirms the co
rectness Of the translation In the autho
lied version OF the passage under col
sideration
In Heb. xii %, we find the verb use
in the active voice in its primary signl
cation--to warn by Divine authority,
declare the divine will. The opinit
that the name Christian was given to Il
., disciples by Paul and Barnabas, seem
therefore, to be utterly untenable
lexical grounds.
2. The view that the name was {
v,nely given evidently originated fro
the fact, that in SIX out OF nine passag
in which chremdtisein occurs, it is &C
nected with Cod or 1.-The Holy Gho!
but used outside of this connection,
i. such idea is by any means necessar
implied in it, as we regard is the C:
here.
8. Malalas, writer of the mid
ages, gives US tradition that. Sat Il
time they we're called Christians, DUR
the ministration OF this same Euodi
who also gave them this name; for
fore this they had been called Nazare
and GalIleans." Euodias. he tells
succeeded St. Peter as bishop
Antioch" There is also another I
dition contained in the following P
sage from William of Tyre: "In
: city (Antioch) was held the first C
vention OF the faithful, in which
usr' name of Christians was also given.
before this. those who had followed
Nazarenes. But afterward, since
name had been derived from Christ.
the authority of that synod. the iatl
have all been called Christians"
to these traditions we give as little {
dencs as to numberless others han
down through the old chroniclers.
If the name had been given by
Christians themselves. we would SUI
have found the term used in the Acts
the Apostles and in the letters to
churches. But they invariably add
the followers OF Christ as gain
"disciples." "brethren.' "belove
and in the only other two instances
which the word Christian occurs, tn
Is an implication at least. that the t
is used by those without the church.
4. The name could not have /
given by the Jews. since they W.
thus have yielded the very gro
OF their hatred and opposition to Je
namely, that he was pretender,
not the "anolnted" Of God. 1t m
therefore, have beon given to them
the Gentiles. in Antioch.
Now. it is true that the Antioch
were notorious for the invention
use of nicknames and terms Of deri.
having on one occasion brought d
upon themselves the destruction of ,
city. by scoffiug at and insulting
the battlements the commander oil
Roman army, which lay encan
around their walls. 1t is true, also,
Tacitus. In giving an account of N