Christians Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! ==Modern usage== {{cleanup lang|section|date=November 2021}} [[File:MII (cropped)-Tacitus-chrestianos.png|thumb|''chrestianos'', first mention of Christians in [[Annals (Tacitus)|Tacitus' Annals]]. 11th century copy.]][[File:ChristianityPUA.svg|left|thumb|The [[Christian cross|Latin cross]] and [[Ichthys]] symbols, two symbols often used by Christians to represent [[Christianity|their religion]]]] ===Definition=== A wide range of beliefs and practices are found across the world among those who call themselves Christian. [[Christian denomination|Denomination]]s and sects disagree on a common definition of "Christianity". For example, [[Timothy Beal]] notes the disparity of beliefs among those who identify as Christians in the United States as follows: <blockquote>Although all of them have their historical roots in Christian theology and tradition, and although most would identify themselves as Christian, many would not identify others within the larger category as Christian. Most Baptists and fundamentalists ([[Christian Fundamentalism]]), for example, would not acknowledge Mormonism or Christian Science as Christian. In fact, the nearly 77 percent of Americans who self-identify as Christian are a diverse pluribus of Christianities that are far from any collective unity.<ref>{{cite book |title=Religion in America: A Very Short Introduction |last=Beal |first=Timothy |year=2008 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford |page=35}}</ref></blockquote> [[Linda Woodhead]] attempts to provide a common belief thread for Christians by noting that "Whatever else they might disagree about, Christians are at least united in believing that Jesus has a unique significance."<ref name="Woodhead 2004 n.p"/> [[Michael Martin (philosopher)|Michael Martin]] evaluated three historical Christian creeds (the [[Apostles' Creed]], the [[Nicene Creed]] and the [[Athanasian Creed]]) to establish a set of basic Christian assumptions which include belief in [[theism]], the [[historicity of Jesus]], the [[Incarnation (Christianity)|Incarnation]], [[Christian soteriology|salvation]] through faith in Jesus, and [[Christian views of Jesus|Jesus]] as an ethical role model.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Case Against Christianity |author=Martin, Michael |author-link=Michael Martin (philosopher) |year=1993 |publisher=Temple University Press |page=[https://archive.org/details/caseagainstchris00mich/page/12 12] |isbn=1-56639-081-8 |url=https://archive.org/details/caseagainstchris00mich/page/12}}</ref> ===Hebrew terms=== [[File:PikiWiki Israel 17818 Cities in Israel.jpg|right|thumb|upright=0.9|[[Nazareth]] is described as the childhood home of [[Jesus]]. Many languages employ the word "Nazarene" as a general designation for those of Christian faith.<ref>Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies: Volume 65, Issue 1 University of London. School of Oriental and African Studies – 2002.</ref>]] The identification of Jesus as the Messiah is not accepted by Judaism. The term for a Christian in [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] is נוֹצְרִי (''Notzri''—"Nazarene"), a [[Talmud]]ic term originally derived from the fact that Jesus came from the [[Galilee|Galilean]] village of [[Nazareth]], today in northern Israel.<ref>[http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=nazarene Nazarene] at Etymology Online</ref> Adherents of [[Messianic Judaism]] are referred to in modern Hebrew as יְהוּדִים מְשִׁיחִיִּים (''Yehudim Meshihi'im''—"Messianic Jews"). ===Arabic terms=== <!-- [[Nasrani (disambiguation)]] links here --> In [[Arab world|Arabic-speaking cultures]], two words are commonly used for Christians: ''Naṣrānī'' ({{lang|ar|نصراني}}), plural ''Naṣārā'' ({{lang|ar|نصارى}}) is generally understood to be derived from [[Nazarene (sect)|Nazarenes]], believers of [[Nazarene (title)|Jesus of Nazareth]] through [[Syriac language|Syriac]] (Aramaic); ''Masīḥī'' ({{lang|ar|مسيحي}}) means followers of the Messiah.<ref name="SOFIR">Society for Internet Research, [http://www.sofir.org/sarchives/005539.php The Hamas Charter] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130525050133/http://www.sofir.org/sarchives/005539.php |date=25 May 2013 }}, note 62 (erroneously, "salidi").</ref> Where there is a distinction, ''Nasrani'' refers to people from a Christian culture and ''Masihi'' is used by Christians themselves for those with a religious faith in Jesus.<ref name="Tayler">[[Jeffrey Tayler]], ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=98dQ39WOoUUC&dq=masihi+nasrani&pg=RA1-PA41 Trekking through the Moroccan Sahara]''.</ref> In some countries ''Nasrani'' tends to be used generically for non-Muslim Western foreigners.<ref>{{cite web |title=Nasara |url=http://www.mazyanbizaf.com/mbs002 |website=Mazyan Bizaf Show|access-date=18 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171013151448/http://www.mazyanbizaf.com/mbs002/|archive-date=13 October 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> Another Arabic word sometimes used for Christians, particularly in a political context, is ''Ṣalībī'' ({{lang|ar|صليبي}} "Crusader") from ''ṣalīb'' ({{lang|ar|صليب}} "cross"), which refers to [[Crusades|Crusaders]] and may have negative connotations.<ref name="SOFIR"/><ref>[[Akbar S. Ahmed]], ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=kXY9AAAAIAAJ&dq=salibi+crusader&pg=PA110 Islam, Globalization, and Postmodernity]'', p 110.</ref> However, ''Ṣalībī'' is a modern term; historically, Muslim writers described European Christian Crusaders as ''al-Faranj'' or ''Alfranj'' ({{lang|ar|الفرنج}}) and ''Firinjīyah'' ({{lang|ar|الفرنجيّة}}) in Arabic.<ref>Rashid al-din Fazl Allâh, quoted in Karl Jahn (ed.) Histoire Universelle de Rasid al-Din Fadl Allah Abul=Khair: I. Histoire des Francs (Texte Persan avec traduction et annotations), Leiden, E. J. Brill, 1951. (Source: M. Ashtiany)</ref> This word comes from the name of the [[Franks]] and can be seen in the Arab history text [[Al-Kamil fi al-Tarikh]] by [[Ali ibn al-Athir]].<ref>{{lang|ar|سنة ٤٩١ – "ذكر ملك الفرنج مدينة أنطاكية" في الكامل في التاريخ}}</ref><ref>"Account of ''al-Faranj'' seizing Antioch" Year 491AH, [[The Complete History]]</ref> ===Asian terms=== {{more citations needed section|date=October 2021}} The most common [[Persian language|Persian]] word is ''Masīhī'' ({{lang|fa|مسیحی}}), from [[Arabic language|Arabic]]. Other words are ''Nasrānī'' ({{lang|fa|نصرانی}}), from [[Classical Syriac|Syriac]] for "Nazarene", and ''Tarsā'' ({{lang|fa|ترسا}}), from [[Middle Persian]] word ''Tarsāg'', also meaning "Christian", derived from ''tars'', meaning "fear, respect".<ref>[[MacKenzie, D. N.]] (1986). ''A Concise Pahlavi Dictionary''. London: Oxford University Press. {{ISBN|0-19-713559-5}}</ref> An old Kurdish word for Christian frequently in usage was ''felle'' (فەڵە), coming from the root word meaning "to be saved" or "attain salvation".<ref>Hazhar Mukriyani, (1990) ''Hanbanaborina Kurdish-Persian Dictionary'' Tehran, Soroush press p.527.</ref> The Syriac term ''Nasrani'' (Nazarene) has also been attached to the [[Saint Thomas Christians]] of [[Kerala]], India. In [[North India|northern India]] and [[Pakistan]], Christians are referred to ''ʿĪsāʾī'' ({{lang-hi|ईसाई}}, {{lang-ur|عیسائی}}).<ref name="John2020">{{cite book |last1=John |first1=Vinod |title=Believing Without Belonging?: Religious Beliefs and Social Belonging of Hindu Devotees of Christ |date=19 November 2020 |publisher=Wipf and Stock Publishers |isbn=978-1-5326-9722-7 |page=111 |language=en |quote=“Isai” is the most common form of address for Christians throughout northern India.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Catholic priest in saffron robe called 'Isai Baba' |url=http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Catholic-priest-in-saffron-robe-called---Isai-Baba--/402458/ |work=[[The Indian Express]] |date=24 December 2008 | url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120113175911/http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Catholic-priest-in-saffron-robe-called---Isai-Baba--/402458/ |archive-date=13 January 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Philpott |first1=Daniel |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uHRJDwAAQBAJ&dq=isaai+pakistan&pg=PA249 |title=Under Caesar's Sword: How Christians Respond to Persecution |last2=Shah |first2=Timothy Samuel |date=2018-03-15 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-108-42530-8 |language=en}}</ref> ''Masīhī'' ({{lang-hi|मसीही}}, {{lang-ur|مسیحی}}) is a term Christians use to refer to themselves as well.<ref name="Bharati2004">{{cite book |last1=Bharati |first1=Swami Dayanand |title=Living Water and Indian Bowl |date=1 June 2004 |publisher=William Carey Publishing |isbn=978-1-64508-562-1 |language=en}}</ref> In the past, the [[Malays (ethnic group)|Malay]]s used to call Christians in [[Malay language]] by the Portuguese loanword ''{{lang|ms|Serani}}'' (from Arabic ''Nasrani''), but the term now refers to the modern [[Kristang people|Kristang]] creoles of [[Malaysia]]. In the [[Indonesian language]], the term ''{{lang|id|Nasrani}}''" is also used alongside ''{{lang|id|Kristen}}''. The Chinese word is {{linktext|基督|徒}} ({{transliteration|zh|pinyin|jīdū tú}}), literally "Christ follower". The name "Christ" was originally phonetically written in Chinese as 基利斯督, which was later abbreviated as 基督.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://kotobank.jp/word/%E5%9F%BA%E7%9D%A3-480274|title = 基督とは}}</ref> ''Kî-tuk'' in the southern [[Hakka dialect]], the two characters are pronounced ''Jīdū'' in Mandarin Chinese. In Vietnam, the same two characters read ''[[:wikt:Cơ đốc|Cơ đốc]]'', and a "follower of Christianity" is a {{lang|vi|tín đồ Cơ đốc giáo}}. [[File:JapaneseChristiansInPortugueseCostume16-17thCentury.jpg|right|thumb|upright=0.9|Japanese Christians ("Kurisuchan") in Portuguese costume, 16–17th century]] In Japan, the term ''[[kirishitan]]'' (written in Edo period documents {{lang|ja|吉利支丹}}, {{lang|ja|切支丹}}, and in modern Japanese histories as {{lang|ja|キリシタン}}), from Portuguese ''{{lang|pt|cristão}}'', referred to Roman Catholics in the 16th and 17th centuries before the religion was banned by the [[Tokugawa shogunate]]. Today, Christians are referred to in [[Standard Japanese]] as {{lang|ja|キリスト教徒}} ({{transliteration|ja|Kirisuto-kyōto}}) or the English-derived term {{lang|ja|クリスチャン}} ({{transliteration|ja|kurisuchan}}). Korean still uses {{lang|ko|기독교도}} ([[Revised Romanization|RR]]: {{transliteration|ko|RR|Gidokkyodo}}) for "Christian", though the Portuguese loanword {{lang|ko|그리스도}} ([[Revised Romanization|RR]]: {{transliteration|ko|RR|Geuriseudo}}) now replaced the old [[Sino-Korean vocabulary|Sino-Korean]] {{lang|ko|기독}} ([[Revised Romanization|RR]]: {{transliteration|ko|RR|Gidok}}), which refers to Christ himself. In Thailand, the most common terms are {{lang|th|คนคริสต์}} ([[Royal Thai General System of Transcription|RTGS]]: {{transliteration|th|khon khrit}}) or {{lang|th|ชาวคริสต์}} ([[Royal Thai General System of Transcription|RTGS]]: {{transliteration|th|chao khrit}}) which literally means "Christ person/people" or "Jesus person/people". The Thai word {{lang|th|คริสต์}} ([[Royal Thai General System of Transcription|RTGS]]: {{transliteration|th|khrit}}) is derived from "Christ". In the [[Philippines]], the most common terms are ''{{lang|tl|Kristiyano}}'' (for "Christian") and ''Kristiyanismo'' (for "Christianity") in most [[Philippine languages]]; both derives from Spanish ''{{lang|es|cristiano}}'' and ''{{lang|es|cristianismo}}'' (also used in [[Chavacano]]) due to the country's rich history of early Christianity during the [[History of the Philippines (1565–1898)|Spanish colonial era]]. Some Protestants in the Philippines uses the term ''{{lang|tl|Kristiyano}}'' (before the term "[[born again]]" became popular) to differentiate themselves from [[Catholic Church in the Philippines|Catholics]] (''Katoliko''). ===Eastern European terms=== {{Unreferenced section|date=December 2022}} The region of modern Eastern Europe and Central Eurasia has a long history of Christianity and Christian communities on its lands. In ancient times, in the first centuries after the birth of Christ, when this region was called Scythia, the geographical area of [[Scythians]] – Christians already lived there.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://azbyka.ru/otechnik/Anton_Kartashev/vselenskie-sobory/|title=Вселенские Соборы - профессор Антон Владимирович Карташёв - читать, скачать|website=azbyka.ru}}</ref> Later the region saw the first states to adopt Christianity officially – initially [[Armenia]] (301 AD) and [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]] (337 AD), later [[Christianization of Bulgaria|Bulgaria]] ({{circa}} 864) and [[Kievan Rus'|Kyivan Rus]] ({{circa}} 988 AD). In some areas, people came to denote themselves as Christians ({{lang-ru|христиане, крестьяне}}; {{Lang-uk|християни|translit=khrystyiany}}) and as Russians ({{lang-ru|русские}}), [[Ruthenians]] ({{Lang-orv|русини, руснаки|translit=rusyny, rusnaky}}), or Ukrainians ({{Lang-uk|українці|translit=ukraintsi}}). In time the Russian term "крестьяне" ({{transliteration|ru|khrest'yane}}) acquired the meaning "peasants of Christian faith" and later "peasants" (the main part of the population of the region), while the term {{lang-ru|христиане}} ({{transliteration|ru|khristiane}}) retained its religious meaning and the term {{lang-ru|русские}} ({{transliteration|ru|russkie}}) began to mean representatives of the heterogeneous Russian nation formed on the basis of common Christian faith and language,{{citation needed|date=November 2015}} which strongly influenced the history and development of the region. In the region the term "Orthodox faith" ({{lang-ru|православная вера}}, {{transliteration|ru|ISO|pravoslavnaia vera}}) or "Russian faith" ({{lang-ru|русская вера}}, {{transliteration|ru|russkaia vera}}) from earliest times became almost as known as the original "Christian faith" ({{lang-ru|христианская, крестьянская вера}} {{transliteration|ru|khristianskaia, krestianskaia}}).{{citation needed|date=December 2016}} Also in some contexts the term [[cossack]] ({{lang-orv|козак, казак|translit=kozak, kazak}}) was used to denote "free" Christians of steppe origin and East Slavic language. === Other non-religious usages === Nominally "Christian" societies made "Christian" a default label for citizenship or for "people like us".<ref> Compare: {{cite book |year=1957 |chapter=Christian| editor1-last = Cross| editor1-first = Frank Leslie| editor1-link = Frank Leslie Cross| editor2-last = Livingstone| editor2-first = Elizabeth A. |title=The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fUqcAQAAQBAJ |edition=3 |location=Oxford |publisher=Oxford University Press| publication-date = 2005 |page=336 |isbn=9780192802903 |access-date=5 December 2016 |quote=In modern times the name Christian ... has tended, in nominally Christian countries, to lose any credal significance and imply only that which is ethically praiseworthy (e.g. 'a Christian action') or socially customary ('Christian name').}} </ref> In this context, religious or ethnic minorities can use "Christians" or "you Christians" loosely as a shorthand term for mainstream members of society who do not belong to their group – even in a thoroughly secular (though formerly Christian) society.<ref> Compare: {{cite book |last1=Sandmel |first1=Samuel |title=We Jews and You Christians: An Inquiry Into Attitudes |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eq_qXK_ZlsMC |publisher=Lippincott| date = 1967 |access-date=6 December 2016}} </ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. 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