Changes
Reverted to revision 866403550 by Editor2020 (talk): No just The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. (TW)
{{short description|person who adheres to Christianity}}
{{About|Christian people}}
{{pp-semi-protected|small=yes}}
{{pp-move-indef}}
{{infobox religious group
|group = Christians<br />''χριστιανοί''
|image = [[File:V&A - Raphael, The Miraculous Draught of Fishes (1515).jpg|300px]]
|caption = After the [[miraculous catch of fish]], Christ invokes his disciples to become "fishers of men" ({{bibleref|Matthew|4:19|KJV}}) by [[Raphael]].
|population = '''{{circa|2.4 billion}}''' worldwide <small>(2015)</small><ref name="gordonconwell.edu">{{cite web|url=http://www.gordonconwell.edu/resources/documents/1IBMR2015.pdf|title=Christianity 2015: Religious Diversity and Personal Contact|publisher=gordonconwell.edu|date= January 2015 |accessdate=29 May 2015}}</ref><ref name="Global Christianity">{{cite web|author=ANALYSIS |url=http://www.pewforum.org/Christian/Global-Christianity-exec.aspx |title=Global Christianity |publisher=Pewforum.org |date=19 December 2011 |accessdate=17 August 2012}}</ref>
|founder = [[Jesus]]
|scriptures = [[Bible]]
<!--Do NOT add any more regions to the list; the European Union and ten largest Christian nations is adequate! These are reported nominal figures.-->
| region1 = {{flag|European Union}}
| pop1 = 373,656,000
| ref1 =<ref>{{citation|title=Discrimination in the EU in 2012|work=[[Eurobarometer|Special Eurobarometer]] |year=2012 |series=383 |page=233 |url=http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_393_en.pdf |accessdate=14 August 2013 |publisher=[[European Commission]] |location=[[European Union]]}} The question asked was "Do you consider yourself to be...?" With a card showing: Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, Other Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, Buddhist, Hindu, Atheist, and Non-believer/Agnostic. Space was given for Other (SPONTANEOUS) and DK. Jewish, Sikh, Buddhist, Hindu did not reach the 1% threshold.</ref>
| region2 = {{flag|United States}}
| pop2 = 246,790,000
| ref2 = <ref name="Global Christianity"/>
| region3 = {{flag|Brazil}}
| pop3 = 175,770,000
| ref3 =<ref name="Global Christianity"/>
| region4 = {{flag|Mexico}}
| pop4 = 107,780,000
| ref4 =<ref name="Global Christianity"/>
| region5 = {{flag|Russia}}
| pop5 = 105,220,000
| ref5 = <ref name="Global Christianity"/>
| region6 = {{flag|Philippines}}
| pop6 = 86,790,000
| ref6 = <ref name="Global Christianity"/>
| region7 = {{flag|Nigeria}}
| pop7 = 80,510,000
| ref7 = <ref name="Global Christianity"/>
| region8 = {{flag|China}}
| pop8 = 67,070,000
| ref8 =<ref name="Global Christianity"/>
| region9 = {{flag|Democratic Republic of the Congo}}
| pop9 = 63,150,000
| ref9 = <ref name="Global Christianity"/>
| region10 = {{flag|Ethiopia}}
| pop10 = 52,580,000
| ref10 = <ref name="Global Christianity"/>
| languages = {{Plainlist|
* '''Predominant spoken languages:'''<ref name="Wiley-Blackwell1">{{cite book|last1 = Johnson|first1 = Todd M.|last2 = Grim|first2 = Brian J.|title = The World's Religions in Figures: An Introduction to International Religious Demography|url = http://media.johnwiley.com.au/product_data/excerpt/47/04706745/0470674547-196.pdf|accessdate = 24 November 2015|year = 2013|publisher = Wiley-Blackwell|location = Hoboken, NJ|pages = 10|deadurl = yes|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20131020100448/http://media.johnwiley.com.au/product_data/excerpt/47/04706745/0470674547-196.pdf|archivedate = 20 October 2013|df = }}</ref><br>{{Hlist|[[Spanish language|Spanish]]|[[English language|English]]|[[Portuguese language|Portuguese]]|[[Russian language|Russian]]|[[Mandarin Chinese]]|[[French language|French]]|[[German language|German]]|[[Polish language|Polish]]|[[Ukrainian language|Ukrainian]]|[[Tagalog language|Tagalog]]|[[Italian language|Italian]]|other [[vernacular]] languages of the [[Christian world]] and the World}}
}}
'''Sacred languages:'''<br />{{Hlist|[[Ecclesiastical Latin]]|[[Koine Greek]]<ref>A history of ancient Greek by Maria Chritē, Maria Arapopoulou, Centre for the Greek Language (Thessalonikē, Greece) pg 436 {{ISBN|0-521-83307-8}}</ref>|[[Syriac language]]<ref>{{cite book |last =Wilken|first =Robert Louis |title= The First Thousand Years: A Global History of Christianity |publisher= Yale University Press |location= New Haven and London|isbn= 978-0-300-11884-1 |page = 26}}</ref>}}
|religions =[[Christianity]]{{unbulleted list
|50% [[Catholic Church|Catholicism]]: [[Latin Church]], [[Eastern Catholic Churches]]<ref name="Global Christianity"/>
|37% [[Protestantism]]: [[Adventism]], [[Anglicanism]], [[Baptists|Baptist churches]], [[Calvinism|Reformed churches]], [[Lutheranism]], [[Methodism]], [[Pentecostalism]] and other denominations<ref name="Global Christianity"/>
|12% [[Orthodoxy]]: [[Eastern Orthodox Church]] and [[Oriental Orthodoxy|Oriental Orthodox Churches]]<ref name="Global Christianity"/>
|1% Other Christian traditions: incl. [[Assyrian Church of the East]], [[Latter Day Saint movement]], [[Jehovah's Witnesses]], [[Unitarianism]] and [[Nondenominational Christianity|Nondenominational churches]]<ref name="Global Christianity"/>
}}
|footnotes =
}}
A '''Christian''' ({{IPAc-en|audio=En-us-Christian.ogg|ˈ|k|ɹ|ɪ|s|tʃ|ən|,_|-|t|i|ə|n}}) is a person who follows or adheres to [[Christianity]], an [[Abrahamic religions|Abrahamic]], [[Monotheism#Christianity|monotheistic]] [[religion]] based on the life and teachings of [[Jesus in Christianity|Jesus Christ]]. "Christian" derives from the [[Koine Greek]] word ''[[Christ (title)|Christ]]ós'' (Χριστός), a translation of the [[Biblical Hebrew]] term ''[[Jewish messianism|mashiach]]'' ([[Biblical Hebrew]]: מָשִׁיחַ).<ref>[[#Bickerman-1949|Bickerman (1949)]] p. 145, ''The Christians got their appellation from "Christus," that is, "the Anointed," the Messiah.''</ref>
While there are diverse interpretations of Christianity which sometimes conflict,<ref name="Woodhead 2004 n.p">{{cite book |title= Christianity: A Very Short Introduction|edition= |last= Woodhead|first= Linda |year= 2004|publisher= Oxford University Press |location= Oxford|isbn= |pages= n.p.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title= Religion in America: A Very Short Introduction|edition= |last= Beal|first= Timothy |year= 2008|publisher= Oxford University Press |location= Oxford|isbn= |pages= 35, 39}} Beal states that, "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, 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> they are united in believing that Jesus has a unique significance.<ref name="Woodhead 2004 n.p"/> The term "Christian" is also used as an adjective to describe anything associated with Christianity, or in a proverbial sense "all that is noble, and good, and Christ-like."<ref name="CCEL">{{cite book |title=History of the Christian Church |last=Schaff |first=Philip |authorlink=Philip Schaff |chapter=V. St. Paul and the Conversion of the Gentiles (Note 496) |url=http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/hcc1.txt}}</ref>
According to a 2011 [[Pew Research Center]] survey, there were 2.2 billion Christians around the world in 2010, up from about 600 million in 1910.<ref name="Global Christianity"/> By 2050, the Christian population is expected to exceed 3 billion.<ref name="Global Christianity"/> According to a 2012 Pew Research Center survey [[Christianity]] will remain the [[Major religious groups#Largest religions|world's largest religion]] in 2050, if current trends continue.
Today, about 37% of all Christians live in the [[Americas]], about 26% live in [[Europe]], 24% live in [[sub-Saharan Africa]], about 13% live in [[Asia]] and the [[Pacific]], and 1% live in the [[Middle East]] and [[North Africa]].<ref name="Global Christianity"/> About half of all Christians worldwide are [[Catholic]], while more than a third are [[Protestant]] (37%).<ref name="Global Christianity"/> [[Eastern Christianity|Orthodox]] communions comprise 12% of the world's Christians.<ref name="Global Christianity"/> Other Christian groups make up the remainder. Christians make up the majority of the population in 158 countries and territories.<ref name="Global Christianity"/> 280 million Christians live as a minority.
Christians have significantly influenced and contributed to [[Progress (history)|human progress]] in many fields including [[philanthropy]], [[Christian philosophy|philosophy]],<ref name=" A. Spinello ">{{cite book |last= A. Spinello|first= Richard |others=|title=The Encyclicals of John Paul II: An Introduction and Commentary |year=2012 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield Publishers|quote= ... The insights of Christian philosophy “would not have happened without the direct or indirect contribution of Christian faith” (FR 76). Typical Christian philosophers include St. Augustine, St. Bonaventure, and St. Thomas Aquinas. The benefits derived from Christian philosophy are twofold....|isbn=1442219424|page=147}}</ref><ref name=" Vincelette ">{{cite book |last= Roy Vincelette|first= Alan |others=|title=Recent Catholic Philosophy: The Nineteenth Century |year=2009 |publisher=Marquette University Press|quote= ... .Catholic thinkers contributed extensively to philosophy during the Nineteenth Century. Besides pioneering the revivals of Augustinianism and Thomism, they also helped to initiate such philosophical movements as Romanticism, Traditionalism, Semi-Rationalism, Spiritualism, Ontologism, and Integralism...|isbn=0874627567|page=}}</ref><ref name="Hyman1967">{{cite book |last1=Hyman |first1=J. |last2=Walsh |first2=J.J. |title=Philosophy in the Middle Ages: The Christian, Islamic, and Jewish Traditions |location=New York |publisher=Harper & Row |date=1967 |oclc=370638}}</ref>{{rp|15}} [[Christian ethics|ethics]],<ref name="Encyclopaedia Perthensis ">{{cite book |last= Brown |first=J. |others= |title=Encyclopaedia Perthensis, Or, Universal Dictionary of the Arts, Sciences, Literature, Etc. : Intended to Supersede the Use of Other Books of Reference, Volume 18|year= |publisher=University of Minnesota|quote= ... Christians has also contributed greatly to the abolition of slavery, or at least to the mitigation of the rigour of servitude.|isbn=0191025135|page=179}}</ref> [[Christian literature|literature]],<ref name="E. McGrath " /> [[Protestant work ethic|business and economics]],<ref name="J. Hillerbrand ">{{cite book |last= Hillerbrand|first=Hans J. |others=|title=Encyclopedia of Protestantism: 4-volume Set |year=2016 |publisher=Pickle Partners Publishing|quote= ... In the centuries succeeding the REFORMATION the teaching of Protestantism was consistent on the nature of work. Some Protestant theologians also contributed to the study of economics, especially the nineteenth-century Scottish minister THOMAS CHALMERS....|isbn=1787203042|page=174}}</ref><ref name=" Guan ">{{cite book |last= Guan|first=Wenwei|others=|title=Intellectual Property Theory and Practice: A Critical Examination of China’s TRIPS Compliance and Beyond |year=2014 |publisher=Springer|quote= ... According to Max Weber's analysis, Protestant Asceticism contributed to the rise of the capitalism in the West....|isbn=364255265X|page=51}}</ref><ref name=" Troeltsch ">{{cite book |last= Ernst|first= Troeltsch|others=|title=Protestantism and Progress: A Historical Study of the Relation of Protestantism to the Modern World |year=2017 |publisher=Routledge|quote= ...It is clear enough without this that the contribution of Protestantism to modern economic development, which is, in point of fact, one of the most characteristic features of our modern world, is to be ascribed, not to Protestantism as a whole, but primarily to Calvinism, Pietism, and the Sectaries, and that even with them this contribution is only an indirect and consequently an involuntary one.|isbn=1351496115|page=80}}</ref> [[Christian art|fine arts and architecture]],<ref name="E. McGrath " /> [[Christian Music|music]],<ref name=" E. McGrath ">{{cite book |last= E. McGrath|first= Alister |others=|title=Christianity: An Introduction|year=2006 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons|quote= Virtually every major European composer contributed to the development of church music. Monteverdi, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Rossini, and Verdi are all examples of composers to have made significant contributions in this sphere. The Catholic church was without question one of the most important patrons of musical developments, and a crucial stimulus to the development of the western musical tradition. |isbn=1405108991|page=336}}</ref><ref name="Rose Publishing Inc">{{cite book |last= |first= |others=|title=What Christianity Has Done for the World|year=2014 |publisher=Rose Publishing Inc|quote=Christian, also contributed much to the world of music. A prolific composer, Bach regularly wrote sacred music, dedicating his efforts to the glory of God. |isbn=1628621060|page=}}</ref> [[Christian drama|theatre]] and [[medicine]],<ref name="S. Kroger ">{{cite book |last=S. Kroger|first= William|others=|title=Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis in Medicine, Dentistry and Psychology|year=2016 |publisher=Pickle Partners Publishing|quote=Many prominent Catholic physicians and psychologists have made significant contributions to hypnosis in medicine, dentistry, and psychology.|isbn=1787203042|page=}}</ref> as well as [[List of Christians in science and technology|science and technology]],<ref name="Gilley ">{{cite book |last= Gilley |first= Sheridan |others=Brian Stanley|title=The Cambridge History of Christianity: Volume 8, World Christianities C.1815-c.1914 |year=2006 |publisher=Cambridge University Press|quote= ... Many of the scientists who contributed to these developments were Christians...|isbn=0521814561|page=164}}</ref><ref name=" Steane ">{{cite book |last=Steane |first=Andrew |others= |title=Faithful to Science: The Role of Science in Religion|year=2014 |publisher=OUP Oxford|quote= ... the Christian contribution to science has been uniformly at the top level, but it has reached that level and it has been sufficiently strong overall ...|isbn=0191025135|page=179}}</ref><ref name=" L. Johnson ">{{cite book |last= L. Johnson |first= Eric|others=|title=Foundations for Soul Care: A Christian Psychology Proposal |year=2009 |publisher=InterVarsity Press|quote= ... . Many of the early leaders of the scientific revolution were Christians of various stripes, including Roger Bacon, Copernicus, Kepler, Francis Bacon, Galileo, Newton, Boyle, Pascal, Descartes, Ray, Linnaeus and Gassendi...|isbn= 0830875271|page=63}}</ref> both historically and in modern times.<ref name="Nobel Prize">Baruch A. Shalev, ''100 Years of Nobel Prizes'' (2003), Atlantic Publishers & Distributors, p.57: between 1901 and 2000 reveals that 654 Laureates belong to 28 different religions. Most (65.4%) have identified Christianity in its various forms as their religious preference. {{ISBN|978-0935047370}}</ref>
==Etymology==
The Greek word {{lang|grc|Χριστιανός}} (''Christianos''), meaning "follower of Christ", comes from {{lang|grc|Χριστός}} (''Christos''), meaning "[[anointing|anointed]] one",<ref>[http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=Christ Christ] at Etymology Online</ref> with an adjectival ending borrowed from Latin to denote adhering to, or even belonging to, as in slave ownership.<ref>[[#Bickerman-1949|Bickerman, 1949]] p. 147, ''All these Greek terms, formed with the Latin suffix ''-ianus'', exactly as the Latin words of the same derivation, express the idea that the men or things referred to, belong to the person to whose name the suffix is added.''<br />p. 145, ''In Latin this suffix produced proper names of the type ''Marcianus'' and, on the other hand, derivatives from the name of a person, which referred to his belongings, like ''fundus Narcissianus'', or, by extension, to his adherents, ''Ciceroniani.</ref> In the [[Greek language|Greek]] [[Septuagint]], ''christos'' was used to translate the [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] מָשִׁיחַ (''Mašíaḥ,'' messiah), meaning "[one who is] anointed."<ref>[http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=messiah Messiah] at Etymology Online</ref> In other European languages, equivalent words to Christian are likewise derived from the Greek, such as ''Chrétien'' in French and ''Cristiano'' in Spanish.
==Early usage==
[[File:Antioch Saint Pierre Church Front.JPG|thumb|upright=0.9|right|The [[Church of Saint Peter]] near [[Antioch]] (modern-day [[Antakya]]), the city where the [[Disciple (Christianity)|disciples]] were called "Christians".]]
The first recorded use of the term (or its [[cognate]]s in other languages) is in the [[New Testament]], in [[Acts 11]]:26,<ref>{{bibleref2|Acts|11:26|9}}</ref> after Barnabas brought Saul (Paul) to [[Early centers of Christianity#Antioch|Antioch]] where they taught the [[Disciple (Christianity)|disciples]] for about a year, the text says: "[...] the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch." The second mention of the term follows in [[Acts 26]]:28,<ref>{{bibleref2|Acts|26:28|9}}</ref> where [[Herod Agrippa II]] replied to [[Paul the Apostle]], "Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian." The third and final New Testament reference to the term is in [[1 Peter 4]]:16, which exhorts believers: "Yet if ''[any man suffer]'' as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf."<ref>{{bibleref2|1pe|4:16|9|1 Peter 4:16}}</ref>
Kenneth Samuel Wuest holds that all three original New Testament verses' usages reflect a derisive element in the term ''Christian'' to refer to followers of Christ who did not acknowledge the emperor of Rome.<ref>[[#Wuest-1973]] p. 19. ''The word is used three times in the New Testament, and each time as a term of reproach or derision. Here in Antioch, the name ''Christianos'' was coined to distinguish the worshippers of the Christ from the ''Kaisarianos'', the worshippers of Caesar.''</ref> The city of Antioch, where someone gave them the name ''Christians'', had a reputation for coming up with such nicknames.<ref>[[#Wuest-1973]] p. 19. ''The city of Antioch in Syria had a reputation for coining nicknames.''</ref> However Peter's apparent endorsement of the term led to its being preferred over "Nazarenes" and the term ''Christianoi'' from [[1 Peter]] becomes the standard term in the [[Early Church Fathers]] from [[Ignatius of Antioch|Ignatius]] and [[Polycarp]] onwards.<ref>Christine Trevett '' Christian women and the time of the Apostolic Fathers'' 2006 "'Christians' (christianoi) was a term first coined in Syrian Antioch (Acts 11: 26) and which appeared next in Christian sources in Ignatius, Eph 11.2; Rom 3.2; Pol 7.3. Cf. too Did 12.4; MPol 3.1; 10.1; 12.1-2; EpDiog 1.1; 4.6; 5.1;"</ref>
The earliest occurrences of the term in non-Christian literature include [[Josephus on Jesus|Josephus]], referring to "the tribe of Christians, so named from him;"<ref>{{cite web |author=[[Josephus]] |url=http://www.ccel.org/j/josephus/works/ant-18.htm |title=Antiquities of the Jews — XVIII, 3:3}}</ref> [[Pliny the Younger]] in [[Epistulae (Pliny)|correspondence with Trajan]]; and [[Tacitus on Christ|Tacitus]], writing near the end of the 1st century. In the ''[[Annals (Tacitus)|Annals]]'' he relates that "by vulgar appellation [they were] commonly called Christians"<ref>{{cite book|last1=Tacitus|first1=Cornelius|last2=Murphy|first2=Arthur|title=The works of Cornelius Tacitus: with an essay on his life and genius, notes, supplements, &c|page=287|year=1836|publisher=Thomas Wardle|url=https://books.google.com/?id=E0vy1dAhgj0C}}</ref> and identifies Christians as [[Nero]]'s scapegoats for the [[Great Fire of Rome]].<ref>{{cite book |title=The Book of the Acts |author=Bruce, Frederick Fyvie |authorlink=F. F. Bruce |year=1988 |publisher=Eerdmans |page=228 |isbn=0-8028-2505-2}}</ref>
===Nazarenes===
Another [[List of Christian synonyms|term for Christians]] which appears in the New Testament is "[[Nazarene (title)|Nazarenes]]". [[Jesus]] is named as a Nazarene in Math 2:23, while Saul-Paul is said to be Nazarene in Acts 24:5. The latter verse makes it clear that Nazarene also referred to the name of a sect or heresy, as well as the town called Nazareth.
The term Nazarene was also used by the Jewish lawyer [[Tertullus]] (''Against Marcion'' 4:8) which records that "the Jews call us Nazarenes." While around 331 AD [[Eusebius]] records that Christ was called a Nazoraean from the name [[Nazareth]], and that in earlier centuries "Christians" were once called "Nazarenes".<ref>Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies: Volume 65, Issue 1 University of London. School of Oriental and African Studies - 2002 "... around 331, Eusebius says of the place name [[Nazareth]] that 'from this name the Christ was called a Nazoraean, and in ancient times we, who are now called Christians, were once called [[Nazarene (title)|Nazarenes]]';6 thus he attributes this designation ..."</ref> The Hebrew equivalent of "Nazarenes", ''Notzrim'', occurs in the [[Babylonian Talmud]], and is still the modern Israeli Hebrew term for Christian.
==Modern usage==
[[File:ChristianityPUA.png|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 is 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|edition= |last= Beal|first= Timothy|year= 2008|publisher= Oxford University Press |location= Oxford|isbn= |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"/> Philosopher [[Michael Martin (philosopher)|Michael Martin]], in his book ''The Case Against Christianity'', evaluated three historical Christian creeds (the [[Apostles' Creed]], the [[Nicene Creed]] and the [[Athanasian Creed]]) to establish a set of basic 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 |authorlink=Michael Martin (philosopher) |year=1993 |publisher=Temple University Press |page=12 |isbn=1-56639-081-8}}</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.]]
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 [[Nazareth]] through the [[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], note 62 (erroneously, "salidi").</ref> The term ''Nasara'' [[Nun (letter)#Social media campaign (2014)|rose to prominence in July 2014]], after the [[Fall of Mosul]] to the terrorist organization [[Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant]]. The ''nun'' or {{lang|ar|ن}}— the first letter of ''Nasara''—was spray-painted on the property of Christians ejected from the city.<ref>[http://www.euronews.com/2014/07/22/how-an-arabic-letter-was-reclaimed-to-support-iraqs-persecuted-christians-n Euronews] 22 July 2014 "Over the weekend, while the world’s gaze was on Gaza and Syria, the situation of Christians in northern Iraq took a sharp turn for the worse, with thousands forced to flee their homes. ... In Mosul, IS militants marked with a spray-painted ن (the Arabic letter for “N”) all Christian property to be seized after the ultimatum."</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&pg=RA1-PA41&lpg=RA1-PA41&dq=masihi+nasrani&source=web&ots=LESqWUSy43&sig=ABHlcsuLXyO4iZBR2gMP4dnoux8 Trekking through the Moroccan Sahara].''</ref> In some countries ''Nasrani'' tends to be used generically for non-Muslim Western foreigners, e.g. "blond people."<ref>{{cite web|title=Nasara|url=http://www.mazyanbizaf.com/mbs002|website=Mazyan Bizaf Show}}</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 has negative connotations.<ref name="SOFIR"/><ref>[[Akbar S. Ahmed]], ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=kXY9AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA110&lpg=PA110&dq=salibi+crusader&source=web&ots=R_6x5wvD-L&sig=iSIt3GH4P7yJg-OrI39idUrO0AA 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===
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 the [[Indian subcontinent]], Christians call themselves ''Isaai'' ({{lang-hi|ईसाई}}, {{lang-ur|عیسائی}}), and are also known by this term to adherents of other religions.<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=December 24, 2008 | deadurl=yes | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120113175911/http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Catholic-priest-in-saffron-robe-called---Isai-Baba--/402458/ | archivedate=January 13, 2012 | df= }}</ref> This is related to the name they call Jesus,'' 'Isa Masih'', and literally means 'the followers of 'Isa'.
In the past, the [[Malays (ethnic group)|Malay]]s used to call the Portuguese ''Serani'' from the Arabic ''Nasrani'', but the term now refers to the modern [[Kristang people|Kristang]] creoles of [[Malaysia]]. In [[Indonesian language]], the term "''Nasrani''" is also used alongside with "''Kristen''".
The Chinese word is {{linktext|基督|徒}} ([[pinyin]]: jīdū tú), literally "Christ follower." The two characters now pronounced ''Jīdū'' in Mandarin Chinese, were originally pronounced ''Jīdū'' (基督)<ref>[https://glosbe.com/en/yue/Christ Christ in Cantonese, translation, English-Cantonese Dictionary<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> in [[Cantonese]] as representation of Latin "Christus".<ref>[http://socialvocabulary.com/defines/Christian Christian - Meaning Definition Synonym Synopsis<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0059%3Aentry%3DChristus Charlton T. Lewis, Charles Short, A Latin Dictionary, Christus<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> In Vietnam, the same two characters read ''[[:wikt:Cơ đốc|Cơ đốc]]'', and a "follower of Christianity" is a ''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 吉利支丹, 切支丹, and in modern Japanese histories as キリシタン), from Portuguese ''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 キリスト教徒, ''Kirisuto-kyōto'' or the English-derived term クリスチャン ''kurisuchan''.
Korean still uses 기독교도, ''Kidok-kyo-do'' for "Christian", though the Greek form ''Kurisudo'' 그리스도 has now replaced the old [[Sino-Korean vocabulary|Sino-Korean]] ''Kidok'', which refers to Christ himself.
In Thailand, the most common terms are คนคริสต์ (''khon khrit'') or ชาวคริสต์ (''chao khrit'') which literally mean "Christ person/people" or "Jesus person/people." The Thai word คริสต์ (''khrit'') is derived from "Christ."
===Russian terms===
The region of modern Eastern Europe and Central Eurasia (Russia, Ukraine and other countries of the former [[Soviet bloc]]) 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>[http://azbyka.ru/dictionary/03/kartashev_vselenskie_sobory_07-all.shtml#s19 Вселенские Соборы читать, скачать - профессор Антон Владимирович Карташёв<!-- Bot generated title -->]</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 the Great Russian Principality ([[Kievan Rus'|Kyivan Rus]], {{lang-rus | Великое княжество Русское}}, {{circa}} 988 AD).
In some areas, people of that time{{when|date=December 2016}} came to denote themselves as Christians ({{lang-ru|христиане, крестьяне}}) and as Russians ({{lang-ru|русские}}). Both terms had strong Christian connotations.{{citation needed|date=November 2015}} In time the Russian term "крестьяне" (''khrest'yanye'') acquired the meaning "peasants of Christian faith" and later "peasants" (the main part of the population of the region), while the term "христиане" (''khristianye'') retained its religious meaning and the term "русские" (''russkiye'') 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 "Pravoslav faith" ({{lang-ru|православная вера}} - Orthodox faith) or "Russian faith" ({{lang-ru|русская вера}}) from earliest times became almost as known as the original "Christian faith" (христианская, крестьянская вера).{{citation needed|date=December 2016}} Also in some contexts the term "[[cossack]]" ({{lang-ru|козак, казак}} - "free man" by the will of God{{citation needed|date=December 2016}}) was used{{by whom|date=November 2015}} to denote "free" Christians of steppe origin and Russian 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
| accessdate = 2016-12-05
| 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
| publication-date = 1967
| accessdate = 2016-12-06
}}
</ref>
==Demographics==
{{For|a detailed breakdown of Christian demographics|Christianity by country}}
As of the early 21st century, [[Christianity]] has approximately 2.4 billion adherents.<ref name="World">33.39% of 7.174 billion world population (under "People and Society") {{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/xx.html|title=World|publisher=CIA world facts}}</ref><ref name="ForeignPolicy">{{cite web|url=https://foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=3835|title=The List: The World's Fastest-Growing Religions|publisher=foreignpolicy.com|date= March 2007 |accessdate=2010-01-04}}</ref><ref name="Major Religions Ranked by Size">{{cite web |url=http://www.adherents.com/Religions_By_Adherents.html |title=Major Religions Ranked by Size |publisher=Adherents.com |date= |accessdate=2009-05-05}}</ref> The faith represents about a third of the world's population and is the largest religion in the world. Christians have composed about 33 percent of the world's population for around 100 years. The largest Christian denomination is the [[Roman Catholic Church]], with 1.17 billion adherents, representing half of all Christians.<ref>[http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/universal_church_sees_increase_in_seminarians_reports_pontifical_yearbook/ Pontifical Yearbook 2010], Catholic News Agency. Accessed September 22, 2011.</ref>
Christianity remains the dominant religion in the [[Western World]], where 70% are Christians.<ref name="Global Christianity"/> According to a 2012 [[Pew Research Center]] survey, if current trends continue, Christianity will remain the [[Major religious groups#Largest religions|world's largest religion]] by the year 2050. By 2050, the Christian population is expected to exceed 3 billion. While Muslims have an average of 3.1 children per woman—the highest rate of all religious groups, Christians are second, with 2.7 children per woman. High birth rates and conversion were cited as the reason for [[Christian population growth]]. A 2015 study found that approximately 10.2 million [[Muslim]]s [[converted to Christianity]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1= Johnstone |first1= Patrick |last2=Miller |first2=Duane Alexander |title= Believers in Christ from a Muslim Background: A Global Census |journal= Interdisciplinary Journal of Research on Religion |date=2015 |volume=11 |page=8 |url= https://www.academia.edu/16338087/Believers_in_Christ_from_a_Muslim_Background_A_Global_Census |accessdate=30 October 2015}}</ref> Christianity is growing in [[Africa]],<ref>{{cite news|url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/religion/story/2011-12-20/christianity-growth-africa-europe/52125920/1|title=Study: Christianity growth soars in Africa – USATODAY.com|work=USATODAY.COM|accessdate=14 February 2015|date=20 December 2011}}</ref><ref name="TIME 2001">{{cite news|url=http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,156277,00.html|title=The Battle for Latin America's Soul|date=24 June 2001|work=TIME.com|accessdate=14 February 2015|first=Richard N.|last=Ostling}}</ref> [[Asia]],<ref name="TIME 2001"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ibtimes.com/china-protestantisms-simplicity-yields-more-converts-catholicism-213465|title=In China, Protestantism's Simplicity Yields More Converts Than Catholicism|date=28 March 2012|work=International Business Times|accessdate=14 February 2015}}</ref> [[Latin America]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2012/03/201232593459332334.html|title=Evangelicals rise in Latin America|author=Chris Arsenault|publisher=|accessdate=14 February 2015}}</ref> the [[Muslim world]],<ref name="Believers in Christ from a Muslim Background">[https://www.academia.edu/16338087/Believers_in_Christ_from_a_Muslim_Background_A_Global_Census Believers in Christ from a Muslim Background: A Global Census]</ref> and [[Oceania]].
[[File:Christianity percent population in each nation World Map Christian data by Pew Research.svg|thumb|upright=1.8|center|Percentage of Christians worldwide, June 2014]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin-left:auto; margin-right:auto;"
|+ '''Christians (self-described) by region'''
|+([[Pew Research Center]], 2011)<ref>{{cite web|author=ANALYSIS |url=http://www.pewforum.org/Christian/Global-Christianity-europe.aspx |title=Europe |publisher=Pewforum.org |date=19 December 2011 |accessdate=17 August 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=ANALYSIS |url=http://www.pewforum.org/Christian/Global-Christianity-americas.aspx |title=Americas |publisher=Pewforum.org |date=19 December 2011 |accessdate=17 August 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=ANALYSIS |url=http://www.pewforum.org/global-religious-landscape-christians.aspx |title=Global religious landscape: Christians |publisher=Pewforum.org |date=19 December 2011 |accessdate=17 August 2012}}</ref>
|- bgcolor=#CCCCFF
! Region
! Christians
! % Christian
|-
| [[Europe]]
|style="text-align:right;"| 558,260,000
|style="background:#5A4FCF; text-align:center;"| 75.2
|-
| [[Latin America]]–[[Caribbean]]
|style="text-align:right;"| 531,280,000
|style="background:#6F00FF; text-align:center;"| 90.0
|-
| [[Sub-Saharan Africa]]
|style="text-align:right;"| 517,340,000
|style="background:#0047AB; text-align:center;"| 62.9
|-
| [[Asia Pacific]]
|style="text-align:right;"| 286,950,000
|style="background:#ADD8E6; text-align:center;"| 7.1
|-
| [[North America]]
|style="text-align:right;"| 266,630,000
|style="background:#6F00FF; text-align:center;"| 77.4
|-
| [[Middle East]]–[[North Africa]]
|style="text-align:right;"| 12,710,000
|style="background:#ADD8E6; text-align:center;"| 3.7
|-
!World
!style="text-align:right;"| 2,173,180,000
!text-align:center;"| 31.5
|}
=== Socioeconomics ===
According to a study from 2015, Christians hold the largest amount of wealth (55% of the total world wealth), followed by [[Muslims]] (5.8%), [[Hindus]] (3.3%) and [[Jews]] (1.1%). According to the same study it was found that adherents under the classification [[Irreligion]] or other religions hold about 34.8% of the total global wealth.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.deccanherald.com/content/453467/christians-hold-largest-percentage-global.html6 |title=Christians hold largest percentage of global wealth: Report|publisher=deccanherald.com|date=2015-01-14}}</ref> A study done by the nonpartisan wealth research firm New World Wealth found that 56.2% of the 13.1 million millionaires in the world were Christians.<ref>[https://www.cnbc.com/2015/01/14/the-religion-of-millionaires-.html The religion of millionaires]</ref>
A [[Pew Center]] study about [[Religiosity and education|religion and education]] around the world in 2016, found that Christians ranked as the second most educated religious group around in the [[world]] after [[Jews]] with an average of 9.3 years of schooling,<ref name="Pew2016">{{cite web |date=December 19, 2011 |title=Religion and Education Around the World |url=http://assets.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2016/12/21094148/Religion-Education-ONLINE-FINAL.pdf |publisher=Pew Research Center |accessdate=December 13, 2016}}</ref> and the highest numbers of years of schooling among Christians were found in [[Germany]] (13.6),<ref name="Pew2016"/> [[New Zealand]] (13.5)<ref name="Pew2016"/> and [[Estonia]] (13.1).<ref name="Pew2016"/> Christians were also found to have the second highest number of [[Academic degree|graduate]] and [[post-graduate]] degrees per capita while in absolute numbers ranked in the first place (220 million).<ref name="Pew2016"/> Between the various [[World Christianity|Christian communities]], [[Singapore]] outranks other nations in terms of Christians who obtain a university degree in institutions of [[higher education]] (67%),<ref name="Pew2016"/> followed by the [[Christianity in Israel|Christians of Israel]] (63%),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bokra.net/Article-1155836 |title= المسيحيون العرب يتفوقون على يهود إسرائيل في التعليم |website=Bokra |accessdate=28 December 2011}}</ref> and the [[Christianity in Georgia (country)|Christians of Georgia]] (57%).<ref name="Pew2016"/>
According to the study, Christians in [[North America]], [[Europe]], [[Middle East]], [[North Africa]] and [[Asia Pacific]] regions are highly educated since many of the world [[universities]] were built by the historic [[Christian denominations|Christian Churches]],<ref name="Pew2016"/> in addition to the historical evidence that "Christian monks built libraries and, in the days before printing presses, preserved important earlier writings produced in Latin, Greek and Arabic".<ref name="Pew2016"/> According to the same study, Christians have a significant amount of [[gender equality]] in educational attainment,<ref name="Pew2016"/> and the study suggests that one of the reasons is the encouragement of the [[Protestant Reformers]] in promoting the [[education of women]], which led to the eradication of illiteracy among females in Protestant communities.<ref name="Pew2016"/>
==Notable individuals==
{{Main article|Lists of Christians|List of Christian Nobel laureates|List of converts to Christianity}}
Christians have made a myriad contributions in a broad and diverse range of fields, including the [[sciences]],<ref name="Gilley "/> [[arts]],<ref name="E. McGrath " /> [[politics]], [[literatures]] and [[business]]. According to ''100 Years of Nobel Prizes'', a review of Nobel prizes awarded between 1901 and 2000 reveals that (65.4%) of [[Nobel Prizes]] laureates identified [[Christianity]] in its various forms as their religious preference.<ref name="Caltron J.H Hayas">Baruch A. Shalev, ''100 Years of Nobel Prizes'' (2003), Atlantic Publishers & Distributors, p.57: between 1901 and 2000 reveals that 654 Laureates belong to 28 different religion Most (65.4%) have identified Christianity in its various forms as their religious preference.</ref>
[[Eastern Christians]] (particularly [[Nestorian Christians]]) contributed to the Arab [[Islamic Golden Age|Islamic Civilization]] during the [[Ummayads|Ummayad]] and the [[Abbasids|Abbasid]] periods by translating works of [[Greek philosophers]] to [[Syriac language|Syriac]] and afterwards to [[Arabic language|Arabic]].<ref>Hill, Donald. ''Islamic Science and Engineering''. 1993. Edinburgh Univ. Press. {{ISBN|0-7486-0455-3}}, p.4</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=The Legend of the Middle Ages|author=Brague, Rémi|url=https://books.google.com/?id=c8YjEkLPXNYC&printsec=frontcover&dq=isbn:9780226070803#v=onepage&q=House%20of%20Wisdom&f=false|accessdate=11 February 2014|isbn=9780226070803|page=164|date=15 April 2009}}</ref><ref>Ferguson, Kitty [https://books.google.com/books?id=trM7NJz011oC&pg=PT100&dq=preserve+ancient+knowledge+syria&hl=en&sa=X&ei=9DwJUsuGNsbyrAGIyYC4Bw&ved=0CDwQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=preserve%20ancient%20knowledge%20syria&f=false Pythagoras: His Lives and the Legacy of a Rational Universe] Walker Publishing Company, New York, 2008, (page number not available – occurs toward end of Chapter 13, "The Wrap-up of Antiquity"). "It was in the Near and Middle East and North Africa that the old traditions of teaching and learning continued, and where Christian scholars were carefully preserving ancient texts and knowledge of the ancient Greek language."</ref> They also excelled in [[philosophy]], [[science]], [[theology]] and [[medicine]].<ref>Rémi Brague, [http://www.christiansofiraq.com/assyriancontributionstotheislamiccivilization.htm Assyrians contributions to the Islamic civilization]</ref><ref>Britannica, [http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/409819/Nestorian Nestorian]</ref>
==See also==
{{portal|Christianity}}
{{Div col}}
* [[Christendom]]
* [[Christian Church]]
* [[Christian population growth]]
* [[Conversion to Christianity]]
* [[Cultural Christian]]
* [[Early Christianity]]
* [[List of Christian denominations]]
* [[List of Christian denominations by number of members]]
* [[List of Christian synonyms]]
* [[List of religions and spiritual traditions]]
* [[List of religious organizations]]
{{div col end}}
==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}
==Bibliography==
'''Etymology'''
* {{cite journal|last=Bickerman |first=Elias J. |date=April 1949|title=The Name of Christians|journal=The Harvard Theological Review|volume=42|issue=2|pages=109–124 |jstor=1507955|ref=Bickerman-1949 |doi=10.1017/s0017816000019635}} also available in {{cite book|last=Bickerman |first=Elias J. |year=1986 |isbn=90-04-04395-0 |title=Studies in Jewish and Christian history|url=https://books.google.com/?id=gqQfAAAAIAAJ}} (from which page numbers are cited)
* {{cite book|author=Wuest, Kenneth Samuel|title=Wuest's word studies from the Greek New Testament|year=1973|volume=1|isbn=978-0-8028-2280-2|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZHhK3AKkc9EC|ref=Wuest-1973}}
{{Christianity footer|uncollapsed}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Christians| ]]
[[Category:Christian terminology]]
[[Category:New Testament Greek words and phrases]]
[[Category:Religious identity]]
{{About|Christian people}}
{{pp-semi-protected|small=yes}}
{{pp-move-indef}}
{{infobox religious group
|group = Christians<br />''χριστιανοί''
|image = [[File:V&A - Raphael, The Miraculous Draught of Fishes (1515).jpg|300px]]
|caption = After the [[miraculous catch of fish]], Christ invokes his disciples to become "fishers of men" ({{bibleref|Matthew|4:19|KJV}}) by [[Raphael]].
|population = '''{{circa|2.4 billion}}''' worldwide <small>(2015)</small><ref name="gordonconwell.edu">{{cite web|url=http://www.gordonconwell.edu/resources/documents/1IBMR2015.pdf|title=Christianity 2015: Religious Diversity and Personal Contact|publisher=gordonconwell.edu|date= January 2015 |accessdate=29 May 2015}}</ref><ref name="Global Christianity">{{cite web|author=ANALYSIS |url=http://www.pewforum.org/Christian/Global-Christianity-exec.aspx |title=Global Christianity |publisher=Pewforum.org |date=19 December 2011 |accessdate=17 August 2012}}</ref>
|founder = [[Jesus]]
|scriptures = [[Bible]]
<!--Do NOT add any more regions to the list; the European Union and ten largest Christian nations is adequate! These are reported nominal figures.-->
| region1 = {{flag|European Union}}
| pop1 = 373,656,000
| ref1 =<ref>{{citation|title=Discrimination in the EU in 2012|work=[[Eurobarometer|Special Eurobarometer]] |year=2012 |series=383 |page=233 |url=http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_393_en.pdf |accessdate=14 August 2013 |publisher=[[European Commission]] |location=[[European Union]]}} The question asked was "Do you consider yourself to be...?" With a card showing: Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, Other Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, Buddhist, Hindu, Atheist, and Non-believer/Agnostic. Space was given for Other (SPONTANEOUS) and DK. Jewish, Sikh, Buddhist, Hindu did not reach the 1% threshold.</ref>
| region2 = {{flag|United States}}
| pop2 = 246,790,000
| ref2 = <ref name="Global Christianity"/>
| region3 = {{flag|Brazil}}
| pop3 = 175,770,000
| ref3 =<ref name="Global Christianity"/>
| region4 = {{flag|Mexico}}
| pop4 = 107,780,000
| ref4 =<ref name="Global Christianity"/>
| region5 = {{flag|Russia}}
| pop5 = 105,220,000
| ref5 = <ref name="Global Christianity"/>
| region6 = {{flag|Philippines}}
| pop6 = 86,790,000
| ref6 = <ref name="Global Christianity"/>
| region7 = {{flag|Nigeria}}
| pop7 = 80,510,000
| ref7 = <ref name="Global Christianity"/>
| region8 = {{flag|China}}
| pop8 = 67,070,000
| ref8 =<ref name="Global Christianity"/>
| region9 = {{flag|Democratic Republic of the Congo}}
| pop9 = 63,150,000
| ref9 = <ref name="Global Christianity"/>
| region10 = {{flag|Ethiopia}}
| pop10 = 52,580,000
| ref10 = <ref name="Global Christianity"/>
| languages = {{Plainlist|
* '''Predominant spoken languages:'''<ref name="Wiley-Blackwell1">{{cite book|last1 = Johnson|first1 = Todd M.|last2 = Grim|first2 = Brian J.|title = The World's Religions in Figures: An Introduction to International Religious Demography|url = http://media.johnwiley.com.au/product_data/excerpt/47/04706745/0470674547-196.pdf|accessdate = 24 November 2015|year = 2013|publisher = Wiley-Blackwell|location = Hoboken, NJ|pages = 10|deadurl = yes|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20131020100448/http://media.johnwiley.com.au/product_data/excerpt/47/04706745/0470674547-196.pdf|archivedate = 20 October 2013|df = }}</ref><br>{{Hlist|[[Spanish language|Spanish]]|[[English language|English]]|[[Portuguese language|Portuguese]]|[[Russian language|Russian]]|[[Mandarin Chinese]]|[[French language|French]]|[[German language|German]]|[[Polish language|Polish]]|[[Ukrainian language|Ukrainian]]|[[Tagalog language|Tagalog]]|[[Italian language|Italian]]|other [[vernacular]] languages of the [[Christian world]] and the World}}
}}
'''Sacred languages:'''<br />{{Hlist|[[Ecclesiastical Latin]]|[[Koine Greek]]<ref>A history of ancient Greek by Maria Chritē, Maria Arapopoulou, Centre for the Greek Language (Thessalonikē, Greece) pg 436 {{ISBN|0-521-83307-8}}</ref>|[[Syriac language]]<ref>{{cite book |last =Wilken|first =Robert Louis |title= The First Thousand Years: A Global History of Christianity |publisher= Yale University Press |location= New Haven and London|isbn= 978-0-300-11884-1 |page = 26}}</ref>}}
|religions =[[Christianity]]{{unbulleted list
|50% [[Catholic Church|Catholicism]]: [[Latin Church]], [[Eastern Catholic Churches]]<ref name="Global Christianity"/>
|37% [[Protestantism]]: [[Adventism]], [[Anglicanism]], [[Baptists|Baptist churches]], [[Calvinism|Reformed churches]], [[Lutheranism]], [[Methodism]], [[Pentecostalism]] and other denominations<ref name="Global Christianity"/>
|12% [[Orthodoxy]]: [[Eastern Orthodox Church]] and [[Oriental Orthodoxy|Oriental Orthodox Churches]]<ref name="Global Christianity"/>
|1% Other Christian traditions: incl. [[Assyrian Church of the East]], [[Latter Day Saint movement]], [[Jehovah's Witnesses]], [[Unitarianism]] and [[Nondenominational Christianity|Nondenominational churches]]<ref name="Global Christianity"/>
}}
|footnotes =
}}
A '''Christian''' ({{IPAc-en|audio=En-us-Christian.ogg|ˈ|k|ɹ|ɪ|s|tʃ|ən|,_|-|t|i|ə|n}}) is a person who follows or adheres to [[Christianity]], an [[Abrahamic religions|Abrahamic]], [[Monotheism#Christianity|monotheistic]] [[religion]] based on the life and teachings of [[Jesus in Christianity|Jesus Christ]]. "Christian" derives from the [[Koine Greek]] word ''[[Christ (title)|Christ]]ós'' (Χριστός), a translation of the [[Biblical Hebrew]] term ''[[Jewish messianism|mashiach]]'' ([[Biblical Hebrew]]: מָשִׁיחַ).<ref>[[#Bickerman-1949|Bickerman (1949)]] p. 145, ''The Christians got their appellation from "Christus," that is, "the Anointed," the Messiah.''</ref>
While there are diverse interpretations of Christianity which sometimes conflict,<ref name="Woodhead 2004 n.p">{{cite book |title= Christianity: A Very Short Introduction|edition= |last= Woodhead|first= Linda |year= 2004|publisher= Oxford University Press |location= Oxford|isbn= |pages= n.p.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title= Religion in America: A Very Short Introduction|edition= |last= Beal|first= Timothy |year= 2008|publisher= Oxford University Press |location= Oxford|isbn= |pages= 35, 39}} Beal states that, "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, 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> they are united in believing that Jesus has a unique significance.<ref name="Woodhead 2004 n.p"/> The term "Christian" is also used as an adjective to describe anything associated with Christianity, or in a proverbial sense "all that is noble, and good, and Christ-like."<ref name="CCEL">{{cite book |title=History of the Christian Church |last=Schaff |first=Philip |authorlink=Philip Schaff |chapter=V. St. Paul and the Conversion of the Gentiles (Note 496) |url=http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/hcc1.txt}}</ref>
According to a 2011 [[Pew Research Center]] survey, there were 2.2 billion Christians around the world in 2010, up from about 600 million in 1910.<ref name="Global Christianity"/> By 2050, the Christian population is expected to exceed 3 billion.<ref name="Global Christianity"/> According to a 2012 Pew Research Center survey [[Christianity]] will remain the [[Major religious groups#Largest religions|world's largest religion]] in 2050, if current trends continue.
Today, about 37% of all Christians live in the [[Americas]], about 26% live in [[Europe]], 24% live in [[sub-Saharan Africa]], about 13% live in [[Asia]] and the [[Pacific]], and 1% live in the [[Middle East]] and [[North Africa]].<ref name="Global Christianity"/> About half of all Christians worldwide are [[Catholic]], while more than a third are [[Protestant]] (37%).<ref name="Global Christianity"/> [[Eastern Christianity|Orthodox]] communions comprise 12% of the world's Christians.<ref name="Global Christianity"/> Other Christian groups make up the remainder. Christians make up the majority of the population in 158 countries and territories.<ref name="Global Christianity"/> 280 million Christians live as a minority.
Christians have significantly influenced and contributed to [[Progress (history)|human progress]] in many fields including [[philanthropy]], [[Christian philosophy|philosophy]],<ref name=" A. Spinello ">{{cite book |last= A. Spinello|first= Richard |others=|title=The Encyclicals of John Paul II: An Introduction and Commentary |year=2012 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield Publishers|quote= ... The insights of Christian philosophy “would not have happened without the direct or indirect contribution of Christian faith” (FR 76). Typical Christian philosophers include St. Augustine, St. Bonaventure, and St. Thomas Aquinas. The benefits derived from Christian philosophy are twofold....|isbn=1442219424|page=147}}</ref><ref name=" Vincelette ">{{cite book |last= Roy Vincelette|first= Alan |others=|title=Recent Catholic Philosophy: The Nineteenth Century |year=2009 |publisher=Marquette University Press|quote= ... .Catholic thinkers contributed extensively to philosophy during the Nineteenth Century. Besides pioneering the revivals of Augustinianism and Thomism, they also helped to initiate such philosophical movements as Romanticism, Traditionalism, Semi-Rationalism, Spiritualism, Ontologism, and Integralism...|isbn=0874627567|page=}}</ref><ref name="Hyman1967">{{cite book |last1=Hyman |first1=J. |last2=Walsh |first2=J.J. |title=Philosophy in the Middle Ages: The Christian, Islamic, and Jewish Traditions |location=New York |publisher=Harper & Row |date=1967 |oclc=370638}}</ref>{{rp|15}} [[Christian ethics|ethics]],<ref name="Encyclopaedia Perthensis ">{{cite book |last= Brown |first=J. |others= |title=Encyclopaedia Perthensis, Or, Universal Dictionary of the Arts, Sciences, Literature, Etc. : Intended to Supersede the Use of Other Books of Reference, Volume 18|year= |publisher=University of Minnesota|quote= ... Christians has also contributed greatly to the abolition of slavery, or at least to the mitigation of the rigour of servitude.|isbn=0191025135|page=179}}</ref> [[Christian literature|literature]],<ref name="E. McGrath " /> [[Protestant work ethic|business and economics]],<ref name="J. Hillerbrand ">{{cite book |last= Hillerbrand|first=Hans J. |others=|title=Encyclopedia of Protestantism: 4-volume Set |year=2016 |publisher=Pickle Partners Publishing|quote= ... In the centuries succeeding the REFORMATION the teaching of Protestantism was consistent on the nature of work. Some Protestant theologians also contributed to the study of economics, especially the nineteenth-century Scottish minister THOMAS CHALMERS....|isbn=1787203042|page=174}}</ref><ref name=" Guan ">{{cite book |last= Guan|first=Wenwei|others=|title=Intellectual Property Theory and Practice: A Critical Examination of China’s TRIPS Compliance and Beyond |year=2014 |publisher=Springer|quote= ... According to Max Weber's analysis, Protestant Asceticism contributed to the rise of the capitalism in the West....|isbn=364255265X|page=51}}</ref><ref name=" Troeltsch ">{{cite book |last= Ernst|first= Troeltsch|others=|title=Protestantism and Progress: A Historical Study of the Relation of Protestantism to the Modern World |year=2017 |publisher=Routledge|quote= ...It is clear enough without this that the contribution of Protestantism to modern economic development, which is, in point of fact, one of the most characteristic features of our modern world, is to be ascribed, not to Protestantism as a whole, but primarily to Calvinism, Pietism, and the Sectaries, and that even with them this contribution is only an indirect and consequently an involuntary one.|isbn=1351496115|page=80}}</ref> [[Christian art|fine arts and architecture]],<ref name="E. McGrath " /> [[Christian Music|music]],<ref name=" E. McGrath ">{{cite book |last= E. McGrath|first= Alister |others=|title=Christianity: An Introduction|year=2006 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons|quote= Virtually every major European composer contributed to the development of church music. Monteverdi, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Rossini, and Verdi are all examples of composers to have made significant contributions in this sphere. The Catholic church was without question one of the most important patrons of musical developments, and a crucial stimulus to the development of the western musical tradition. |isbn=1405108991|page=336}}</ref><ref name="Rose Publishing Inc">{{cite book |last= |first= |others=|title=What Christianity Has Done for the World|year=2014 |publisher=Rose Publishing Inc|quote=Christian, also contributed much to the world of music. A prolific composer, Bach regularly wrote sacred music, dedicating his efforts to the glory of God. |isbn=1628621060|page=}}</ref> [[Christian drama|theatre]] and [[medicine]],<ref name="S. Kroger ">{{cite book |last=S. Kroger|first= William|others=|title=Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis in Medicine, Dentistry and Psychology|year=2016 |publisher=Pickle Partners Publishing|quote=Many prominent Catholic physicians and psychologists have made significant contributions to hypnosis in medicine, dentistry, and psychology.|isbn=1787203042|page=}}</ref> as well as [[List of Christians in science and technology|science and technology]],<ref name="Gilley ">{{cite book |last= Gilley |first= Sheridan |others=Brian Stanley|title=The Cambridge History of Christianity: Volume 8, World Christianities C.1815-c.1914 |year=2006 |publisher=Cambridge University Press|quote= ... Many of the scientists who contributed to these developments were Christians...|isbn=0521814561|page=164}}</ref><ref name=" Steane ">{{cite book |last=Steane |first=Andrew |others= |title=Faithful to Science: The Role of Science in Religion|year=2014 |publisher=OUP Oxford|quote= ... the Christian contribution to science has been uniformly at the top level, but it has reached that level and it has been sufficiently strong overall ...|isbn=0191025135|page=179}}</ref><ref name=" L. Johnson ">{{cite book |last= L. Johnson |first= Eric|others=|title=Foundations for Soul Care: A Christian Psychology Proposal |year=2009 |publisher=InterVarsity Press|quote= ... . Many of the early leaders of the scientific revolution were Christians of various stripes, including Roger Bacon, Copernicus, Kepler, Francis Bacon, Galileo, Newton, Boyle, Pascal, Descartes, Ray, Linnaeus and Gassendi...|isbn= 0830875271|page=63}}</ref> both historically and in modern times.<ref name="Nobel Prize">Baruch A. Shalev, ''100 Years of Nobel Prizes'' (2003), Atlantic Publishers & Distributors, p.57: between 1901 and 2000 reveals that 654 Laureates belong to 28 different religions. Most (65.4%) have identified Christianity in its various forms as their religious preference. {{ISBN|978-0935047370}}</ref>
==Etymology==
The Greek word {{lang|grc|Χριστιανός}} (''Christianos''), meaning "follower of Christ", comes from {{lang|grc|Χριστός}} (''Christos''), meaning "[[anointing|anointed]] one",<ref>[http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=Christ Christ] at Etymology Online</ref> with an adjectival ending borrowed from Latin to denote adhering to, or even belonging to, as in slave ownership.<ref>[[#Bickerman-1949|Bickerman, 1949]] p. 147, ''All these Greek terms, formed with the Latin suffix ''-ianus'', exactly as the Latin words of the same derivation, express the idea that the men or things referred to, belong to the person to whose name the suffix is added.''<br />p. 145, ''In Latin this suffix produced proper names of the type ''Marcianus'' and, on the other hand, derivatives from the name of a person, which referred to his belongings, like ''fundus Narcissianus'', or, by extension, to his adherents, ''Ciceroniani.</ref> In the [[Greek language|Greek]] [[Septuagint]], ''christos'' was used to translate the [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] מָשִׁיחַ (''Mašíaḥ,'' messiah), meaning "[one who is] anointed."<ref>[http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=messiah Messiah] at Etymology Online</ref> In other European languages, equivalent words to Christian are likewise derived from the Greek, such as ''Chrétien'' in French and ''Cristiano'' in Spanish.
==Early usage==
[[File:Antioch Saint Pierre Church Front.JPG|thumb|upright=0.9|right|The [[Church of Saint Peter]] near [[Antioch]] (modern-day [[Antakya]]), the city where the [[Disciple (Christianity)|disciples]] were called "Christians".]]
The first recorded use of the term (or its [[cognate]]s in other languages) is in the [[New Testament]], in [[Acts 11]]:26,<ref>{{bibleref2|Acts|11:26|9}}</ref> after Barnabas brought Saul (Paul) to [[Early centers of Christianity#Antioch|Antioch]] where they taught the [[Disciple (Christianity)|disciples]] for about a year, the text says: "[...] the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch." The second mention of the term follows in [[Acts 26]]:28,<ref>{{bibleref2|Acts|26:28|9}}</ref> where [[Herod Agrippa II]] replied to [[Paul the Apostle]], "Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian." The third and final New Testament reference to the term is in [[1 Peter 4]]:16, which exhorts believers: "Yet if ''[any man suffer]'' as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf."<ref>{{bibleref2|1pe|4:16|9|1 Peter 4:16}}</ref>
Kenneth Samuel Wuest holds that all three original New Testament verses' usages reflect a derisive element in the term ''Christian'' to refer to followers of Christ who did not acknowledge the emperor of Rome.<ref>[[#Wuest-1973]] p. 19. ''The word is used three times in the New Testament, and each time as a term of reproach or derision. Here in Antioch, the name ''Christianos'' was coined to distinguish the worshippers of the Christ from the ''Kaisarianos'', the worshippers of Caesar.''</ref> The city of Antioch, where someone gave them the name ''Christians'', had a reputation for coming up with such nicknames.<ref>[[#Wuest-1973]] p. 19. ''The city of Antioch in Syria had a reputation for coining nicknames.''</ref> However Peter's apparent endorsement of the term led to its being preferred over "Nazarenes" and the term ''Christianoi'' from [[1 Peter]] becomes the standard term in the [[Early Church Fathers]] from [[Ignatius of Antioch|Ignatius]] and [[Polycarp]] onwards.<ref>Christine Trevett '' Christian women and the time of the Apostolic Fathers'' 2006 "'Christians' (christianoi) was a term first coined in Syrian Antioch (Acts 11: 26) and which appeared next in Christian sources in Ignatius, Eph 11.2; Rom 3.2; Pol 7.3. Cf. too Did 12.4; MPol 3.1; 10.1; 12.1-2; EpDiog 1.1; 4.6; 5.1;"</ref>
The earliest occurrences of the term in non-Christian literature include [[Josephus on Jesus|Josephus]], referring to "the tribe of Christians, so named from him;"<ref>{{cite web |author=[[Josephus]] |url=http://www.ccel.org/j/josephus/works/ant-18.htm |title=Antiquities of the Jews — XVIII, 3:3}}</ref> [[Pliny the Younger]] in [[Epistulae (Pliny)|correspondence with Trajan]]; and [[Tacitus on Christ|Tacitus]], writing near the end of the 1st century. In the ''[[Annals (Tacitus)|Annals]]'' he relates that "by vulgar appellation [they were] commonly called Christians"<ref>{{cite book|last1=Tacitus|first1=Cornelius|last2=Murphy|first2=Arthur|title=The works of Cornelius Tacitus: with an essay on his life and genius, notes, supplements, &c|page=287|year=1836|publisher=Thomas Wardle|url=https://books.google.com/?id=E0vy1dAhgj0C}}</ref> and identifies Christians as [[Nero]]'s scapegoats for the [[Great Fire of Rome]].<ref>{{cite book |title=The Book of the Acts |author=Bruce, Frederick Fyvie |authorlink=F. F. Bruce |year=1988 |publisher=Eerdmans |page=228 |isbn=0-8028-2505-2}}</ref>
===Nazarenes===
Another [[List of Christian synonyms|term for Christians]] which appears in the New Testament is "[[Nazarene (title)|Nazarenes]]". [[Jesus]] is named as a Nazarene in Math 2:23, while Saul-Paul is said to be Nazarene in Acts 24:5. The latter verse makes it clear that Nazarene also referred to the name of a sect or heresy, as well as the town called Nazareth.
The term Nazarene was also used by the Jewish lawyer [[Tertullus]] (''Against Marcion'' 4:8) which records that "the Jews call us Nazarenes." While around 331 AD [[Eusebius]] records that Christ was called a Nazoraean from the name [[Nazareth]], and that in earlier centuries "Christians" were once called "Nazarenes".<ref>Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies: Volume 65, Issue 1 University of London. School of Oriental and African Studies - 2002 "... around 331, Eusebius says of the place name [[Nazareth]] that 'from this name the Christ was called a Nazoraean, and in ancient times we, who are now called Christians, were once called [[Nazarene (title)|Nazarenes]]';6 thus he attributes this designation ..."</ref> The Hebrew equivalent of "Nazarenes", ''Notzrim'', occurs in the [[Babylonian Talmud]], and is still the modern Israeli Hebrew term for Christian.
==Modern usage==
[[File:ChristianityPUA.png|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 is 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|edition= |last= Beal|first= Timothy|year= 2008|publisher= Oxford University Press |location= Oxford|isbn= |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"/> Philosopher [[Michael Martin (philosopher)|Michael Martin]], in his book ''The Case Against Christianity'', evaluated three historical Christian creeds (the [[Apostles' Creed]], the [[Nicene Creed]] and the [[Athanasian Creed]]) to establish a set of basic 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 |authorlink=Michael Martin (philosopher) |year=1993 |publisher=Temple University Press |page=12 |isbn=1-56639-081-8}}</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.]]
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 [[Nazareth]] through the [[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], note 62 (erroneously, "salidi").</ref> The term ''Nasara'' [[Nun (letter)#Social media campaign (2014)|rose to prominence in July 2014]], after the [[Fall of Mosul]] to the terrorist organization [[Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant]]. The ''nun'' or {{lang|ar|ن}}— the first letter of ''Nasara''—was spray-painted on the property of Christians ejected from the city.<ref>[http://www.euronews.com/2014/07/22/how-an-arabic-letter-was-reclaimed-to-support-iraqs-persecuted-christians-n Euronews] 22 July 2014 "Over the weekend, while the world’s gaze was on Gaza and Syria, the situation of Christians in northern Iraq took a sharp turn for the worse, with thousands forced to flee their homes. ... In Mosul, IS militants marked with a spray-painted ن (the Arabic letter for “N”) all Christian property to be seized after the ultimatum."</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&pg=RA1-PA41&lpg=RA1-PA41&dq=masihi+nasrani&source=web&ots=LESqWUSy43&sig=ABHlcsuLXyO4iZBR2gMP4dnoux8 Trekking through the Moroccan Sahara].''</ref> In some countries ''Nasrani'' tends to be used generically for non-Muslim Western foreigners, e.g. "blond people."<ref>{{cite web|title=Nasara|url=http://www.mazyanbizaf.com/mbs002|website=Mazyan Bizaf Show}}</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 has negative connotations.<ref name="SOFIR"/><ref>[[Akbar S. Ahmed]], ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=kXY9AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA110&lpg=PA110&dq=salibi+crusader&source=web&ots=R_6x5wvD-L&sig=iSIt3GH4P7yJg-OrI39idUrO0AA 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===
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 the [[Indian subcontinent]], Christians call themselves ''Isaai'' ({{lang-hi|ईसाई}}, {{lang-ur|عیسائی}}), and are also known by this term to adherents of other religions.<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=December 24, 2008 | deadurl=yes | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120113175911/http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Catholic-priest-in-saffron-robe-called---Isai-Baba--/402458/ | archivedate=January 13, 2012 | df= }}</ref> This is related to the name they call Jesus,'' 'Isa Masih'', and literally means 'the followers of 'Isa'.
In the past, the [[Malays (ethnic group)|Malay]]s used to call the Portuguese ''Serani'' from the Arabic ''Nasrani'', but the term now refers to the modern [[Kristang people|Kristang]] creoles of [[Malaysia]]. In [[Indonesian language]], the term "''Nasrani''" is also used alongside with "''Kristen''".
The Chinese word is {{linktext|基督|徒}} ([[pinyin]]: jīdū tú), literally "Christ follower." The two characters now pronounced ''Jīdū'' in Mandarin Chinese, were originally pronounced ''Jīdū'' (基督)<ref>[https://glosbe.com/en/yue/Christ Christ in Cantonese, translation, English-Cantonese Dictionary<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> in [[Cantonese]] as representation of Latin "Christus".<ref>[http://socialvocabulary.com/defines/Christian Christian - Meaning Definition Synonym Synopsis<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0059%3Aentry%3DChristus Charlton T. Lewis, Charles Short, A Latin Dictionary, Christus<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> In Vietnam, the same two characters read ''[[:wikt:Cơ đốc|Cơ đốc]]'', and a "follower of Christianity" is a ''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 吉利支丹, 切支丹, and in modern Japanese histories as キリシタン), from Portuguese ''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 キリスト教徒, ''Kirisuto-kyōto'' or the English-derived term クリスチャン ''kurisuchan''.
Korean still uses 기독교도, ''Kidok-kyo-do'' for "Christian", though the Greek form ''Kurisudo'' 그리스도 has now replaced the old [[Sino-Korean vocabulary|Sino-Korean]] ''Kidok'', which refers to Christ himself.
In Thailand, the most common terms are คนคริสต์ (''khon khrit'') or ชาวคริสต์ (''chao khrit'') which literally mean "Christ person/people" or "Jesus person/people." The Thai word คริสต์ (''khrit'') is derived from "Christ."
===Russian terms===
The region of modern Eastern Europe and Central Eurasia (Russia, Ukraine and other countries of the former [[Soviet bloc]]) 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>[http://azbyka.ru/dictionary/03/kartashev_vselenskie_sobory_07-all.shtml#s19 Вселенские Соборы читать, скачать - профессор Антон Владимирович Карташёв<!-- Bot generated title -->]</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 the Great Russian Principality ([[Kievan Rus'|Kyivan Rus]], {{lang-rus | Великое княжество Русское}}, {{circa}} 988 AD).
In some areas, people of that time{{when|date=December 2016}} came to denote themselves as Christians ({{lang-ru|христиане, крестьяне}}) and as Russians ({{lang-ru|русские}}). Both terms had strong Christian connotations.{{citation needed|date=November 2015}} In time the Russian term "крестьяне" (''khrest'yanye'') acquired the meaning "peasants of Christian faith" and later "peasants" (the main part of the population of the region), while the term "христиане" (''khristianye'') retained its religious meaning and the term "русские" (''russkiye'') 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 "Pravoslav faith" ({{lang-ru|православная вера}} - Orthodox faith) or "Russian faith" ({{lang-ru|русская вера}}) from earliest times became almost as known as the original "Christian faith" (христианская, крестьянская вера).{{citation needed|date=December 2016}} Also in some contexts the term "[[cossack]]" ({{lang-ru|козак, казак}} - "free man" by the will of God{{citation needed|date=December 2016}}) was used{{by whom|date=November 2015}} to denote "free" Christians of steppe origin and Russian 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
| accessdate = 2016-12-05
| 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
| publication-date = 1967
| accessdate = 2016-12-06
}}
</ref>
==Demographics==
{{For|a detailed breakdown of Christian demographics|Christianity by country}}
As of the early 21st century, [[Christianity]] has approximately 2.4 billion adherents.<ref name="World">33.39% of 7.174 billion world population (under "People and Society") {{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/xx.html|title=World|publisher=CIA world facts}}</ref><ref name="ForeignPolicy">{{cite web|url=https://foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=3835|title=The List: The World's Fastest-Growing Religions|publisher=foreignpolicy.com|date= March 2007 |accessdate=2010-01-04}}</ref><ref name="Major Religions Ranked by Size">{{cite web |url=http://www.adherents.com/Religions_By_Adherents.html |title=Major Religions Ranked by Size |publisher=Adherents.com |date= |accessdate=2009-05-05}}</ref> The faith represents about a third of the world's population and is the largest religion in the world. Christians have composed about 33 percent of the world's population for around 100 years. The largest Christian denomination is the [[Roman Catholic Church]], with 1.17 billion adherents, representing half of all Christians.<ref>[http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/universal_church_sees_increase_in_seminarians_reports_pontifical_yearbook/ Pontifical Yearbook 2010], Catholic News Agency. Accessed September 22, 2011.</ref>
Christianity remains the dominant religion in the [[Western World]], where 70% are Christians.<ref name="Global Christianity"/> According to a 2012 [[Pew Research Center]] survey, if current trends continue, Christianity will remain the [[Major religious groups#Largest religions|world's largest religion]] by the year 2050. By 2050, the Christian population is expected to exceed 3 billion. While Muslims have an average of 3.1 children per woman—the highest rate of all religious groups, Christians are second, with 2.7 children per woman. High birth rates and conversion were cited as the reason for [[Christian population growth]]. A 2015 study found that approximately 10.2 million [[Muslim]]s [[converted to Christianity]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1= Johnstone |first1= Patrick |last2=Miller |first2=Duane Alexander |title= Believers in Christ from a Muslim Background: A Global Census |journal= Interdisciplinary Journal of Research on Religion |date=2015 |volume=11 |page=8 |url= https://www.academia.edu/16338087/Believers_in_Christ_from_a_Muslim_Background_A_Global_Census |accessdate=30 October 2015}}</ref> Christianity is growing in [[Africa]],<ref>{{cite news|url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/religion/story/2011-12-20/christianity-growth-africa-europe/52125920/1|title=Study: Christianity growth soars in Africa – USATODAY.com|work=USATODAY.COM|accessdate=14 February 2015|date=20 December 2011}}</ref><ref name="TIME 2001">{{cite news|url=http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,156277,00.html|title=The Battle for Latin America's Soul|date=24 June 2001|work=TIME.com|accessdate=14 February 2015|first=Richard N.|last=Ostling}}</ref> [[Asia]],<ref name="TIME 2001"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ibtimes.com/china-protestantisms-simplicity-yields-more-converts-catholicism-213465|title=In China, Protestantism's Simplicity Yields More Converts Than Catholicism|date=28 March 2012|work=International Business Times|accessdate=14 February 2015}}</ref> [[Latin America]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2012/03/201232593459332334.html|title=Evangelicals rise in Latin America|author=Chris Arsenault|publisher=|accessdate=14 February 2015}}</ref> the [[Muslim world]],<ref name="Believers in Christ from a Muslim Background">[https://www.academia.edu/16338087/Believers_in_Christ_from_a_Muslim_Background_A_Global_Census Believers in Christ from a Muslim Background: A Global Census]</ref> and [[Oceania]].
[[File:Christianity percent population in each nation World Map Christian data by Pew Research.svg|thumb|upright=1.8|center|Percentage of Christians worldwide, June 2014]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin-left:auto; margin-right:auto;"
|+ '''Christians (self-described) by region'''
|+([[Pew Research Center]], 2011)<ref>{{cite web|author=ANALYSIS |url=http://www.pewforum.org/Christian/Global-Christianity-europe.aspx |title=Europe |publisher=Pewforum.org |date=19 December 2011 |accessdate=17 August 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=ANALYSIS |url=http://www.pewforum.org/Christian/Global-Christianity-americas.aspx |title=Americas |publisher=Pewforum.org |date=19 December 2011 |accessdate=17 August 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=ANALYSIS |url=http://www.pewforum.org/global-religious-landscape-christians.aspx |title=Global religious landscape: Christians |publisher=Pewforum.org |date=19 December 2011 |accessdate=17 August 2012}}</ref>
|- bgcolor=#CCCCFF
! Region
! Christians
! % Christian
|-
| [[Europe]]
|style="text-align:right;"| 558,260,000
|style="background:#5A4FCF; text-align:center;"| 75.2
|-
| [[Latin America]]–[[Caribbean]]
|style="text-align:right;"| 531,280,000
|style="background:#6F00FF; text-align:center;"| 90.0
|-
| [[Sub-Saharan Africa]]
|style="text-align:right;"| 517,340,000
|style="background:#0047AB; text-align:center;"| 62.9
|-
| [[Asia Pacific]]
|style="text-align:right;"| 286,950,000
|style="background:#ADD8E6; text-align:center;"| 7.1
|-
| [[North America]]
|style="text-align:right;"| 266,630,000
|style="background:#6F00FF; text-align:center;"| 77.4
|-
| [[Middle East]]–[[North Africa]]
|style="text-align:right;"| 12,710,000
|style="background:#ADD8E6; text-align:center;"| 3.7
|-
!World
!style="text-align:right;"| 2,173,180,000
!text-align:center;"| 31.5
|}
=== Socioeconomics ===
According to a study from 2015, Christians hold the largest amount of wealth (55% of the total world wealth), followed by [[Muslims]] (5.8%), [[Hindus]] (3.3%) and [[Jews]] (1.1%). According to the same study it was found that adherents under the classification [[Irreligion]] or other religions hold about 34.8% of the total global wealth.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.deccanherald.com/content/453467/christians-hold-largest-percentage-global.html6 |title=Christians hold largest percentage of global wealth: Report|publisher=deccanherald.com|date=2015-01-14}}</ref> A study done by the nonpartisan wealth research firm New World Wealth found that 56.2% of the 13.1 million millionaires in the world were Christians.<ref>[https://www.cnbc.com/2015/01/14/the-religion-of-millionaires-.html The religion of millionaires]</ref>
A [[Pew Center]] study about [[Religiosity and education|religion and education]] around the world in 2016, found that Christians ranked as the second most educated religious group around in the [[world]] after [[Jews]] with an average of 9.3 years of schooling,<ref name="Pew2016">{{cite web |date=December 19, 2011 |title=Religion and Education Around the World |url=http://assets.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2016/12/21094148/Religion-Education-ONLINE-FINAL.pdf |publisher=Pew Research Center |accessdate=December 13, 2016}}</ref> and the highest numbers of years of schooling among Christians were found in [[Germany]] (13.6),<ref name="Pew2016"/> [[New Zealand]] (13.5)<ref name="Pew2016"/> and [[Estonia]] (13.1).<ref name="Pew2016"/> Christians were also found to have the second highest number of [[Academic degree|graduate]] and [[post-graduate]] degrees per capita while in absolute numbers ranked in the first place (220 million).<ref name="Pew2016"/> Between the various [[World Christianity|Christian communities]], [[Singapore]] outranks other nations in terms of Christians who obtain a university degree in institutions of [[higher education]] (67%),<ref name="Pew2016"/> followed by the [[Christianity in Israel|Christians of Israel]] (63%),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bokra.net/Article-1155836 |title= المسيحيون العرب يتفوقون على يهود إسرائيل في التعليم |website=Bokra |accessdate=28 December 2011}}</ref> and the [[Christianity in Georgia (country)|Christians of Georgia]] (57%).<ref name="Pew2016"/>
According to the study, Christians in [[North America]], [[Europe]], [[Middle East]], [[North Africa]] and [[Asia Pacific]] regions are highly educated since many of the world [[universities]] were built by the historic [[Christian denominations|Christian Churches]],<ref name="Pew2016"/> in addition to the historical evidence that "Christian monks built libraries and, in the days before printing presses, preserved important earlier writings produced in Latin, Greek and Arabic".<ref name="Pew2016"/> According to the same study, Christians have a significant amount of [[gender equality]] in educational attainment,<ref name="Pew2016"/> and the study suggests that one of the reasons is the encouragement of the [[Protestant Reformers]] in promoting the [[education of women]], which led to the eradication of illiteracy among females in Protestant communities.<ref name="Pew2016"/>
==Notable individuals==
{{Main article|Lists of Christians|List of Christian Nobel laureates|List of converts to Christianity}}
Christians have made a myriad contributions in a broad and diverse range of fields, including the [[sciences]],<ref name="Gilley "/> [[arts]],<ref name="E. McGrath " /> [[politics]], [[literatures]] and [[business]]. According to ''100 Years of Nobel Prizes'', a review of Nobel prizes awarded between 1901 and 2000 reveals that (65.4%) of [[Nobel Prizes]] laureates identified [[Christianity]] in its various forms as their religious preference.<ref name="Caltron J.H Hayas">Baruch A. Shalev, ''100 Years of Nobel Prizes'' (2003), Atlantic Publishers & Distributors, p.57: between 1901 and 2000 reveals that 654 Laureates belong to 28 different religion Most (65.4%) have identified Christianity in its various forms as their religious preference.</ref>
[[Eastern Christians]] (particularly [[Nestorian Christians]]) contributed to the Arab [[Islamic Golden Age|Islamic Civilization]] during the [[Ummayads|Ummayad]] and the [[Abbasids|Abbasid]] periods by translating works of [[Greek philosophers]] to [[Syriac language|Syriac]] and afterwards to [[Arabic language|Arabic]].<ref>Hill, Donald. ''Islamic Science and Engineering''. 1993. Edinburgh Univ. Press. {{ISBN|0-7486-0455-3}}, p.4</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=The Legend of the Middle Ages|author=Brague, Rémi|url=https://books.google.com/?id=c8YjEkLPXNYC&printsec=frontcover&dq=isbn:9780226070803#v=onepage&q=House%20of%20Wisdom&f=false|accessdate=11 February 2014|isbn=9780226070803|page=164|date=15 April 2009}}</ref><ref>Ferguson, Kitty [https://books.google.com/books?id=trM7NJz011oC&pg=PT100&dq=preserve+ancient+knowledge+syria&hl=en&sa=X&ei=9DwJUsuGNsbyrAGIyYC4Bw&ved=0CDwQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=preserve%20ancient%20knowledge%20syria&f=false Pythagoras: His Lives and the Legacy of a Rational Universe] Walker Publishing Company, New York, 2008, (page number not available – occurs toward end of Chapter 13, "The Wrap-up of Antiquity"). "It was in the Near and Middle East and North Africa that the old traditions of teaching and learning continued, and where Christian scholars were carefully preserving ancient texts and knowledge of the ancient Greek language."</ref> They also excelled in [[philosophy]], [[science]], [[theology]] and [[medicine]].<ref>Rémi Brague, [http://www.christiansofiraq.com/assyriancontributionstotheislamiccivilization.htm Assyrians contributions to the Islamic civilization]</ref><ref>Britannica, [http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/409819/Nestorian Nestorian]</ref>
==See also==
{{portal|Christianity}}
{{Div col}}
* [[Christendom]]
* [[Christian Church]]
* [[Christian population growth]]
* [[Conversion to Christianity]]
* [[Cultural Christian]]
* [[Early Christianity]]
* [[List of Christian denominations]]
* [[List of Christian denominations by number of members]]
* [[List of Christian synonyms]]
* [[List of religions and spiritual traditions]]
* [[List of religious organizations]]
{{div col end}}
==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}
==Bibliography==
'''Etymology'''
* {{cite journal|last=Bickerman |first=Elias J. |date=April 1949|title=The Name of Christians|journal=The Harvard Theological Review|volume=42|issue=2|pages=109–124 |jstor=1507955|ref=Bickerman-1949 |doi=10.1017/s0017816000019635}} also available in {{cite book|last=Bickerman |first=Elias J. |year=1986 |isbn=90-04-04395-0 |title=Studies in Jewish and Christian history|url=https://books.google.com/?id=gqQfAAAAIAAJ}} (from which page numbers are cited)
* {{cite book|author=Wuest, Kenneth Samuel|title=Wuest's word studies from the Greek New Testament|year=1973|volume=1|isbn=978-0-8028-2280-2|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZHhK3AKkc9EC|ref=Wuest-1973}}
{{Christianity footer|uncollapsed}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Christians| ]]
[[Category:Christian terminology]]
[[Category:New Testament Greek words and phrases]]
[[Category:Religious identity]]
