Page:Collier's New Encyclopedia v. 02.djvu/559

LEFT CHBIST 485 CHBIST tury borrowed episodes, themes, situa- tions, characters, and all manner of poets' devices. CHRIST, the name given as a title of eminence to Jesus our Saviour, whom, in the words of St. Peter (Acts x: 38), "God anointed," as king, priest, and prophet, "with the Holy Ghost and with power." The two names, Jesus Christ, are not analogous to a modem Christian name and surname; in reality the great Being so designated had but one personal appel- lation — Jesus : Christ being superadded at a later period to designate His office, function, or mission. It was borne by the military leader in the wars of Canaan (Josh, i.-xxiv., actually called Jesus in the authorized version of Acts vii: 45, and Heb. iv: 8), by Jesus surnamed Justus, a fellow-laborer with Paul (Col. iv: 11), and by about a dozen other per- sons figuring in the pages of Josephus; in fact the name seems to have been not uncommon among the Jews. We learn from St. Matthew that in this particular case the appellation was given previous to birth by Divine authority. ". . . . thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins." The year, the month, and the day when the child Jesus was born are matters of more or less uncertainty, not having been recorded with precision at the time. The salient features, however, of the life thus begun were narrated by four evan- gelists, who are believed by the major- ity of Christians to have written with infallible accuracy and trustworthiness under the guidance or inspiration of the Spirit of God. The circumstances heralding or at- tendant upon the birth of John, after- ward the Baptist, and the miraculous conception and nativity of Jesus, the last-named event at Bethlehem, are told at length by St. Luke (Luke i-ii) ; while St. Matthew relates the visit of the Magi, the slaughter of the infants at Bethlehem, and the flight of the holy family to Egypt (Matt. ii). These occurrences took place while Augustus, the Roman emperor, was upon the throne (Luke ii: 1). Thirty years later, under the reign of Tiberius, John, now grown to full manhood, ap- peared in the wilderness of Judea, as an ascetic and preacher of repentance, the necessity of which he urged on the ground that the kingdom of heaven was at hand. Those who confessed their sins he baptized in the river Jordan, and thus a new religious community arose, separated to a certain extent from the ordinary professors of Judaism (Matt, iii: 1-10; Luke iii: 1-14). Meanwhile Jesus, now about 30 years of age, had come forth from the obscu- rity in which He had hitherto resided at Nazareth. (Luke ii: 51, iii: 23.) Hav- ing sought and obtained baptism from John, with Divine recognition as the Son of God, and having overcome temptation in the wilderness, He without further delay addressed Himself to His life- work in the world. (Matt, iii: 13-17, iv: 1-11; Luke iii: 21, 22, iv: 1-14.) He claimed to be the Messiah spoken of by holy men of old (Dan. ix: 25, 26, etc.), nay, more, to be, in one sense, the sub- ordinate (John x: 29), and in another the equal of His Heavenly Father (v: 30). His ministry, while not ignoring repentance (Luke xiii: 3-5), was one chiefly of faith (John iii: 14-19) and love (John xiii: 34; Matt, v: 43-46). Twelve apostles (Matt, x: 1-6), and afterward 70 other disciples, were chosen to aid Him in His ministry (Luke x: 1, etc.), the former baptizing converts as they arose (John iv: 2). The holy teacher continued His minis^ try, it is believed, for about three years in all, chiefly at Capernaum and other places near the Lake of Galilee (Matt, iv: 13; Luke vii: 1), as well as in other places of that province (Luke vii: 11, etc.; Matt, xvi: 13), in Perea beyond Jordan (Matt, xix: 1; Mark x: 1; Luke viii: 37), in Samaria (John iv: 1-42), beyond the Holy Land in Phoenicia (Mark vii: 24), and chiefly on occasions of gi-eat festivals, at Jerusalem, which necessitated His visiting other parts of Judea (Matt, xx: 29; John ii: 23, vu: 1, 2, 10). He supported His claims to be the Messiah by miracles of knowledge, I e., prophecies (Matt, xx: 19, etc.; Luke xix: 41-44) and miracles of power, such as healing the sick (Matt, ix: 3.^3, etc.), nay, even raising the dead (Mark v: 22-43; Luke viii: 41-56; John xi: 1-44). The chief priests and other dignitaries who held sway in the Jewish syna- gogues, were stirred up nearly to mad- ness by jealousy of His success, and eagerly accepted the offer of an unwor- thy apostle, Judas Iscariot (l c, appar- ently of Kerioth in Judea) to betray his Lord. A manufactured charge of His blasphemy led to the condemnation of Jesus by His deadly foe, the high priest, but as the power of His life and death rested not with the Jewish authorities, but with the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, a charge of disaffection to the imperial government was manufac- tured, as it was felt that the heathen Roman would not attach any weight to the alleged blasphemy. The procurator had discernment to see clearly that what he was required to do was to sanction a judicial murder, and for some time re-