CHRISTIANITY is derived from the Gr. word Χριστιάνισμος, literally Christianism. The early use of the term suggests a parallel to the term Judaism which signified “the Jew’s religion.” The term Christianity does not occur in the Bible.

The root word Christian (Kristianós) occurs three times in the NT: Acts 11:26; 26:28; and 1 Peter 4:16. In the Lukan narrative, Acts, the term is used to designate followers of Christ by persons who were not Christians. Generally, the followers of Christ referred to themselves by such terms as: disciples, brethren, saints, faithful ones, etc. However, no instance is recorded in the NT of these early Christians referring to their collective movement as Christianity, even though the term “Christian” was used with greater frequency as the movement grew in numbers. Likewise, the Jews refused to give any credence to the claim that Jesus was the Christ or “anointed” Messiah. On the contrary, the Jews were known to refer to the followers of Christ as belonging to a sect (Acts 24:14) or as the Nazarenes (24:5). They apparently were careful to avoid ascribing any term to this new religion which would have messianic overtones.

Some authorities attribute the early use of the term Christian to the populace of Antioch or to the Rom. Legatus at Antioch. Luke states that “in Antioch the disciples were for the first time called Christians” (11:26). Later in the early Christian period, Agrippa seems to refer to the profession of faith in Christ as becoming a “Christian” (26:28). Evidently the use of such a collective term to describe Christians gained favor during the early period of Christian history. Peter refers to suffering as a “Christian,” with the understanding that such a term described the followers of Christ in his time (1 Pet 4:16).

One of the earliest extra-Biblical uses of the term Christianity was cited by Ignatius of Antioch (Ad Magnes 10) where he states that “Christianity (Christianismos) did not believe in Judaism, but Judaism in Christianity....” It seems that particularly around the region of Antioch this term was prominent. Gradually, the usage of this term to describe the Christian movement spread to various parts of the world.

By the time of Augustine, the term Christianity (Christianismos) appears to have become an appellation for the Christian movement (City of God, I, II and III). The term as it has been used historically refers to all who follow Jesus Christ and who are connected with the visible church. The Biblical emphasis implicit in the root word (Christianos), signifies a believer in and follower of Jesus Christ. Early Christians believed that Jesus Christ was the Son of God, that He died on the cross for their sins, that He rose from the grave, and that He was to return to judge the world. Not all who belong to the movement called Christianity at the present time hold to those beliefs which NT followers of Christ adhered to and obeyed. Neither is Christianity structurally the same as it was when the term Christianity was first introduced. When the term was first used by Ignatius of Antioch, most of the beliefs common to NT believers still were widely held.

Bibliography Ignatius, “Ad Magnes,” 10, Apostolic Fathers, III, Pt. II (1889), 175, 176; Augustine, City of God, I, II, and III, tr. Marcus Dods (1950), 20, 21, 42, 107; J. Moulton, The Vocabulary of the Greek New Testament (1949), 693.