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James Shewey
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What does "Christian" mean

The word Christian is first used in Acts 11:26.

and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught a significant number of people. Now it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians.

This obviously comes from the word "Christ", Χριστός, Christós, (meaning "anointed") which is a transliteration of the Hebrew מָשִׁיחַ (Māšîaḥ). I have often heard it repeated that Christian means to be "Christ-like," but I am wondering if that is gramattically, syntatically and etymologically accurate. In greek, does "Christian" actually mean christ-like or something else? Is "Christ-like" a modern theological concept, or is it actually rooted in the grammar and syntax?

James Shewey
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