Christ, from the
Greek Christos, is a title, used principally in
Christianity, and equivalent to the
Hebrew word
Messiah, meaning the
Anointed One. It is rendered directly into
Latin as
Christus, and this form has influenced the form the title takes in languages such as
Swedish ('
Kristus').
Christians apply the title to their founder, the
rabbi Jesus of
Nazareth, who is seen as embodying the
Son, the
second person of the
Trinity. Most
denominations regard the
Christ as an integral
aspect of
God, whose
incarnation is a form of
avatara (although that's not a word usually used in this connection). The title 'Christ' was not generally applied to Jesus within his earthly lifetime, although various people claimed he was the
Messiah. It was through contact with
Hellenic Jews that Jesus' followers adopted the word, and thus came to be called
Christians - 'followers of the Anointed One'