Christ
Christ names 5 different subjects across the 6 encyclopedias on this shelf. Each is set out below.
Christ the name given as a title of eminence to Jesus our Saviour
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
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 modern Christian name and surname; in reality the great Being so designated had but one personal appellation-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 persons 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 evangelists, who are believed by the majority of Christians to have written with infallible accuracy and trustworthiness under the guidance or inspiration of the Spirit of God. The circumstances heralding or attendant upon the birth of John, afterward 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 Be 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, appeared 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 obscurity in which He had hitherto resided at Nazareth. (Luke ii: 51, iii: 23.) Having 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 lifework 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 subordinate (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 ministry, 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 Holy Land in Phœnicia (Mark vii: 24), and chiefly on occasions of great festivals, at Jerusalem, which necessitated His visiting other parts of Judea (Matt. xx: 29; John ii: 23, vii: 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: 35, 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 synagogues, were stirred up nearly to madness by jealousy of His success, and eagerly accepted the offer of an unwor thy apostle, Judas Iscariot (i. e., apparently 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 manufactured, 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-
Christ DISCIPLES OF ruler's guilt
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
DISCIPLES OF ruler's guilt. But as the cry, "Crucify him," "crucify him," continued to rise from the multitude, he resolved to avoid unpopularity at the expense of moral principle, and gave sentence that it should be as the Jews required. The crucifixion therefore took place (Matt. xxvii; Mark xv; Luke xxiii; John xix). Friday was the day when the nefarious deed was done, and three days later, or early on Sunday morning, news was brought to the Apostles, and the Church generally by certain women of their company who had visited the sepulcher, that a resurrection had taken place Matt. xxviii; Mark xvi; Luke uke xxiv; John xx, xxi). At At a subsequent inter interview with their risen Lord He gave the Apostles and their successors a commission to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost (Matt. xxviii, 19, etc.); and about 40 days after the crucifixion He led them out as far as Bethany and lifted up His hands and blessed them. "And it came to pass, while He blessed them, He was parted from them, and carried up into heaven" (Luke xxiv: 50, 51). He had predicted His cruel death, His resurrection on the third day (Matt. xx: 19), and His ascension (John xx: 17), and had intimated that at a future period He would again return to the earth in glory (Matt. xxvi: 64, etc.).
Christ . See Jesus Christ Christ's Hospital
Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)
. See Jesus Christ Christ's Hospital, a celebrated charity school in Newgate Street, London. The word hospital formerly meant an institution for furnishing hospitality to, or caring for, the needy. Hence the name was given frequently to charity schools. The school was founded in 1653 by Edward VI for orphan children. At some times as many as a thousand boys and girls have been in attendance, receiving board, clothes, and instruction. The boys wear a very noticeable uniform--a long blue woolen coat, with clergyman's bands at the neck, a red leather belt, yellow silk stockings, low shoes, and no hats. From this costume, they have been called Bluecoat boys and the school is commonly known as the Bluecoat School. Many noted Englishmen received their early education at Christ's Hospital--Coleridge, Lamb, and Leigh Hunt among them. In the days of Coleridge and Lamb, the life was a hard one. The food was poor and scanty, the work wearisome, holidays few, and floggings many and severe. In the Essays of Elia Lamb has written an account of this school and his friendships there, under the title, Christ's Hospital Five and Thirty Years Ago. Christ's Hospital has been for some years under a new and much improved scheme of management.
Christ ORDER OF, on the abolition of the Templars by Clement V
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
ORDER OF, on the abolition of the Templars by Clement V., in 1312, King Dionysius of Portugal preserved the order in his dominions, but changed its title to that of The Knights of Christ, or The Order of Our Lord Jesus Christ. This arrangement was sanctioned by Pope John XXII., in 1319. The seat of the order was transferred from Castro- Marino to Thomar in 1366. The new order afterward attained such power that King John III. was obliged to obtain an edict from Pope Hadrian VI., 1522, by which the grandmastership of the order became vested in the kings of Portugal. religious
Christ DISCIPLES OF
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
DISCIPLES OF. See Dis- CIPLES OF CHRIST.
What Has Changed in the Last Century
Collier's wrote in 1921 that the four evangelists are "believed by the majority of Christians to have written with infallible accuracy," and told the passion story as one of Jewish priests "stirred up nearly to madness by jealousy" forcing Pilate's hand. Both halves of that have moved. Mainstream scholarship since the mid-20th century, aided by the Dead Sea Scrolls found from 1947 and the Nag Hammadi codices found in 1945, generally treats the Gospels as theological writings composed decades after the events, with Mark earliest, around AD 70; the birth is usually placed before 4 BC, the year of Herod's death. And in 1965 the Second Vatican Council's declaration Nostra Aetate explicitly rejected the charge of collective Jewish guilt for the crucifixion, a repudiation echoed since by most major Protestant bodies — the framing this entry uses is precisely what the churches set out to disown.
Written for this edition, 2026.