THE NAME OF CHRISTIANS

The ongms of the name Xptcrnavoi are narrated in the Acts of the Apostles as follows. After Stephen's martyrdom, some believers from Cyprus and Cyrene, who had left Jerusalem, preached at Antioch. Their success became known at Jerusalem, and "the community which was in Jerusalem" sent Barnabas to Antioch. Barnabas in turn brought Paul from Tarsus. For a whole year they worked together and taught many people. 'Ey{;w:w oi: afrwi~ Kai Evtautov 01-ov cruvax0fivat EV tiJ EKKArJcriq Kai oioa~at ox1-ov lKav6v, xpriµaticrat ti: rrpcimo~ EV 'AvnoxEiq tou~ µa0rita~ xptcrnavou~ (Act, Ap. 11,26). 1

I

Modern commentators mostly understand the passage as saying that the new name was given (in jest) to the disciples of Jesus by the heathen population of Antioch. 2 Some scholars assume that the name Christians, having the Latin ending-ianus, must have been given to the new sect by Roman authorities at Antioch or even at Rome. 3 The verb xpriµatisco, used in Acts, seems to confirm this interpretation. For, as it has been recently stressed,4 this verb indicates official or legal style. This latter observation is, of course, exact. When a contemporary of the Apostles signs his petition 5 as J\tµvaio~ J\tµvaiou K(ai) ro~ x(priµatisco) he does not refer to any nickname he may have, but to his title of deputy-secretary (E1titpo1to~ ypaµµati:ro~). Although critics are not agreed whether the Roman administration or the population of Antioch bestowed the new name on the followers of the Nazarene, they all agree that the term was invented by non-Christians. That means that the commentators tacitly assume the passive meaning ("were called") of the active aorist xpriµaticrat. This postulate goes back to Guillaume Bude, the illustrious restorer of Greek studies in France (1467-1540). Accepted by Henri Estienne in his Thesaurus Graecae Linguae (1572) s. v., it acquired,

1 Mss. variants are not noted since they have no relevance to our subject. 2 See, beside the commentaries and the articles in Biblical Dictionaries, H.J. Cadbury, in The Beginnings of Christianity V, 1933, 383-86 (who gives additional bibliographical items); A. v. Harnack, Mission und Ausbreitung des Christentums, 4th ed. 1924, I, 424-7; Th. Zahn, Introduction to the N. T. II, 1909, 191. 3 The theory that the name really began at Rome comes from Bruno Bauer, quoted in Zahn, I.e., while R. Paribeni, suggested the formation of it in the officium of the Roman governor of Syria. See E. Peterson, in Miscellanea Giovanni Mercati I, 1946, 8. 4 E. Peterson, op. cit., 3. 5 P. Osloenses II, 21 (71 A.D.). Cf. F. Zucker, Gnomon, 1933, 655. 140 THE NAME OF CHRISTIANS one might say, canonical authority in the course of time. 6 But is Bude's interpretation right? I think not, on grounds both grammatical and lexico• graphical. First the lexicographical matter. The verb XPTJµa,il;co negotiari, which already was a technical term of the Athenian chancellery in the time of Pericles,7 acquired later, as one of its numerous meanings, the signification of official designation. With this sense, the verb (in the extant Greek literature) occurs for the first time in Polybius. He tells, for instance, that Prince Achaeus, in revolt against Antiochus III, proceeded to Laodicea in Phrygia, where "he put on the diadem and also for the first time ventured to bear the title of king and to write (sc. as Basileus) to cities. 8 " We know the Hellenistic ceremonial referred to by Polybius. 9 A new king was installed in his office, when, wearing his regalia, he was shown to the multitude and proclaimed Basileus. It is evident, on the other hand, that when Antiochus III protested to the same Achaeus {mi ,q> ,£WAµT]KEVat otciOT]µa 1t£pt0fo0m Kai ~acrtAfo XPTJµmi/;£tv, he remonstrated against Achaeus' taking of the royal title officially. 10 That takes care of all other instances where XPTJµa,il;co refers to the royal style. 11 The verb does not mean that someone was called "king," but that he officially has assumed the title. 12 The other group of passages deals with official designation of citizenship. For instance, Flavius Josephus asserts that Alexander's successors allowed the Jewish settlers in Alexandria to use the name of "Macedonians." 13 A papyrus, written under Augustus, makes clear the meaning of this claim : Alexander, son of Nicodemus (who was a Jew as another record proves), styles himself "Macedonian" in this document. 14 Again, XPTJµmi/;£tv cannot have here a passive meaning: nobody gave the appellation of "Macedonians" to the Jews in Alexandria; on the contrary, the Hellenic population resented their pretension to this quality. Likewise, if Posidonius of Apamea in Syria

6 I did not regard it necessary to follow the history of interpretation. I only note that as late as 1828, S. T. Bloomfield, Recensio Synoptica Annotationis Sacrae IV, 376, presents the now common explanation as a novelty. 7 See, e.g., /GI, 57; 63, etc. On the same word in the meaning "give an oracle" cf. L. Robert, Hellenica I, 1940, 72 and II, 1946, 1948. 8 Pol. V, 57, 5: oui15T]µa ,E rrEpu':0E-co Kai ~acrtAEu~ ,6,E rrp&-cov 1h6AµT]crE XPTJµa-cii;Etv Kai ypaq>El v 1tp6~ -ca~ ltOAEl~. 9 See on this avaOEl~t~ my note, above, 2-6. 10 Pol. V, 57,2. 11 See, e.g. Diod. I, 44,1: XX, 53,2; Plut., Anton. 54; Jos., Antt. VIII, 157; XIII, 318; Euseb., V. Const. 18; h.e. I, 7,12; Philostr., V. Apoll. V, 35: ffiCT7tEp au-coKpa-crop XPT]µa-cil;rov "CE Kai rrpanrov. 12 Cf., e.g., Philo, Leg. ad Gaium 346: Caligula decided to introduce his cult at the Temple of Jerusalem 1va L'it6~ 'Emq>avoii~ Nfou XPT]µa-cil;u ratou. 13 Jos., BJ II, 488: XPT]µa-cii;Etv l:m':-cpEljlUV MaKE156va~. 14 B.G.U. IV, 1132: rrapa 'AAE~avopou "COU NtKooEiµou MaKE156(vo~)-