The Oldest Reference to Christians in Egypt = Chrestianoi

[Secret Alias]

I know this sounds crazy but I can even intimate that Justin was one of these people Irenaeus criticizes as believing that 'Jesus' wasn't crucified but Christ (= Chrestos) was. I wonder if this somehow connected with the meaning of the name chrestos.

[EdwardM]

There is also the floor of a Chrestian meeting room in an old Roman barracks from the mid third century at the Megiddo Prison in Israel.

Link: http://www.nbcnews.com/id/9950210/ns/te ... TkUXk3QeUk; see video at 00:58, nota bene XRHCT??? at end row.

[Peter Kirby]

This is important too. Justin clearly thinks that word written (or corrected) as Christos and Christianos/Christianoi in our manuscripts means Chrestos:

For we are accused of being Christians, and to hate what is excellent (chrestos) is unjust. Again, if any of the accused deny the name, and say that he is not a Christian, you acquit him, as having no evidence against him as a wrong-doer; but if any one acknowledge that he is a Christian, you punish him on account of this acknowledgment. Justice requires that you inquire into the life both of him who confesses and of him who denies, that by his deeds it may be apparent what kind of man each is." (1 Apol 4)

Excellent find. I agree. Justin must have written Χρηστιανοὶ and so on here.

This also agrees with the fact that the manuscript of Tacitus (and, thus, apparently Tacitus, in Rome) originally read Chrestiani. (And aren't you always mentioning the Latin element of the word with its -ian-?)

This also does have suggestive implications for whether Justin may have further written Χρηστος. It is made more likely (if not completely certain) by this fact but also by the reference to Chrestus preserved without guile by the manuscripts of Suetonius (presumably, not altered because of ignorance about its referent). Thus, while our manuscript of Tacitus reads the spelling Christus, it is plausible that this has been corrected from the original Chrestus also, in agreement with the spelling of the word for followers of the superstition in Tacitus. This would then have Suetonius and Tacitus in agreement here. If we allow that the single printed edition of Pliny's letters may have likewise been corrected, that could easily mean that all the early second century Latin pagans referred to the 'name of Chrestus' (1 Peter 4:14 [?]). It would be interesting to check the mss. of Tertullian's quotation of Pliny either (and any other quotes). (And why shouldn't these three men agree with each other? They were in correspondence with each other. It'd be more surprising if they disagree, so discovering the orthography of one here has suggestive implications for the rest.)

One distinct advantage of this particular suggestion is that Χρηστος and Χριστος bend exactly the same way, so we should have no idea when exactly the tradition should have changed from Χρηστος to Χριστος (or vice-versa, if applicable) except when (a) they are fully spelled out or (b) spelled out due to context [as the context here spells it out] or (c) spelled out by the word for their tribe, named after its founder. None of the nomina sacra include the third letter, which is the only orthographic difference.

[EdwardM]

More: http://www.armageddonchurch.com/?Transl ... do_mosaics. The translation of said row is, according to the link is: "names of four women and calls upon us to 'remember' them." And the last word reads XRHCTH\. The \ is possibly an N to give us XRHCTHN, "Chresten".

Pic here: http://www.armageddonchurch.com/images/ ... on%201.jpg.

Oh, well. It was good while it lasted. But the name "Theos Iesous Christos" (or "Theos Ishu Chrestos") in Greek dative form is abbreviated into the nomina sacra

[Peter Kirby]

More: http://www.armageddonchurch.com/?Transl ... do_mosaics. The translation of said row is, according to the link is: "names of four women and calls upon us to 'remember' them." And the last word reads XRHCTH\. The \ is possibly an N to give us XRHCTHN, "Chresten".

Pic here: http://www.armageddonchurch.com/images/ ... on%201.jpg.

Oh, well. It was good while it lasted. But the name "Theos Iesous Christos" (or "Theos Ishu Chrestos") in Greek dative form is abbreviated into the nomina sacra

It still abides. Recall that the two words bend exactly the same way. We're still none the worse here. I guess you've said as much in parentheses.





Grammatical link:

http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/mor ... C&la=greek

On the other hand, the name here (at least) appears to be I[hso]u, which is bent the way the Greek word Ihsous is.

[Secret Alias]

It is also worth noting that in the manuscripts of Clement there are many occasions where he cites the Psalm 'taste and see that the Lord is sweet (chrestos)" LXX and it is now written christos which is utterly senseless.

[Secret Alias]

Now that I think of it, I wonder this is because a nomen sacrum is in place of chrestos. It would be interesting to find out.

[Peter Kirby]

It is also worth noting that in the manuscripts of Clement there are many occasions where he cites the Psalm 'taste and see that the Lord is sweet (chrestos)" LXX and it is now written christos which is utterly senseless.

Now that I think of it, I wonder this is because a nomen sacrum is in place of chrestos. It would be interesting to find out.

Is there any other plausible explanation? Another good find....

[Secret Alias]

Justin must have written Χρηστιανοὶ and so on here.

I don't think so. Chrestian would be Latinized (barbaric) Greek meaning 'those of someone named Chrestos.' I think the passage suggests instead xρηστοὶ (= the class of people who are 'good,' the aristocracy). In other words, I am not sure that Justin's comments necessarily suggest that a person named Chrestos is behind the Roman persecutors error. He is merely saying 'we are followers of the excellent (one) or useful (one) good (one) sweet (one) but you make us disown our association with him therefore you skew your assessment of Christians in favor of bad (ones), foul (ones) etc.;

[Secret Alias]

Is there any other plausible explanation? Another good find....

Well I would assume that all allusions to 'Christ' in Patristic texts to go back to a nomen sacrum rather than 'christos' fully written out so I think there is an 80% chance of finding XC on the page.