"Christos" as reverse abbreviation for "archiereus megistos"

[ghost]

How likely do you think it is that in the context of early Christianity "christos" was used as a reverse abbreviation for "archiereus megistos"?

I mean this to be similar to a "backronym", but I don't know if that's the optimal linguistic term for this. It's not that the word "christos" didn't exist before, but that it could been reinterpreted in hindsight to also mean "archiereus megistos".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backronym

[Leucius Charinus]

How likely do you think it is that in the context of early Christianity "christos" was used as a reverse abbreviation for "archiereus megistos"?

I think one needs to first search the evidence to determine when the terms "Chrestos" and "Christos" first appear - in association with "Jesus".

The NT Bibles and their papyri fragments are not going to assist in this because they use the nomina sacra form.

The first attestations to Jesus using the expanded (non encrypted) "Christ" or "Chrest" term are found with the "Chrestos" term.
(The 4th century marcionite church inscription ---- see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deir_Ali ).

These remains includes an inscription dated to 318 CE, which is the oldest known surviving inscribed reference, anywhere, to Jesus:

The meeting-house of the Marcionists, in the village of Lebaba, of the Lord and Saviour Jesus the Good -Erected by the forethought of Paul a presbyter, in the year 630 Seleucid era

The first attestation to "Christian" is from Codex Alexandrinus, believed to be a 5th century manuscript.
Why this massive codex has not given up any minute samples for C14 dating is anyone's guess.


The sources of "Chrestian" [χρηστιανος] and "Christian" [χριστιανος] in Antiquity
http://www.mountainman.com.au/essenes/c ... stians.htm

[theomise]

Hey Leucius,

Do you know of a high-res, contemporary photo of that "Isu Chrestos" (Marcionite) inscription?

There are a number of alleged early Christian-related inscriptions on statues, monuments, etc. that (magically!) have not survived in physical form.

Whether we are talking about "Simoni Deo Sancto" ("Semo Sancus Dius Fidius") or the bibliography on the base of the statue of "Hippolytus of Rome", it seems like the actual inscriptions always somehow get lost in the shuffle.

[Leucius Charinus]

Do you know of a high-res, contemporary photo of that "Isu Chrestos" (Marcionite) inscription?

Cant find an image yet. WIKI states the inscription is catalogued as follows: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deir_Ali
Philippe Le Bas and William Henry Waddington, Greek Inscriptions grecques et latines recueillies en Grèce et en Asie Mineure (1870), volume 3, inscription 2558.

[theomise]

Do you know of a high-res, contemporary photo of that "Isu Chrestos" (Marcionite) inscription?

Cant find an image yet. WIKI states the inscription is catalogued as follows: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deir_Ali
Philippe Le Bas and William Henry Waddington, Greek Inscriptions grecques et latines recueillies en Grèce et en Asie Mineure (1870), volume 3, inscription 2558.

That volume only provides a transcription. Here's a screen shot from Google Books:

https://imgur.com/ADgFYXn

I've yet to see an actual photograph.