The X-Files: Chrēstos / Christos / Χρειστος

[Peter Kirby]

References to the word for "kind" (χρηστος), also as referenced by Martijn in his book.

Matthew 11:30. “For my yoke is easy*, and my burden is light.”
* 01: χρηστος
* 03: χρηστος
* 04: χρηστος
* 05: χρηστος

Luke 5:39. “And no one after drinking old wine desires new, for he says, ‘The old is good*.’”
* P4: χρηστος
* 01: χρηστος
* 02: χρηστοτερος
* 03: χρηστος
* 04: χρηστοτερος

Luke 6:35 But love your enemies, and do good*, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.
* 01: χρηστος
* 02: χρηστος
* 03: χρηστος
* 05: χρηστος

Romans 2:4. Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness* and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness* is meant to lead you to repentance?
* 01: χρηστοτητος, χρηστον
* 02: χρηστοτητος, χρηστον
* 03: χρηστοτητος, χρηστον
* 04: χρηστοτητος, χρηστον

Romans 3:12. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good*, not even one.
* 01: χρηστοτητα
* 02: χρηστοτητα
* 03: χρηστοτητα

Romans 11:22. Note then the kindness* and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness* to you, provided you continue in his kindness*. Otherwise you too will be cut off.
* 01: χρηστοτητα, χρηστοτητος, χρηστοτητι
* 02: χρηστο[τη]τα, χρηστοτης, χρηστοτητι
* 03: χρηστοτητα, χρηστοτης, χρηστοτητι
* 04: χρηστοτητα, χρηστοτης, χρηστοτητι

Romans 16:18. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk* and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.
* 01: χρηστολογιας
* 02: χρηστολογιας
* 03: χρηστολογιας
* 04: χρηστολογιας

1 Corinthians 13:4. Love is patient and kind*; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant
* 01: χρηστευεται
* 02: χρηστευ
* 03: χρηστευ
* 04: χρηστευεται

1 Corinthians 15:33. Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good* morals.”
* P33: χρηστα
* 01: χρηστα
* 02: χρηστα
* 03: χρηστα

2 Corinthians 6:6. by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness*, the Holy Spirit, genuine love;
* 01: χρηστοτητι
* 03: χρηστοτητι
* 04: χρηστοτητι

To be continued...

[Peter Kirby]

Galatians 5:22. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness*, goodness, faithfulness,
* Sinaiticus (01): χρηστοτης
* Alexandrinus (02): χρηστοτης
* Vaticanus (03): χρηστοτης
* Ephraem (04): χρηστοτης

Ephesians 2:7. so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness* toward us in Christ Jesus.
* Alexandrinus (02): χρηστοτητι
* Vaticanus (03): χρηστοτητι

Ephesians 4:32. Be kind* to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
* Sinaiticus (01): χρηστοι
* Alexandrinus (02): χρηστοι
* Vaticanus (03): χρηστοι

Colossians 3:12. Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness*, humility, meekness, and patience,
* Sinaiticus (01): χρηστοτητα
* Alexandrinus (02): χρηστοτητα
* Vaticanus (03): χρηστοτητα
* Ephraem (04): χρηστοτητα

Titus 3:4. But when the goodness and loving kindness* of God our Savior appeared,
* Sinaiticus (01): χρηστοτης
* Alexandrinus (02): χρηστοτης
* Ephraem (04): χρηστοτης

1 Peter 2:3. if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good*.
* P72: ει εγευσασθαι επειστευσατε οτι χρς ο κς
* Sinaiticus (01): ει εγευσασθαι οτι χρηστος ο κς
* Alexandrinus (02): ει εγευσασθε οτι χρηστος ο κς
* Vaticanus (03): ει εγευσασθε οτι χρηστος ο κς
* Ephraem (04): ειπερ εγευσασθε οτι χρηστος ο κς

[Giuseppe]

That's it. Feel free to add to the thread.

Louis Ganeval, Jésus devant l'histoire n'a jamais vécu, has been the first, even before Georges Ory, to assume that Chrestianity preceded Christianity:

https://play.google.com/store/books/det ... Y0C&rdot=1

In my view, Georges Ory has a more scholarly approach than Ganeval.

[davidmartin]

Louis Ganeval, Jésus devant l'histoire n'a jamais vécu, has been the first, even before Georges Ory, to assume that Chrestianity preceded Christianity

Helena Blavatsky was all over it and.. actually says some interesting stuff. i was kind of, um, not well disposed toward her but having read this after a random google search felt a tinge of being overly judgemental. some very interesting points of view and pieces of information in here

new terms such as Chréstianoï and Chréstodoulos “a follower or servant of Chrestos”—were coined out of the old material. This is shown by Philo Judæus, a monotheist, assuredly, using already the same term for monotheistic purposes. For he speaks of θεόχρηστος (théochréstos) “God-declared,” or one who is declared by god, and of λόγια θεόχρηστα (logia théochrésta) “sayings delivered by God”—which proves that he wrote at a time (between the first century B.C., and the first A.D.) when neither Christians nor Chréstians were yet known under these names, but still called themselves the Nazarenes. The notable difference between the two words χράω—”consulting or obtaining response from a god or oracle” (χρεω being the Ionic earlier form of it), and χριω (chrio) “to rub, to anoint” (from which the name Christos), has not prevented the ecclesiastical adoption and coinage from Philo’s expression θεόχρηστος of that other term θεόχριστος “anointed by God.” Thus the quiet substitution of the letter, ι for η for dogmatic purposes, was achieved in the easiest way, as we now see.

https://universaltheosophy.com/hpb/the- ... e-gospels/

[robert j]

Helena Blavatsky was all over it ...

new terms such as Chréstianoï and Chréstodoulos “a follower or servant of Chrestos”—were coined out of the old material. This is shown by Philo Judæus, a monotheist, assuredly, using already the same term for monotheistic purposes. For he speaks of θεόχρηστος (théochréstos) “God-declared,” or one who is declared by god, and of λόγια θεόχρηστα (logia théochrésta) “sayings delivered by God”...

https://universaltheosophy.com/hpb/the- ... e-gospels/

I have seen this claim that Philo wrote about that, using those specific words, repeated here in this forum and elsewhere (books, articles, etc.). But I have yet to see a specific reference to the source material.

Where did Philo write that?

[Secret Alias]

It is also worth noting that "anointed one/thing" is not a special title. When I sprinkle olive oil on pasta, the pasta is "anointed." THE anointed one is sort of a superlative. Maybe not linguistically or in the proper sense. But THE anointed is different from a bowl of pasta. In the same way THE right one/useful one is different than a hammer.

[mbuckley3]

Helena Blavatsky was all over it ...

new terms such as Chréstianoï and Chréstodoulos “a follower or servant of Chrestos”—were coined out of the old material. This is shown by Philo Judæus, a monotheist, assuredly, using already the same term for monotheistic purposes. For he speaks of θεόχρηστος (théochréstos) “God-declared,” or one who is declared by god, and of λόγια θεόχρηστα (logia théochrésta) “sayings delivered by God”...

https://universaltheosophy.com/hpb/the- ... e-gospels/

I have seen this claim that Philo wrote about that, using those specific words, repeated here in this forum and elsewhere (books, articles, etc.). But I have yet to see a specific reference to the source material.

Where did Philo write that?

FWIW - it is not perfect - Leisegang's index verborum for Philo has just a single entry for θεοχρηστος. It's Embassy to Gaius 210 :

"For all men guard their own customs, but this is especially true of the Jewish nation. Holding that the laws are oracles vouchsafed by God [θεοχρηστα γαρ λογια τους νομους ειναι υπολαμβανοντες] and having been trained in this doctrine from their earliest years, they carry the likenesses of the commandments enshrined in their souls." (LCL tr.)

FWIW, while assuming the Chrestian : Christian theory did not originate with Martijn of this parish, the arrival of Mme Blavatsky from left field caught me unawares

[robert j]

Helena Blavatsky was all over it ...

new terms such as Chréstianoï and Chréstodoulos “a follower or servant of Chrestos”—were coined out of the old material. This is shown by Philo Judæus, a monotheist, assuredly, using already the same term for monotheistic purposes. For he speaks of θεόχρηστος (théochréstos) “God-declared,” or one who is declared by god, and of λόγια θεόχρηστα (logia théochrésta) “sayings delivered by God”...

https://universaltheosophy.com/hpb/the- ... e-gospels/

I have seen this claim that Philo wrote about that, using those specific words, repeated here in this forum and elsewhere (books, articles, etc.). But I have yet to see a specific reference to the source material.

Where did Philo write that?

FWIW - it is not perfect - Leisegang's index verborum for Philo has just a single entry for θεοχρηστος. It's Embassy to Gaius 210 :

"For all men guard their own customs, but this is especially true of the Jewish nation. Holding that the laws are oracles vouchsafed by God [θεοχρηστα γαρ λογια τους νομους ειναι υπολαμβανοντες] and having been trained in this doctrine from their earliest years, they carry the likenesses of the commandments enshrined in their souls." (LCL tr.)

Thanks.

If this is the only occurrence of the compound term in Philo, then it seems Blavatsky was paraphrasing and expanding what Philo wrote. In the Embassy to Gaius (210), Philo writes of λόγια "θεόχρηστα", (logia "théochrésta"), i.e. sayings "delivered by God” or "vouchsafed by God” or “God-given" oracles, but Philo doesn't use that other form of the same term, θεόχρηστος (théochréstos) “God-declared" or "or one who is declared by god" as implied by Blavatsky.

[mbuckley3]

Alternative translation. Those of Chrestos = ruling class in ancient Athens. https://books.google.com/books?id=MOfOA ... AF&f=false might suggest that to be a full " Chre/istian was to be a priest/ecclesiastic. That's what I think the chrestoi were all priests. I think Nasorean has the same meaning among the Mandaeans.

You made the front page (with an alternative interpretation of χρηστοί):

Now those who have believed in Christ both are nobility and are called, as truly being, royal, those cared for by the king. (αὐτίκα οἱ εἰς τὸν Χριστὸν πεπιστευκότες χρηστοί τε εἰσὶ καὶ λέγονται, ὡς τῷ ὄντι βασιλικοὶ οἱ βασιλεῖ μεμελημένοι.)

So far I have no idea if it is true to Clement or his Greek, but I do like the symmetry of 'nobility' and 'royalty.'

The existing translation makes sense too, though, in its way. Clement does tie the discussion back into virtue.

That Chrestos could be an elite self-designation is a point worth stressing, given that some of the secondary literature gives the impression that it was primarily a slave's name.

For an instance closer in time to the period of interest than C5 BC Athens, consider the family of Mithridates VI Eupator of Pontus, a.k.a. 'the Great'. There are two votive inscriptions from Delos made on behalf of the king and his brother : the brother styles himself Mithradates Chrestos/Χρηστος.

For discussion and links, see the excellent Roger Pearse's blog for 27 November 2012.

[Secret Alias]

Also there are inscriptions from monasteries where the monks called themselves chrestoi. It's like the toothpaste which thinks its the best.