Why do we call Jesus Christ, why was He anointed, and what does it mean to be anointed?

By CopticBot.ai (Coptic Space Inc.) · Last reviewed 2026-10-09

To understand why we call Jesus "Christ" (ⲡⲓⲭⲣⲓⲥⲧⲟⲥ) and what it means for Him to be "anointed," we must look at both the Old Testament types and the theological reality of the Incarnation.

1. What Does "Anointed" Mean?

The word Christ comes from the Greek Christos (ⲭⲣⲓⲥⲧⲟⲥ), which is a translation of the Hebrew Mashiach (Messiah). Both mean "The Anointed One."

In the Old Testament, anointing with oil was a physical act that set a person apart for a specific, God-ordained office. There were three categories of people who were anointed:

• Kings: Like David and Solomon.
• Priests: Like Aaron and his sons.
• Prophets: Like Elisha.

Anointing signified that the Holy Spirit was resting upon that person to empower them for their divine mission.

2. Why Do We Call Jesus "Christ"?

We call Him Christ because He is the fulfillment of all these roles. He is the High Priest, the King of Kings, and the Great Prophet. However, unlike the kings and priests of old who were anointed with physical oil, Jesus is the "Anointed One" in a unique, divine way.

As the Church Fathers, including St. Athanasius (ⲁⲃⲃⲁ ⲁⲑⲁⲛⲁⲥⲓⲟⲥ) and St. Cyril (ⲁⲃⲃⲁ ⲕⲩⲣⲓⲗⲗⲟⲥ), taught:

• Before the Incarnation: The Word was not called "Christ." He was simply God the Word (ⲡⲓⲗⲟⲅⲟⲥ), existing eternally with the Father.
• At the Incarnation: When the Word took flesh, He received the name Jesus Christ.

3. How Was He "Anointed"?

This is where the argument with the heretic Nestorius was most intense. Nestorius thought of "anointing" as God the Word giving a gift to the man Jesus. The Coptic Orthodox faith teaches something much more profound:

Christ anointed Himself.

• As God: He is the one who anoints (the Source of the Holy Spirit).
• As Man: He is the one who is anointed.

The "oil" used to anoint the humanity of Jesus was His own Divinity. St. Cyril explained that the Word of God "anointed" His own temple (His body) with His own Spirit. He didn't need the Spirit to become holy (as He is the Fountain of Holiness), but He accepted the anointing in His humanity for our sake.

4. Why Did He Need to Be Anointed?

Since the Fall of Adam, humanity has lost the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. When Christ (the Second Adam) was anointed (specifically manifested at His Baptism in the Jordan), He was "re-installing" the Holy Spirit into human nature.

• He was anointed so that we, who are members of His body, could also be anointed.
• This is why we are called Christians (followers of the Anointed One) and why we receive the Sacrament of Chrismation (ⲙⲩⲣⲟⲛ) after Baptism.

5. Summary of the Mystery

When you say the name "Christ," you are confessing the Incarnation. You are saying that the invisible, untouchable God became a man who could be "anointed."

As the renowned Athanasius says, God the Word, before coming to dwell in the flesh, was not man but God with God, being invisible and impassible. But when He became man, He took the name Christ, because the anointing, the passion, and the death are only possible because He took a body.

In short:

• The Anointing is the Union of the Divinity with the Humanity.
• The Anointed One (ⲡⲓⲭⲣⲓⲥⲧⲟⲥ) is the one Lord Jesus Christ, who is fully God and fully Man in one nature.