Comments on: HCSB Maintains that “Christ” Is Not Jesus’ Last Name

By: Ben Mordecai

Ben Mordecai — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:12:06 +0000

In rereading my comment, I can see how what I wrote leaves room for ambiguity.

By: Will

Will — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:38:55 +0000

Oh, sorry. I misunderstood you.

By: Ben Mordecai

Ben Mordecai — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:51:16 +0000

I actually meant the opposite. I think to say Yahweh is to personalize God, unlike “The LORD.” When I hear “Yahweh” I think of someone with a name, as someone who thinks and has emotions.

That being said, Mark must have operated from a translation in the same vain since in Mark 1, his quotation of Isaiah uses the Greek word for Lord, even though the Hebrew text of Isaiah said, “Jehovah.”

By: Will

Will — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:36:36 +0000

You may be right, Ben, about Christ, unless we’re meant to think of Jesus in terms of the office or vocation he had. On the other hand, to say that Yahweh distances us from the personhood of God is completely incomprehensible to me, since that is God’s personal name as he revealed it. I think that’s like saying to call me Will distances my friends from me as a person; they should call me Director of Small Group Discipleship.

By: Ben Mordecai

Ben Mordecai — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 04:31:13 +0000

I think you’re on to something with translating Christ as Anointed One, but I think that certain cases would make this very awkward, namely, times when Jesus is referred to as “Christ” like a name, for example, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”

It would be a little awkward to say, “Anointed One redeemed us from the curse of the law…”

The temptation in that case might be to insert ‘the’ and say, “The Anointed One redeemed us…” but that shifts focus away from Christ as a person becoming something for us and instead focuses on Christ as an office. This has been one of my curiosities for why “Yahweh” has been translated at The LORD. It really seems to distance us from the personhood of God.

By: Will

Will — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:55:27 +0000

Technically, yes. And so does “Anointed One.” So I guess we have at least 3 options to choose from. I pick “Messiah.”

By: T.C. R

T.C. R — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:49:33 +0000

Will, both “Messiah” and “Christ” mean “Anointed One.” We just need to pick which one.

By: Daniel

Daniel — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 06:42:47 +0000

Always find your posts fascinating!!! Keep up the good work! There may be a few comments but there are anonymous readers who appreciate you work!!!
God bless!!!

By: Will

Will — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:05:34 +0000

Messiah may be a Hebrew transliteration, but it does = Anointed One, so I still think it’s a good choice. Let me put it this way, I’m at least glad to see them using Messiah over Christ.

By: T.C. R

T.C. R — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:41:03 +0000

While I understand the HCSB’s effort to go for “Messiah” over “Christ,” “Messiah” is really another transliteration, from the Hebrew “Mashiach.”

Now “Anointed One” is a translation.

But yes, Messiah does have a certain ring to it.