be the simplest of them all, but which, since that title is an express declaration of deity, is now the most paradoxical,'^'^ occurs some twenty-four to twenty-six times, chiefly in the earlier Epistles; and its duplicate, 'Jesus our Lord,' twice more. 'The (or our) Lord Christ' is less frequent, occurring only twice (Rom I6^^ Col f^). But the full formula, 'the (or our) Lord Jesus Christ,' is the most common of all, oc- curring some forty-nine times, pretty evenly scattered through all the Epistles. ' The (or our) Lord Christ Jesus' does not occur: but in the reverse order of the titles, ' Christ Jesus, the (or our, or my) Lord,' this combination occurs ten times and by Its side, " Jesus Christ, our Lord " four times. In all these combina- tions the names, whether the simple ' Jesus,' the simple * Christ,' or the combinations ' Jesus Christ ' or ' Christ Jesus,' appear to be used as proper names, though, no doubt, the appellative ' Christ ' does not in any of them become a mere proper name. Certainly in the phrase, " Ye serve the Lord Christ," the term ' Christ * is a title of dignity which is still further enhanced by the adjunction of the term ' Lord ' : and something of the same Intention to enhance an already lofty ascrip- tion appears traceable in the Instances where the fuller phrase 'Christ Jesus, our Lord' occurs (i Cor 15^^ [2 Cor45], Rom 6"^ 8=^^ [Col 2«], Eph 3", [Phil3«]). But this obvious use of ' Christ ' as a name of dignity
22 Cf. Heinrici-Meyer, 1896, on i Cor 12^, p. 363: "The paradoxi- cal synthesis of the historical personal name with the divine name of dignity (cf. p. 353" [where the paradox of speaking of 'the Lord's death' in ii^^ is adverted to]) "is the crispest and most impressive form of the Christian confession. The Apostle accordingly looks upon y.upioz '/ijffooc as the fixed watch-word of the believing heart, and the key-note of spiritual speech."
240 The Designations of Our Lord
by no means implies that it is not employed practically as a proper name. Its implications of Messlahship remain present and suggestive, but it has become the peculiar property of Jesus who is thought of as so indisputably the Messiah that the title ' Messiah ' has become His proper name.^'
It is worthy of remark moreover that not only is
23 As is natural, opinions differ on this matter. Says Feine, op. cit. 29: "It is still a much controverted question. Bornemann (Meyer's Com. on I T/iess. i^o) maintains that J pc/TTOi^ is never a proper name in the N. T. : on the other hand, von Soden {Theolog. Abhajidlungen IVeizsdcker geividmet, 1902, p. 118), considers Xpctrro^ already ''to have won the character of a proper name so fully that it has the article only about sixty times.' Westcott-Hort also print Xptirro*} when it stands without the article, as a proper name with a capital initial : on which Schmiedel (Winer, Grammatik, § 54) remarks that cJ Xpiffr6(i just as truly is a proper name in a series of passages.' " " Hausleiter also (p. 9) points out that 'Christ' has for the Apostle frequently the significance of a proper name for designating the person of Jesus." Feine thinks the term is appellative in such passages as Rom 9^ lo^-'^, 2 Cor 5^^, Gal 2^^, and that the Messianic suggestion is generally present. Dr. Sanday in his Inspiration, 289, speaks cautiously (but scarcely cautiously enough): "We know how in the Epistles 'Christ' has become almost a proper name. It may perhaps retain rather more of its true meaning than we are apt to realize; but if not exactly a proper name it is rapidly becoming such." So far, so good. But more doubt attaches to the assertions that follow: "In the Gospels, on the other hand, it nearly always means, as in the mouth of our Lord and His strict contemporaries it must have meant, ' the Messiah ' . . . The compound phrase 'Jesus Christ' occurs a few times (Mt i^ i^^ (V. 1.) i62i (V. 1.), Mk ii, Jno ii^ 17^ 20^1), but always, with one ex- ception (Jno 17^), as it should do, in words of the evangelist and not of our Lord Himself. The true phrase, the natural phrase in our Lord's life-time, is of course that which we find three times in St. Mat- thew, 'Jesus ivho is called Christ' (Mt 1^® 27^'^'--)." Dr. Sanday mis- conceives the significance of the phrase ' Jesus who is called Christ,' not perceiving that it presupposes that ' Christ ' had already become a quasi-proper name, having in this respect the same implications as the compound 'Jesus Christ.'
The Corroboration of Paul 241
* Christ ' a proper name of our Lord with Paul, but •Christ' Paul's it is his favorite designation for Him.^* Favorite For, full and rich as Paul's employ- Designation j^gj^l- Qf ^.J^g |.gj.j^ ' Lqj.J ' Jg^ Jl- Jg j^Q(.