ChristologicalTitlesintheNewTestament

byFelixJust,S.J.,Ph.D.

http://catholicresources.org/Bible/Christological_Titles.htm

Introduction:
InancientIsrael,mostpeoplehadonlyonename,whatwethinkofasa"firstname"(or"givenname"),
butnotalsoa"lastname"(or"familyname"or"surname").Thus,thewellknownmanbornabout
2000yearsagowassimplynamed"Jesus"(note:"Christ"isnothislastname!).Actually,hisnamein
HebrewwasprobablyYeshua(equivalentto"Joshua"),whichintheNTistranslatedbytheGreek
(orIesous),fromwhichwegetLatinIesusandEnglish"Jesus."Moreover,justasmost
biblicalnameshavespecificmeanings,so"Joshua/Jesus"simply
means"Godsaves"(cf.Matt1:21).
Note:SomepeoplethinkIHSmeans"InHisService,"orthatitcomes
fromtheLatinIesusHominumSalvator("JesustheSaviorof
Humankind")orInhocsigno("Bythissignyoushallconquer";
spokentoEmperorConstantinebeforetheBattleattheMilvian
Bridge,312AD).Yetitoriginallycomesfromthefirstthreelettersin
theGreekspellingofJesus'name(IotaEtaSigma).Thus,IHS
(sometimescombinedwithacrossorothersymbols)functionsasa
"monogram"(asymbolicabbreviation)forthenameofJesus.
Todistinguishsimilarlynamedpeoplefromoneanother,individualswerefurtheridentifiedeitherby
theirgeographicalorigin("JesusofNazareth"or"JesustheNazarene"Mark1:24;10:47;etc.;
"JesustheGalilean"Matt26:69),ortheiroccupation("thecarpenter"Mark6:3).Theywerealso
oftenassociatedwithrelatives:usuallytheirfathers("Jesus,thesonofJoseph"Luke3:24;John1:45;
6:42;"thecarpenter'sson"Matt13:55),sometimestheirsiblings("thebrotherofJamesandJoses
andJudasandSimon"Mark6:3),ormorerarelytheirmothers("Jesus,sonofMary"Mark6:3;cf.
Matt13:55).
Incontrast,"titles"aresignificantlydifferentfromnames.Justas"importantpeople"oftenhavetitles
today(President,Senator,Judge,Doctor,Professor,etc.),soalsointheancientworld,certainpeople
weregiventitlestodesignatetheirspecificrolesorresponsibilities.Althoughmorethanonetitlecan
beattributedtothesameperson,eachtitleusuallyhasaparticularoriginandaspecificmeaning.
Thus,eventhoughallofthefollowingtitlesareattributedtothesameperson,JesusofNazareth,itis
importanttoknowthattheyallhavesignificantlydifferentoriginsandverydifferentmeanings.

ChristologicalTitlesExplainedBelow:
Messiah/Christ

SonofGod

KingoftheJews

SufferingServant

GreatHighPriest

Lord/LORD

SonofMan

Prophet

Emmanuel

Advocate/Paraclete

HolyOne

SonofDavid

Rabbi/Teacher

Logos/Word

Alpha&Omega

IAm

SonofMary

Savior

Lamb/Shepherd

OTHERTITLES

Formorereferences,seeaprintedBibleDictionaryorBibleConcordance,orusetheBibloicomputer
program,orsearchanyOnLineBible.

Messiah/Christ
Thesetwotitlesareequivalent,bothmeaning"anointedone,"fromtheHebrewverbMASHAH("to
anoint,smearwithoil,pouroiloversomeone")andtheGreekverbCHRIO(samedef.).Manydifferent
peoplewerecalled"anointed":
OT:"TheAnointedOneoftheLORD"frequentlyreferstocurrently
reigningorpastkings,esp.Saul(1Sam16:6;24:6;26:923;2Sam1:14
16)andDavid(2Sam12:7;19:21;23:1;etc.),andlessoftentoahigh
patriarch,prophet,orpriest(e.g.Lev4:3,5,16;cf.Exod29:29;40:15;
etc.).Thetitleisappliedtoanexpectedfuture"anointed"leaderonlyin
Dan9:25andinnonbiblicalwritingsfromQumran.EarlyJudaismhada
varietyofdifferentexpectationsastowhatkindofaleaderthis"Messiah"
wouldbe:royal(akinglikeDavid,toleadthenationpoliticallyand
militarily),priestly(ahighpriestorreligiousleadertoreformthetemple
worship),prophetic(aprophetlikeMosesorElijahorothers,tocallthe
peopletomoralandspiritualreform),orsomecombinationofthese.
NT:AtransliterationoftheHebrewMESSIASisusedonlyinJohn1:41&4:25.Elsewhere,theNT
alwaysusestheGreektranslationCHRISTOS("Christ"),althoughtheNRSVmorelooselytranslatesit
as"Messiah"68times.IntheNT,thetitlerefersonlytoJesus,fairlyoftenintheGospels(7Mk;16
Mt;12Lk;19Jn)andveryfrequentlyinPaul'sletters(382times).Pauluses"ChristJesus,""Jesus
Christ,"oreven"Christ"alone,asifitwereapropername.InLuke4:18,Jesusquotesthescripture:
"TheSpiritoftheLordisuponme,becausehehasanointedmetopreachgoodnewstothepoor..."
ChristianslaterusedtheChiRhosymbol(firsttwolettersof"Christ"inGreek)asamonogramfor
Jesus.

Lord/LORD
Originallyitwasatitleofrespectusedforpeoplesuperiortoyourself,soitsimplymeant"Sir"or
"Master,"justlikeSeorinSpanish,HerrinGerman,or"LordsandLadies"inBritish.Lateritis
oftenalsousedforvariousgodsorfortheGodofIsrael.
OT:TheHebrewtitleADONAIsimplymeans"lord"or"master,"andisoftenusedforhumansand/or
forGod.AlthoughGod'snameinHebrew(YHWHcalledthe"tetragrammaton"or"foursacred
letters")isveryoftenwrittenintheBible,itwasrarelypronouncedbyJewsaftertheBabylonianexile.
Instead,peoplesubstitutedthetitleAdonai.TodistinguishbetweenthetwousesofAdonai,many
EnglishBiblesprintthistitleinsmallcapitals(LORD)whenitsubstitutesforGod'sname,andin
regularletters(Lord)otherwise.BotharecombinedinNum36:2;1Sam25:28;Ps110:1;etc.
NT:TheGreekwordKYRIOSisveryfrequent(80Mt;18Mk;104Lk;52Jn;107Acts;274Paul;717
total),withavarietyofmeanings.ItsometimesreferstoGodortohumans,butusuallytoJesus(both
sensesarecombinedin(Mark12:36;Matt22:44;Luke20:42;Acts2:34).Somepeople(esp.
foreigners)maycallJesusKyriesimplyasasignofrespect("Sir"Mark7:28;John4:11;etc.),while
hisdisciplesusuallyrefertohimastheir"master."Inlatertexts,callingJesus"Lord"isanassertionof
hismessianicordivinestatus(Acts2:3436;Phil2:11).InLuke,thedisciplesalsoaddressJesusasan
Epistates("master")seventimes.InPaul,"theLord"isoftenusedasasubstituteforJesus'name.Note
alsocommonphrases,suchas"theLord'sDay"(Rev1:10),"theLord'sSupper"(1Cor11:20),etc.

HolyOne

OriginallyacommoncircumlocutionforGod(aphraseusedtoavoidspeakingGod'sname),itislater
alsoappliedasatitleforJesusorother"saints."
OT:Inthesingular,"HolyOne"alwaysandonlyreferstoGod(1Sam2:2;Job6:10;etc.),oftenalso
called"theHolyOneofIsrael"(2Kgs19:2;Isa1:4;etc.).Intheplural,"holyones"canrefertohuman
orangelicbeingsthatareclosetoGod(Deut33:23;Ps16:3;34:9;etc.)
NT:Jesusiscalledthe"HolyOneofGod"byuncleanspirits(Mark1:24;Luke4:34)andbyPeter
(John6:69).Acts2:27and13:35quotePs16:10tocallJesusthe"HolyOne,"atitlethatisalsoused
ofJesusinActs3:14;1John2:20;andRev3:7;16:5.

IAM
OT:God'sname(YHWH)isrevealedtoMosesinthestoryofthe
burningbush.Itmeanssomethingcloseto"Iam"(seeExod3:14;6:23;
Deut32:39;Isa43:25;51:12;etc.;cf.Matt22:32).Itissimplycalled
"theName"byJews,andisalsoknownastheTetragrammaton(lit.
"fourletters"inGreek).AncientandmodernJewsrevereGod'snamesohighlythattheydarenotspeak
italoud,insteadsubstitutingcircumlocutionssuchas"theName"orsimply"God"orusually"the
Lord"(Heb.Adonai).
NT:IntheSynopticGospels,thephrase"Iam"isusedonlyafewtimesbyJesus(Mark14:62;Luke
22:70;24:39),especiallywhenJesuswalksonthewater(Mark6:50;Matt14:27;cf.John6:20),astory
thatfunctionsasa"theophany"(appearanceofagod).Messianicpretendersmayalsodeceivepeople
bysaying"Iam"(Mark13:6;Matt24:5;Luke21:8).InJohn'sGospel,Jesushimselfsays"IAm"
(GreekEIMI)fiftyfourtimes.Twentyfouroftheseareemphatic(explicitlyincludingthepronounfor
"I":EGOEIMI),includingsomewellknownmetaphoricalimages,whenJesuscallshimselfthebread
oflife,thelightoftheworld,thedoor,thegoodshepherd,theresurrectionandthelife,thewayand
thetruthandthelife,andthetruevine.Formoredetails,seethe"IAm"webpage.

SonofGod/God'sSon
Thistitleoriginallydidnotimplyfulldivinity,butsimplyaperson'sspecialrelationshipwithGod.As
Christiantheologydeveloped,however,ittookonmoreexclusivelydivineconnotations.
OT:Inthesingularorplural,God's"son"or"sons"canrefertoangels(Gen6:2),kings(Ps2:7),good
people(Wis2:18),orthepeopleofIsraeloverall(Exod4:22),butitdidnotrefertoamessianicfigure
untilthe1stcenturyBC,nordiditimplydivinityuntiltheearlyChristianera.
NT:ThehistoricalJesusreferredtoGodasAbba("Father"),butprobablynevercalledhimselfthe
"SonofGod"inadivinesense.SuchlanguagedevelopedonlygraduallyinearlyChristianity(rarein
Mk,abitmoreinMt&Lk&Paul,commononlyinJn).InMark,onlytheEvangelist(1:1),
unclean/demonicspirits(3:11;5:7),andaRomancenturion(15:39)directlycallJesus"SonofGod,"
whilethevoicefromheaven(1:11;9:7),moredemons(1:24),andthehighpriest(14:61)use
equivalentexpressions("mybelovedSon";"SonoftheBlessedOne";etc.).InMatthew&Lukethese
titlesforJesusarealsousedbySatan,theHolySpirit,andJesus'disciples,whileJesushimselfcalls
someofhisfollowers"sons/childrenofGod"(Matt5:9;Luke20:36).PaulcallsJesusthe"Sonof
God,"andcallsallChristians"sons/childrenofGod"inafewimportantpassages(esp.Rom&Gal).
Johnhasmuchmore"Father/Son"language,andisthefirsttocallJesusthe"onlySon"ofGod(Gk.
monogenes,lit."theonlybegottenone";John3:16,18;cf.1:14,18;1John4:9;similarlyalsoHeb1:5;
5:5).

SonofMan
Moreliterally"sonofthehuman"inAramaic&Greek;originallyemphasizingsomeone'shumanity,
thistitlewaslateralsousedforapowerfulheavenlyfigure.

OT:Used93timesinEzekielandonly13timesintherestoftheOT(translated"mortal"inNRSV),it
usuallyreferstohumanbeingsincontrasttoGodorangels;butitcouldalsohighlighttheprophet's
roleasaspecialrepresentativeofthepeople.Daniel7:13istheonlyOTtextwherethisphrase
describesaheavenlyfigurenearlyequivalenttoGodinpowerandauthority;inlaterJewishapocalyptic
literature,the"SonofMan"isafigureofdivinejudgment.
NT:Used85times,mostlyinthefourGospels(14Mk,30Mt,25Lk,13Jn)andalmostalwaysby
Jesusreferringtohimself,butwithvariousmeanings.Some"SonofMan"sayingsrefertothehuman
activityofJesus(asinEzekiel),whileothersrefertohisfutureroleindivinejudgment(asinDaniel
7:13;cf.Rev1:13).BrandnewisJesus'useof"SonofMan"whenheistellinghisdisciplesabouthis
upcomingsufferinganddeath(esp.Mark8:31;9:31;10:33).

SonofDavid
OriginallyreferredliterallytodescendantsofDavid,themostfamouskingofancientIsrael,butasa
titleitlaterhasseveralmeanings.
OT:Davidhadmanysons(2Sam3),themostfamousbeingSolomon,whosucceededhimasking(2
Sam1112;1Kgs12).In2Sam7:816,God(throughtheprophetNathan)promisesthattheDavidic
royaldynastywilllastforever,butaftertheBabylonianexilemostJewishrulerswerenotfromDavid's
family.SinceKingHerodwasnot,manypeoplearoundthetimeofJesuswantedanother"Sonof
David"tobecomekingagain.
NT:Asatitle,"SonofDavid"(usuallyreferringtoJesus)isnotusedveryoften(3Mk,10Mt,4Lk,0
Jn),although"David"ismentioned56timestotal.InMark&Luke,thephraseseemstorefernotto
royalpower,butrathertothemagical/healingpowerforwhichSolomonwasfamous(e.g.Mark
10:4652).OnlyMatthewusesthismoreoftenandmoreclearlyasamessianictitlewithroyal
connotations(alreadyin1:1,also12:23;21:9;etc.).MatthewalsostressesJesus'Jewishheritageby
callinghim"SonofAbraham"(1:1).

SonofMary/SonofJoseph
Asexplainedintheintroductionabove,mostpeopleintheancientworlddidnothave"lastnames,"but
wereidentifiedbytheirgeographicalorigin("JesusofNazareth";"theGalilean"),ortheiroccupation
("thecarpenter"),ortheirfathers("thesonofJoseph";"thecarpenter'sson").Womenwereusually
identifiedthroughtheclosestmalerelative(daughterof...,wifeof...,motherof...),butidentifyinga
manthroughhismother("Jesus,thesonofMary"Mark6:3;cf.Matt13:55)isratherunusual."Son
ofMary"didnotbecomeanimportanttitleforJesusuntillatercenturies,whenChurchCouncils
definedJesus'twofoldnature("fullyhumanandfullydivine").Although"SonofMary"seemsto
emphasizeJesus'humannature(with"SonofGod"expressinghisdivinenature),Christiantheology
laterdefinedMaryas"MotherofGod"(THEOTOKOS),notjustmotherofthehumansideofJesus.

KingoftheJews/KingofIsrael
ObviouslyatitleconnotingthepoliticalandmilitaryleadershipoftheJewishpeople.

OT:Fromthe18thto11thcenturies,theHebrewswerealoose
confederationof"tribes,"notamonarchy.Godwasconsidered
theirking.Thefirsthuman"kings"wereSaul,David,and
Solomon.Thereafter,the"KingsofIsrael"andthe"Kingsof
Judah"ruledoverseparaterealms.AftertheBabylonianexile,
"Judah"wasusuallycalled"Judea,"thelandofthe"Jews."The
exacttitle"KingoftheJews"isnotusedintheOT,but
obviouslythereweremany"kings"overthepeople.
NT:Thephrase"KingoftheJews"isonlyappliedtoJesus,
onceathisbirth(Matt2:2)and17timesathistrialand
crucifixion(Mark15:2,andinall4Gospels,butonlyby
opponents).Jesusisalsocalled"KingofIsrael"fourtimes
(Matt27:42;Mark15:32;John1:49;12:13).Jesushimselfrefusestobemadeking(Matt4:810;John
6:15),butoftenspeaksofthe"KingdomofGod"anduseskingsascharactersinhisparables.The
inscriptionplaceonthecrossaboveJesus'headsaid"JesusofNazareth,KingoftheJews"(John19:19;
cf.Mark15:226;Matt27:1137;Luke338),fromwhichisderivedthecommonabbreviationINRI
(fromtheLatin"IesusNazarenusRexIudaeorum").

Prophet
A"prophet"isnotprimarilysomeonewho"predicts"thefuture,butratherisachosenmessengeror
spokepersonforGod,whoseroleistospeakGod'swordsandperformmiraculousand/orsymbolic
actionsinordertoconveyGod'smessagestothepeople.
OT:ThemostimportantearlyprophetsareElijahandElisha(1Kings162Kings9),whoboth
performmanymiracles.ThefourmajorpropheticbooksareattributedtoIsaiah,Jeremiah,Ezekiel,and
Daniel.TheOTalsopromisesthat"aprophetlikeMoses"willappear(Deut18:1518)and/orthe
prophet"Elijahwillreturn"(Mal4:56)inthelastdays.
NT:TheOTprophetsareoftenmentionedandquoted,esp.inMatthew.BothJohntheBaptistand
Jesusareappropriatelyconsidered"prophets,"becauseoftheirspeechandactions,eventhoughthey
haveverydifferentstyles.IntheSynoptics,JesussaysthatJohntheBaptistwasaprophetand
compareshimtoElijah(Matt11:719;Luke7:2435),butintheFourthGospel,John[theBaptizer]
himselfdisputesthathewastheElijahfigurepeoplewereexpecting(John1:1923).Jesusisalso
considereda"greatprophet"bymanypeople(Mark6:1416;8:28;Matt21:11;Luke7:16;24:19;John
6:14;etc.).

Rabbi/Rabbouni/Teacher
HebrewandAramaicwordsmeaning"mymaster"ingeneral,or"myteacher"inparticular.Theywere
notusedastitlesinOTtimes,butwerecommontitlesofrespectbythetimeofJesus,especiallybutnot
onlyforteachers.
AGreektransliterationoftheHebrew"Rabbi"occursonlyintheGospels(3Mk,4Mt,0Lk,8Jn),
whileatransliterationoftheAramaic"Rabbouni"occursonlyinMark10:51andJohn20:16.Both
titlesareexplicitlytranslatedinJohnasmeaning"teacher"(1:38;20:16),andbotharealmostalways
appliedtoJesus(exceptMatt23:78,whereJesustalksaboutpeoplebeingcalled"rabbi",andinJohn
3:26,whereJohntheBaptistiscalled"rabbi";cf.Luke3:12).Thesetitlesareusedalmostexclusively
byhisowndisciples(Peter,Judas,etc.),orbyafewminorcharacters(Bartimaeus,Nicodemus,orthe
"crowd"ingeneral).
TheNTfrequentlyalsousestheequivalentGreekword"didaskalos"(meaning"teacher"12Mk,12
Mt,17Lk,8Jn),usuallywhenJesusisaddressedbyvariouspeople(disciplesandopponents),but
sometimesinJesus'ownsayingsabout"teachers"(seeesp.Matt10:2425;23:612).Outsideofthe
Gospels,someearlyChristianleadersarealsocalled"teachers"(Acts13:1;Rom2:20;1Cor12:2829;
Eph4:11;etc.)

Savior
AtitleoriginallyusedforGodoranyhumanbeingwhowould"save"peoplefrompresentorfuture
dangers.InGrecoRomanpolitics,thistitlewasalsooftenappliedtotheemperorasa"benefactor,"
providingmaterialbenefits.
OT:"Savior"issometimesappliedtohumanleaders(e.g.Neh
9:27),butisusedmainlyasatitleforGod(ca.12times).
NT:ThetitleisrarelyusedinmostNTwritings(0Mk,0Mt,3
Lk,1Jn,2Acts,1Paul),butismorecommoninthelater
"Pastoral"and"Catholic"epistles(25times).InLuke,"Savior"
onlyoncereferstoGod(Luke1:47),andtwicetothenewborn
Jesus(1:67,2:11).Thelongerphrase"Savioroftheworld"
occursonlyinJohn4:42and1John4:14.However,as
mentionedintheintroductionabove,thename"Jesus"(or
"Joshua"or"Yeshua")itselfmeans"Godsaves"(cf.Matt1:21).
Also,theverb"tosave"isfrequentlyappliedtoJesus'ministry(cf.Matt8:25;Mark13:13;Luke7:50;
John3:17;etc.).
Theancientsymbolattherightcontainsabbreviationsforthename"Jesus"and"Christ"(thefirstand
lastlettersofeachwordinGreek),alongwiththeverb"NIKA",meaning"toconquer,win,be
victorious";thusthephrasemeans"JesusChristisvictorious".

SufferingServant
Thecombination"sufferingservant"isnotreallyabiblicaltitle,butascholarlyshorthandforthe
servantofGodwhosuffersmuch(seeesp.the"ServantSongs"ofIsaiah42:14;49:16;50:49;52:13
53:12),oranyrighteouspersonwhosuffers(evenifnotexplicitlycalleda"servant"inPs22,whichis
quotedinMark15:34).Jesusoftenspeaksofhimselfandhisdisciplesas"servants"(Mark9:35;
10:4245;John13:120;Acts3:1326;etc.)andalsooftenspeaksofthenecessityofhisupcoming
suffering(Mark8:31;9:31;10:32;andpar.).MatthewquotesandappliesIsa42toJesus(Matt12:18
21),whilePeterseveraltimesreferstothecrucifiedandrisenJesusasGod'sservant(Acts3:13,26;
4:27,30).

Emmanuel/Immanuel
AHebrewnameoccurringintheNTonlyinMatt1:23(citingtheLXXversionofIsa7:14),whereitis
correctlytranslatedasmeaning"Godiswithus."ThisOTprophetictextconnectsGod'ssaving
presenceamonghispeoplewiththebirthofachild(Isa7:1317;cf.8:110).Althoughitdidnotrefer
toamiraculousvirginbirthinitsoriginal8thcenturyBCEcontext,itwasappliedbyearlyChristians
(suchastheauthorofMatthew)tothebirthofJesus.Matthewalsoexplicitlyconnectsthename
"Emmanuel"withthename"Jesus,"whichmeans"Godsaves"(1:2123).

Logos/Word
UsedasaChristologicaltitleonlyinJohn1:118,butverycommoninlaterChristianity.TheGreek
wordLOGOScanrefernotonlytoasingle"word,"butalsotoa"phrase,"a"sentence,"a"speech,"or
eventhepowerof"reason"orthe"mind."John'suseofthistitlealludesespeciallytotheOTstoryof
Godcreatingtheworldmerelybyspeaking(Gen1),whileJohn'sstatementthat"theWordbecame
fleshanddweltamongus"(John1:14)issomewhatsimilartoMatthew'suseofthetitle"Emmanuel"
(Matt1:23).[seethePrologueofJohn]

LambofGod/PassoverLamb

In1Cor5:7,PaulcallsJesus"ourPassover"(Gk.pascha)whichis
rendered"PaschalLamb"insomeEnglishtranslations.The
expression"LambofGod"(amnostoutheou)isusedonlyinJohn
1:29,36,asJohntheBaptistpointstoJesus(cf.Acts8:32;1Pet1:19).
ThisimagebecamemuchmorepopularinlaterChristianartandin
thecelebrationoftheEucharist.InJohnitisrelatedtothedetailthat
Jesus'deathoccursattheverysametimethatthePassoverlambswere
slaughteredintheJerusalemTemple(John19:2842onthe"Dayof
Preparation"),soJesushimselfreplacesthesacrificiallambs,whose
bloodwasnecessaryfortheforgivenessofsinsintheJewish
sacrificialsystem.The"lamb(arnion)standingasifithadbeenslain"
isalsoprominentintheBookofRevelation(5:6,and30timestotal).

ShepherdofIsrael/GoodShepherd
OT:InpartbecausethepatriarchJacobandhissonswereliterallyherdersofsheep,goats,andother
flocks(Gen37:2;46:3234;47:3),Godissometimesdescribedasthe"ShepherdofIsrael"andrelated
imagery(Ps80:1;cf.Gen48:15;Ps23:1;28:9;Isa40:11;Ezek34:1124).Someofthelaterleadersof
theIsraeliteswerealsoliterallyshepherds,includingMoses(Exod3:1),Amos(1:1),andespecially
KingDavidasayouth(1Sam16:11;17:40;2Sam5:2).Thus,shepherdimageryisfrequentlyapplied
totherulersofIsrael,boththegoodandthebadones(2Sam7:7;Jer3:15;23:14;25:3436;Ezek
34:110;Zech10:23;11:317).SomeoftheprophetsexpresshopethatafuturerulerofIsraelwillbea
goodshepherdlikeDavid(Ezek34:23;37:24;Micah5:14).
NT:NotonlydoesMatthewrefertotheabovementionedprophecieswhiletellingofJesus'birth(Matt
2:6,citingMicah5:1;2Sam5:2),butJesushimselfusesshepherdimageryinsomeofhisparables
(Matt18:1214;25:3146).TheevangelistsalsoquotecertainOTpassagesindescribingtheministry
andthedeathofJesus(Mark6:34&Matt9:36,citingNum27:17&par.;Mark14:27&Matt26:31,
citingZech13:7).IntheFourthGospel,Jesuscallshimselfthe"GoodShepherd"(John10:1116).
LaterNTwritingssimilarlyrefertoJesusas"thegreatshepherdofthesheep"(Heb13:20),the
"shepherdandguardianofyoursouls"(1Pet2:25),andthe"chiefshepherd"(1Pet5:4),whilethe
BookofRevelationexplicitlycombinesreferencestoJesusasbothLambandshepherd(Rev7:17).

GreatHighPriest
Aculticofficial,onewhoofferedsacrifices.InJudaism,allpriestshadtobefromtheTribeofLevi,
whichJesuswasnot.However,theLettertotheHebrewscallsJesusa"greathighpriest"(4:14)ofa
differenttype,namely"accordingtotheorderofMelchizedek"(6:20).MelchizedekwastheKingof
Salem(thecitylatercalledJerusalem)atthetimeofAbraham(ca.1800BC),andiscalled"priestof
GodMostHigh"(cf.Gen14:1824).[seepageonHebrews]

Advocate/Paraclete
ThistitlenormallyreferstotheHolySpiritintheGospelofJohn(14:16,26;15:26;16:7),butthefirst
JohannineEpistlesays,"wehaveanadvocatewiththeFather,JesusChristtherighteous"(1John2:1).
InGreek,a"paraclete"issomeone"calledtoyourside"toassistyouinsomeway;thussome
translationsalsosay"comforter"or"consoler."[seealsothepageonHolySpiritinJohn]

AlphaΩFirst&Last;Beginning&End

ThefirstandlastlettersoftheGreekalphabet.BothGodandJesusare
called"theAlphaandtheOmega,"withthesamemeaningas"thefirst
andthelast"and/or"thebeginningandtheend"(Rev1:8,17;2:8;
21:6;22:13).

OtherTitlesandMetaphoricalDescriptionsin
theBible:

WonderfulCounselor,MightyGod,EverlastingFather,
PrinceofPeace(Isa9:6)

Thebridegroom(Mark2:1920;Matt9:15;Luke5:3435;John3:29)

TheSonofAbraham(Matt1:1)

Theprince/rulerandshepherdofIsrael(Matt2:6;cf.Micah5:2;2Sam5:2)

Thehornofsalvation(Luke1:69)&dayspring/dawnfromonhigh(Luke1:78)

Theresurrectionandthelife(John11:25)

Theway,andthetruth,andthelife(John14:6)

Theauthoroflife(Acts3:15)

Thejudgeofthelivingandthedead(Acts10:42)

Thespiritualrock(1Cor10:4)

Thebeloved(Eph1:6)

Thecornerstone(Eph2:20)

Theheadofthechurch(Eph5:23;also1:22;4:15)

TheimageoftheinvisibleGod,thefirstbornofallcreation(Col1:15)

TheonemediatorbetweenGodandhumankind(1Tim2:5)

TheblessedandonlySovereign,theKingofkingsandLordoflords(1Tim6:15;cf.Rev
19:16)

Therighteousjudge(2Tim4:8)

Thepioneerandperfecterofourfaith(Heb12:2)

Theshepherdandguardian/bishopofyoursouls(1Peter2:25;cf.1Peter5:4;John10:1114)

TheAmen,thefaithfulandtruewitness,theoriginofGod'screation(Rev3:14;cf.3:7)

TheLionoftheTribeofJudah,therootofDavid(Rev5:5)

TherootandthedescendantofDavid,thebrightmorningstar(Rev22:16)

PostBiblicalImagesandTitles:
AnimalImages:
EarlyChristiansusedvariousotherimagesforJesussuchasaPhoenix(risingfromtheashestonew
life),oraPelican(sacrificingitslifeforitsyoung),butthebestknownimageisobviouslytheFISH.
ThemostcommonGreekwordfor"fish"isICQUS("Ichthus"),whichtheearlyChristiansconnected
withthefirstlettersofthewordsintheGreekphraseIhsouVCristoVQeouUioVSwthr("JesusChrist,
God'sSon,Savior).
FurtherReferences:
ThroughoutChristianhistory,othertitlesandimageshavebeenused
forJesus.AmongthebestrecentprintedsurveysofJesusinartandinfilmsare:

Pelikan,Jaroslav.TheIllustratedJesusthroughtheCenturies.NewHaven:YaleUniversity
Press,1997.

Abrams,RichardI.andWarnerA.Hutchinson.AnIllustratedLifeofJesus:Fromthe
NationalGalleryofArtCollection.Nashville:Abingdon,1982.

Stern,RichardC.,ClaytonN.Jefford,andGuerricDeBona.SaviorontheSilverScreen.
NewYork:Paulist,1999.

Tatum,W.Barnes.JesusattheMovies:AGuidetotheFirstHundredYears.SantaRosa,
CA:PolebridgePress,1997.

SeealsothefollowingarticlesintheHarperCollinsBibleDictionary(oranyothergoodBible
Dictionary):
"Messiah";"Alpha";"David";"Immanuel";"JesusChrist";"King";"LambofGod";"Logos";
"Lord";"Melchizedek";"NamesofGodintheNT/intheOT";"Prophet";"Rabbi,Rabbouni";
"Savior";"Servant";"SonofGod";"SonofMan";"SonsofGod".