Are “Messiah” and “Christ” the Same Thing?

Brief Overview

• “Messiah” and “Christ” both translate to “anointed one” in Hebrew and Greek respectively, making them essentially the same title applied to Jesus.
• The Catholic Church teaches that Jesus is the fulfillment of all Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah.
• “Messiah” carries the weight of Old Testament expectation and Jewish tradition, while “Christ” became the standard term in Christian theology and New Testament writings.
• Jesus Christ is understood as the promised anointed savior who fulfills the role anticipated by Jewish believers across centuries.
• The distinction between the terms matters primarily for understanding Jewish and Christian historical context rather than indicating different meanings.
• Both terms point to the same person and the same divine mission accomplished through his incarnation, passion, death, and resurrection.

What Does “Messiah” Mean?

The word “Messiah” comes from the Hebrew term “Mashiach,” which literally means “anointed one” and was used throughout ancient Israel to describe leaders chosen by God for special roles. In ancient Israel, important leaders received anointing as a sign of God’s choice and blessing for their position, marking them as set apart for divine service. Kings, priests, and prophets all underwent anointing ceremonies to mark their appointment to serve God’s people and to demonstrate their authority came from the Lord. The practice of anointing connected the person to God’s spirit and demonstrated that the individual possessed divine authorization for their leadership and mission. When people in Jesus’s time spoke of the Messiah, they referred to the promised figure whom God would anoint to accomplish the ultimate salvation of Israel and restore God’s people. Jewish tradition anticipated the Messiah would come as a powerful leader who would restore Israel’s independence and establish God’s kingdom on earth according to the prophetic writings. The Messiah represented hope for deliverance from oppression and the fulfillment of God’s covenant promises made to Abraham and David throughout the Old Testament. Throughout the Old Testament, various figures were anointed, including King David and King Solomon, yet none fully embodied the complete fulfillment that Jewish believers expected from the ultimate Messiah. The concept of the Messiah grew richer and more detailed over time as prophets spoke about the coming Messiah’s role in bringing salvation to all people. By Jesus’s time, the hope for the Messiah had become central to Jewish religious expectation and faithful prayer, shaping how believers understood God’s promise to redeem humanity.

What Does “Christ” Mean?

The word “Christ” comes from the Greek term “Christos,” which is the direct Greek translation of the Hebrew “Mashiach,” or “anointed one,” conveying precisely the same meaning across languages. When the earliest Christian communities, particularly those speaking Greek, wanted to speak about Jesus, they used the term “Christ” to communicate the same meaning as “Messiah” to their audiences. The New Testament writers chose “Christ” because it conveyed the same theological significance to Greek-speaking believers that “Messiah” carried for Hebrew-speaking Jews in their own tradition. As the Church grew beyond Palestine into the wider Mediterranean world, “Christ” became the standard title for Jesus in Christian preaching, teaching, and worship throughout the regions. The term “Christ” eventually evolved from a descriptive title into a name itself, so that “Jesus Christ” became the standard way of referring to the Lord in Christian communities everywhere. In Christian theology, “Christ” emphasizes that Jesus is the anointed one sent by God to accomplish salvation for all humanity and to restore the broken relationship between God and creation. The title “Christ” connects Jesus to the entire Old Testament narrative of God’s promises and the role of the Messiah within that continuous story of redemption. Early Christian writers understood that calling Jesus “Christ” affirmed both continuity with Jewish expectation and the new reality of Christian belief in Jesus as God’s Son. The Greek word “Christos” appears throughout the New Testament, and its consistent use demonstrates how central this title was to Christian understanding of Jesus’s identity and mission. Over time, Christian theology developed the term “Christ” to express not just a title but the fullness of who Jesus is as the Son of God incarnate.

Historical Context and Jewish Expectation

The expectation of the Messiah was not always clearly defined in Judaism, and different Jewish communities held varying understandings of who the Messiah would be and what he would accomplish for Israel. Some Jewish believers expected a military and political leader who would liberate Israel from foreign rule and establish a powerful earthly kingdom under God’s law. Others, particularly those influenced by the prophetic tradition, expected the Messiah to bring spiritual renewal and restore proper worship of God according to the Law of Moses. The Dead Sea Scrolls reveal that some Jewish communities anticipated multiple messianic figures, including a priestly Messiah and a kingly Messiah working together in God’s plan. By the first century, when Jesus was born, the Jewish hope for the Messiah was intense, and many believed the Messiah’s arrival was imminent based on calculations from the prophetic writings. Different groups within Judaism, including the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Essenes, maintained their own interpretations of messianic prophecy and what role the Messiah would play in God’s purposes. The Gospels show that Jesus himself did not fit the expectations that many of his contemporaries held about the Messiah and his role in history. Jesus came not to establish a political kingdom with military power but to inaugurate God’s spiritual kingdom and offer salvation through his suffering and death for humanity. Many Jewish leaders rejected Jesus as the Messiah because he did not conform to their understanding of what the Messiah should accomplish and how he should appear. The disciples themselves struggled to understand Jesus’s true messianic mission, especially after his arrest and crucifixion showed that his path differed from their expectations.

Old Testament Prophecies and Messianic Anticipation

The Hebrew scriptures contain numerous passages that Christians and Jews have understood as messianic prophecies pointing to the coming of an anointed figure sent by God. Isaiah’s prophecies, particularly in chapters 7, 9, 11, and 53, speak of a coming ruler who will bring justice, peace, and salvation to God’s people according to God’s eternal plan. The prophecy in Isaiah 9:6 describes the birth of a child who will be called “Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace,” which Christians understand as prophecy about Jesus. Psalm 2 describes an anointed king who will be God’s son, reigning over the nations and bringing about God’s purposes through divine authority and wisdom. Micah 5:2 prophesies that the ruler of Israel will be born in Bethlehem and will be “from of old, from ancient days,” suggesting a figure of divine origin and eternal significance. The covenant with King David, described in 2 Samuel 7, promises that his descendant will have an eternal kingdom, which Christians see fulfilled in Jesus Christ and his spiritual reign. Psalm 110 contains language about the Lord’s anointed one sitting at God’s right hand, a passage cited frequently in the New Testament to support Jesus’s exaltation. Daniel 9:24-27 speaks of an anointed one who will come during a specific historical period, which Jewish and Christian interpreters have long debated regarding its precise meaning. The Jewish scriptures present a rich collection of messianic expectation, though the specific details of how all these prophecies would be fulfilled remained unclear until the coming of Christ. Christians believe that Jesus is the fulfillment of all these prophecies, though not always in the literal, political manner that first-century Jewish believers anticipated and hoped for.

How Jesus Fulfilled the Messianic Role

Jesus understood his mission as the Messiah in light of the Old Testament scriptures, though he redefined and deepened the meaning of messianic expectation in ways that initially troubled even his closest followers. When Peter confessed that Jesus was “the Messiah, the Son of the living God,” Jesus affirmed this identity and then explained that his messianic mission would involve suffering, death, and resurrection rather than political triumph. Jesus drew on the prophecies about the Messiah, but he particularly emphasized the suffering servant passages in Isaiah that many Jewish interpreters had not associated with the Messiah’s role. The Gospels show Jesus deliberately taking on the role of the Messiah while simultaneously subverting earthly expectations about military power and political liberation from Rome. Jesus taught that his kingdom was not of this world and that it would be established through spiritual transformation rather than military conquest or political reorganization. The crucifixion was central to Jesus’s messianic mission, as he offered his own body and blood as a sacrifice for the sins of all humanity in fulfillment of prophecy. Jesus’s resurrection demonstrated his victory over sin and death, fulfilling the messianic promise of salvation in a way that transcended Jewish political hopes and expectations. The apostles gradually came to understand that Jesus’s messianic role included his return to judge the living and the dead and to bring about the final transformation of all creation. Early Christians recognized that Jesus inaugurated the messianic age through his first coming while anticipating its completion at his second coming and final judgment. The Catholic Church teaches that Jesus’s entire life, passion, death, and resurrection constitute the fulfillment of the messianic hope of the Old Testament.

The Connection to the Son of God

While “Messiah” and “Christ” both mean “anointed one,” the Catholic Church teaches that Jesus is not merely an anointed human leader but the Son of God in the fullest sense and eternal reality. The title “Christ” in Christian theology eventually conveyed not just the meaning of “anointed one” but also the complete reality of who Jesus is as God incarnate and Lord of all. When Christians say “Jesus Christ,” they affirm that the one who was anointed and sent by the Father is himself God’s eternal Son made flesh in time and history. The early Christian creeds, particularly the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD, defined Jesus Christ as “true God from true God, begotten not made, of one being with the Father.” This development in Christian understanding moved beyond the concept of an anointed human servant to the confession that the Messiah is the Son of God dwelling among us. The Gospel of John particularly emphasizes that Jesus is the Word made flesh, the Son of God who comes from the Father and reveals God’s nature and character to humanity. Unlike other anointed figures in the Old Testament such as King David or King Solomon, Jesus is understood as the very Son of God, not merely someone chosen by God to lead. The Catholic doctrine of the Incarnation teaches that in Jesus Christ, God himself became human while remaining fully divine in nature and substance. Jesus’s messianic mission cannot be separated from his identity as the Son of God, as the two dimensions of his identity are inseparable and mutually illuminating. Understanding Jesus as both the Messiah and the Son of God represents the fulfillment of messianic expectation in a manner that transcends the categories available to first-century Jewish thought.

The Role of Anointing in Jewish Tradition

In ancient Israel, anointing with oil was a sacred ritual that signified God’s choice and the bestowal of the Holy Spirit upon a person for a specific role of service. Kings were anointed to signal that God had selected them to rule and to place his Spirit upon them for wise leadership and just governance. Priests were anointed to consecrate them for service in the temple and to mark their separation as holy ministers before the Lord performing sacred duties. Prophets were sometimes anointed to commission them for their role of speaking God’s word to the people and calling them back to faithfulness. The practice of anointing connected the recipient to God’s power and presence, indicating that the individual now operated under divine authority and received God’s assistance for their work. When the early Christians wanted to communicate that Jesus was God’s choice for salvation and that he possessed the Holy Spirit without measure, they applied this anointing language to him. The title “Messiah” therefore carried rich meaning rooted in centuries of Jewish religious practice and theology about God’s anointing of leaders and choosing of servants. In Christian understanding, Jesus is anointed not for a temporary role but for the permanent, eternal accomplishment of humanity’s salvation and reconciliation with God. The Sacrament of Confirmation in the Catholic Church involves anointing with Chrism, a sacred oil, which connects Christian believers to the messianic anointing of Christ. The Church teaches that all baptized Christians share in Christ’s messianic mission, becoming “little Christs” who participate in his role as priest, prophet, and king.

Usage of “Messiah” in Modern Jewish-Christian Dialogue

Today, Jewish and Christian communities understand the terms “Messiah” and “Christ” in ways that reflect their distinct religious traditions and histories extending back centuries. Most Jewish believers continue to await the coming of the Messiah, maintaining the hope expressed in the daily prayers and in the messianic vision articulated by the prophets of Israel. Christians, by contrast, believe that the Messiah has already come in the person of Jesus Christ and that his second coming awaits in the future. When Jews use the term “Messiah,” they generally refer to the future figure whom God will send to establish peace, justice, and the full redemption of Israel. When Christians use “Christ,” they refer to Jesus of Nazareth, whom they believe is the fulfillment of all messianic prophecies and hopes contained in scripture. The term “Messiah” remains primarily associated with Jewish tradition and expectation, while “Christ” has become the standard Christian terminology and name for Jesus. This linguistic distinction reflects the historical divergence between Judaism and Christianity after the time of Jesus and the early Church’s growth. Modern Jewish-Christian dialogue often addresses the question of who the Messiah is, and this fundamental disagreement represents one of the central differences between the two faith traditions. Despite this disagreement, both Jews and Christians acknowledge that the other group uses these terms with sincere faith and serious theological intention. Catholics recognize that Jewish hope for the Messiah reflects a genuine longing rooted in the biblical tradition, even as they affirm that Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of that hope.

The Name “Jesus Christ” in New Testament Writings

In the New Testament, “Jesus Christ” becomes the standard way of referring to the Lord, combining his personal name with his most important title in Christian usage and understanding. The Gospels frequently use both “Jesus” and “Christ” together, though sometimes they use one or the other depending on the context and emphasis of the particular passage. In Matthew 1:16-17, the angel tells Joseph that Mary will give birth to a son called “Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins,” and the genealogy repeatedly connects Jesus to the Messiah through the line of David. Mark 1:1 opens with “the beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God,” immediately establishing Jesus’s identity as both the Messiah and the Son of God. The letters of Paul frequently use “Jesus Christ” as the standard title, emphasizing that the one Paul preaches is the anointed savior whom God has sent for humanity’s redemption. In John 1:41, Andrew tells his brother Simon that they have found “the Messiah,” using the Hebrew term translated directly from the original Aramaic and indicating that John’s Gospel is written for audiences familiar with Jewish messianic expectation. As the Gospels and epistles were written for increasingly Greek-speaking audiences, the term “Christ” gradually became more standard than “Messiah” in Christian communities. The New Testament shows a natural development from Jewish-speaking communities using “Messiah” to Greek-speaking communities using “Christ” while maintaining the same theological meaning. By the time the Canon of Scripture was finalized in the early Church, “Jesus Christ” or “Christ” had become the standard terminology in Christian writings and theology. The combination of the personal name “Jesus” with the title “Christ” emphasizes both the historicity of the person and the cosmic significance of his messianic mission.

Theological Development in Early Christianity

During the first few centuries of Christianity, theological understanding of Jesus Christ developed significantly as the Church reflected on the scriptures and faced new questions about his nature and role. The early Church Fathers, such as Justin Martyr and Irenaeus, wrote extensively about how Jesus Christ fulfilled Old Testament messianic prophecies in ways that demonstrated continuity with Jewish tradition. These early theologians emphasized that the Messiah prophesied in the Hebrew scriptures was indeed Jesus of Nazareth, though he came in a manner that Jewish expectations had not fully anticipated. The creeds of the early ecumenical councils, particularly the Council of Nicaea and the Council of Constantinople, developed precise theological language to express who Jesus Christ is as the Son of God. These creeds affirmed that Christ is “true God from true God” and that he possesses one nature while existing in two natures, divine and human. The development of Christology, the theology of who Christ is, led the Church to understand that the Messiah is not merely a human figure anointed by God but God himself incarnate. Theologians such as Augustine and Thomas Aquinas later synthesized the understanding of Christ as the fulfillment of messianic prophecy with the doctrine of the Incarnation. The Church’s reflection on the meaning of “Christ” moved beyond the simple definition of “anointed one” to encompass the complete reality of God’s self-revelation and saving action in the world. This theological development did not negate the earlier meaning of the title but rather deepened and expanded it. The understanding of Christ that emerged from this process shaped Christian worship, liturgy, and the entire structure of Christian theology and spirituality.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church on Christ and Messiah

The Catechism of the Catholic Church provides extensive teaching on Jesus Christ and his messianic role in the history of salvation and God’s purposes for humanity. The Catechism affirms that Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of all the messianic hopes and prophecies contained in the Old Testament scriptures (CCC 435-437). The Catechism teaches that “Jesus” is the name meaning “God saves,” while “Christ” means “anointed one,” and together the names “Jesus Christ” express his full identity and mission (CCC 430-432). According to the Catechism, Jesus Christ is the Son of God who has been anointed with the Holy Spirit and consecrated as priest, prophet, and king (CCC 438-440). The Catechism explains that Christ’s messianic mission includes his work as the supreme priest who offers himself as a sacrifice for sin, as the prophet who reveals God’s truth, and as the king who rules over all creation (CCC 441-444). The Catechism affirms that Christ’s messianic role is inseparable from his identity as the Son of God and that his mission encompasses the entire history of salvation from the Old Testament to its fulfillment and beyond (CCC 138-141). The teaching of the Catechism makes clear that “Messiah” and “Christ” are not merely titles but express the deepest reality of who Jesus is and what he accomplishes for humanity and all creation. Through Christ, the Catechism teaches, God has established an eternal covenant with humanity and offers salvation to all who believe in him. The messianic mission of Christ, according to the Catechism, includes both his historical work in the past and his ongoing work in the present through the Church and the sacraments. The Catechism’s teaching unites the Jewish hope for the Messiah with Christian understanding of Jesus Christ as the Son of God and the savior of the world.

The Messianic Secret in the Gospels

The Gospels present an interesting tension regarding Jesus’s identity as the Messiah, as Jesus sometimes concealed his messianic identity while at other times openly proclaimed it to his followers. Many scholars have noted what Mark’s Gospel particularly emphasizes as the “messianic secret,” in which Jesus tells people not to reveal his identity or spread the news of his miracles. In Mark 1:43-44, after healing a leper, Jesus strictly orders the man not to tell anyone about the healing, though the man spreads the news anyway. In Mark 3:11-12, Jesus commands unclean spirits not to make him known, even though the demons recognize him as the Son of God and the Messiah. This pattern appears throughout Mark’s Gospel and less frequently in the other Gospels, suggesting that Jesus himself was careful about how and when his messianic identity would be revealed. Jesus’s caution likely reflected several factors, including the danger of political misunderstanding in which people might try to make him a military or political leader. The messianic expectations of Jesus’s contemporaries were so focused on political liberation and military power that proclaiming messianic identity too openly might have led to violent rebellion or misguided attempts to crown him as a political king. Jesus wanted his disciples to understand his true messianic mission as involving suffering, death, and resurrection rather than military conquest. The way Jesus gradually revealed his messianic identity to his disciples shows that full understanding of the Messiah’s mission requires spiritual growth and faith development. After his resurrection, Jesus’s disciples openly proclaimed him as the Messiah without reservation, as the danger of political misunderstanding had been overcome.

Jesus’s Use of “Son of Man” and Other Titles

While “Messiah” and “Christ” are crucial titles for Jesus in the Gospels, Jesus himself most frequently referred to himself as the “Son of Man,” a title that carried its own messianic significance. The term “Son of Man” appears throughout the Gospels and generally represents Jesus’s preferred way of referring to himself, rather than using the title “Messiah” directly in many contexts. In Mark 8:31, Jesus tells his disciples that “the Son of Man must undergo great suffering and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.” This statement shows that Jesus understood the “Son of Man” title in connection with the suffering servant passages of Isaiah, particularly Isaiah 53. In the Gospel of John, Jesus uses the “Son of Man” title in connection with being “lifted up,” referring both to his crucifixion and his exaltation at the right hand of God. Jesus also used other titles for himself, including “Lord” and “the Son of God,” though his use of these titles was sometimes cautious and context-dependent in particular situations. The Fourth Gospel more openly affirms Jesus as the Son of God and the Messiah throughout its narrative and theological teaching. In John 11:27, Martha confesses to Jesus “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world,” expressing a full understanding of Jesus’s identity. The multiplicity of titles used for Jesus in the Gospels shows that no single title captures the full reality of who he is, though together they provide a more complete picture. Jesus’s preference for the “Son of Man” title allowed him to redefine messianic expectation in light of the suffering and exaltation central to his mission.

The Cosmic Significance of Christ

Christian theology understands the messianic work of Christ as having significance not only for humanity but for the entire cosmos and all creation in its full scope. The letters of Paul, particularly Colossians 1:15-20, describe Christ as “the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation,” through whom and for whom all things were created. According to Paul, all things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, were created through Christ and exist for the purpose of glorifying him. The Catechism teaches that Christ is the center and fulfillment of the entire history of salvation, which encompasses God’s relationship with creation from the beginning (CCC 65-66). The incarnation of Christ, according to Christian theology, represents God’s ultimate affirmation of creation and God’s determination to restore all things through Christ’s redemptive work. In the Book of Revelation, John describes Christ as the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end, suggesting that Christ encompasses all of history and creation within his person. The second coming of Christ, which Christians anticipate, will bring about the final redemption and transformation of all creation, when God will establish a new heaven and new earth. The messianic work of Christ is therefore not limited to spiritual salvation alone but includes the ultimate transformation of all reality according to God’s purposes. Christian hope rests on the conviction that Christ’s messianic work, which began with his incarnation and continues through the Church, will ultimately restore all creation to its proper relationship with God. This cosmic understanding of Christ’s messianic role distinguishes Christian faith from some narrower conceptions of the Messiah as addressing only political or social issues.

Christ in Christian Prayer and Worship

The understanding that Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ, fundamentally shapes Christian worship, prayer, and the entire liturgical life of the Church from its earliest days. The central act of Christian worship, the Eucharist, commemorates and celebrates Christ’s messianic sacrifice of himself for the salvation of the world and all humanity. In the Mass, the Church proclaims that Christ is “the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world,” using sacrificial language rooted in Old Testament messianic expectations. Christians address Jesus as Lord and King in their prayers, acknowledging his messianic and cosmic authority over all creation and all peoples. The Catholic tradition emphasizes devotion to Christ through meditation on the mysteries of his life, particularly through the rosary, which contemplates the joyful, sorrowful, glorious, and luminous mysteries of Christ’s incarnation, passion, death, and resurrection. The major liturgical seasons of the Church calendar, particularly Advent and Christmas, focus on Christ’s coming and birth, while Lent and Easter commemorate his passion and resurrection. In Baptism, Christians are initiated into Christ and sealed with the Holy Spirit, becoming members of the messianic community, the Body of Christ. The Sacrament of Confirmation further deepens the Christian’s participation in Christ’s messianic mission as priest, prophet, and king. Christian prayers often invoke Christ’s name and appeal to his redemptive work, expressing trust in his saving power and divine mercy. The centrality of Christ in Christian worship demonstrates that faith in Jesus as the Messiah is not merely intellectual assent but a lived reality that shapes how Christians pray, serve, and relate to God.

The Messiah and Salvation History

The concept of the Messiah in Christian theology is inseparable from the broader narrative of salvation history, which extends from creation through the Old Testament, through Christ’s incarnation, and into the future. The Catechism teaches that God chose the people of Israel and made covenants with them specifically to prepare the way for the coming of the Messiah (CCC 62-64). The prophets of Israel, whom God sent throughout history to prepare the people for the Messiah’s coming, gradually unveiled God’s plan for salvation through the messianic figure. The Law of Moses, according to Christian theology, served as a pedagogue to lead people to Christ, revealing their need for redemption and pointing toward the one who would accomplish salvation. The Catechism affirms that every covenant God made with Israel found its fulfillment and perfection in Christ, who established the new and eternal covenant in his blood (CCC 73). Through Christ’s messianic work, particularly his death and resurrection, salvation became available to all humanity, not only to the Jewish people but to all nations and peoples. The Church, which is the Body of Christ, continues Christ’s messianic mission in the world through the proclamation of the Gospel and the administration of the sacraments. Christian theology teaches that the messianic age has been inaugurated through Christ’s first coming, and the Church now lives in the time between Christ’s resurrection and his anticipated return. At Christ’s second coming, Christian faith anticipates the completion of the messianic age and the final transformation of all creation. Understanding Christ as the Messiah therefore requires understanding his role as the center of all salvation history, the one toward whom the Old Testament pointed and through whom God fulfills all divine promises.

Conclusion: Understanding Messiah and Christ Together

The terms “Messiah” and “Christ” are essentially the same, both meaning “anointed one” and referring to Jesus of Nazareth as the fulfillment of Old Testament messianic prophecy and hope. The distinction between the terms is primarily historical and linguistic rather than theological, reflecting the Jewish and Greek contexts in which the early Church proclaimed Jesus. Understanding Jesus as the Messiah connects Christian faith to the rich tradition of Jewish scripture and prophecy, affirming that Jesus fulfills God’s ancient promises and brings to completion what the prophets anticipated. Understanding Jesus as the Christ expresses how the early Greek-speaking Church translated and transmitted this truth, making it accessible to the wider Mediterranean world. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that Jesus Christ is the Son of God incarnate, and his messianic mission includes all the dimensions of his work as priest, prophet, and king. The titles “Messiah” and “Christ” together express that Jesus is both the fulfillment of Jewish hopes and the revelation of who God is and what God accomplishes for human salvation. Christian faith rests on the conviction that in Jesus Christ, God acted decisively to offer redemption to all humanity and to bring about the ultimate transformation of all creation. Both terms emphasize that Jesus is not merely a human teacher or moral exemplar but the one whom God anointed and sent to accomplish humanity’s salvation. Catholic understanding of the Messiah and Christ calls believers to faith in Jesus, participation in his messianic mission, and hope in the completion of his work at his final coming. Recognizing that “Messiah” and “Christ” refer to the same person and mission helps Christians appreciate both the continuity between Old Testament expectations and Christian fulfillment and the distinctive understanding of Jesus that emerged within the early Church.