In part 1 of the article, “St. Jerome: The Man Who Transliterated a Lie,” I attempted to show you how a man who was fluent in the Hebrew and Greek languages chose to transliterate the term “Χριστιανούς.” I pointed out the fact that in doing so, many translators have followed the same method of dealing with this term in Acts 11:26. Even in the KJV, the Greek term is transliterated. Why?

Before we move forward, let me remind you of the grammatical structure of this adjective. The Greek term “Χριστιανούς” is comprised of the Greek noun “Χριστος” and the suffix “ιανούς.” I told you the Greek noun “Χριστος” means “Anointed One,” which our English bibles transliterate as “Christ,” and the suffix “ιανούς” I left kind of obscured. I did so because I wanted to focus more on the fact that Jerome and many translators transliterate Greek terms when they—like other words and phrases—should be translated. The Greek suffix, however, was originally applied to slaves belonging to the great households or slave masters. When the suffix was applied to a slave that had a master named Mark, the suffix would be rendered “markianous” and mean “belonging to Mark.” We can also see this suffix applied to the Herodians. It’s rendering in Greek looks like this: “Ἡρῳδιανοί.” The suffix “ιανοί” is the plural form of “ιανούς.” As you can see, they are the same suffix. The translation of the Greek noun Herodians has the meaning "follower of Herod or belonging to Herod." Our English Bible even transliterates this noun. I’m starting to believe that translators might be lazy. Anyway!

The question that keeps burning inside of me is this: “What was the reason Luke would let us know that the disciples were first called ‘Χριστιανούς” in Antioch? And what was Satan’s reason for interjecting?

The answer to the first question is found in what Luke says about Saul looking for any of Jesus’ disciples:

“Now Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest, ² and asked for letters from him to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, both men and women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.” Acts 9:1-2 NASB

I brought up the NASB translation because they correctly translate the genitive of the Greek word “ὁδοῦ” and the Greek phrase “τῆς ὁδοῦ.” The genitive in Greek is possessive. So “τῆς ὁδοῦ,” should be translated—not transliterated—this way: “belonging to the Way.” Not how the KJV translates it as “of this way.” The word “this” is not even a part of the text. That leads to a deception. The point is, Saul was looking to treat those who belonged to the way very badly. Why? Because they were people who believed and followed "the way." The way is Jesus, the Anointed One, who is the embodiment of the teaching, which is the way of Yahuah. Let me show you that people in Saul’s day were being taught “the way:”

“This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he was speaking and teaching accurately the things concerning Jesus, being acquainted only with the baptism of John; ²⁶ and he began to speak out boldly in the synagogue.” Acts 18:25-26

Let me also show you that the way that was being taught was also perceived to be a sect:

“But this I admit to you, that according to the Way, which they call a sect, I do serve the God of our fathers, believing everything that is in accordance with the Law (Torah/Teaching) and that is written in the Prophets;” Acts 24:14

So, it is safe to say that the believers written about in the New Testament were called a sect that belonged to the way before Antioch. The people who heard the disciples, Paul and Barnabas, were giving the entirety of the disciples of the Anointed One a much better description than what they were previously called: a sect of the way. Look it up; it isn’t a good description defining who they are at all. However, Satan comes along needing to find a way to flip the narrative and has Jerome and his other agents of evil transliterate the adjective that should have been translated. When “Χριστιανούς” means belonging to the Anointed One (different from belonging to a sect of the way), Jerome and these other cronies gave the world “Christian” and “Christianity.” By doing that, for centuries the minds of those who claim to follow Christ picked up foreign beliefs that are not found in “The Way” of Yahuah, which is "the teaching:"

“Good and upright is the LORD; therefore, he will teach sinners in the way.” Psalms 25:8

And Isaiah told us what "the way" was that the Lord would teach sinners:

““Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters;
And you who have no money come, buy and eat.
Come, buy wine and milk
Without money and without cost.
² “Why do you spend money for what is not bread,
And your wages for what does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,
And delight yourself in abundance.
³ “Incline your ear and come to Me.
Listen, that you may live;
And I will make an everlasting covenant with you,
According to the faithful mercies shown to David.
⁴ “Behold, I have made him a witness to the peoples,
A leader and commander for the peoples.
⁵ “Behold, you will call a nation you do not know,
And a nation which knows you not will run to you,
Because of the LORD your God, even the Holy One of Israel;
For He has glorified you.”
⁶ Seek the LORD while He may be found;
Call upon Him while He is near.
⁷ Let the wicked forsake his way
And the unrighteous man his thoughts;
And let him return to the LORD,
And He will have compassion on him,
And to our God,
For He will abundantly pardon.
⁸ “For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD.
⁹ “For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways
And My thoughts than your thoughts.
¹⁰ “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
And do not return there without watering the earth
And making it bear and sprout,
And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater;
¹¹ So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth;
It will not return to Me empty,
Without accomplishing what I desire,
And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.” Isaiah 55:1-11

If you have eyes to see, then you see that “the way” is “the way” that God thinks. If you didn’t see that, then I guess you are not in “the way” you should walk and have detoured to a crooked path.

Shalom!