Messiah

Messiah, Masih, Mashiach, Christos

Messiah is the transliteration of a Hebrew term, Mashiach. The New Testament (Greek) equivalent is Christos. Both terms mean "the anointed one." The verb mashach, found about 140 times in the Old Testament, means "to smear, anoint, or spread."

The verb was frequently used for the ceremonial induction into leadership.

The anointing meant that someone was authorized to serve God in a position of honor and responsibility. Divine enablement often accompanied the anointing. While many were anointed, only One was given the title of "the Anointed One."


Masih ad-Dajjal (Arabic: المسيح الدجّال al-Masīḥ ad-Daǧǧāl, Arabic for "the false messiah") is an evil figure in Islamic eschatology. He is to appear pretending to be Masih (i.e. the Messiah) at a time in the future, before Yawm al-Qiyamah (Judgment Day), directly comparable to the figures of the Antichrist.