La nascita del termine ΧΡΙΣΤΙΑΝΙΣΜΟΣ. Un nuovo punto di partenza e alcune considerazioni sull’uso della parola in Ignazio di Antiochia

Abstract

The earliest occurrences of the term χριστιανισμός are in three letters from Ignatius of Antioch: Magn. 10,1-3, Rom. 3,3, and Philad. 6,1. Was the word χριστιανισμός coined by Ignatius? Some scholars believe so, while others prefer to remain cautious on the matter or formulate other hypotheses. In this article I review the question from different perspectives and come to the following conclusions: 1. χριστιανισμός was not created by Ignatius when composing his letters; 2. the word had already been in use for some time, but it is not possible to establish with certainty when and where it was coined; 3. the authorship of the neologism consequently remains uncertain; 4. initially, χριστιανισμός may also have had a reductive (or negative) connotation. If so, Ignatius would be the first author to our knowledge to use the word in an absolutely positive sense. 5. From a more general perspective, it should be noted that many Christian authors of Late Antiquity do not seem to particularly like the term χριστιανισμός. This may be due to the -ισμός ending of the word.