Note 364 — Chapter VII · PROBLEMS OF THE ARABIAN CULTURE (A) HISTORIC PSEUDOMORPHOSES

The designation “Messiah (Christ)” was old-Jewish, those of “Lord” (κύριος, divus) and “Saviour” (σωτήρ, Asklepios) were east-Aramæan in origin. In the course of the pseudomorphosis “Christ” became the name of Jesus, and “Saviour” the title; but already “Lord” and “Saviour” were titles current in the Hellenistic Emperor-worship; and in this was implicit the whole destiny of westward-looking Christianity (compare here Reitzenstein, Das iranische Erlösungsmysterium, p. 132, note).