What are the origins the term "Xmas", and why is it a substitute word for "Christmas"?

zbeckabee

QUOTE: The term "Xmas" instead of "Christmas" is Greek in origin. The word for "Christ" in Greek is "Xristos." during the Sixteenth Century, Europeans began using the first initial of Christ's name...the "X" of "Xristos"...in place of the word "Christ" as a shorthand version of the word "Christmas." Although early Christians understood that the "X" was simply another form for the name of Jesus Christ, later Christians, who had no knowledge of the Greek language, mistook "Xmas" as a sign of disrespect. Eventually, however, "Xmas" came to be both an accepted and suitable alternative to the word "Christmas." http://www.novareinna.com/festive/xmas.html Dec 31 06, 10:55 AM

lanfranco

Let's be clear (and I think we did this last year): The first three letters of "Christ" in the Greek alphabet were "Chi-Rho-Iota." The Greek letter transliterated as "Chi" was written as "X", "Rho" was written as "P", and "Iota" as "I." Since these were the first three letters of the designation (it's not a personal name) "Christ", they became the shorthand symbol for "Christ". Ultimately, the Chi-Rho monogram, with the Iota dropped, showed up in major manuscripts. Today, you will still see the Chi-Rho monogram, written as XP, in many Christian contexts. Perhaps the most famous example is the great Chi-Rho page in the "Book of Kells" on this site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nativity_of_Jesus Dec 31 06, 6:48 PM