A simple guide to the development and use of ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ (χριστος, cristos) in Scripture:
- Hebrew "משׁיח" (mâshı̂yach) = [EDIT: with with few exceptions,] any Jewish man anointed with sacred oil by a Judaic priest;
- [EDIT: ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ (χριστος) in]in LXX = Hebrew "משׁיח" (mâshı̂yach);
- Intertestamental period & Gospels = a hoped-for anointed one thought to be a coming, king-like, deliverer and protector of the tribes and nation of Israel (e.g., a titular epithet referring to Jesus in Matt. 1:16), and
- Pauline Christianity = the last name of Jesus of Nazareth.
Paul, because of his training and background, would not have considered χριστος as simply the last name of Jesus of Nazareth. He believed and taught that χριστος was a title to be applied to ΙΗΣΟΥΣΟΛΕΓΟΜΕΝΟΣΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ/ιησους ο λεγομενος χριστος (cp. texts of P1 P66 P75 01 02 03 N-A28 with Matt. 1:16; 27:17; cp. John 4:25). But just because Jesus was orthodoxly (commonly) CALLED (considered, regarded, declared, thought to be) ο λεγομενος χριστος by very early Judeo-Christians doesn't necessarily mean the title of χριστος should have been tagged to Jesus.
In my experience, the average Bible-believing Christian of today has little or no idea what χριστος means. Nor do they understand the demonstrable differences in meaning between, inter alia, "called Christ" (KJV), "whose name is Christ" (BBE), "the one called the Messiah" (ISV, NLT), and "the one called Christ" (KJ3).
Note that those are renderings from the Greek of Matt. 1:16 as proffered by selected Orthodox Christian manuscript translation committees. And the appropriate member(s) of the NET Bible translation committee can likely better explain the info I obtained from them at Matt. 1:16, note 10; spec.:
"The term χριστός .... develops in Paul to mean virtually Jesus’ last name."
