Christ the King

Christ the King, a detail from the Ghent Altarpiece by Jan van Eyck.

Christ the King is a title of Jesus based on several passages of Scripture. It is used by most Christians. The Catholic Church and many Protestant denominations, including Anglicans, Presbyterians, Lutherans and Methodists, celebrate the Feast of Christ the King on the Sunday before the first Sunday of Advent, the Sunday that falls between 20 and 26 November, inclusive. Some Traditionalist Catholics, who use pre-1970 versions of the General Roman Calendar, and the Anglican Catholic Church celebrate it instead on the last Sunday of October, the Sunday before All Saints' Day, which is the day that was assigned to the feast when first established in 1925. The title "Christ the King" is also frequently used as a name for churches, schools, seminaries, hospitals and religious institutes.

Origins

The name is found in various forms in scripture:

• "Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage." (Matt. 2:2),
• "Jesus answered, 'My kingdom does not belong to this world.'" (John 18),
• "He has a name written on his cloak and on his thigh, "King of kings and Lord of lords." (Rev.19:16),

also John 1:49, 1 Timothy 1:17, and Rev.15:3.

Christ's kingship was addressed in the encyclical Quas primas of Pope Pius XI, published in 1925, which has been called "possibly one of the most misunderstood and ignored encyclicals of all time."^[1] The pontiff's encyclical quotes with approval Cyril of Alexandria, noting that Jesus's kingship was given to him by the Father, and was not obtained by violence: "'Christ,' he says, 'has dominion over all creatures, a dominion not seized by violence nor usurped, but his by essence and by nature.'" Pope Pius XI instituted the feast of Christ the King in 1925 to remind Christians that their allegiance was to their spiritual ruler in heaven as opposed to earthly supremacy. Pope Benedict XVI remarked that Christ's kingship is not based on "human power" but on loving and serving others. ^[2]

Stained glass window at the Annunciation Melkite Catholic Cathedral in Roslindale, Massachusetts, depicting Christ the King in the regalia of a Byzantine emperor

The hymn "To Jesus Christ Our Sovereign King", was written by Msgr. Martin B. Hellrigel in 1941 to the tune "Ich Glaub An Gott".^[3]

Schools, churches, and Shrine

Many religious facilities are named in honor of Christ the King:

• Basilica of Christ the King, Reykjavík, Iceland
• Christ the King Cathedral, Mullingar - First cathedral in the world to be dedicated under that title
• The Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King, Liverpool
• Christ the King Cathedral, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
• Cathedral of Christ the King, Atlanta, Georgia^[4]
• Cathedral of Christ the King (Lexington, Kentucky)^[5]
• Cathedral of Christ the King (Lubbock, Texas)^[6]
• Christ the King Cathedral, Tagum Davao del Norte, Philippines
• Christus Koningkerk, parish church originally built for the 1930 World's Fair, Antwerp, Belgium
• Rīgas Kristus Karaļa draudzes baznīca (Riga's Christ the King's parish church) Riga, Latvia
• Shrine of Christ the King Sovereign Priest, Chicago, Illinois
• Christ the King Church, Sector 19, Chandigarh, India
• Christ the King church, Pammal, Chennai, India.
• Christ the King Church, Dorgachola, Mymensingh, Bangladesh
• Christ the King Anglican Church (also known as Christ the King Garrison Church), Tripoli, Libya
• Christ the King Catholic Church, Mdantsane, East London, South Africa
• Christ the King Catholic Church, Silver Spring, Maryland ^[7]
• Christ the King Reformed Episcopal Church, Pasadena, Maryland
• the Church of Christ the King, Bloomsbury, London, England
• Christ the King Presbyterian Church, Houston, Texas^[8]
• Christ the King Episcopal Church, Stone Ridge, New York^[9]
• Christ the King Church, Kottappuram, Mulavana(via),Kollam, Kerala, India
• Christ the King Baptist Church, Dacula, Georgia^[10]
• Christ the King Parish, Mashpee, Massachusetts

Statue of Jesus Christ in Świebodzin

• Christ the King Seminary, Diocese of Buffalo, East Aurora, New York ^[11]
• Christ the King Roman Catholic Church and School, Denver, Colorado^[12]
• Christ the King Catholic School and Church, North Rocks, Australia
• Christ the King Catholic Church and School, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
• Christ the King Catholic Church and School, Little Rock, Arkansas
• Christ the King Catholic Church and School, Pleasant Hill, California
• Christ the King Chapel, St. Ambrose University, Davenport, Iowa
• Christus Rex Lutheran Campus Center, Grand Forks, North Dakota
• Christ the King Catholic High School, Southport, UK
• Christ the King High School, St. John's, Antigua
• Christ the King Catholic Secondary School, Nottingham, England
• Christ the King Catholic Secondary School, Georgetown, Ontario, Canada
• Christ The King Catholic Primary School, Blackpool, England

See also the disambiguation page for more institutions using the name.

See also

• Feast of Christ the King
• Kingly office of Christ, one of the Threefold offices
• The Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven are theological concepts interpreted variously
• Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews is the fullest form of the inscription and is given in the Gospel of John (19:19), the writer of which claiming to be an eyewitness. The three synoptic gospels all report that the title "King of the Jews" was inscribed on the titulus attached to the cross by the Romans (indicating a misguided sentence of revolutionary sedition), and which is found on many crucifixes
• Cristo Rei, the Portuguese translation used for several place names
• Cristo Rey, the Spanish translation used for several place names
• The similar conception of Christ Pantocrator associated with Orthodox Christianity
• Throne of God

References

External links

• QUAS PRIMAS: Encyclical on the Feast of Christ the King His Holiness Pope Pius XI, December 11, 1925
• "To Jesus Christ Our Sovereign King"