The earliest evidence of the usage of that we have is this picture of tomb fragments dating prior to 70 AD. Those two letters are one complete Greek for Christ Crucified. (Earlier inscribed in Antioch, Rome or ?elsewhere? have yet to be discovered.)
Page 160 of the Chandlery book, Pilgrim - Walks in Rome : A Guide to its Holy Places, referencing Bozius. Tract de Cruce. l.1.c.2., has:
- ... In 1492, ..., a niche was discovered ... inscribed
"Titulus Crucis." ..., containing an imperfect blank of
wood, 2 inches thick, 1 1/2 palm long, 1 palm broad. On this was
the inscription in Hebrew, Greek and Latin "Jesus of Nazareth, King
of the Jews." ...
discussed thereat shows that the CHI and RHO are NOT involved together and
especially NOT one atop the other - the 5th letter is the only RHO on the
plaque.
One Turkish web site states that Antakya (Antioch), conquered by Alexander the Great in the 4th century BC, is the city to which the earliest believers fled from a hostile to them at the time Jerusalem. Once in Antioch, they began using the new term Christian when referring to themselves. Jerusalem Christian Review staff reporter Jean Gilman's Jerusalem Burial Cave Reveals: Names, Testimonies of First Christians indicates that "..., this particular was used frequently in Antioch (44AD) and Rome in the first century and was a well known designation for those who were among the first non-Jewish Christians (Acts 11:26)." (It should be noted that by the 4th century, as noted at the , the Roman Empire recognized as the 'official' Christian for Christ. Click here to visit the site with dozens of other Christian symbols of the era.
The large Greek community in Antioch may have been one where there already lived members of an extended, commercially involved Greek surnamed family. Or just as significantly, it could be the place where 'the more secular and less Son-of-God-associated appellation (meaning one who is dedicated to the Lord/Christ - a Christian) was chosen by and for the personal use of the same greek speakers who chose the 'Christ on a Cross ' to refer to THE ONE in whom they now believed and dedicated themselves 24/7/365, 100% of the time. In other words, greek speaking Christians used to exclusively refer to Christ (Crucified) (and as an identifying inscription on the tombs of those greek speaking Christians who were one with Christ in death) while (or another variation) may have been used as a more secular appellation for the earliest greek 'speaking' Christians or over time, just some of the earliest greek 'speaking' Christians and their descendants, including many if not all of us!
