Christ the King is a title of Jesus in Christianity referring to the idea of the

Kingdom of God The concept of the kingship of God appears in all Abrahamic religions, where in some cases the terms Kingdom of God and Kingdom of Heaven are also used. The notion of God's kingship goes back to the Hebrew Bible, which refers to "his kingdom" b ...

where the Christ is described as seated at the right hand of God. Many Christian denominations consider the kingly office of Christ to be one of the threefold offices: Christ is a prophet, priest, and king.''The Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature''. James Strong and John McClintock; Harper and Brothers; NY; 1880
/ref> The title "Christ the King" is also frequently used as a name for churches, schools, seminaries, hospitals, and

religious institute A religious institute is a type of institute of consecrated life in the Catholic Church whose members take religious vows and lead a life in community with fellow members. Religious institutes are one of the two types of institutes of consecrate ...

s. According to a tradition followed most prominently by the Catholic Church, Mary is given the title of Queen of Heaven.

Biblical basis

In the Gospel of Luke, the angel Gabriel proclaims to Mary, "Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end."Hodge, Archibald Alexander, "The Kingly Office of Christ", ''Popular Lectures of Theological Themes'', Presbyterian Board of Publication and Sabbath-School Work, 1887, p. 260
/ref> Outside of the gospels, the First Epistle to Timothy (6:14–15) explicitly applies the phrase of "

king of kings King of Kings; grc-gre, Βασιλεὺς Βασιλέων, Basileùs Basiléōn; hy, արքայից արքա, ark'ayits ark'a; sa, महाराजाधिराज, Mahārājadhirāja; ka, მეფეთ მეფე, ''Mepet mepe'' ...

and lord of lords" (Βασιλεὺς βασιλέων καὶ κύριος κυρίων), adapting the Pentateuch's declaration, ''for the Lord your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords'', to Jesus Christ. In the Book of Revelation it is declared that the Lamb is "King of kings, and Lord of lords".

Background

The concept of Christ as king was the subject of an address given by Eusebius about AD 314. Depictions of the imperial Christ arise in the later part of the fourth century.

Pius XI

''Ubi arcano Dei consilio''

Pope Pius XI Pope Pius XI ( it, Pio XI), born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti (; 31 May 1857 – 10 February 1939), was head of the Catholic Church from 6 February 1922 to his death in February 1939. He was the first sovereign of Vatican City fro ...

's first

encyclical An encyclical was originally a circular letter sent to all the churches of a particular area in the ancient Roman Church. At that time, the word could be used for a letter sent out by any bishop. The word comes from the Late Latin (originally from ...

was '' Ubi arcano Dei consilio'' of December 1922. Writing in the aftermath of World War I, Pius noted that while there had been a cessation of hostilities, there was no true peace. He deplored the rise of class divisions and unbridled nationalism, and held that true peace can only be found under the Kingship of Christ as "Prince of Peace". "For Jesus Christ reigns over the minds of individuals by his teachings, in their hearts by His love, in each one's life by the living according to His law and the imitating of His example."Pope Pius XI. "Ubi Arcano Dei Consilio", 23 December 1922
/ref>

''Quas primas''

Christ's kingship was addressed again in the encyclical '' Quas primas'' of

, published in 1925. Michael D. Greaney called it "possibly one of the most misunderstood and ignored encyclicals of all time." The pontiff's encyclical quotes with approval

Cyril of Alexandria Cyril of Alexandria ( grc, Κύριλλος Ἀλεξανδρείας; cop, Ⲡⲁⲡⲁ Ⲕⲩⲣⲓⲗⲗⲟⲩ ⲁ̅ also ⲡⲓ̀ⲁⲅⲓⲟⲥ Ⲕⲓⲣⲓⲗⲗⲟⲥ; 376 – 444) was the Patriarch of Alexandria from 412 to 444 ...

, 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.'" He also referenced Leo XIII's 1899 Annum sacrum wherein Leo relates the Kingship of Christ to devotion to his Sacred Heart.O'Donnell, Timothy Terrance. ''Heart of the Redeemer'', Ignatius Press, 1992

Early Propagation

In November 1926, the Pontiff gave his assent to the establishment of the first church dedicated to Christ under the title of ''King''. The Church of Our Lord, Christ the King, a promising young parish in the neighborhood of Mount Lookout, Cincinnati, which had previously been operating out of a pharmacy located in the neighborhood square, soon began to flourish. In May 1927, a proper sanctuary and neighborhood icon was consecrated. Designed by famed church architect

Edward J. Schulte Edward J. Schulte (April 27, 1890 – June 7, 1975) was an architect who designed a number of mid-twentieth-century churches notable for their blending of a modern idiom with traditional function. Inspired by an encounter with Ralph Adams Cram, ...

, the building exemplifies the designer's signature marriage of art deco decoration in

Brutalist Brutalist architecture is an architectural style that emerged during the 1950s in the United Kingdom, among the reconstruction projects of the post-war era. Brutalist buildings are characterised by Minimalism (art), minimalist constructions th ...

construction, principally arranged to mimic Ancient liturgical spaces of early Christianity. The hymn "To Jesus Christ Our Sovereign King", was written by Msgr. Martin B. Hellrigel in 1941 to the tune "Ich Glaub An Gott"."To Jesus Christ Our Sovereign King"
Hymnary.org

Feast of Christ the King

The Feast of Christ the King was instituted by Pope Pius XI in 1925. The General Roman Calendar of 1969 moved its observance in the

Roman Rite The Roman Rite ( la, Ritus Romanus) is the primary liturgical rite of the Latin Church, the largest of the ''sui iuris'' particular churches that comprise the Catholic Church. It developed in the Latin language in the city of Rome and, while dist ...

to the last Sunday of Ordinary Time, the final Sunday of the liturgical year. Most Anglicans, Lutherans and some

Protestants Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

celebrate it on the same day. However, Catholics who observe the pre- Vatican II General Roman Calendar of 1960, and members of the Anglican Catholic Church celebrate it instead on the last Sunday of October, the Sunday before All Saints' Day, the day assigned in 1925.

Things named after Christ the King

References

External links

* {{Cite web , title=Quas Primas - Encyclical on the Feast of Christ the King , author=His Holiness Pope Pius XI , website=New Advent: CATHOLIC LIBRARY , date=December 11, 1925 , url= https://www.newadvent.org/library/docs_pi11qp.htm Christian terminology Christology