In the Hebrew faith tradition, anointing (with oil) was a key element of religious ceremony by which specific people were explicitly marked or set aside for a specific role: priests, kings, and prophets. In some cases other materials were anointed with oil as well, to prepare them for religious ceremony. The importance of anointing is sometimes stressed by mentioning the need for it alongside reference to the person in question: e.g., "The priest that is anointed shall carry of the blood into the tabernacle of the testimony" (Lev4:16). The Jews grew to expect a savior who would embody the elements of priest, king, and prophet, and whom they therefore termed "the Messias", which served as a title. The association with being anointed and being the savior makes these words in some senses equivalent. They expressed their hopes for this savior particularly in their prayers known as the Psalms, which often make reference to "his anointed", many of which references Christians interpret as prophetical.
In the New Testament it is indicated that the savior, long awaited, did come: He experienced not an anointing with oil, but "is inducted by His heavenly Father into His Messianic office" (Ott; see Lk3:22). As Jesus demonstrates, over time, to his disciples that he is the savior, they come to call him by that name, which again was a title, i.e. normal usage being "the Christ". After the Resurrection "Christ" became a proper name used to refer to Jesus.
The gnostics generally believed not in a Jesus who was a fusion of a Divine Person and a human person, but in a spiritual Christ who indwelt Jesus and left him at different times, and who did not suffer death. Through the spiritual path of gnosticism, followers of these schools believed that they could experience the same knowledge, or gnosis. Their theology was or is dualistic and premised upon demigods, salvation for the elect, and the actions of God who sends periodic saviors.
Hare Krishna writers consider plausible an etymological link between the Sanskrit term krishna and the term christ. According to one example of this theory, "krishna" means "all attractive" and is a term for God. By considering the apparently equivalent functions the respective terms are intended to fulfill, as well as the related sounds, it is proposed that "krishna" is analogous to and a root for "christ".
