Iesus / Christus

Iesus and Christus

Level 3

Iesu serves as genitive, dative, ablative and vocative.

How It Works

CaseIesusChristus
nominativeIesusChristus
genitiveIesuChristi
dativeIesuChristo
accusativeIesumChristum
ablativeIesuChristo
vocativeIesuChriste

Read Iesu by the sentence around it. In nomen Iesu it is the genitive, of Jesus. In Iesu dona dant it is the dative, to Jesus.

The title Christus comes from a Greek word for anointed. It is a regular noun, so it changes like amicus: Christi, Christo, Christum. A call to Christ uses the vocative, as in the Kyrie: Christe, eleison.

After a preposition the case is clear: per Christum (through Christ) uses the accusative, and cum Christo (with Christ) uses the ablative.

Examples (5)

  1. Iesus Christus Dominus noster est.

    Jesus Christ is our Lord.

    Both names are in the nominative.

  2. Christe, eleison.

    Christ, have mercy.

    Christe is the vocative of Christus. The line is from the Kyrie.

  3. Maria Iesum amat.

    Mary loves Jesus.

    Iesum is the accusative, the object of amat.

  4. Nomen Iesu dulce est.

    The name of Jesus is sweet.

    Iesu is the genitive here.

  5. Magi Iesu dona dant.

    The Magi give gifts to Jesus.

    Iesu is the dative here.

Common Mistakes

  • Giving Iesus the genitive ending of amicus.

    Nomen Iesi dulce est.
    Nomen Iesu dulce est.

    Iesus does not take -i in the genitive. Its genitive is Iesu.

  • Using the nominative to call out to Christ.

    Christus, eleison.
    Christe, eleison.

    A call uses the vocative, and the vocative of Christus is Christe.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Iesus / ChristusLevel 3Iesus and Christus

Learn This First

These names are second-family nouns with one ending for several cases and a vocative of their own, so the vocative and the cases come first.

Words in This Pattern

IesusChristus