Jesus "Christ" is known as the founder or central figure of "Christianity." Christmas is a Christian holiday on December 25 that commemorates the birth of Jesus. Ancient Romans also commemorated Jesus' birth by marking a division of the calendar still in use today. The years before Jesus' birth are marked as B.C. (Before Christ), and the years after Jesus' birth are marked A.D. (Anno Domini, which means, in the year of our Lord).

Christmas literally means the Mass (celebration) of Christ. "Christ" is a Greek word and title, meaning "anointed" or one set apart by God for a special purpose. "Christ" is equivalent to the Hebrew word "Messiah." Based on the words of ancient prophets, the first century Jewish people expected the arrival of the Messiah promised by God as a great deliver of the people.

What is the Best Dictionary

Students often ask Teacher Joe which dictionary is the best. In fact, there is not one "best" dictionary. However, Teacher Joe does have a suggestion for all students - use a monolingual dictionary, one that has only English. Using a dictionary with no definitions in your own language is difficult at first, but it has some big advantages that will help you speak English much more clearly.

One advantage is that it will help you to think in English. When you use an English-only dictionary, you will keep your mind only on one language, instead of changing from English to your language, and back to English. The second advantage is that you will learn how to explain words in English. This ability is called paraphrasing which is one of the most useful Conversation Skills in English.

If your spoken English is not so fluent, you can buy a "learner's dictionary". The Oxford Learner's Dictionary, the Longman Learner's Dictionary, and the Cambridge Learner's Dictionary all have easy to understand definitions and excellent example sentences. If your spoken English is already quite good, you can buy any kind of dictionary, as long as it includes many examples. Avoid any dictionary that has simple definitions only!