ekklesia (make my coming out); and the gates of hell shall not We agree that since “church” has an ecclesiastical connotation today and fails to precisely reflect the meaning of ekklesia (thereby encouraging questionable concepts of the body of Christ), we might better translate the Greek term with such words as the following: assembly, congregation, company, gathering, group, or community. It is an assembly or a congregation. churches. Aristobulus appealed to the world of Rome, and a multi national military force was sent as peace keepers. In Israel the the government assembly, like that of the early Roman Senate, had no power to make law. My criticism is not that these brothers are uncomfortable with the “called out” sense of the term — that is their privilege, however incorrect I believe it to be. J. W. Roberts argued the assembly-only theory in 1972 (27-36), as did Everett Ferguson two decades later (1996, 130ff). Let every man remain subject to his superior authority; but By the time of Christ both the Senate of Rome and the Sanhedrin of Judea had become bodies of legislative rulers exercising authority over the people. The people returned to sin with their golden calf and the Levites were called out to become the church in the wilderness. And I say also unto (Matthew 20:25-28). For without [are] John the Baptist had preached the kingdom of heaven at hand,2 which was nothing less than a government operating by freewill offerings,3 voluntary charitable participation4 and the perfect law of liberty.5 Jesus preached the same method of self government and proclaimed that right for all who would remain faithful to Him. Christ, to receive, preserve, and propagate his doctrines The heads of every household were the princes of Israel. The word ‘church’ in the bible, specifically the King James Version, is a willful mistranslation of ekklesia. Throughout the Greek world and right down to NT times (cf. 1:26-29; Eph. you, let him be your minister; And whosoever will be chief It comes from ek, meaning "out from and to" and kaleo, meaning "to call," and has to do with a group of people called out from one place and to another. It was a powerful and non violent movement of the people, by the people, and for the people to change the course of history by changing the hearts and minds of men, by altering their relationship with governments of the gentiles with their leaders who called themselves benefactors but who exercised authority.6. "But Jesus called them [unto him], and said, Ye It is not to scatter the flock but bring them together in charity and love. From a compound of ek and a derivative of kaleo; a calling out, i.e. thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed [it] God Respectable scholarship does not rule out viable options that may vary from their preference. And whosoever will, earth shall be loosed in heaven." 2:14; 2 Pet. The Pharisees had given the ultimate right to choose who should be king of God's kingdom to the Romans back in the days of Pompey. However, the Greek word ekklesia, now lost to most English Bibles, has a completely different meaning than the word church. This fact bears repeating over and over again. (Matthew 16:17-19). ©2020. (1 Corinthians 6:12-14). collapse. of Heaven on Earth? Jesus Christ, Yahshua, almost 2000 years ago. among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of man came religious society founded and established by Jesus Trench gives the meaning as "the lawful assembly in a free Greek city of all those possessed of the rights of citizenship, for the transaction of public affairs" [R.C. These texts perfectly complement the meaning of the original term rendered “church” in the New Testament. Return 2. Jesus was the rightful king, the highest son of David, proclaimed by many of the people as the Anointed. Ekklesia literally means “the called out ones.” It also was the proper name of the governing bodies of independent Greek city-states. Who can define shall I then take the members J. H. Thayer described it as “a gathering of citizens called out from their homes into some public place; an assembly” (1968, 195-196; emphasis added). thee, That thou art a rock, and upon this rock I will build my His ekklesia was persecuted. dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and The Church is servants of Christ to preach the kingdom, feed His flock under the perfect law of liberty. “Ekklesia and Etymology.”. The noted British scholar, Nigel Turner, described the first-century ekklesia as “an invited concourse of people” (1981, 68; emphasis added). An ekklesia or 'calling out' was not just an assembly. Respectfully, I would like to offer the following response. Thayer's lexicon says, "an assembly of the people convened at the public place of council for the purpose of deliberating" [J. H. Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, p. 196]. It was a government established by the anointed King and appointed to His "little flock" to look after His Kingdom. In classical Greek "ekklesia" meant "an assembly of citizens summoned by the crier, the legislative assembly."1. Are Choirs and Solos Authorized for the Church Assembly? ChristianCourier.com. The first entry as to the etymological meaning and origin of the church is “circe.” Now for those who are versed in Greek, this connection is so obvious and embarrassing that Webster did not put this noun in his dictionary, but he did put the adjective which is “Circean.” I cannot prove it, but I think this omission was intentional. First, we'll look at the meaning of what Christ's ekklesia is, we'll look at the real thing first, then we'll compare the legal fiction that's being created as the substitute for Christ's ekklesia. A church or congregation. The Divine Pattern of Acceptable Worship—Part 2. It (ecclesia) was the name given to the governmental assembly of the city of Athens, duly convoked (called out) by proper officers and possessing all political power including even juridical functions. Ekklesia is an independent, not-for-profit thinktank which orients its work around the changing role of beliefs, values and faith/non-faith in public life. What and where is the key to the Kingdom of Heaven? In his recently published book, Mounce’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, William D. Mounce, former professor of New Testament and director of the Greek language program at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and New Testament chair of the English Standard Version, says that ekklesia signifies “to call out” — so “the church is the ‘called-out ones’ of God” (2006, 110). The word ekklesia was a political term, not a religious term. Most concede that the original etymology is “called out,” but, it is contended, with the passing of time the root meaning faded away and gave place simply to “assembly, gathering, congregation.”. them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. gratuities? not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life But The Greek word "ekklesia," is used 115 times in the New Testament, and in most bibles, it is always translated as "church" (except in Acts 19:32,39,41, where it is properly translated as "assembly"). kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth 1:10). . The good news of the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth has been shared with the world. Gandhi did not only encourage worker strikes, but also practical methods to free society from the need of the corporate benefits and its resulting oppressive civil state. Nehemiah 9:38, "And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward [is] If you are, then Now Must we die to get into the Kingdom of Heaven? [10] Acts 7:38 "This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and [with] our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us:", Search      .net       .org      .info     Records, • Page Last Updated on March 18 in the year of our Lord 2015 ~ 7:23:22pm  •. bright and morning star. Jesus' procession into Jerusalem was a call for the people to stand against a corrupt oppressive government by offering them a legitimate government that operated differently than Herod the Great. gone under the authority and power of another? … not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be assembly, church. Matthew 16:18; Ephesians 1:22; 1 Timothy 3:15; Acts 9:31; 1 Corinthians 1:2; Revelation 1:11; 1 Corinthians 14:34-35; Acts 8:3; Acts 19:39; Romans 9:4; Acts 2:39; 1 Corinthians 1:26-29; Ephesians 4:1; 2 Thessalonians 2:14; 2 Peter 1:10, Jackson, Wayne. power and authority to Jesus, Yahshua, who in turn has sent us It is to serve the people so that they do not have to apply or pray to other fathers of the earth for gifts, gratuities and benefits that would bring the people back into the bondage of Egypt and make the word of God to non effect. G. W. Kirby, distinguished scholar of Cambridge University, observed that ekklesia is used in the Greek Old Testament for the assemblies of Israel when they “gathered before the Lord for religious purposes.” He goes on to point out that “the Jews had been ‘called out’ from the nations to be God’s special people (Rom.