Thursday, June 22, 2006
The Assembly of God (PART I)
I am upset at myself for saying in the last post, "a personal Bible study that some may find dull." The study has been far from dull; therefore, I am going to take my 6 page written study and break it up into parts. I hope you enjoy!
The word translated church in the New Testament is a translation of the Greek word ekklesia. The word ekklesia comes from ek, “out of,” and klesis, “a calling.” Oddly, the word church came from the Old English word cirice, which came from the West Germanic word kirika, which came from the Greek word kyriake. Kyriake means “of the lord,” or “belonging to the ruler” and is derived from the Greek noun kyrios. Therefore, the word church from its etymology may not be the best word to translate the word ekklesia. Interestingly, the English word ecclesiastical did come from ekklesiastes, meaning “teacher”, or ekklesiastikos, meaning “of the assembly.” And both these words have the root ekklesia. Due to the Greeks’ high regard for education, the teachers could hold an office in assemblies.
Whereas the word church has come to mean “a body or organization of believers,” many other preconceived ideas might be tied to the word church. Especially in Western culture, the word church might make one think of the Catholic Church with the Pope as its Head or the building with a steeple found on most street corners in the Southern United States. Therefore, to eliminate any confusion of definition or preconceived ideas, a new and fresh word is needed to translate ekklesia.
The word translated church in the New Testament is a translation of the Greek word ekklesia. The word ekklesia comes from ek, “out of,” and klesis, “a calling.” Oddly, the word church came from the Old English word cirice, which came from the West Germanic word kirika, which came from the Greek word kyriake. Kyriake means “of the lord,” or “belonging to the ruler” and is derived from the Greek noun kyrios. Therefore, the word church from its etymology may not be the best word to translate the word ekklesia. Interestingly, the English word ecclesiastical did come from ekklesiastes, meaning “teacher”, or ekklesiastikos, meaning “of the assembly.” And both these words have the root ekklesia. Due to the Greeks’ high regard for education, the teachers could hold an office in assemblies.
Whereas the word church has come to mean “a body or organization of believers,” many other preconceived ideas might be tied to the word church. Especially in Western culture, the word church might make one think of the Catholic Church with the Pope as its Head or the building with a steeple found on most street corners in the Southern United States. Therefore, to eliminate any confusion of definition or preconceived ideas, a new and fresh word is needed to translate ekklesia.
# posted by Wesley Son of Cornelius @ 11:01 PM 
