When did the Church use the word "church"?

The Greek word is ekklesia, as in Matthew 16:18

Original Word: ἐκκλησία, ας, ἡ

Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine

Phonetic Spelling: (ek-klay-see'-ah)

Usage: an assembly, congregation, church; the Church, the whole body of Christian believers.

LayHong_Loves_Christ said:

When did the Church use the word "church"?
Did Jesus command to use the word Church?
Who first define the meaning of Church?
Did church also mean Christianity?

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The term church is only used primarily in the English speaking world. It comes from circle. Ancient pagans would stand in a circle and hold hands during their rituals.

Nearly all Christians refer to it as Ekklesia or Iglasia.

LayHong_Loves_Christ said:

When did the Church use the word "church"?
Did Jesus command to use the word Church?
Who first define the meaning of Church?
Did church also mean Christianity?

Click to expand...

Church = ek-klesia = called-out assembly, of both OT (Ac 7:38) and NT (Mt 16:18).

From Oxford English dictionary.
Origin
Old English cir(i)ce, cyr(i)ce, related to Dutch kerk and German Kirche, based on medieval Greek kurikon, from Greek kuriakon (dōma) ‘Lord's (house)’, from kurios ‘master or lord’. Compare with kirk.

Jesus did not explicitly command the use of the word "church". In Matthew 16:18, Jesus is recorded as saying "I will build my church", but this is a translation of the Greek "ekklesia" which had a broader meaning of "assembly" or "congregation" at the time.

The early Christian communities did not immediately use "church" in the way we understand it today. The meaning and concept of "church" developed gradually in the first few centuries of Christianity.

There was no single person who definitively established the meaning of "church". Rather, its meaning evolved through the teachings and writings of early Christian leaders and theologians over time.

Initially, "church" referred more to the local gatherings of believers rather than a broader institution. Over time, it came to encompass both the local congregations and the wider Christian community.

While "church" and "Christianity" are closely related, they are not exactly synonymous. "Church" typically refers to the community of believers or the institution, while "Christianity" refers to the religion as a whole, including its beliefs and practices.

Akita Suggagaki said:

The Greek word is ekklesia, as in Matthew 16:18

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Akita Suggagaki said:

Usage: an assembly, congregation, church; the Church, the whole body of Christian believers.

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In ancient Greece it referred to a political gathering.

LayHong_Loves_Christ said:

The English translation of Church is it correct?

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I would say that with the word "church" the English language is unfortunate, because we use that same word to mean at least three different things: First, when we talk about going to church, or a church with fine architectural features, church means a physical building. Second, when we talk about somebody going into the church, we mean (at least in British English) that the person is planning to become a clergyman, and "church" means the institutional church. Thirdly, when somebody says, I am a member of Such-and-such Baptist Church", they mean they are a member of that particular body of believers. The first two meanings are never used in the bible. The third meaning is. Many of the New Testament epistles are addressed to "The church at......" Sometimes in the bible the word "church" is used to mean all Christians of all times and places, as for instance when Jesus said:

“I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” (Mt 16:18 NKJV)

HTacianas said:

The term church is only used primarily in the English speaking world. It comes from circle. Ancient pagans would stand in a circle and hold hands during their rituals.

Nearly all Christians refer to it as Ekklesia or Iglasia.

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That's an etymological misnomer. The English word "church" is ultimately derived from a borrowing of the Greek kyriakon, as in the kyriakon doma or kyriake oikos, the Lord's house. The building where Christians came together. This borrowing happened very early in the Germanic languages, as such all the Germanic languages have inherited this. It also happens that this word came to be used, in the Germanic languages, also as a way to translate ekklesia/ecclesia. As such "church" and cognates in other Germanic languages serves to refer to both the assembly (ekklesia) itself but also where that assembly takes place. This means "church" is a highly context-sensitive word.

-CryptoLutheran

LayHong_Loves_Christ said:

The English translation of Church is it correct?

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It's what has been used in English for as long as the English language has existed.

-CryptoLUtheran

I'm not versed in Greek, but St. Paul used the word "churches" in the second letter to the Corinthians.

2 Corinthians 11:28 "Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches".

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I presume he would have been referring to the groups of believers in those places where he had helped to establish or eoncourage local Christians. He could hardly have been referring to church buildings as we understand them today.

The church in his day was what we would call a house church.

When Christ declared Peter the Rock on which He would build His "church", He would have been speaking Aramaic. The Greek ekklesia was seen as the nearest equivalent for the original Aramaic term, and of course our "Church" in English is a much later development.

The Aramaic word used for church is an old Semitic legal term from the root ‘od which means to assemble or gather together for the purpose of testifying, instructing in a matter of law or to call a witness to testify. When we think of the reason for the existence of a church, this seems to fit quite well.

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If St. Paul used the term in one of his letters, the concept of "church" as a group of believers started very early. It was only after Christianity became established that church buildings began to be built.

The oldest word for church, the word that St. Paul himself used, is the Greek word “ecclesia,” from which we get the terms “ecclesial” and “ecclesiastical.” The word was in use centuries before the Christian church appeared on the scene. It referred to a socio-political gathering of citizens, who were called together to attend to the concerns of their city.

The term’s political associations probably had little to do with its use by the followers of Jesus. Those earliest followers probably borrowed the word from the popular Greek translation of the Old Testament, where it referred to Israel’s sacred assemblies, called together to worship or conduct business. It was natural for the first followers of Jesus, nearly all of whom were Jews, to borrow the familiar term for their assemblies.

Nevertheless, as news spread across the Mediterranean that a potential rival to Caesar had appeared, and that his followers were gathering in ecclesia, the ancient meaning of the word must surely have come to mind. That the Christians (Christ-ones or Christ-supporters) were meeting in socio-political gatherings across the empire caused the emperor and his prefects to see the church as a threat and attempt to abolish it.

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LayHong_Loves_Christ said:

When did the Church use the word "church"?
Did Jesus command to use the word Church?
Who first define the meaning of Church?
Did church also mean Christianity?

Click to expand...

The word "church" as used in Christian contexts originates from the Greek word "ekklesia," which means "assembly" or "called-out ones." This term was commonly used in Greek culture to denote a gathering of citizens called out for a specific purpose, such as for civic or political meetings. In the New Testament, the word "ekklesia" is used to refer to the community of believers in Jesus Christ, indicating the assembly or congregation of Christians.

Jesus Himself used the concept of the church when He declared to Peter, "And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:18, ESV). Here, Jesus affirmed the establishment of His community or assembly (church) upon the foundation of Peter's confession of faith in Him as the Messiah.

The precise moment or context when the term "church" began to be used specifically in Christian settings can be traced to the early followers of Jesus in the 1st century AD. In the New Testament writings, especially in the letters of Paul and other apostles, the word "church" is consistently used to refer to local congregations of believers and the universal body of Christ. The apostolic writings and subsequent early Christian literature solidified the usage of "church" to denote both the physical gatherings of believers and the spiritual unity of all believers in Christ.

As for whether "church" also means "Christianity," the term primarily refers to the assembly or community of believers rather than the entirety of the faith itself. "Christianity" encompasses the beliefs, doctrines, practices, and teachings centered around Jesus Christ, whereas "church" specifically denotes the organized community of those who follow Christ. While closely related, the terms "church" and "Christianity" are distinct in their scope and usage within Christian discourse and theology.

Jesus never used the word "church" and it should never have been the word the translators chose for the Greek word ekklesia.

OnePlanPeopleDestiny said:

Jesus never used the word "church" and it should never have been the word the translators chose for the Greek word ekklesia.

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The claim that Jesus never used the word "church" and that the translators should not have used this word for the Greek term "ekklesia" is a matter of translation and interpretation. In the New Testament, the word "ekklesia" appears numerous times, most notably in Matthew 16:18 where Jesus says, "And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church (ekklesia), and the gates of Hades will not overcome it."

The term "ekklesia" is understood to mean "assembly" or "gathering" of believers. It conveys the idea of a called-out community of faith, gathered together to worship and serve God. While "church" in modern English often refers to a building, the original Greek term emphasizes the people and their collective identity as followers of Christ.

Translators chose the word "church" to reflect this community aspect, although it's true that the connotations have evolved over time. The focus for believers should remain on the biblical concept of the "ekklesia" as the body of Christ—a living, active community of believers dedicated to living out God's will and spreading the Gospel.

LayHong_Loves_Christ said:

Did church also mean Christianity?

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The Word Christianity refers to those who follow Christ and His Church. In 100 AD through 1500 AD it was pretty simple and evident. Today many call themselves Christian who are not.