The word church is a little confusing.

[Sabian]

Just put some information together on Ekklesia . To see if we all have the same understanding of the word.


The word ekklesia was used by YAHSHUA to ascribe the status of His followers (Matt. 16:19, 18:17). This word was used to denote those "called-out" (Greek ek-kaleo)


Strong's Number: 1577

Browse Lexicon
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Original Word

Word Origin

ejkklhsiva

from a compound of (1537) and a derivative of (2564)

Transliterated Word

TDNT Entry

Ekklesia

3:501,394

Phonetic Spelling

Parts of Speech

ek-klay-see'-ah

Noun Feminine



Definition

1. a gathering of citizens called out from their homes into some public place, an assembly
   1. an assembly of the people convened at the public place of the council for the purpose of deliberating
   2. the assembly of the Israelites
   3. any gathering or throng of men assembled by chance, tumultuously
   4. in a Christian sense
      1. an assembly of Christians gathered for worship in a religious meeting
      2. a company of Christian, or of those who, hoping for eternal salvation through Jesus Christ, observe their own religious rites, hold their own religious meetings, and manage their own affairs, according to regulations prescribed for the body for order's sake
      3. those who anywhere, in a city, village, constitute such a company and are united into one body
      4. the whole body of Christians scattered throughout the earth
      5. the assembly of faithful Christians already dead and received into heaven

Greek: ekklesia comes from two words: “kaleo” meaning to call, and “ek” meaning out from; to call out from; to call or summon; to call forth; to assemble together; to call out a gathering; gathering; assembly; congregation.

The word ekklesia is used in reference to the whole Body of Messiah (Matt. 16:18) but most often is used as a specific local expression of the whole Body in a city/town(Acts 13:1). Acts 8:3 implies that the scattered ekklesia can also mean an unassembled assembly.

The KJV translators used an old English word, “kirk”, defined as a building for public worship. Kirk is derived from the Greek word kuriakos meaning “belonging to the Lord” as in I Corinthians 11:20; Revelation 1:10 and thus the term kirk was defined as “the Lord’s house”. This word was used by the translators because the word “kirk/church” had already become known as a “place of worship” rather than simply, “to call out from”.

Note: Different Greek words: Church(ekklesia); Temple(hiaron); Synagogue (sunagoge); Assembly(ginomai); Congregation(sunagoge), Gathering(sunago).





I think it important to see that The ekklesia is a “Family (one Family)



The word “church” is a poor rendition of the Greek “ekklesia” (also “ecclesia”), literally meaning “called out.” The Hebrew kahal and ‘edah mean virtually the same: an assembly of a congregation, meeting, community of called-out believers.

In the Old Testament, IsraEL was known as kahal YHWH (Deut. 23:1-3). In the New Testament, believers were called ekklesia YHWH, 1Corinthians 1:2. The nation of IsraEL was known as the “called-out ones” in Acts 7:38.

Does the word “church” Describe “called-out ones.”?



Owen Barfield in His book, History in English Words, says of “church”:

“Even church…may have been brought home by German mercenaries on service in the East. The Greek ‘Kuriakon,’ from which is said to be derived, was in use in the Eastern provinces, as opposed to the ‘ekklesia’…adopted by Latin Christianity, and our pagan forefathers probably picked it up accidentally while they were pillaging the sacred [pagan] buildings in which their posterity was to kneel.”

Other sources trace the word church to pagan sources such as Homer’s Odyssey and the worship of Circe (Kirke), a goddess of pagan Greek mythology. When Christianity amalgamated with paganism and accepted sun worship and other heathen rites, pagan temples dedicated to Kirke were changed to houses of worship for these converts. They continued to go to “Kirke’s house for worship, which eventually became the “church.” Kurios (the Greek word for “lord”) is Zeus.

The American Heritage Dictionary (and other unabridged dictionaries) gives for the root of the word church: “Middle English chirche from Old English cirice, ultimately from Medieval Greek kurikon, from late Greek kuriakon (doma), the Lord’s (house) from Greek kuriakos, of the lord, from kurios, lord.”

Church is then the “house of kurios,” which is “the house of Zeus!”



That’s interesting !!!

 

[Aethelsige]

Now go century by century up to the present day and collect the definitions of each century. You will see that tradition and culture overides scripture in the meanings.