Subj: Church in Disguise
Church in Disguise
Posted on June 28, 2014, updated on June 19, 2014 by Skip Moen
So then, some were shouting one thing and some another, for
the assembly was in confusion and
the majority did not know for what reason they had come together. Acts
19:32 NASB
Assembly – What is the Greek
word for “church”? Ah, ekklesia,
you say. Everyone knows that. The church is the ekklesia of God.
Does that mean that the Greek word ekklesia should
always be translated, “church”? Is this Scripture’s special word for the new
body of believers God has chosen as a result of the Messiah’s death and
resurrection? If you listen to most Christian preaching, you would assume that
the “church” began at Pentecost and that ekklesia is the sacred Greek word
for this “called out” body of believers.
But then we run into Acts 19:32 (and other verses). Here is the
Greek word ekklesia,
but it certainly cannot mean “church.” Wouldn’t you agree? The same
word—exactly—is used here to describe an unruly mob in confusion (maybe that’s
what you experience at church J). Obviously, the word ekklesia cannot
mean “church.” It means simply “an assembly, a crowd.” In fact, in Greek it
specifically does not mean
“a religious assembly.” The apostolic authors confiscated this word from
secular Greek, in order to distinguish their religious assemblies from those
designated by synagoge (a
word that does not mean
“Jewish religious assembly”). Synagoge means any religious
assembly, for Athena, Zeus or YHVH. Jews used this Greek word to
translate qahal,
the Hebrew word for their religious assemblies. As a result, the word synagoge just
migrated into a Jewish term. But just like ekklesia, it wasn’t Jewish to begin with.
What does this mean for translations of Scripture? It means (are
you ready?) that there really isn’t a Greek word for “church.” The word
“church”, in your translated text, doesn’t exist as a separate, identifiable,
unique word in the Greek text. “Church” is an Old English word (related to both
Dutch and German). It is etymologically related to the Greek word kurios, meaning
“lord.” There is no special word that means “church”, in the Greek text of
Scripture (a useful explanation can be found HERE,
although I am not in agreement with all that Anthony writes). Perhaps you
already knew this and you’re settled on the fact that “church” is not a
biblical word. Perhaps you already realize that the only true Jewish terms
are qahal and edah, not even
“synagogue.” Of course, languages evolve, so today we typically think of
“church” as a Christian place of worship and “synagogue” as a Jewish place of
worship. But the point is that, no
one in the first century thought like this. Yes, synagogue was
used for a Jewish religious assembly, but everyone knew that this was a Greek translation
of the real Hebrew words qahal and edah. The Jews weren’t
confused about this. But we certainly are.
What’s the bottom line? The “church” is what men have made it.
It isn’t biblical. It isn’t even Greek. It’s what was invented over the course
of human religious worship. That means we have to rethink all those apostolic
passages about the “church.” And we have to re-evaluate just what really is the
place of worship for most Christians. Now, I don’t mean that you should
immediately stop attending “church.” Today, the word is clearly associated with
Christian attempts to honor God. What I mean is that you need to be aware that
this is not what
the disciples had in mind. Where to worship today is nothing like what they
understood in their day. That’s all right, as long as you realize that you are
not copying anything like what they were doing. What you experience today, in
“church”, is the product of the Roman world, the influence of a political empire
called Catholicism and a sprinkling of “relevance.” Go there, if you wish. Give
your money, if you feel led. Just don’t call it biblical.
Topical Index: church, ekklesia, synagoge, qahal, edah, Acts 19:32
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