Ekklesia versus Church

Did you know that Jesus never used the word church. He said, "I will build my ekklesia." These are two different words that mean two different things.

The word "church" and the Greek word ekklesia (or ecclesia) have distinct origins and meanings, though they are often used interchangeably but don't mean what we think they do.

Ekklesia: This Greek word, found in the New Testament, refers to a specific group of people called out for a particular purpose, often with religious or political connotations. It emphasizes the people themselves, the "called-out ones," rather than a building or a formal institution. Further the Latin ecclesia, from Greek ekklesia, where the word is a compound of two segments: ”ek”, a preposition meaning “out of”, and a verb “kaleo” signifying “to call” - together, literally, “to call out”. The Latin ecclesia comes from the Greek ekklesia and means “assembly” or “to call out of”. More significantly, this was the word used throughout the Old Testament (translated from the Hebrew qahal) to refer to Israel, the People of God. How should we view these gatherings? They were small, normally five to ten people, maybe at times as many as twenty. They were occasions for eating, drinking, and discussing. They bear no resemblance to modern worship services, but more resemble church suppers. The move to formal worship did not occur until the third century.

Church: The English word "church" is derived from the Greek kuriakon, which signifies something belonging to the Lord, or a place dedicated to the Lord. Over time, "church" has come to refer to both a building for worship and the broader Christian community. Further, the English word church is from the Old English “cirice”, derived from West Germanic “kirika”, which in turn comes from the Greek kuriake meaning “of the Lord”.

Nevertheless, something significant and eventually heartbreaking happened in 313 A.D. when Constantine legalized Christianity. Without going into all the details, when that happened, the Ekklesia ceased to be a movement; it became a location. Eventually, a German word, kirche, was substituted for ekklesia. Kirche and ekklesia refer to two very different ideas. A kirche (church) is a location while an ekklesia (church) is a purposeful, often powerful gathering of people united by identity and purpose.

How did ‘church’ become the translation for ekklēsia?

This is a twisted tale. The fifth century Cappadocian (central Turkey) Christians called their communities Kyriakos oikos (the Lord’s house). They had a major influence on the translation of the Bible into Gothic, an old east Germanic language. The Goths rendered Kyriakos oikos as ciric. In old English that became kerk, and then in English ‘church’ and in German Kirche. There is one more anomaly in this tale. In the King James translation of the Hebrew scripture (so-called ‘Old Testament’), the translators consistently employed the gloss ‘assembly,’ while in the New Testament, they used ‘church.’ Thus, they obscured the connection to its Jewish roots. Anti-Semitism hides in the strangest places.

Seeing ‘church’ as a small gathering, most often in a home, around eating, drinking, and discussion suggests a shift away from institution to small groups based on personal relations. This was always the purpose by Jesus Christ. Was it ever meant to be anything more than that? No, then if not who is our Lord? Jesus Christ or Constantine.

The questions are sobering and penetrating. Is the church you’re a part of more ekklesia or kirche? Is it more about mission or meeting? Is it more kinetic or comfy?