Post by alon on Apr 20, 2021 2:02:47 GMT -8
kuriakos vs. ekklesia
The Greek term ἐκκλησία ekklesia is usually translated “church” in the N T. However the English word “church” did not originate from either the term ἐκκλησία ekklesia nor from that concept it expressed in the N T. It comes from κυριακός‚ kuriakos, meaning “belonging to the Lord.” This word does appear twice in the New Testament:
1 Corinthians 11:20 (ESV) When you come together, it is not the Lord’s [κυριακόν – kuriakon] supper that you eat.
Revelation 1:10 (ESV) I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s [κυριακῆ – kuriake] day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet…
In both instances the adjective κυριακός kuriakos specifies ownership. The supper and day belonged to the Lord. Completely different meaning than ἐκκλησία ekklesia.
At some point meeting places where believers gathered became known as “the Lord’s house” which, because the phrase suggested ownership used the term κυριακόν kuriakon, which is the neuter gender of the place.
It’s difficult to pin down when this happened. Most usage of the term is found in ancient government records. It’s a bit hard to read, but here’s an excerpt from THE VOCABULARY OF THE GREEK NT: κυριακός, which occurs in 1 Corinthians 11:20, Revelation 1:10, is described by Grimm-Thayer as ";a bibl. and eccles. word,"; but exx. of it from the inscrr. = ";Imperial"; are given by LS, and the same usage is amply supported by our documents. The following instances may suffice—P Lond 328.10 (A.D. 163) (= II. p. 75) a camel is provided εἰς κυριακὰς χρείας τῶν ἀπὸ Βερνείκης γεινο (μένων) ποριῶν (l. πορειῶν), ";for Imperial service on the caravans that travel from Bernice,"; P Oxy III. 474.41 (A.D. 184?) τοῦ κυριακοῦ χρήματος, ";the Imperial revenue,"; P Giss I. 48.8 (A.D. 202–3) κατὰ κυριακῆς γῆς (see the editor’s note), P Oxy XII. 1461.10 (A.D. 222) ἐ ̣ν κτήσει κυριακῇ, ";in Imperial ownership,"; BGU I. 1.15 (iii/A.D.) εἰς τὸν κυριακὸν λόγον, ";into the Imperial treasury,"; and ib. 266.18 (A.D. 216–7) εἰς τὰς ἐν Συρίᾳ κυρι [α ]κὰς ὑπηρεσίας, ";for the Imperial service in Syria."; The earliest known ex. of this official use of the word is apparently OGIS 669.18 (A.D. 68) εἰδὼς τοῦτο συμφέρειν καὶ ταῖς κυριακαῖς ψήφοις (";the Imperial finances";) , 18 ἔξω <ι > τῶν ὀφειλόντων εἰς τὸν κυριακὸν λόγον (";the Imperial treasury";) : see Deissmann LAE 2 p. 362 ff., where attention is also drawn to the significant use of Σεβαστή, as denoting ";Emperor’s Day"; in this same inscr., and the conjecture is thrown out ";that the distinctive title ‘Lord’s Day’ may have been connected with conscious feelings of protest against the cult of the Emperor with its ‘Emperor’s Day’"; (p. 364); cf. also Encycl. Bibl. 2813 ff., and Wilcken Ostr. i., p. 812. The word κυριακός had been previously discussed by Deissmann in BS p. 217 ff., and to his citations from the inscrr. we may add PAS ii. 14 (Makuf, ancient Heraclea, in Caria) ἀποτίσει τῷ κυριακῷ [φ ]ίσκῳ, ib. 21 (same place) ἀπο [τ ]είσει [τ ]ῷ κυριακῷ φίσκῳ (cited by Hatch JBL xxvii. 2, p. 138 f.). The word is used of a church-building in the iv/A.D. P Oxy VI. 903.19 ἀπελθοῦσα [εἰ ]ς τὸ κυριακὸν ἐν Σαμβαθώ, ";when I had gone out to the church at Sambatho"; (Edd.), cf. 21. A Syracusan inscr., Kaibel 737—no date,
This word became a loan word in different cultures: Proto-Germanic “kirka,” Saxon “cyrica,” Norse “kirkija,” Dutch “kirk.” and Middle English “chirche.”
We can track usage in our own Bible translations:
ΚΑΤΑ ΜΑΤΘΑΙΟΝ (SBL Greek) κἀγὼ δέ σοι λέγω ὅτι σὺ εἶ Πέτρος, καὶ ἐπὶ ταύτῃ τῇ πέτρᾳ οἰκοδομήσω μου τὴν ἐκκλησίαν [ecclesion, assembly], καὶ πύλαι ᾅδου οὐ κατισχύσουσιν αὐτῆς·
The earliest biblical use of “church” possibly is in the West Saxon dialect of Old English, @990 CE: And ie seege pe, Daet ou eart Petrus, and ofer pysne stan ie getimbrige mine cyricean; and helle gatu ne magon ongean pa. The problem is we don’t know what cyricean meant in that dialect, so we can’t be certain it means “church.”
Matthaeus 16:18 (Vulgata 4th cen CE) Et ego dico tibi, quia tu es Petrus, et super hanc petram aedificabo Ecclesiam meam, et portae inferi non praevalebunt adversus eam.
Matthew 16:18 (Wycliffe 1380) And Y seie to thee, that thou art Petre, and on this stoon Y schal bilde my chirche, and the yatis of helle shullen not haue haue miyt ayens it [and the gates of hell shall not have might against it.]
Here we see the term used, but it did not catch on, as we can see:
Matthew 16:18 (Tyndale 1526) And I saye also vnto the yt thou arte Peter: and apon this rocke I wyll bylde my congregacion. And the gates of hell shall not prevayle ageynst it.
Matthew 16:18 (Bishop’s Bible 1568) And I say also vnto thee, that thou art Peter, and vpon this rocke I wyll buylde my congregation: And the gates of hell shall not preuayle agaynst it.
This is the official Bible of the Church of England. But not much later:
Matthew 16:18 (Douay-Rheims 1582) And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
This is a Catholic translation, and the first semi-modern English translation where “church” appears. After this, pretty much all English Bibles (mis)translate ἐκκλησίαν ecclesion as “church” instead of “assembly.”
Matthew 16:18 (1599 Geneva Bible) And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church: and the gates of hell shall not overcome it.
Matthew 16:18 (KJV 1611) And I say also vnto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rocke I will build my Church; and the gates of hell shall not preuaile against it.
Matthew 16:18 (Darby Translation, 1867) And *I* also, I say unto thee that *thou* art Peter, and on this rock I will build my assembly, and hades' gates shall not prevail against it.
So not all translators succumbed to the Roman version, as with the next:
Matthew 16:18 (Young’s Literal Translation, 1862) `And I also say to thee, that thou art a rock, and upon this rock I will build my assembly, and gates of Hades shall not prevail against it;
Matthew 16:18 (NASB) And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.
Matthew 16:18 (Common English Bible, 2008) I tell you that you are Peter. And I’ll build my church on this rock. The gates of the underworld won’t be able to stand against it.
Sometime in the Middle Ages European languages began using “church” as the standard translation of ἐκκλησία ekklesia; but the word “church” being from κύριοςov kuriakon has no linguistic connection. ἐκκλησία ekklēsia means “assembly.” However we now have this new term “church” which subverts the true biblical meaning. So now most people understand “church” as a place of Christian worship or a body of Christian believers. It excludes Jews, both traditional and Messianic.
You cannot just exchange terms and keep the original meaning. Translators have knowingly taken the word for assembly and exchanged it for a word not found in any biblical text relating to an assembly, and in so doing have completely changed the Christian’s perspective on the Body of The Christ!. It is clear they lied to build their theology; and “Protestant” theology is much closer to Catholicism than to the truth.
Reading “church" in Acts, we have a disconnect from the original meaning. This is a problem, as many now see the body of believers solely as a Christian gathering. It completely obscures the Jewish roots of the assembly and their connection to the the body.
The Greek term ἐκκλησία ekklesia is usually translated “church” in the N T. However the English word “church” did not originate from either the term ἐκκλησία ekklesia nor from that concept it expressed in the N T. It comes from κυριακός‚ kuriakos, meaning “belonging to the Lord.” This word does appear twice in the New Testament:
1 Corinthians 11:20 (ESV) When you come together, it is not the Lord’s [κυριακόν – kuriakon] supper that you eat.
Revelation 1:10 (ESV) I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s [κυριακῆ – kuriake] day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet…
In both instances the adjective κυριακός kuriakos specifies ownership. The supper and day belonged to the Lord. Completely different meaning than ἐκκλησία ekklesia.
At some point meeting places where believers gathered became known as “the Lord’s house” which, because the phrase suggested ownership used the term κυριακόν kuriakon, which is the neuter gender of the place.
It’s difficult to pin down when this happened. Most usage of the term is found in ancient government records. It’s a bit hard to read, but here’s an excerpt from THE VOCABULARY OF THE GREEK NT: κυριακός, which occurs in 1 Corinthians 11:20, Revelation 1:10, is described by Grimm-Thayer as ";a bibl. and eccles. word,"; but exx. of it from the inscrr. = ";Imperial"; are given by LS, and the same usage is amply supported by our documents. The following instances may suffice—P Lond 328.10 (A.D. 163) (= II. p. 75) a camel is provided εἰς κυριακὰς χρείας τῶν ἀπὸ Βερνείκης γεινο (μένων) ποριῶν (l. πορειῶν), ";for Imperial service on the caravans that travel from Bernice,"; P Oxy III. 474.41 (A.D. 184?) τοῦ κυριακοῦ χρήματος, ";the Imperial revenue,"; P Giss I. 48.8 (A.D. 202–3) κατὰ κυριακῆς γῆς (see the editor’s note), P Oxy XII. 1461.10 (A.D. 222) ἐ ̣ν κτήσει κυριακῇ, ";in Imperial ownership,"; BGU I. 1.15 (iii/A.D.) εἰς τὸν κυριακὸν λόγον, ";into the Imperial treasury,"; and ib. 266.18 (A.D. 216–7) εἰς τὰς ἐν Συρίᾳ κυρι [α ]κὰς ὑπηρεσίας, ";for the Imperial service in Syria."; The earliest known ex. of this official use of the word is apparently OGIS 669.18 (A.D. 68) εἰδὼς τοῦτο συμφέρειν καὶ ταῖς κυριακαῖς ψήφοις (";the Imperial finances";) , 18 ἔξω <ι > τῶν ὀφειλόντων εἰς τὸν κυριακὸν λόγον (";the Imperial treasury";) : see Deissmann LAE 2 p. 362 ff., where attention is also drawn to the significant use of Σεβαστή, as denoting ";Emperor’s Day"; in this same inscr., and the conjecture is thrown out ";that the distinctive title ‘Lord’s Day’ may have been connected with conscious feelings of protest against the cult of the Emperor with its ‘Emperor’s Day’"; (p. 364); cf. also Encycl. Bibl. 2813 ff., and Wilcken Ostr. i., p. 812. The word κυριακός had been previously discussed by Deissmann in BS p. 217 ff., and to his citations from the inscrr. we may add PAS ii. 14 (Makuf, ancient Heraclea, in Caria) ἀποτίσει τῷ κυριακῷ [φ ]ίσκῳ, ib. 21 (same place) ἀπο [τ ]είσει [τ ]ῷ κυριακῷ φίσκῳ (cited by Hatch JBL xxvii. 2, p. 138 f.). The word is used of a church-building in the iv/A.D. P Oxy VI. 903.19 ἀπελθοῦσα [εἰ ]ς τὸ κυριακὸν ἐν Σαμβαθώ, ";when I had gone out to the church at Sambatho"; (Edd.), cf. 21. A Syracusan inscr., Kaibel 737—no date,
This word became a loan word in different cultures: Proto-Germanic “kirka,” Saxon “cyrica,” Norse “kirkija,” Dutch “kirk.” and Middle English “chirche.”
We can track usage in our own Bible translations:
ΚΑΤΑ ΜΑΤΘΑΙΟΝ (SBL Greek) κἀγὼ δέ σοι λέγω ὅτι σὺ εἶ Πέτρος, καὶ ἐπὶ ταύτῃ τῇ πέτρᾳ οἰκοδομήσω μου τὴν ἐκκλησίαν [ecclesion, assembly], καὶ πύλαι ᾅδου οὐ κατισχύσουσιν αὐτῆς·
The earliest biblical use of “church” possibly is in the West Saxon dialect of Old English, @990 CE: And ie seege pe, Daet ou eart Petrus, and ofer pysne stan ie getimbrige mine cyricean; and helle gatu ne magon ongean pa. The problem is we don’t know what cyricean meant in that dialect, so we can’t be certain it means “church.”
Matthaeus 16:18 (Vulgata 4th cen CE) Et ego dico tibi, quia tu es Petrus, et super hanc petram aedificabo Ecclesiam meam, et portae inferi non praevalebunt adversus eam.
Matthew 16:18 (Wycliffe 1380) And Y seie to thee, that thou art Petre, and on this stoon Y schal bilde my chirche, and the yatis of helle shullen not haue haue miyt ayens it [and the gates of hell shall not have might against it.]
Here we see the term used, but it did not catch on, as we can see:
Matthew 16:18 (Tyndale 1526) And I saye also vnto the yt thou arte Peter: and apon this rocke I wyll bylde my congregacion. And the gates of hell shall not prevayle ageynst it.
Matthew 16:18 (Bishop’s Bible 1568) And I say also vnto thee, that thou art Peter, and vpon this rocke I wyll buylde my congregation: And the gates of hell shall not preuayle agaynst it.
This is the official Bible of the Church of England. But not much later:
Matthew 16:18 (Douay-Rheims 1582) And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
This is a Catholic translation, and the first semi-modern English translation where “church” appears. After this, pretty much all English Bibles (mis)translate ἐκκλησίαν ecclesion as “church” instead of “assembly.”
Matthew 16:18 (1599 Geneva Bible) And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church: and the gates of hell shall not overcome it.
Matthew 16:18 (KJV 1611) And I say also vnto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rocke I will build my Church; and the gates of hell shall not preuaile against it.
Matthew 16:18 (Darby Translation, 1867) And *I* also, I say unto thee that *thou* art Peter, and on this rock I will build my assembly, and hades' gates shall not prevail against it.
So not all translators succumbed to the Roman version, as with the next:
Matthew 16:18 (Young’s Literal Translation, 1862) `And I also say to thee, that thou art a rock, and upon this rock I will build my assembly, and gates of Hades shall not prevail against it;
Matthew 16:18 (NASB) And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.
Matthew 16:18 (Common English Bible, 2008) I tell you that you are Peter. And I’ll build my church on this rock. The gates of the underworld won’t be able to stand against it.
Sometime in the Middle Ages European languages began using “church” as the standard translation of ἐκκλησία ekklesia; but the word “church” being from κύριοςov kuriakon has no linguistic connection. ἐκκλησία ekklēsia means “assembly.” However we now have this new term “church” which subverts the true biblical meaning. So now most people understand “church” as a place of Christian worship or a body of Christian believers. It excludes Jews, both traditional and Messianic.
You cannot just exchange terms and keep the original meaning. Translators have knowingly taken the word for assembly and exchanged it for a word not found in any biblical text relating to an assembly, and in so doing have completely changed the Christian’s perspective on the Body of The Christ!. It is clear they lied to build their theology; and “Protestant” theology is much closer to Catholicism than to the truth.
Reading “church" in Acts, we have a disconnect from the original meaning. This is a problem, as many now see the body of believers solely as a Christian gathering. It completely obscures the Jewish roots of the assembly and their connection to the the body.