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- This article is about the group of people who share faith based in Christianity. For other uses, see Church (disambiguation).
Church refers to the group or body of persons who share faith based in Christianity. All other uses of this term extend from this (Judeo-Christian) and related contexts.
[edit] Origins
The Christian concept "Church" (Greek εκκλησια - ekklesia, ref. Strong's Concordance - 1557) is mentioned in the New Testament. Of the 114 occurrences of the term in the New Testament three are found in the Gospel accounts, all in the Gospel according to Matthew on the lips of Jesus: "And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my ekklesia, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it" (Mt 16:18); and "If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the ekklesia; and if he refuses to listen even to the ekklesia, let him be to you as the Gentile and the tax-collector" (Mt 18:17).
The Greek term εκκλησια - ekklesia, literally meaning a "convocation", was a governmental and political term, used to denote a national assembly, congregation or council of common objective (see Ecclesia (ancient Athens), Ecclesia (Church)). It was a team that worked together to resolve a problem faced by the wider community or society, but did not signify a "building".
The Christian use of this term has its direct antecedent in the Koine Greek translation of the Old Testament (see also Septuagint), where the noun ekklesia has been employed 96 times to denote the congregation of the Children of Israel, which Christians regard as a type of the "Body of Christ", as they also call the Christian Church of Christ.
On many occasions Jesus used the term "temple" (e.g. Mark 14:49 ιερον - hieron, ref. Strong's Concordance - 2413); but this use of "church" was something clearly disparate.
[edit] See also