Greek EKKLHSIA and English "church"

Ben and Jo Crick ben.crick at argonet.co.uk
Fri Oct 25 12:58:14 EDT 2002


On Thu 24 Oct 2002 (22:16:58), Jim Talon wrote:
> My request is therefore this: would anyone be so kind as to explain 
> how the word "church" came to be universally associated with the 
> Greek word EKKLHSIA, and is this an accurate and happy translation 
> of that Greek word?

 The cognate of the English word Church is not EKKLHSIA, but KURIAKH from
 the phrase hH KURIAKH EKKLHSIA. KURIAKH becomes Kirche in German, Kerk in
 Dutch, Kirk in Scotland, etc....

 The Romance languages use the EKKLHSIA cognate, e.g. E/glise in French.
 The Welsh word for Church is Eglwys from EKKLHSIA.

 So it seems that some linguistic/tribal groups chose a cognate of the noun
 EKKLHSIA for Church, and some chose a cognate of the sdjective KURIAKH
 (feminine to agree with EKKLHSIA).

 In English, we choose the adjective KURIAKH for our noun Church, and then
 choose the noun EKKLHSIA for our adjective Ecclesiastical.

 ERRWSQE
 Ben
-- 
 Revd Ben Crick BA CF, and Mrs Joanna (Goodwin) Crick
 <ben.crick at argonet.co.uk>
 232 Canterbury Road, Birchington, Kent, CT7 9TD (UK)
 http://www.cnetwork.co.uk/crick.htm






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