Greek EKKLHSIA and English "church"

Ben and Jo Crick ben.crick at argonet.co.uk
Sat Oct 26 08:48:13 EDT 2002


On Fri 25 Oct 2002 (13:29:28), roncfay at hotmail.com wrote:
> I am assuming that this phrase must come from non-biblical literature,
> since 
> I am not finding it in the GNT.  Could you please specify a reference
> for  this?  Much appreciated.
>
 Now that's a fast ball, Ron!  I always assumed that hH KURIAKH EKKLHSIA
 was a commonplace appelation for the Christian Church "the Lord's Assembly"
 in the early centuries, but with the means at my disposal here at home I
 cannot track down a specific document using that specific phrase.

 It doesn't affect the main thesis, that the English word "Church" is
 derived from the adjective KURIAKH. My copy of Webster's Dictionary includes
 the following derivation:

 "Anglo-Saxon circ, ciric, circe, cyrce, cirice, cyrice, cyrece;
 Old Saxon cerica; Scottish kirk, which retains the Saxon pronunciation;
 Dutch kerk; Icelandic kyrkiya; Swedish kyrka; Danish kirke; German Kirche;
 Old High German chirihha, chilicha, chilcha; Low German karke, from Greek
 KURIAKH, KURIAKON, the Lord's house, from KURIAKOS, concerning a master or
 lord, from KURIOS, master, lord."

 hO KURIAKON is the building where the "church" meets; hH EKKLHSIA is the
 congregation or assembly which meets there.

 I rest my case, m'lud...

 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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