[b-greek] Re: Acts 9:31 - Church(es)

From: Carl W. Conrad (cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu)
Date: Fri Jan 19 2001 - 15:58:50 EST


At 11:46 AM -0500 1/19/01, QashishaD@aol.com wrote:
>In a message dated 19/01/01 3:53:40 AM, cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu writes:
>
>>The view expressed here strikes me as a theological assertion or judgment
>>
>>rather than an understanding based upon actual usage of the word in the
>>
>>Greek New Testament.
>The above is in reply to a statement I made. I wish to assure Carl and the
>rest of the list that my assertion is based on the NT usage of the word AND
>the first century Christian writers as well as the historical understanding
>expressed by them. I am honest to admit I am not putting my theology aside,
>but nor am I asserting it in place of the NT usage of the word, but rather
>that those two aspect shape my theology, as is likely the case for many on
>this list and a major reason for our interest in b-greek. It is a proper
>thread for this list if our focus is on b-greek.
>Dimitri Grekoff

The statement in question was:

At 2:37 AM -0500 1/19/01, QashishaD@aol.com wrote:
>Neal, the Biblical and early Church reality was that there was only ONE
>Church, sometimes spoken of as being "churches" in different locales, but not
>as being a pluralities of churches. To speak of "churches" would be like
>speaking of "bodies of Christ," just not a Biblical concept.

I cited what I really think is a pretty accurate statement of NT usage of
the word EKKLHSIA. I am not doubting that there was a conception of
Christendom as an integral universal body of believers in the first
century--I certainly think that Paul's insistence upon raising funds for
the PTWCOI of Jerusalem attests to his own commitment to such an integral
universal body of believers. What I am questioning is whether the actual
usage of the word EKKLHSIA within the first century of the church in the NT
and documents of the first century reflects that this was the generally
accepted sense of the word EKKLHSIA. That's a proposition of which I doubt
the validity.

--

Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics/Washington University
One Brookings Drive/St. Louis, MO, USA 63130/(314) 935-4018
Home: 7222 Colgate Ave./St. Louis, MO 63130/(314) 726-5649
cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu
WWW: http://www.artsci.wustl.edu/~cwconrad/

---
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