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Ekklēsia
by Cadet Erin Wikle
Ekklēsia Outside the Bible
Ekklēsia
(“assembly”) is derived from, ek-kaleo (“call out” – i.e.
summoning an army to assembly) and finds it origins in the 5th
century when full citizens of the Greek city state would be
called to assemble
in the case of an emergency or “extraordinary” gathering
(Hawthorne 123). These gatherings would allow each rightful
member the opportunity to share (specifically, to speak).
There is particular emphasis on the fact that
full citizens had
access to ekklēsia
and that its function was strictly political (a place
where judicial decisions would be made).
Ekklēsia in Paul
The work ekklēsia
is mentioned throughout the New Testament, of which
66 of 114 occurrences are found in Paul’s writings (Hawthorne
124). Hawthorne references three categories of which
ekklēsia is used in
the New Testament: the local gathering, house church, and
heavenly gathering. Note, however, that each are in keeping of
the original Greek meaning of a called assembly, congregation,
meeting, and gathering.
1.
Local Gathering –
1st recorded non-Political instance was in
Thessalonica (1 Thessalonians) as evidenced in Paul’s
greeting, “…
assembled by God the Father and by the Master, Jesus Christ”
(1 Thessalonians 1:1).
The use of
ekklēsia is true to
the original meaning – a gathering of a singular nation, in
this case, the Thessalonians.
2.
House Church –
Hawthorne notes “it was not until about the middle of the
third century that earl Christianity owned property for
purposes of worship”, making reference to homes in Laodicea,
Colossae, and Philippi, and Corinth where the earliest
believers gathered in Jesus’ name (Hawthorne 125).
3.
Heavenly Gathering –
This is notably the most general (broad) and eschatological
reference to the church as a whole, specifically referencing
all believers, as
would eventually be assembled in heaven.
Origin & Images of the Church
It is alleged that the term
ekklēsia, when it
stands alone in scripture, operates as an abbreviation for
he ekklēsia, which
means Church of God. This distinction is made to assert that
God himself and Christ, as part of the triune Godhead,
operates as the origin, impetus, and source of [religious]
ekklēsia (Hawthorne
126). In this,
we the church, are
a living extension of Christ, the head of the church
worldwide.
Hawthorne writes that while some images and metaphors are
analogous to the true interpretation of
ekklēsia, the
correlation is not always implicit (Hawthorne 127). There are
many instances where mention of “the body” or even “the
temple” are made in reference to an individual’s direct
relationship to Jesus rather than to the church on the whole.
Thus, it is important (critical, rather) to consider the
entire context of the particular passage to understand its
right interpretation.
The Purpose of the Church’s Gathering
The three main purposes for the church to gather is to edify
one another, meet with Christ, and worship God (Hawthorne
129). Paul teaches that gathering together in this was
necessitate a willingness to build one another up, showing
growth and progress in one’s faith that cannot be done alone,
apart from other believers. In meeting with Christ, there is
power in remembering that through his death and resurrection,
immediate access was granted to meet with Jesus, the Son of
God. This is best modeled through, prayer, scripture, sound
teaching, and spiritual songs – whereby the presence of Christ
manifests through his Holy Spirit where those who believe
gather. The greatest distinction between Old Testament and New
Testament worship is a frequent talking and teaching point of
Paul – worship itself is of a living, active God and should be
practiced in “every sphere of life” (Hawthorne 130). Hawthorne
continues that worship as a corporate response also works to
edify and lift up the body of Christ.
Authority of the Church
Lastly, the church operates under the authority and mantel of
Jesus Christ, remembering that he is the head/origin/source of
the church itself. Any work of the church in a purely
apostolic sense – that is to witness, teach, and build up –
was to be done under Christ’s authority, provision, and power
alone.
Why Does it Matter
From its beginnings,
ekklēsia, as we
understand it in relation to Jesus Christ, functioned as a
place to find commonality even amongst diversity. Its purpose
was to gather like and missional minded persons together to
assemble to edify
and encourage one another, grow in one’s faith and
understanding of Christ, and worship a triune God who is
worthy, above all else. In assembling in this way, God has
reminded us of the importance of gathering, assembling, and
being “called out”. The church does not exist for itself, but
also cannot exist without keeping connected to its source –
the Head, Jesus Christ. It is necessary to remember the origin
of ekklēsia, that
even within a political interpretation, the church functioned
to respond to emergent matters and that those who
belonged to it were
required to respond with both plan and action.
It seems as though the name “church” has been misunderstood
and misrepresented throughout the course of history. It has
also missed the mark.
I can’t help but wonder if this is because
we, the church, his
church has, for so long, wrongly understood our origins and
our Origin. Because the church is comprised of completely
fallible human beings, the risk of both intentionally and
unintentionally hurting others, misunderstanding the
needs/hopes/desires of others, and failing to actually
be ekklēsia. This
article served to provide a more academic understanding of the
origins of ekklēsia
without failing to put back within our grasp the basic ideas
and tenants of belonging – both for the sake of each other and
for the salvation of the world. Real
ekklēsia mandates
an apostolic way of life, wholly reliant on Christ as our
Source, remembering one another and
others, for the
glory and growth of HIS Kingdom.
Works Cited
Hawthorne, Gerald F, Ralph P. Martin, and Daniel G. Reid. Dictionary
of Paul and His Letters,
1993. Print.
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