Bible Lexicons

ἐκκλησία, ἐκκλεσιας, ἡ (from ἔκκλητος called out or forth, and this from ἐκκαλέω); properly, a gathering of citizens called out from their homes into some public place; an assembly; so used

1. among the Greeks from Thucydides (cf. Herodotus 3, 142) down, an assembly of the people convened at the public place of council for the purpose of deliberating: Acts 19:39.

2. in the Sept. often equivalent to קָהָל, the assembly of the Israelites, Judges 21:8; 1 Chronicles 29:1, etc., especially when gathered for sacred purposes, Deuteronomy 31:30 (Deuteronomy 32:1); Joshua 8:35 (Joshua 9:8), etc.; in the N. T. thus in Acts 7:38; Hebrews 2:12.

3. any gathering or throng of men assembled by chance or tumultuously: Acts 19:32, 41.

4. in the Christian sense,

a. an assembly of Christians gathered for worship: ἐν ἐκκλησία, in the religious meeting, 1 Corinthians 14:19, 35; ἐν ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις, 1 Corinthians 14:34; συνέρχεσθαι ἐν ἐκκλησία, 1 Corinthians 11:18; cf. Winers Grammar, § 50, 4a.

b. a company of Christians, or of those who, hoping for eternal Salvation through Jesus Christ, observe their own religious rites, hold their own religious meetings, and manage their own affairs according to regulations prescribed for the body for order's sake; aa. those who anywhere, in city or village, constitute such a company and are united into one body: Acts 5:11; Acts 8:3; 1 Corinthians 4:17; 1 Corinthians 6:4; Philippians 4:15; 3 John 1:6 (cf. Winer's Grammar, 122 (116)); with specification of place, Acts 8:1; Acts 11:22; Romans 16:1; 1 Corinthians 4:17; 1 Corinthians 6:4; Revelation 2:1, 8, etc.; Θεσσαλονικέων, 1 Thessalonians 1:1; 2 Thessalonians 1:1; Λαοδικέων, Colossians 4:16; with the genitive of the possessor, τοῦ Θεοῦ (equivalent to יְהוָה קֲהַל, Numbers 16:3; Numbers 20:4), 1 Corinthians 11:22; and mention of the place, 1 Corinthians 1:2; 2 Corinthians 1:1. Plural, αἱ ἐκκλησίαι: Acts 15:41; 1 Corinthians 7:17; 2 Corinthians 8:19; Revelation 1:4; Revelation 3:6, etc.; with τοῦ Θεοῦ added, 1 Thessalonians 2:14; 2 Thessalonians 1:4; τοῦ Χριστοῦ, Romans 16:16; with mention of the place, as τῆς Ἀσίας, Γαλατίας, etc.: 1 Corinthians 16:1, 19; 2 Corinthians 8:1; Galatians 1:2; τῆς Ἰουδαίας ταῖς ἐν Χριστῷ, joined to Christ (see ἐν, I. 6b.), i. e. Christian assemblies, in contrast with those of the Jews, Galatians 1:22; ἐκκλησίαι τῶν ἐθνῶν, gathered from the Gentiles, Romans 16:4; τῶν ἁγίων, composed of the saints, 1 Corinthians 14:33. ἡ ἐκκλησία κατ' οἶκον τίνος, the church in one's house, i. e. the company of Christians belonging to a person's family; others less aptly understand the phrase of the Christians accustomed to meet for worship in the house of someone (for as appears from 1 Corinthians 14:23, the whole Corinthian church was accustomed to assemble in one and the same place; (but see Lightfoot on Colossians 4:15)): Romans 16:5; 1 Corinthians 16:19; Colossians 4:15; Philemon 1:2. The name ἡ ἐκκλησία is used even by Christ while on earth of the company of his adherents in any city or village: Matthew 18:17. bb. the whole body of Christians scattered throughout the earth; collectively, all who worship and honor God and Christ in whatever place they may be: Matthew 16:18 (where perhaps the Evangelist employs τήν ἐκκλησίαν although Christ may have said τήν βασιλείαν μου); 1 Corinthians 12:28; Ephesians 1:22; Ephesians 3:10; Ephesians 5:23ff,27,29,32; Philippians 3:6; Colossians 1:18, 24; with the genitive of the possessor: τοῦ κυρίου, Acts 20:28 (R Tr marginal reading WH τοῦ Θεοῦ); τοῦ Θεοῦ, Galatians 1:13; 1 Corinthians 15:9; 1 Timothy 3:15. cc. the name is transferred to the assembly of faithful Christians already dead and received into heaven: Hebrews 12:23 (on this passage see in ἀπογράφω, b. and πρωτότοκος, at the end). (In general, see Trench, § 1, and B. D. under the word , especially American edition; and for patristic usage Sophocles Lexicon, under the word.)