ἐκκλησία
an assembly, congregation, church
Definition
The Greek word ἐκκλησία primarily means 'an assembly' or 'gathering.' In the New Testament, it carries three major senses: (1) a local, physical gathering of people, whether a secular civic assembly (Acts 19:32, 39) or a Jewish assembly (Acts 7:38, referring to Israel in the wilderness); (2) a local congregation of Christian believers meeting in a specific place (1 Corinthians 1:2, Galatians 1:2); and (3) the universal, spiritual body of all believers in Christ, often called 'the Church' (Matthew 16:18, Ephesians 1:22-23). This last sense encompasses all believers across time and space.
Biblical Usage
ἐκκλησία is used 111 times in the New Testament, predominantly in the Pauline epistles (e.g., Romans, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Ephesians) and Acts. In the Gospels, it appears only in Matthew (16:18; 18:17). In Acts and the epistles, it most frequently refers to local, organized groups of Christians in a city or house (Acts 8:1, 1 Corinthians 16:19). Paul also uses it for the universal, spiritual entity (Colossians 1:18, Ephesians 5:25). The Book of Revelation uses it for the seven specific churches in Asia Minor (Revelation 1:4, 11).
Etymology
Derived from ἐκ (ek, 'out of') and καλέω (kaleō, 'to call'), forming ἐκκλησία, literally 'the called-out ones' or 'assembly.' In secular Greek, it referred to the official assembly of citizens in a city-state. The Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) used it to translate the Hebrew qāhāl, meaning the assembly or congregation of Israel, thus giving it a rich biblical background for God's gathered people.
Semantic Range
ἐκκλησία is a cornerstone of Christian theology. It shifts from a simple 'assembly' to define the people of God under the New Covenant. Jesus' declaration in Matthew 16:18 establishes the Church as a spiritual entity built by Christ and against which evil cannot prevail. Understanding it as 'the called-out ones' emphasizes divine initiative in salvation and the Church's identity as a distinct, holy community (1 Peter 2:9). The term underpins doctrines of ecclesiology, the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:27), and the unity of believers across all local expressions.
In the Greco-Roman world, an ἐκκλησία was a political assembly of full citizens, a privileged gathering for civic decision-making. For Jewish readers of the Greek Old Testament, it carried the weight of the assembly of Israel before God. The New Testament authors repurposed this significant term for the new, multi-ethnic community founded by Jesus, transferring the idea of a privileged, convened assembly to all who believe in Christ, regardless of social or ethnic status (Galatians 3:28). This was a radical, inclusive redefinition.
συναγωγή (synagōgē, G4864) — Primarily a gathering or place of assembly; used for Jewish congregations and meeting places, highlighting a different historical and religious community. κοινωνία (koinōnia, G2842) — Fellowship, sharing, communion; emphasizes the relational bond within the ἐκκλησία rather than the assembly itself. λαός (laos, G2992) — The people, often of God; a broader term for a nation or populace, whereas ἐκκλησία specifies a convened assembly of that people.
Word Details
How this works
Definitions are from the Dodson Greek-English Lexicon, a concise public-domain resource suitable for introductory word study. Brief glosses are supplemented by STEPBible TBESG data (CC BY 4.0). For advanced research, standard scholarly references include BDAG (Danker, 3rd ed.) and LSJ.
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