Confused

Confuse and confusion were much stronger words in Elizabethan than in mod. Eng., Ac 19*2 ' the assembly was c"" (RV ' in confusion ') ; Is 9» ' with c. noise (ftV ' in the tumult '). See CON- FOUND 3. Confusion : 1. Tmnulluoiis disorder, as Ac 19^ ' the whole city was filled with c' {adyximi), I Co I4», Ja 3'" (drarao-Tofflo), 2 Es 16", Lv 18'='20'2 (S3F1), Is 24i» 34" 41=» (inn). The Oxf. Eng. Dirt. quotes Is 34" ' he shall stretch out upon it the line of c.' as an example of e.

in the sense of destruction (see Confound 1) ; and that meaning was common in 1611, as Shaks. Afid. Aight's Dream, I. i. 149 — 'So quick bright things come to confusioo.' But the Heb. (which is the word tr. 'without form,' RV ' waste,' in Gn V) makes it probable that in all the passages from I.saiah the meaning is dliorder. 2. Shnme, di'tgrare, as Ps 35'- * ' brought to c' (iDij, RV 'confounded,' Cbeyne 'abashed'); Job 10" 'I am full of c.' (\S^;>, RV 'ignominy'); esp. with Heb.

bCshcth, 1 S 20«'"», Ezr 9', Ps 109-=', Jer 7", Dn 9'- 8. (Except Ps 70», Is 61', Jer 7'", Mic 1", Zepli 3»- '«, b6sheth is tr. by alaxmr, in LXX. ) See Tongues, Confusion of. J. Hastings. CONGREGATION is AV rendering of several Heb. terms, esj). -r;\a, ny;, and hn^. It will be necessary to examine minutely the linguistic usage of OT in regard to each of these. 1. ijto (mu'i-d). The root-idea contained in this word is that of a fixed appointed meeting or tryst between (Jod and man.

Hence it is frequently employed to mean a 'set time,' or to designate the sacred .■sca.ions {mS'ftdim) when all the males in Israel had to present themselves at J"'8 sanc- tuary (Hos 9» 12», Lv 2.32- ■•• «■ «). It is but a step from this when ne find the word used to designate the assembly that celebrated the festival, or indeed as a designation for any assembly.

In Job 30^" we have "n-VpS t;\o n'3 'the place of assembly^ for all living,' used of Sheol, while in Is 33-" Zion is called uii'iD n;-)p ' the city of our assemblies ' (cf . Pa 74, La 1, Ezk 44^''). In particular, lyto occurs very frequently in the phrase lyiD '^nx {'Ohel mO'ed) the Tent of Meeting (between J" and Israel). The familinr AV tabernacle of the congregation fails entirely to suggest the true idea conveyed by the phrase as this is explained in Ex 29*-'- (Cf. W. R Smith, OTJC^ 246.)

The Sept. aK-qvfi tov nafrrvpioi and VuJg. tabemaeulum testiinonii, as well as Luther's Stift.ihiitte, have arisen, as Ges. explains, from improperly regarding i^to as synonymous with nny (see Nu 9'', where ' tabernacle of the testimony ' is the correct rendering). lyiD '?ni< is used with great frequency by P(131 times)and bythe Chronicler(l Ch 632 g.:! 0333, 2 Ch P- "• '3 5°), but it is emiJoyed also by E (Ex 33', where its meaning is explained ; cf.

Nu 11"-^ J), and occurs in at least two passages which belong to JE, viz. Nu 11" 12. The source of Dt 31" is uncertain, and 1 S 2" and 1 K 8 can scarcely be taken into consideration, because both contain elements of late date. In Ps 74' W '-j^to-S; = all the synagogues of God, and in La 2* nyto is eniployed as a designation for the temple.

It may be worth while to remind the reader that in the expression solemn assembly, which is occa- sionally used by AV as a rendering of 11:^0, ' solemn has its archaic sense of ' fixed ' or ' stated,' Lat. io^enni? (Driver, Qeut. 189). In Is 14" mouiLTt of the congregation probably refers to the assembly of the gods, whose dwelling- place, according to Bab. mythology, was located m the far north, upon the ' mountain of the world ' (Driver, Isaiah^ 129 n. ; Delitzsch, Isaiah, new ed. i. 310).

See Babylonia, p. 216'. 2. nyj_ ('cdt'th) and hn^ (kahal). Before examin- ing the linguistic usage of OT it may be well to refer to a distinction between these two words which has been contended for by some. Vitringa {de Synngoga vetere, 80, 88), with whom Trench (Syn- onyms of NT, 3f.) agrees, expresses the difference thus, 'notat proprie 7.717 universam alicujus populi multitudiiiem vinculis societatis unitam et rem- publieam quandara constituentem ; cum vocabulum nii!

ex indole et vi signiflcationis suae tantum dicat quemcuv^'2ue hominum ccetum et conventum sive minorem sive majorem. . avraywyi) ut et .tij; semjier signilicat ccetum conjunctum et congregatum etinin.ti nullo forte vinculo ligatum, Bed 4KK\rj<ria (Srii;) designat multitudinera aliquam quae yo/w/um constituit, per leges et vincula inter se jicnctam, etsi snejie liat ut non sit coacta vel cogi possit.'

This is certainly far more plausible and reasonable than the famous distinction which Augustine sought to establish between <rwayioYfi and iKK\ri<rla, or rather between their Latin equivalents, con- gregatio and eonvocatio, the latter being the nobler term, because used of calling together msn, while cnngreqntio designated the gathering together of cattle (grex) !

Vitringa's distinction comes, in fact, pretty near to that of Schiirer, to which we shall advert presently ; but it seems a mistake to en- deavour to carry such a distinction back to OT. It may fairly be questioned whether in a single instance the contention of Vitringa can be estab- lished. Rather are we inclined to see in the choice of the one or the other of these terms ■ mark of authorship. It is remarkable that .

inj; finds favour in certain books, while ShiT is prevailingly, if not exclusively, employed in others. (") ■■'7i'i from the same root as ivte, occurs vari- ously, (is Sx-iif ni:;^ (Ex 12'), Snt^- 'j? trij^ (Ex 16'-'-»), ni.T n-i; (Nu 27"), and absolutely, rnv.i (Lv 4") It belongs, like ii'io, to the vocabulary of P, nevet CONGREGATION CONSCIE.

NCE 467 occurrinc in D or JE, and its use in the other histonyil Injoks is rare, Jg 20', 21i»- '»• '«, 1 K 8" (=2 Ch 5"), 12" being the only instances (Driver, LOT 128). (6) >r.i] occurs variously, as '?K-;f: Snp (Dt 31*"), ni.T •?!!? (Nu 16', 20^), c-.T^xri ^rif (Xeh 13'), and absolutely, '■^n-n (Ex 16', Lv 4"). It is frequently employed in Dt, 1 and 2 Ch, Ezr, and Neh.

In the Ps both Ti;; and Srij are used without any per- ccj)tible diti'ercnce of meaning to designate the ' congregation ' of Israel. In the Sept. (rwayuyri generally answers to nis;, &nd iKicX-njla to 'Jns. The latter statement holds good uniformly in Jos, Jg, S, K, Ch, Ezr, and Neh, also in IJt (with the exception of 6*", where Snj is rendered irvfayay^). On the other hand, '?n7 is rendered by avyayuyfi in E.\, Lv, Nu, probably in order to secure uniformity in the (ir.

, for ni;;; in these books is always ffwa-, nryi). Once in the Ps Snj is rendered avvayiiryT} (40'") ; elsewhere we find tKKXrjcia, except in 26°, where it is (riWiSpioi'. While we ciiinut admit tliat the di.stiiution con- tended for by \'itrin';a is traceable in (.IT, yet a somewhat siniiliir distinction is discovered by Schiirer in the usage of the terras by later Judaism.

awayiityri was the term applicable to the empirical reslity, the actual congregation existing in any one place, while iKK\i]irla designated the ulcnl, the assembi}' of those called by God to salvation. It is easy to see how, on this account, ^KKX-qala dis- placed irvvaywy^ in Christian circles. In classical Greek, as is well known, 4KK\r]crla was the name for the l)ody of free citizens summoned by a herald, and in this sense it is used in Ac 19 of the assembly at Ephesus.

A statutory meeting was designated Kvpla or (vfofim (the latter in Ac 19**), one specially Bummoned was ffir/nXirros. It can hardly be saiu, however, that classical usage throws much light npm the nature of the iKKK-rinia, or 'congregation,' «o often spoken of in OT. The word may be used of an assembly summoned for a definite purpose (1 K 8") or met on a festal occasion (Dt 23'), but far more frequently it has in view the community of Israel collectively regarded as a congregation.

CVellhausen (Comp. d. Hex. 205) finds this last usage distinctive of P, denying that the nation is viewed from such a purolj' rhurchly standpoint in JE, or even in D. See A.'^SEMliLY. In OT A])Ocr. iKuXriaia occurs in the sense of a popular assembly (Jth 6" 14*, Sir 15'), more rarely as a designation for the people as a whole (1 Mac 4™). In NT iKK\7fala is applied to the congregation of the people of Isr.

in tiie speech of Stephen (Ac 7"), but awaytiTfii came gradually to be employed to distinguish Isr. from other nations. (It is charac- teristic of the Ep. of James that in 2" awayuryit is used of an a.ssemlily of Jewish Christians, and of the Kp. tothe Hebrews that in 10'-'°firi<7i;i'a7u>7J) [the word has a ditl'erent meaning in 2 Th 2'] is spoken of a Christian community.)

Hence, apart from the reason noted above, it was natural that ^McXijjfo should be chosen as the designatiim of the Christian Church, owing to the Judaistic associations of ffvyayoTfij. While there is little about OT 'congregation' to recall the popular assembly of a Gr. community (for the elders, or in post-exific times at Jerus., the hi"h priest and his counsellors, seem to have gener- ally acted alone), there are «me or two examples of an op]iosite kincl.

In Nti 35-^"- (P) it is the 'con- gregation' that decides the case of the luanslayer who has rciiclicd a city of refuge, altliough even here the decision according to I)' rests with the elders (cf. the above pas.sage with Jos 20^ [D'], or the latter with v."* [P]). Similar functions are a.scribed to the 'congregation' in the late and peculiar narrative of Jg 20, 21, and in Ezr 10, on the latter of which Kutnen (liel. of Israel, ii.

214) remarks, ' In very weighty matters the decision even rested with the whole community, which was summoned to Jerus. for that purpose.' (All that concerns the OT congregation as a worshipping body wUl be dealt with under CHURCH, SYNAGOGUE, and Tf;MPLK.) For the sake of completeness it may be well to note the usage of some other words of kindred import to the three we have discussed.

(o) rnxi^ ('dzereth), from a root containing the idea of enclosing or confining, is frequently applied to the ' congregation ' that celebrates the festivals (Jl 1'* 2", Am 5=', 2 K 10=", Is 1", in which last passage it is coupled with N"ip?) The nearest Gr. e<iuivalent is Trarfiyvpit (by which it is rendered in the Sept. of Am 5"', and which occurs in the NT once, He 12^ ' the general assembly ').

n-ixj;^ designates especially such assemblies as were convened on the seventh day of the Feast of Un- leavened Bread (Dt 16"), and the eighth day of the F. of Tabernacles (Lv 2S^, Nu 29>, Neh 8', 2 Ch 7») (b) ey K-;pp {mil:rd' kodesh), which occurs so frequently in the ' holy convocation ' of AV, is a favourite expression in the priestly sections of Ex, Lv, and Nu, particularly in H (Lv 17-26). The Sept. usually renders it kXtttt] ayta (cf. Sanday, Romans, 12 1. ). The simple !^^,-.

p occurs in Nu 10^ and Is 1". It is hard to discover any difl'erence between this term and n-ii;;. (c) nto (s6d), originally = friendly conversation (SfiiXla), then on the one hand = friendliness, friendship, and on the other = a bocly of friends (cf. Driver on Am 3'). It is used of a gathering for familiar converse (Jer 6" 15", in the latter of \vliieh the Sept.

has (nviSpiOf), of a deliberative council (Job 15», Jer 23", Ps 89', in all these used of the Privy Council of the Almighty), of a secret com- pany of wicked men plotting evil (Ps 6*'), or of the select assembly of the upright (Ps 111', where nin is coupled with nnj, as it is in Gu 49' with Snj). LiTERATTBB.— Schfirer. BJP II. il. 69 n. ; Driver. LOT lie, Drut. 188, 195, 2:i4 ; Thayer, A'T Lex. and Creiner, Bib.-Theol. Lex. s. ixKXrf"^ and iru»a>«»>-r ; Wellhaiisen, Camp, d- Uex.

206; Hort, diriitian Krdesia (1S97), 1-21 ; Vitrinjca, de Syn. Vet. 77 f. ; Trench, Syn. df AT, 1 i.\ Holzingcr, XA W (188(0. P- 106 If. J. A. Selbie.