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The Origin
of the Word "church"
By Andy Zoppelt
Part 1: The
Word that Changed the World
Language is the fundamental method we use for conveying information and understanding. The changing of one word can literally change the world. Therefore, translators are given an extreme responsibility in making sure they get it right, especially key words. When Jesus said, “Upon this rock I will build my ekklesia.” (Mat 16:18) The word is pronounced ek-klay-see-ah. The translators purposely used a word identifying a building rather than the people. I discovered that I had a choice; either I believed what the translators had to say or go to the original language and read what the Jesus and the apostles had to say. I found no mentioning coming from Jesus that He called the translators to represent His authority.
Our word “Church” is one of those words that has impacted the world and has subverted the purpose for which it was intended. Because the translators used the word “church,” meaning a building, instead of a more accurate word reflecting a functioning body, it has affected our whole approach to the meaning of body of Christ. We have been given a word from the translators that has nothing to do with the original Greek word ekklesia.
The idea of the “church” being a building was not given by the apostles or the Holy Spirit. It certainly was not what Jesus had in mind when He said, “Upon this rock I will build my believer together (church?).” The early church did not have a clergy distinct from the rest of the body. Clergy with titles and authority was foreign to the early disciples also. It was the rise of this authoritarian clergy that needed a building to control the people both religiously and politically. The Catholic Church and the Church of England both used the word “church” and its meaning as a building to hold the people in subjection to their control. Without a building they would have lost their power over the people. Even today, without a building the clergy system would fall. This system of clergy/laity and the use of a building is what we have come to know as the “institutional” church system. This system was totally foreign to the vocabulary and the life of the disciples of Jesus, who built and depended on the move of the Holy Spirit through all the people being built together. Therefore the retaining of the word "church" in our translations of the bible became crucial for the survival of the institutional church system even to this day.
To change the true meaning and function of the Greek word “ekklesia” to our English word “church” strengthened the clergy system and their power over the people. The statement, “power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely” has been the downfall and corruption of body ministry. The original intent was relational and not institutional. For in all the writings of the first and second century we do not find an “institutional” treatment of "ekklesia."
The word “church” actually comes from a different Greek word “kuriakon,” pronounced koo-ree-ak-on. Kuriakon actually means “pertaining to the lord.” It is used twice in scripture: 1 Cor 11:20 The “ Lord’s [ kuriakon] supper;” and Rev 1:10, the “ Lord’s [ kuriakon] day.” In those passages it is the supper belonging to the Lord and the day belonging to the Lord respectively.
The new Webster’s international dictionary, 1909 edition, gives this definition of the word:
“Church (church), n. [ME. chirche, fr. AS. circe, fr. Gr. kyriakon the Lord's house, fr. kyriakos concerning a master or lord, fr. kyrios master, lord, fr. kyros power, authority; akin to Skr. gram mighty , bold Olr. caur, cur, hero. Cf. KIRK.] 1. A building set apart for public worship, esp… 2. A place of worship of any religion, as, formerly, a Jewish or pagan temple or a mosque. Acts six. 37.”
There were pagans using the word “church” long before Christians ever began using it. The word “church,” originating from the Greek word “kuriakon,” which later evolved into our pronunciation “church” in English. Let’s now look as some well noted bible dictionaries.
“Church: Derived probably from the Greek kuriakon (i.e., "the Lord's house"), which was used by ancient authors for the place of worship.” ( Easton's Bible Dictionary.)
“CHURCH: I. The word Church. — 1. The origin of the word is uncertain. In the Germanic and Slavonic languages it is found as follows: Anglo-Saxon, cyrica, circ, cyric; English, church; Scottish, kirk; German, kirche; Low-German, karke; Frisian, tzierke or tziurke; Danish, kyrke; Swedish, kyrka; Bohemian, cyrkew; Polish, cerkiew; Russian, zerkow.” (McClintock and Strong Encyclopedia.)
“CHURCH, 1. The derivation of the word is generally said to be from the Greek kuriakon ‘belonging to the Lord.’ But the derivation has been too hastily assumed. It is probably connected with kirk, the Latin circus, circulus, the Greek kuklos ( ku/klo$) because the congregations were gathered in circles.
The English word church is not a translation but rather is a transliteration of the Greek word kuriake.
2. Ecclesia ( e)kklesi/a) the Greek word for church, originally meant an assembly called out by the magistrate, or by legitimate authority. It was in this last sense that the word was adapted and applied by the writers of the New Testament to the Christian congregation.” (Smith's Bible Dictionary)
“CHURCH: From the Greek kuriakee, "house of the Lord," a word which passed to the Gothic tongue; the Goths being the first of the northern hordes converted to Christianity, adopted the word from the Greek Christians of Constantinople, and so it came to us Anglo-Saxons (Trench, Study of Words). But Lipsius, from circus, from whence kirk, a circle, because the oldest temples, as the Druid ones, were circular in form.”
(Fausset's Bible Dictionary)
The word "church" is known in Scotland as kirk, and in German as Kirche and in Netherlands as kerk. These words show their direct derivation from the Greek Kirke even better than the English "church". When you see the German word “kirche” from the Greek word Kuriakon, you can begin to pick up our English sounding word “church.” English has many words that have come from the German language. The words "kuriakon" and "ekklesia" are not synonymous by any stretch of the imagination and there is no justification of the use of “church” for ekklesia. Unless of course one has a built-in bias in shifting the meaning of the word from “the people” to “a building”. A building would more serve the purpose of a religious group with a built in hierarchy.
Kuriakon, kirche, and church, all meant simply a religious building originally used by pagans and later used by Christians following pagan customs. Christians originally didn’t use buildings, which distinguished them from the pagans whose focus was on building, statues, ritual and physical objects.
From its earliest usage, the word “church” has been understood in pagan traditions, then later in Roman Catholicism and now in this present day as a building, but never has the word “church” been demonstrated or justified from a biblical stand point to represent the Greek word ekklesia. Church was a pagan concept and not a Christian one.
When I gave my life to Jesus some 43 years ago, I struggled with the idea of going to church. I thought church was boring and irrelevant. I wanted friends, fellowship, challenge and love. Later, feeling that all Christian must go to church, I went out of what I thought was obedience. I was falsely led to believe that the activities of the “church” were biblically an essential part of my being a Christian. I just couldn’t understand how sitting in a pew or chair and listening to some person preach from the bible could change my life… especially when the bible spoke overwhelmingly of my relationship with the members and not a pastor. I wanted to experience life, not just hear about it.
Many say, “We know the church is the building.” Do we? Do we act like it? No, of course not. We go to church rather than our “being” an assembly of believers ministering to one another. We ask people what church they go to. We collect money for the church (a building). We ask who the pastor of their church is. Where is your church? Each building has its own pastor and its own congregation. Then we are often given the scripture taken from Hebrews 10:25 if we miss the church service. But let’s see if this verse matches our typical church service, “not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.” First, they were a part of an assembly of people who have in common their commitment to Jesus and to each other whose coming together involved exhortation and fellowship with one another They were not an audience for a speaker.
William Tyndale, who in the 16 th century translated our first English Bible, translated "ekklesia" as “congregation,” moving the focus from a building to the people. He wanted to rid the Bible of the ecclesiastical words set in by a powerful clergy system. Tyndale used the word “church” one time and that was to describe a pagan temple (Acts 19:37). His translation brought the down the wrath of the Clergy and it cost him his life and for it he was burned at the stake. This is true even to this day; the most hated people are those who challenge our religious system.
Many in the clergy derive their prestige and livelihood from a clergy system with its corporate headquarters of a building. A change back to the faith that was once given to the saints rings fear to the order of our institutional church system.
Such words as: “bishop,” “office of.” “pastor,” “deacon,” etc., have been improperly translated to build an empire around men and denominational divisions.
When the King James Bible was published in 1611, it was flawed before it got started. Archbishop Bancroft, the head of the Anglican Church, set fourteen rules of translation to maintain the doctrine and practices of the Anglican church of England. King James made himself "head" of the Church of England, and he required a translation which would facilitate his control over the church and the people. James knew “no bishop, no king.”
Bishop Bancroft and Erasmus were the architects of the King James Version translation; they were far from being saints. The translators were obligated to fit the translation with the Anglican agenda and beliefs without any conflict between church and state.
Bancroft’s third rule required "the old ecclesiastical words to be kept, such as “church” instead of “congregation." He also wanted the old offices of bishop, deacon, pastor to relate to their “ most commonly used by the most eminent fathers” (rule four). The King James translation maintained the offices of the Church of England, so we find words added into the text like “office of” a bishop or a deacon. They also purposely translated many words differently to agree with the Anglican Church.
If you look in your bible, you will find “office of” in italics, if using a KJV.
When we study the history of the Bible translations, it is easy to see why those in authority sought to hide the original languages from the common people's understanding, but that is not the case today. We have bible programs that show every Greek word, its meaning, and what part of speech it is. We have bible dictionaries, lexicons, the internet and resources without end.
Part 2: Man's Niche to Build
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