Proclaimer Blog
ekklesia: just a few facts
Here's are some interesting facts based on my trusty Logos software:
- Uses of ekklesia in NT: 114
- translated as church/churches 108 times (ESV)
- translated as assembly 4 times
- translated as congregation 2 times (including, significantly, Acts 7.38)
- Uses of ekklesia in LXX: 100
- most of time it translates Hebrew qhl
- qhl (114 occurrences) translated assembly 90 of those times
- qhl never translated church
I think there are some missing links! Interesting too that Tyndale realised that church was a loaded word and only used it twice, once in Acts 14:13 and once in Acts 19:37. Quite a different context if you go and check those references out! Without wanting to get into arguments about replacement theology (terribly named), there is, whatever your position, a clear continuity between the people of God of the Old Testament and the New. Of course, we need to see that via Christ and his crucified work. Nevertheless, language carries over.