Dative Singular
ThEkklhsia
DATIVE SINGULAR
th ekklhsia (tay ek’klaysia / τη εκκλησια) – Matthew 18:17, Acts 7:38, 11:26, 15:22, 19:39, 1 Corinthians 1:2, 6:4, 10:32, 12:28, 2 Corinthians 1:1, Ephesians 1:22, 3:21, Colossians 4:16, 1 Thessalonians 1:1, 2 Thessalonians 1:1, 3 John 9
Matthew 18:17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it TO THE MULTITUDE (EVERYONE). And finally, if even in the case of THE MULTITUDE (EVERYONE) he should still not listen, THEN let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.
Acts 7:38 This is the one who was WITH THE MULTITUDE (THEM) in the wilderness with the messenger who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers. He received living oracles to give to us.
* (the ekklesia is beleivers) Acts 11:26 and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they gathered WITH THE MULTITUDE and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians.
Acts 15:22 Then it seemed to the messengers and the elders, WITH THE WHOLE MULTITUDE, they should choose men from among them and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They sent Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brothers,
Acts 19:39 But if you seek anything further, it shall be settled IN THE legal MULTITUDE/ECCLESIA.
* (Paul uses a play on words) 1 Corinthians 1:2 TO THE (CALLED) MULTITUDE who belong to God, residing in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, CALLED to be saints TOGETHER with all those who in every place CALL upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:
1 Corinthians 6:4 So if you have such cases, why do you lay them before those who have no standing IN THE MULTITUDE?
* (Paul has to qualify this instance of community-council with “of God” otherwise it would be hard to distinguish from the usual Greek community government.) 1 Corinthians 10:32 Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or TO THE MULTITUDE (who belongs to God),
1 Corinthians 12:28 And God has appointed IN HIS MULTITUDE first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues.
**** (See 1 Cor. 10:32 “existing in Corinth” Paul understands that there is only one community council of God worldwide but that part of it exists in Corinth and that is what he is trying to express here. Paul also uses interchangeably the words saints and multitude) 2 Corinthians 1:1 Paul, a messenger of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, TO THE MULTITUDE (who belong to God), residing in Corinth, also all the saints who are in the whole of Achaia:
Ephesians 1:22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things TO HIS MULTITUDE,
Ephesians 3:21 to him be glory IN HIS MULTITUDE and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
Colossians 4:16 And when this letter has been read among you, have it also read TO THE Laodician MULTITUDE; and see that you also read the letter from Laodicea.
* (See 1 Cor. 10:32) 1 Thessalonians 1:1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, TO THE Thessalonian MULTITUDE (in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ): Grace to you and peace.
* (See 1 Cor. 10:32) 2 Thessalonians 1:1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, TO THE Thessalonian MULTITUDE (in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ):
3 John 9 I have written something TO THE MULTITUDE, but Diotrephes, who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge our authority.
1 Corinthians 16:19 THE Asian MULTITUDES send you greetings. Aquila and Prisca, WITH THE MULTITUDE at their house, send you hearty greetings in the Lord.
* (see Rom 16:16) 1 Corinthians 16:19 THE Asian MULTITUDES send you greetings.
Aquila and Prisca, together WITH THOSE OF THE MULTITUDE in their house (Philemon2), send you hearty greetings in the Lord.
Ekklhsia:DS
DATIVE SINGULAR NO ARTICLE
ekklhsia (ek’klaysia / εκκλησια) – 1 Corinthians 4:17, 11:18, 14:19, 28, 35, Hebrews 12:23
* (if ekklesia is a congregation in a specific region, why does Paul need to qualify this verse with “everywhere”?) 1 Corinthians 4:17 That is why I sent you Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, to remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach them everywhere IN every MULTITUDE.
1 Corinthians 11:18 For, in the first place, when you gather together IN A MULTITUDE, I hear that there are divisions among you. And I believe it in part,
1 Corinthians 14:19 Nevertheless, IN A MULTITUDE I would rather speak five words with my mind in order to instruct others, than ten thousand words in a tongue.
1 Corinthians 14:28 But if in the case of no interpreter, IN A MULTITUDE, one should keep silent and speak to himself and to God.
1 Corinthians 14:35 If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to teach IN A MULTITUDE.
Hebrews 12:23 and TO A CELEBRATION and A MULTITUDE of firstborn-ones who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect,
Let me start off with saying that I’ve watched most of your videos and agree with you on most parts and have previously studied the term ekklhsia as well as the entomology of the english word church (such that KJV translators were to deliberately use the word church rather than assembly or congregation). I have not looked into quhal at this point though I did begin to notice a connection to the OT & NT in this.
My question is why you are choosing the term multitude over the term assembly, which is what I have began to use.
While I understand that ekklesia was a secular term here in the following scripture we find that it is called The Body of Christ. Is this an indication of a spiritualization of the word or would you say it is only referring to the ekklesia that is His body?
Ephesians 1:22-23 “And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the ekklesia, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.”
The word assembly can capture this correlation of the ekklesia being the body of Christ.
Here are some interesting english dictionary definitions of the word “assembly”
*a group of parts that fit together to form a self-contained unit
*a unit consisting of components that have been fitted together
*a group of persons who are gathered together for a common purpose
*whole, unit – an assemblage of parts that is regarded as a single entity
Looking at current definitions of assembly which can mean more than just getting together that also parallells the Body of Christ and its parts coming together as one
“And God put all things under Christ’s feet, and he gave him to the assembly as head over all things. Now the assembly is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.” (Ephesians 1:22-23)
We see here again that the assembly is Christ’s body. Read 1 Corinthians 12 (particularly verse 27 “Now you are Christ’s body, and each of you is a member of it.”)
We see that, while assembly can mean a group of people meeting in a particular place and time, Biblically it can also refer to the Body of Christ with similar or exact definitions to those English definitions I presented above.
(a group of parts that fit together to form a self-contained unit, whole, unit, an assemblage of parts that is regarded as a single entity)
Just would like to know your thoughts on these things until then I will poke around your site some more.
Thanks for watching the videos. At least someone took some time to understand what I believe before disagreeing. I appreciate that.
An article on why ecclesia does not mean assembly can be found at this link.
Ecclesia Vs. Assembly
http://ecclesiologyproper.wordpress.com/2010/04/10/ecclesia-vs-assembly
” Is this an indication of a spiritualization of the word or would you say it is only referring to the ekklesia that is His body?”
Please rephrase your question it was hard for me to understand what you are asking.
“Here are some interesting english dictionary definitions of the word “assembly””
Just so long as we understand the difference between the uses of these words
*a group of parts that fit together to form a self-contained unit
*whole, unit – an assemblage of parts that is regarded as a single entity
*a unit consisting of components that have been fitted together = a car assembly plant (for the purpose of putting things together) the word ecclesia has never been used this way in scripture. a car ecclesia plant?
*a group of persons who are gathered together for a common purpose = a meeting. is God’s ecclesia a meeting or is it people? God’s ecclesia can be in an assembly or eating lunch in their office, they don’t cease to be God’s ecclesia just cause they are not in an assembly.
Looking forward to your reply.
I notice an absence of Colossians 4:15
“Greet the brethren who are in Laodicea and also Nympha and the assembly that is in her house.”
Is this a multitude in her house?
wow!
I really appreciate that you were reading over this so concisely
Col 4:15 is in the accusative singular area
http://ecclesiologyproper.wordpress.com/2010/01/28/accusative-singular/
:[ by the way, these are my notes from when I first started this search and they are in rough rough draft stage. I know I need to update them but just haven’t gotten to it.
They are from back when I was dumping different theories into the verses and hitting roadblocks and erasing and fixing etc….
My first theory was that the nt writers used the word ecclesia because of the Great Greek Ecclesia but that was shot down because of all the syntax errors that came up with putting words like meeting or assembly in there.
Then I thought, maybe they are using an etymology, so I tried reading the verses with “called out ones” in there but just ran into so many syntax problems.
Then I read something somewhere that turned the lights on!
The nt writers did not choose to use the word ecclesia. They only used it because it had been used in their greek translations of the Old Testament that they were reading at that time.
For some reason the Jewish translators of the greek Old Testament in around 250 bc decided that ecclesia was a good word to translate qahal.
Since that time it has always been used to translate the hebrew word qahal.
When Jesus said I will build my ecclesia, what he really said was , I will build my qahal.
So my priority needed to be finding out what qahal meant.
That is why the Old Testament verses on this site are all based on qahal and not ecclesia. Sometimes qahal is not translated as ecclesia , but that is rarely.
MULTITUDE is the word I got from translating QAHAL. That is what the NT translators wanted us to see that God’s multitude in the Old Testament is the same as God’s ecclesia in the new.