Ekklesia: The Church - an Ekklesia not a Synagogue
by Dr. Patti Amsden
by Dr. Patti Amsden
The Gospel of Matthew was written by Matthew, called also Levi, who was a Jew of Galilee and a tax collector by trade. Of the four gospels, Matthew frames his account as a special appeal to his fellow Jews. He presents Jesus in the first chapter as King from the lineage of David and as the covenant son of the seed of Abraham (Matt. 1:1), which represents the two most important Old Testament covenantal promises. The prominent them of Matthew is that of Christ as King, the righteous branch of David (Jer. 23:5; 33:15), and the kingdom that Jesus came to establish.
Matthew is the only gospel that contains Christ’s proclamation that He would build His church, which as we have already established is a pronouncement and appointment of His kingdom representatives and of their governmental and legislative authority (Mt. 16:17-19). Matthew is, likewise, the only gospel that contains the structure and authentication of the church’s court system, which is also a governmental function (Mt. 18:15-20). Because the writings of Matthew emphasize the establishment and functioning of the kingdom, this gospel shines a spotlight on the church – the ekklesia – in the context of governmental authority.
As Matthew communicated the words of Jesus in the two aforementioned passages, Matthew chose the Greek word ekklesia, which is a word that can be traced back to its Old Testament meaning. The Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament is called the Septuagint. In Deuteronomy 9:10 and 18:16, the Hebrew word qahal, which comes from a root that means to summon, is translated into ekklesia. Both the Hebrew word qahal and the Greek word ekklesia mean the assembly or the summoned people who assemble together. In Deuteronomy 9:10, Moses had received the tablets of stone on the “day of the assembly” when Israel had been summoned and assembled to receive their ambassadorial commissioning to steward God’s kingdom through the use of His decrees.
The concept of qahal and its Greek counterpart ekklesia describe a redeemed people who are summoned and assembled to be granted authority to accomplish the business of heaven on the earth. The called out of Moses and the called out of Christ were duly summoned representatives, agencies of Kingdom government, and a ruling council or legislative body.
The Old Testament uses another Hebrew word for the gathering of God’s people. That word is edah. Edah refers to the community, to the people, or to the family and has to do with corporeity and fellowship that goes beyond just a collection of individuals. The Septuagint often translated edah as synagoge but never translates edah as ekklesia. Examination of the passages where both edah and qahal are used suggest a distinction between gathering of God’s people in communal and sacramental life and the community assembled for governmental, legislative, or court functionality.
The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology sheds more light on the distinction between edah (synagoge) and qahal (ekklesia):
…in the Greek speaking dispersion, that is the Jews who were later known as the Hellenists, the total Jewish community as determined by the law and the temple was denoted synogoge in the sense of ‘edah (e.g. Num. 8:9; Lev. 4:13; Exod. 12:19). Where ekklesia is used in the LXX (Septuagint) for qahal, it indicates the assembly of the people or a judicial assembly (e.g. Deut 9:10; 23:3 ff.; Jdg. 21:5, 8; Micah 2:5), the political body (e.g. the returned exiles Ezr. 10:8, 12; Neh. 8:2, 17). It also indicates, especially in the Chronicler, the assembly of the people for worship (e.g. 2 Chr. 6:3 at the consecration of the temple; 30:2, 4, 13, 17 at Hezekiah’s Passover; cf. also Joel 2:16 and several times in the Pss., e.g. 21:22; 88:6). Nevertheless, even in these instances…ekklesia is only used where it is a question of the people as God’s assembly, characterized by having answered God’s call.
In the Septuagint, ekklesia was the word of choice when Israel was called out by God to come into an assembly before the Lord to accomplish some facet of governmental activity: to receive the Ten Commandments at Sinai, to hear a word from God through His prophet or King, to dedicate the temple, or to make a covenant. At times the gathering was called for waging war and for activities of worship.
Matthew was schooled in the ways of Jewish history, and the solemnity of Jesus’ words “build my church” must have produced an understanding in his mind as to the purpose for the summoning and assembling of the qahal/ekklesia – for representative governmental activity. This writer of the gospel to the Jews chose under God’s direction to include 16:18-19 and 18:15-20 into his account because of his emphasis on the King and His Kingdom. Matthew also understood the government of the Greek city states of his day, which also went by the title of ekklesia. These city states will be the topic of the next article.
Matthew is the only gospel that contains Christ’s proclamation that He would build His church, which as we have already established is a pronouncement and appointment of His kingdom representatives and of their governmental and legislative authority (Mt. 16:17-19). Matthew is, likewise, the only gospel that contains the structure and authentication of the church’s court system, which is also a governmental function (Mt. 18:15-20). Because the writings of Matthew emphasize the establishment and functioning of the kingdom, this gospel shines a spotlight on the church – the ekklesia – in the context of governmental authority.
As Matthew communicated the words of Jesus in the two aforementioned passages, Matthew chose the Greek word ekklesia, which is a word that can be traced back to its Old Testament meaning. The Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament is called the Septuagint. In Deuteronomy 9:10 and 18:16, the Hebrew word qahal, which comes from a root that means to summon, is translated into ekklesia. Both the Hebrew word qahal and the Greek word ekklesia mean the assembly or the summoned people who assemble together. In Deuteronomy 9:10, Moses had received the tablets of stone on the “day of the assembly” when Israel had been summoned and assembled to receive their ambassadorial commissioning to steward God’s kingdom through the use of His decrees.
The concept of qahal and its Greek counterpart ekklesia describe a redeemed people who are summoned and assembled to be granted authority to accomplish the business of heaven on the earth. The called out of Moses and the called out of Christ were duly summoned representatives, agencies of Kingdom government, and a ruling council or legislative body.
The Old Testament uses another Hebrew word for the gathering of God’s people. That word is edah. Edah refers to the community, to the people, or to the family and has to do with corporeity and fellowship that goes beyond just a collection of individuals. The Septuagint often translated edah as synagoge but never translates edah as ekklesia. Examination of the passages where both edah and qahal are used suggest a distinction between gathering of God’s people in communal and sacramental life and the community assembled for governmental, legislative, or court functionality.
The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology sheds more light on the distinction between edah (synagoge) and qahal (ekklesia):
…in the Greek speaking dispersion, that is the Jews who were later known as the Hellenists, the total Jewish community as determined by the law and the temple was denoted synogoge in the sense of ‘edah (e.g. Num. 8:9; Lev. 4:13; Exod. 12:19). Where ekklesia is used in the LXX (Septuagint) for qahal, it indicates the assembly of the people or a judicial assembly (e.g. Deut 9:10; 23:3 ff.; Jdg. 21:5, 8; Micah 2:5), the political body (e.g. the returned exiles Ezr. 10:8, 12; Neh. 8:2, 17). It also indicates, especially in the Chronicler, the assembly of the people for worship (e.g. 2 Chr. 6:3 at the consecration of the temple; 30:2, 4, 13, 17 at Hezekiah’s Passover; cf. also Joel 2:16 and several times in the Pss., e.g. 21:22; 88:6). Nevertheless, even in these instances…ekklesia is only used where it is a question of the people as God’s assembly, characterized by having answered God’s call.
In the Septuagint, ekklesia was the word of choice when Israel was called out by God to come into an assembly before the Lord to accomplish some facet of governmental activity: to receive the Ten Commandments at Sinai, to hear a word from God through His prophet or King, to dedicate the temple, or to make a covenant. At times the gathering was called for waging war and for activities of worship.
Matthew was schooled in the ways of Jewish history, and the solemnity of Jesus’ words “build my church” must have produced an understanding in his mind as to the purpose for the summoning and assembling of the qahal/ekklesia – for representative governmental activity. This writer of the gospel to the Jews chose under God’s direction to include 16:18-19 and 18:15-20 into his account because of his emphasis on the King and His Kingdom. Matthew also understood the government of the Greek city states of his day, which also went by the title of ekklesia. These city states will be the topic of the next article.
