A church is a word used about a
gathering place for Christians, and etymologically has its roots in
the Greek word for Lord (kurios), and has documented usage as in
kuriakon doma, meaning 'house of the Lord'1.
The word synagogue,on the
other hand, means congregating, meeting together.
The
earliest meeting place for the first Christians was in the Temple in
Jerusalem. In addition, they met in private houses. From the New
Testament texts we know that there was a tradition of regional houses
of worship, synagogues, in many places.2
There was even a synagogue on the Temple grounds. This institution
had the purpose of instruction, reading of holy texts, study, prayer,
and in some cases as scribal work space. It was also a place for a
traveler to find shelter. Naturally, there was no conflict, no
competition between the form of worship of God in the Temple and in
the synagogue. Rather, it was complimentary.
In
Norwegian Christian traditions, we have the official Lutheran church,
with its clergy and central building. In addition there are smaller
prayer houses in towns and villages, often with deliberate biblical
names, like Zoar, Betel, Elim etc.
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| Zoar, Lisleherad in Telemark |
These
small, simple, structures were serving the purpose of the community,
as a gathering place, for evening meeting, bible lessons, mission
fundraisers. It was serving a lay movement. The interior is normally
a large, simple room, perhaps a podium with a central pulpit. There
may be a reproduction of a biblical scene on the wall, one naked
cross, perhaps slightly gilded. The prayer house was a place for
gathering of the believers, for instruction, prayer, singing, for
encouraging each other in words and deeds. The same people would also
come to the main church on a Sunday morning, and take part in the
service, and receive the eucharist and the blessings.
The
Early House Church
Archeological
excavations have unearthed the early house church in Dura-Europos in
Syria.
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| Baptistry, murals in Christian House, Dura-Europos |
The
ruins were discovered in the Syrian desert by a British soldier who
was digging trenches during WW1, and he discovered beautifully
preserved frescoes. The estimated dating of the murals in the house
is from AD 232-256. The murals display New Testament scenes.
The
house has a baptismal font, like a tub, in a separate room. There is
a place for gathering for the Eucharist, a place for teaching, and an
atrium, which is a green garden in the centre. Since the house was
decorated, it was most likely owned by wealthy citizens who became
Christians. It is quite possible that they had rebuilt their house to
serve the need of the gathering of believers.
In
colloquial English, it is not uncommon to use the word 'church'
meaning a community of believers. Some will even be slightly offended
if you indicate that 'a church' refers to the building. They feel
that a building is like an empty shell, and as such immaterial.
Further, they speak like the true, authentic spirituality lies in the
moment, as the people are gathered around the Word. There is no need
for ceremony, no need for any set liturgy, no need for any mediating
illustrations of any kind - but ...does it perhaps call for a strong
leader, someone who may guide the herd? There is much good in a
genuine relationship to God and to our fellow men, but it is not
contra to liturgical worship, just like the Temple and
the synagogue, the
parish church and the prayer house, there is room for both.
I
wondered by myself, as I was walking home from work, why I am
attracted to ceremony and liturgy? I grew up in a rather secular
setting, where we only visited a church on special occasions. When I
voluntarily visited a church in my teenage years, I was bored stiff
and struggled not to fall asleep during the long prayer. I never
remembered anything of the homilies. They were not exactly relevant
to life. I thought the liturgy was empty recitals, void of true
spirituality.
Only
years later, when the familiar words of the prayers, the confession
of sin, the confession faith entered my thoughts - when I had no more
words of my own to produce, only then did I start to long for the set
liturgy: well thought out prayers and sayings, leading me to the core
of our faith: Jesus, the Risen Lord. The words in the liturgy in our
Lutheran church are powerful, meaningful, beautiful. In the service I
can relive them, enter into them, celebrate with my heart, prepare
for confessions - but I wish we were not so rushed. Give me more
time, time to confess, time let things sink in. These days the sermon
is challenging, either to heart or to mind, but I remember it. It
may be a source of discussion; it may cause reflection. It may lead
to deeper insight into the mysteries of Christ.
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| My church, Kviteseid kyrkje. |
1(ORIGIN
Old English
cir(i)ce,
cyr(i)ce,
related to Dutch
kerk and
German
Kirche,
based on medieval Greek
kurikon,
from Greek
kuriakon (dōma)‘Lord's
(house),’
from kurios
‘master or lord.’
)NOAD
2Acts
2:46: "So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and
breaking bread from house to house"
Judy Creamer: ( On Facebook)
SvarSlett"I recently spoke at a ladies' retreat at my former church in Cincinnati. My topic was "God's Faithfulness To The Church." I first gave a definition of church with the two ideas a building and a group of people, and explained that in the Greek, Kuriakon meant a place, and iglesia meant a gathering of people, but that kuriakon came to mean both, and became Kirk and Church."
Thanks, Judy, for you comment :)
I should edit in a clarification on my blog, because the usage of the concept Kuriakon doma is the base for the old English kirk, and the word church today, and although the word doma refers to the built structure, it was shortened to the first part of the expression.
And, as you point out, the word ecclesia is used for assembly in the New Testament. We still use the term - in ecclesiastical - and, funny enough, in colloquial English the term is 'high church'.
The move from denoting a place to denote an assembly is not far, nor strange, in development of language. The promise that the Lord Jesus will be where two or three are gathered in His name, creates the close connection.
I have noticed the use of 'church' as a body of believers (not even a gathered assembly) in the English bible translations (like NKJV1), where the base word is neither of the two terms we have mentioned, and where the translators interpreted the context to name it 'church'. What is interesting is that we have kept both meanings of the word 'church' in English.
In Norwegian, we have the same etymology for our word, kirke. However, it is not common to use it to describe an assembly. The word 'menighet' is the common word for congregation, and its meaning is rooted in the Latin communitas, fellowship of the ordinary lay people. Perhaps we will see the change in word usage here, too, as we move further away from the organization of the national church structure.