UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament

Sense 1: congregation, church

Semantic entry: 11.32

Semantic domains: Groups and Classes of Persons and Members of Such Groups and Classes

Subdomains: Socio-Religious

Definition: a congregation of Christians, implying interacting membership

Notes: Though some persons have tried to see in the term ἐκκλησία a more or less literal meaning of ‘called-out ones,’ this type of etymologizing is not warranted either by the meaning of ἐκκλησία in NT times or even by its earlier usage. The term ἐκκλησία was in common usage for several hundred years before the Christian era and was used to refer to an assembly of persons constituted by well-defined membership. In general Greek usage it was normally a socio-political entity based upon citizenship in a city-state (see ἐκκλησία [source selector 000002][c], 11.78: δῆμος / 11.78: ἐκκλησία) and in this sense is parallel to δῆμος (11.78: δῆμος / 11.78: ἐκκλησία). For the NT, however, it is important to understand the meaning of ἐκκλησία[a] as ‘an assembly of God’s people.’|In the rendering of ἐκκλησία[a] a translator must beware of using a term which refers primarily to a building rather than to a congregation of believers. In many contexts ἐκκλησία[a] may be readily rendered as ‘gathering of believers’ or ‘group of those who trust in Christ.’ Sometimes, as in RV CO1 1:2 · LV CO1 1:2 · Read together CO1 1:2, it is possible to translate ‘Paul writes to the believers in Christ who live in Corinth.’ Such a translation does, however, omit a significant element in the term ἐκκλησία[a], in that the sense of corporate unity is not specified.

Sense 2: church

Semantic entry: 11.33

Semantic domains: Groups and Classes of Persons and Members of Such Groups and Classes

Subdomains: Socio-Religious

Definition: the totality of congregations of Christians

Sense 3: assembly, gathering

Semantic entry: 11.78

Semantic domains: Groups and Classes of Persons and Members of Such Groups and Classes

Subdomains: Socio-Political

Definition: a group of citizens assembled for socio-political activities

Notes: It is possible that in ἐκκλησία[c] there is somewhat more focus upon the people being together as a legal assembly, while in the case of δῆμος the emphasis is merely upon a meeting of citizens. But in the NT one cannot distinguish clearly between the meanings of these two words.|ἐκκλησία[c] and δῆμος may be rendered in some languages as ‘a meeting of the people who belonged to that place’ or ‘… who were inhabitants of that town’ or ‘… whose homes were in that town.’