However, she uses the phrase "
ekklesia of wo/man" to express the idea that all in God's kingdom are equal and need to accept each other.
Moreover, since it was not easy for every citizen to travel to attend the
Ekklesia, it could be that there were rarely more than 3000 citizens to contribute to the debates.
The use of
ekklesia terminology within the first-century Jesus Movement displays both continuity and discontinuity with earlier Greek and Jewish sources, says Korner.
Virginia Moffatt, from independent think tank
Ekklesia, said: "After six years of devastating cuts to welfare that have caused intolerable misery and harm to sick and disabled people and their families, it is time for a new approach.
3-1 (1978): 482-597; Ekklesiastikos Pharos 61 (1979): 563-603;
Ekklesia kai Theologia/Church and Theology 1 (1980): 368-430;
Ekklesia kai Theologia/Church and Theology 2 (1981); 591-617; and
Ekklesia kai Theologia/Church and Theology 3 (1982): 115-10.
Another chapter that stands out treats the church's proper name as assembly, tracing the roots of the word
ekklesia, contrasting its essentially visible, communal nature with various personal religions and pop purveyors of salvation.
Such should be the aim of the
ekklesia in our broken and suffering world.
The writers of the New Testament referred to each congregation as a church (
ekklesia) and to two or more of them as churches (ekklesiai, Gal.
The French eglise is easy; it comes from the Greek
ekklesia, which ultimately comes from the verb to call out.
In using ecclesia, I am suggesting the need to go back to the original meaning of "church" based on the Greek notion of
ekklesia, designating the public assembly of free citizens of a Greek city-state who were called together to speak freely and deliberate publically on matters of life and justice in their city.
Acts reflects the supremacy of the Jerusalem church in Samaria and Antioch of Syria having heard about the 'new' developments of the
ekklesia. To negate the synagogue as voluntary associations reflects the biases of scholars of making any connection with Judaism as early as in the 50-60's.