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Church (ἐκκλησία)

Often translated as Church, ἐκκλησία (ekklesia) actually means a regularly summoned assembly. It is used of a legislative body, casual gathering, or an assembling of people. The English word “Church” is derived from the Greek word κυριακόν (kyriakon), meaning “pertaining to the Lord,” which was used to describe the place of meeting, the Lord’s house, referring to the building the assembly meets in. Due to its predominant use to describe the building or place of meeting, over the centuries, Church became the word of choice to describe more than just the physical building, incorporating within its meaning the local meeting of the members of the body of The Christ as well as the institution of Christianity. In Anglo-Saxon England, the word circa was used to refer to both the congregation and the building. This use influenced modern English translations to adopt Church over the Greek word assembly.

In Matthew, chapter sixteen, verse eighteen, Jesus speaks to Peter about an assembly He will build with its foundational rock being Christ Himself, Matthew 16:18. Context clarifies that Jesus is not speaking of the Jews but an assembly of people to come. After the resurrection of Christ, this assembly came into existence on the day of Pentecost when the promise of the Holy Spirit was poured out on the believers in the upper room who were waiting as Christ had instructed them before His last ascension. Assembly is used to describe this group of believers in the resurrection of Jesus, indicating their uniqueness from the general population of Jews, Acts 2:47.

Assembly is used to describe the gathering of Israel in the wilderness at Mount Sinai, Acts 7:38. However, this does not refer to those who are in […]

Church (ἐκκλησία)2024-10-10T06:12:25-07:00

Present Indicative Middle

Class Notes

Present Indicative Middle

The Present Indicative Middle in Greek is a grammatical mood, voice, and tense used to describe action that the subject performs with the emphasis on the subject’s involvement, either on himself or for his own benefit.

The middle voice represents the subject as acting with reference to himself. I wash myself (λούομαι); I buy for myself (ἀγοράζομαι).

The Present Indicative Middle in Greek follows the typical present indicative conjugation patterns, but with specific middle voice endings. In the present tense, the middle has the following personal endings:

Person Singular Plural
1st ομαι ομεθα
2nd ῃ (ει) εσθε
3rd εται ονται

Present Indicative Middle of λούω (“I wash myself”)

 

Person Form Translation
1st sg. λούομαι I wash myself
2nd sg. λούῃ (or λούει) You wash yourself
3rd sg. λούεται He washes himself
1st pl. λουόμεθα We wash ourselves
2nd pl. λούεσθε You all wash yourselves
3rd pl. λούονται They wash themselves

λούεσθαι (loúesthai) – “to wash oneself”

 

Thematic Vowel in the Present Indicative Middle

 

The thematic vowel is inserted between the verb stem and the middle endings. The thematic vowels are ο and ε, depending on the form, and they follow this pattern:

  1. ο before -μαι, -μεθα, -νται.
  2. ε before –ται, -σαι (contracted to ῃ or ει), and -σθε.

 

Present Indicative Middle Personal Endings:

Person Singular Plural
1st Person -μαι -μεθα
2nd Person -σαι -σθε
3rd Person -ται -νται

-σαι (contracted to ῃ or ει)

Present Indicative Middle thematic vowel:

Person Form Thematic Vowel Translation
1st sg. λούομαι ο I wash myself
2nd sg. λούεσαι (λούῃ) ε You wash yourself
3rd sg. λούεται ε He washes himself
1st pl. λουομεθα ο We wash ourselves
2nd pl. λούεσθε ε You all wash yourselves
3rd pl. λούονται ο They wash themselves

Examples:

 

Matthew 15:2 “Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash (νίπτονται) their hands when they eat bread.”

2 Corinthians 10:3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war (στρατευόμεθα) according to the flesh.

Galatians 1:9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches (εὐαγγελίζεται) any other gospel to you than what you have received, let […]

Present Indicative Middle2024-10-05T08:47:05-07:00

Christian (Χριστιανός)

Christian (Χριστιανός) is a word that describes those who are Christ like. The disciples of Christ first gained the name Christian in Antioch after Paul taught them for a year about the salvation we have in Christ, Acts 11:26.

Within the city of Antioch, the disciples were first named Christians. Named, is typically used of a warning; therefore, Christian was a term associated with those who followed the resurrected, glorified, Christ. When Paul was speaking with Agrippa concerning The Way, which is the name that the Church belonging to God was first known by, Acts 24:14, King Agrippa uses the term Christian in response to Paul speaking concerning why he was in bonds in Acts 26:28. The apostle Peter also uses the term Christian in his first letter, encouraging the saints that were scattered that if they suffer as a Christian, one who is acting Christ like, they are not to be ashamed, but to express a proper opinion of God, 1 Peter 4:16. Therefore, the name Christian became well known as relating to those who believe in the resurrection of Christ.

Although there are many who claim the name, “Christian” today, it is a title that belongs to the assembly of God – the body of the Christ, for it describes those who are taught and live out the gospel of the Christ which Paul, the steward of the dispensation, laid out for the saints. Although Paul himself never directly uses the term Christian in his writings, it is a name that he was acquainted with and knew belonged to those of The Way, Acts 26:28. His lack of direct use indicates the name “Christian” was given to those of The Way by the […]

Christian (Χριστιανός)2024-10-03T06:04:59-07:00
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