House Church Talk - Re: New Testament era literacy rate

[DanG]

Here are a few other words with political meanings which we take as purely religious today.  I
find these things to be very interesting, but perhaps open to debate as they are part of
history versus part of truth.  While we value history, there is an element of history which can
be a lie, whereas truth is truth.
Dan ChicagoArea
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The early Roman Empire was in a methodical expansionist mode.  Entry into a new country of
province was done in stages.  First, appointed messengers were sent into the villages and town
with a mantra provided.  The mantra contained a story and a command. The story was a detailed
exultation of the Caesar containing stories of his live, words, teachings and military
successes.  After the story these messengers then placed before the people two choices.  One
choice was to concede to the inevitable invasion of the Empire, undergo a declarative ceremony,
and join the Caesar in his efforts.  The second choice was to perish under the heal of the
Roman Army.

The mantra was "repent for the Kingdom of your god, Caesar is at hand" (i.e. at the door of the
city)

The story of birth, life, words, teachings and military successes of the Caesar was called **
"The Gospel" **

The messenger, who was sent out in advance of the approaching army, is called an **
"Evangelist."**

One of the most common declarative ceremonies was an act called **Baptism** and a declaration
"Caesar is Lord."

For the following words to have meaning in the ear of the first century audience, there must be
a King and a Kingdom.  Those words are;
**Lord,** Gospel,** Evangelist,** Repent for the KOG is at Hand,** and Baptism.**
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In the Classical Greek time, a century before Christ there was the emergence of city-states.
In the opinion of some, this was the precursor to democracy.  In the cities, all residents were
by default, citizens and equal participants in the making of law and judicial decisions.  On a
regular bases these citizens (all the people) would gather in a theater to discuss politics,
enact laws and make judgments.  The entry into the theater was a long brick tunnel.  On the
bricks were chiseled all the names of the citizens of the city.  On the way into the theater
each citizen would show the brick with their name on it to prove their right to enter the
arena.

When it was time for a meeting of citizens in the arena, a messenger would walk up and down the
streets "calling out" to the citizens in the houses and shops to come to the arena for the next
meeting.

When a citizen of the city committed a misdeed of significant infamy, the gathered citizens
would listen to the accusations made by the witnesses, and then revoke the rights of
citizenship from the individual for a period of time or permanently depending on the misdeed.
The removing of the chiseled name from the tunnel marked the ending of citizenship.

As time developed these Greek citizens began to call the meeting the "calling out" or the
"called out."  The Greek word for this is Ekklesia [Ek means out, Klesia means "call or to
 call"]

When the Romans took over the show, they kept the word Ekklesia.  Applying it to any or all
government or political events.  Town councils, provincial councils, courthouses were all
called  "ekklesia."  There was not a single documented time that the word Ekklesia was ever
used in a religious context except once in regard to a business meeting.

So when Christ said "On this rock I will build my Ekklesia," he was not talking about a
religious event or place as the translated word "Church" would imply.  He was not talking about
a worship center, a place for religious homilies, or a place for preaching.

He was talking about the word in exactly the way it was used at the time, as is verified by the
rest the sentence.  "And I will give to it (ekklesia) the **keys to the Kingdom,** and what
ever is bound on earth will have been bound in heaven and whatever is loosed on earth will have
been loosed in heaven."  (Binding and Loosening are terms used in rabbinical literature for
judicial decision making, which was the political role of the Sanhedrin.)  In the second
mention of the Ekklesia, Christ indicates how to remove one from the "arena" if they do not
"listen to the Ekklesia."

In the time of Christ, you could not have an Ekklesia unless you have a kingdom in which to
exercise its judicial meaning, which means, you can not have a "church" if you do not have a
kingdom.
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So with these two historical events, perhaps we can rescue some of the most basic biblical
words from their "a-political" meaning given to us by 150 years of "kingdomless" Dispensational
dominance in the religious world, and reinsert the original meanings which are unquestionably
dominated by political rather than religious meaning.

We ARE in the Kingdom of God, or the most basic terms in our self definition (Church, Gospel,
Lord) make absolutely no since in their "historical plenary" context.
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DavidA Wrote:
> Early literacy among Christians has been debated among those in the home
> church community. The alleged high rate of illiteracy was intended to
> prove that Christians had no need of Scripture, being unable to read.