Brother, go even back further to “circe” deeper in to “circe”.
This is the word used in most English versions as a rendering of the New Testament's Greek word ekklesia. Ekklesia really means "a calling out", a meeting or a gathering. Ekklesia is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew qahal, which means an assembly or a congregation. Neither ekklesia nor qahal means a building. Tyndale, in his translation, uniformly translated ekklesia as "congregation" and only used the word "churches" to translate Acts 19:37 for heathen temples! Whence the word "church", then? Ecclesiastical sources give the origin as kuriakon or kyriakon in Greek. However, to accept this. one has to stretch your imagination in an attempt to see any resemblance. Also, because kuriakon means a building (the house of Kurios=Lord), and not a gathering or meeting of people, as the words ekklesia and qahal imply, therefore this explanation can only be regarded as distorted, even if it is true. Our common dictionaries, however, are honest in revealing to us the true origin. They all trace the word back to its Old English or Anglo-Saxon root, namely circe. And the origin of circe? Any encyclopaedia, or dictionary of mythology, will reveal who Circe was. She was the goddess-daughter of Helios, the Sun-deity! Again, another form of Sun-worship, this time the daughter of the Sun-deity, had become mixed with the Messianic Faith.
Some interesting facts emerge from the study of the word circe. The word is related to "circus", "circle", "circuit", "Circean", "circulate", and the various words starting with "circum-". The Latin pronunciation could have been "sirke" or "sirse". The Old English word circe may have been pronounced similarly to "kirke", or even "sirse".
However, Circe was in fact originally a Greek goddess where her name was written as: Kirke, and pronounced as such—just as in numerous similar cases of words of Greek origin, e.g. cyst and kustis, cycle and kuklos, cylinder and kulindros. The word "church" is known in Scotland as kirk, and in German as Kirche and in Netherlands as kerk. These words show their direct derivation from the Greek Kirke even better than the English "church". However, even the Old English circe for "church", reveals its origin.
Let us rather use the Scriptural "Assembly" or "Congregation", and renounce the word that is derived from Circe, the daughter of the Sun-deity!
Greetings brother
I am aware of most you state here but cannot agree with all as you put it.
First take the words of Jesus here...
Matthew 16:18 (NKJV)
And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.
GREEK STRONG's NUMBER #1577
Greek Word: ἐκκλησία
Transliteration: ekklēsia
Phonetic Pronunciation: ek-klay-see'-ah
Root: from a compound of <G1537> and a derivative of <G2564>
Usage Notes:
English Words used in KJV:
church 115
assembly 3
[Total Count: 118]
Note the emphasis is church is ekklesia, with assembly used only 3 times out of the 118 time ekklesia is used in the KJV
from a compound of <G1537> (ek) and a derivative of <G2564> (kaleo); a
calling out, i.e. (concretely) a popular
meeting, especially a religious
congregation (Jewish
synagogue, or Christian community of members on earth or saints in heaven or both) :- assembly, church.
Vine's Exloratory Dictionary of New Testament Words: Assembly, Congregation
Strong's Talking Greek & Hebrew Dictionary.
Now this is what I read brother, taking in mind that the word Church, ekklesia, is only in the New Testament, the Jews of the Old Testament had their Temple not a church.
Jesus made clear at this very early stage...
and on this rock I will build My church.
So we have, this important message from lour Lord, using the word Church, His Church, what He says He will call My Church, at this point in the New Testament.
Now we know from the Root, that word meaning are carried over form OT to NT, hence the consideration of, Assembly and Congregation, these terms being used in the OT by the Jews. We should not be surprised by Jesus using meanings that were familiar with the Jews, He was a Jew, He came to His own first.
But we should take note, I believe, that Jesus is saying to Peter, from now...
Matthew 16:18 (NKJV)
And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.
So this is why in the NT the word Church is used 115 times, and assembly only 3. The word Church is not in the OT, Jesus is making clear, He has moved away from the Jewish Temple, My Church, Jesus' ekklesia, is built on a sure foundation of which He is the Head.
I am aware of the other terms you state, kirk, kirke, kirche, cerce, and circus. Some of these are anglo-saxon times, the Scotish kirk dates back only around 14th century. To consider these is misleading. We need to go back to the beginning and that is when Jesus told us what He will call 'My Church' it is clear to me this is ekklesia.
Now to make clear the other word mentioned previous for church which was 'kuriakon', this word again is Not in Scripture, it was introduced by the Roman Catholic Church to name the building a church. The Greek for the word mention is actually Kryiakon, though sometimes quoted as kuriakon. It IS NOT in scripture, it was introduced by the RCC.
To be right with our Lord regarding 'His Church', we only need to look back at the Greek for the passage above, which is in the NT only and comes from the word ekklesia, no other word is used for our Lord's Church, and it is the Body of Believers, saved souls worldwide.
We must not get confused with other countries and other countries languages, we must not get confused with the Church being a building, it is Not a building, it was never called a building in scripture, we must also not confuse Church with anything in the Old Testament. The term Church our Lord uses, comes from the OT meaning of assembly or congregation, therefore an assembly of saved souls, a congregation of saved souls, these are the Church our Lord says is His.
Churches today call their build a church, people talk of my church (that is an insult to what our Lord says is 'My Church' His Church)
Churches today have assemblies or congregations true but they them selves are not the ekklesia, only the born again, only the saved souls are the ekklesia.
So taking your last comment brother, I would change it to say,
Let us rather use the Scriptural "Church" or "ekklesia", and renounce any other word. Let us follow Jesus teaching at all times.
Blessings
