Church and Synagogue — A Comparison
Cited from: Synonyms of the New Testament, Trench (Pages 1-6)
Church—Greek: ekklesia
“The ekklesia was the lawful assembly in a free Greek city of all those possessed of the rights of citizenship, for the transaction of public affairs. That they were summoned is expressed in the latter part of the word (klesis –> kaleo: call); that they were summoned out (ek: out) of the whole population, a select portion of it, including neither the populace, nor strangers, nor yet those who had forfeited their civic rights, is expressed in the first.” Richard C. Trench, Synonyms of the New Testament. The meaning of the word can be found in every Greek lexicon/dictionary. Some provide more details than others. This term is of the Greek secular usage for a group of qualified citizens of a municipality called to assemble for the purpose of transacting some civic duty or business. When the business was concluded the assembly or body, ekklesia, disbanded and no longer continued. No individual member of the ekklesia was legally authorized to conduct any business or affairs apart from the whole. Naturally this secular meaning cannot be anything but a local/visible assembly. When the members of the ekklesia were dismissed they dispersed into the general population of the country. The ekklesia was not the kingdom, but was a portion of the kingdom with the authority to carry out the affairs of the nation, keeping within the limitations of the laws of that nation. The entire citizenry did not legally have this right.
A further usage of ekklesia is found in the Roman military. And it illustrates wonderfully how this word was used in the secular world. Soldiers were called out of civilian population and enlisted in the army. As soldiers they were assembled and under the authority of their leaders. Hence there is the calling out and the visible, local assemblies. This demonstration of the ekklesia defeats all arguments of a universal gathering of individuals by their own volition, or authority.
Synagogue — Source, Bible Works:
Meaning: 1) a bringing together, gathering (as of fruits), a contracting 2) in the NT, an assembling together of men, an assembly of men 3) a synagogue 3a) an assembly of Jews formally gathered together to offer prayers and listen to the reading and expositions of the scriptures; assemblies of that sort were held every sabbath and feast day, afterwards also on the second and fifth days of every week; name transferred to an assembly of Christians formally gathered together for religious purposes 3b) the buildings where those solemn Jewish assemblies are held. Synagogues seem to date their origin from the Babylonian exile. In the times of Jesus and the apostles every town, not only in Palestine, but also among the Gentiles if it contained a considerable number of Jewish inhabitants, had at least one synagogue, the larger towns several or even many. These were also used for trials and inflicting punishment.
Usage: AV – synagogue 55, congregation 1, assembly 1 —A gathering: used of sheep herded together
Synagogue — Source, Trent pgs. 2-7
In classical Greek it often denotes any gathering , or bringing together of persons or things. Between the closing of the OT and the opening of the NT that συναγωγή acquired that technical meaning of which we find it designating the places set apart for Jewish purposes of worship and the reading and expounding of the Word of God.
The synagogue of Satan as mentioned in Rev. 3:9 should not be associated with the Jewish synagogue of worship but with a gathering together of persons identified with Satan, the adversary, i.e. opposed to the will and purpose of God.
To conclude a ekklesia is an assembly called together while a Synagogue is simply a gathering.
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