Ecclesialogy

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The branch of theology concerned with understanding the nature, organization, and role of the Christian church
2. The theological discipline that examines the church's structure, doctrine, and place within Christian belief
3. The study of what the church is, how it functions, and its significance within Christian theology and practice

Etymology: "Ecclesialogy" is a modern coinage built from the Ancient Greek "ekklēsía," which meant an assembly of citizens called together to deliberate, as in the political gatherings of Athens. Early Christians adopted the term for their own congregations, and it passed into Latin and then English as "ecclesia," meaning the church as a community or institution. The "-logy" ending comes from Greek "-logia," the suffix for a field of study or systematic discourse, as in "theology" or "biology." Put together, the word names a study of the church, though it is a rare and largely self-explanatory formation rather than a term with a long traditional history. Its meaning follows directly from its parts: the first element points to the assembled community, and the second to systematic study.

Synonyms: ecclesiology