Recovering the meaning of ekklesia

Unique features of the Holy Ekklesia Bible

The front pages of the printed edition outline several distinctive aims and corrections. Here they are organized into clear themes.

1. Restoration of the term “ekklesia”

The Greek word ekklesia has been routinely translated as “church,” importing institutional and building centered ideas that were foreign to the original context. The Holy Ekklesia Bible restores ekklesia in a way that highlights a called out assembly under Christ rule, not a religious corporation or brand.

This includes a conscious separation from church Bible traditions that reshaped terminology to fit post biblical power structures. The goal is to recover how the first hearers would have understood these words, not how later systems wanted them to sound.

2. Agape love restored as a core category

The front matter emphasizes agape as a distinct form of love marked by genuine, benevolent care for the good of others, including enemies. Where historic translations flattened this into vague charity or emotional language, the Holy Ekklesia Bible makes the demands of agape clear in context.

This correction affects how passages about God character, enemy love, and true sonship are read, and it pushes back against distortions that have excused indifference or cruelty under a religious label.

3. Biblical cosmology and the Hebrew time model

The Holy Ekklesia Bible deliberately aligns with the Bible own cosmological and time framework instead of silently folding it into modern secular models. That includes:

• Restoring a Hebrew calendar perspective across the translation.
• Honoring the solar sevens pattern behind the weekly Sabbaton.
• Correcting time related passages where pagan or Gregorian assumptions crept in.

This is not about speculative science but about refusing to erase the worldview the text actually assumes. The Bible descriptions of times, seasons, and signs are allowed to stand without being forced into foreign systems.

4. Scientific and global readership in view

The introduction notes that this translation is written with scientists, engineers, and analytically minded readers in view. It aims to be internally consistent and logically coherent, so that those trained in rigorous disciplines can take the text seriously without being asked to ignore obvious tensions introduced by tradition.

The printed seed edition anticipates a global digital audience and a future multi language ecosystem. The structure and coding system are designed for electronic use, cross checking, and large scale distribution.

5. Opposition, oversight, and revision

The front matter openly acknowledges that institutional religion will resist changes that undermine long standing mistranslations. The Holy Ekklesia Bible expects criticism, but invites examination on textual and historical grounds, not institutional loyalty.

Future revisions are described as being under the care of the elect of the ekklesia, a community that can test and refine the translation to keep it faithful to its restorative mission over time.

Frequently asked questions

Is this a completely new translation?

Yes. The Holy Ekklesia Bible begins from the Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts, in close conversation with the 1901 American Standard Version, but it is not a simple revision of any existing English Bible. It is a conservative, restorative translation with its own editorial principles.

Why focus so much on the word ekklesia?

Because how ekklesia is translated affects how believers understand identity, authority, and community. Leaving it as a generic church term hides its original force as a called out governing assembly under Christ. The Holy Ekklesia Bible wants this to be visible on every page where the word appears.

What about cosmology and the Hebrew calendar?

The translation refuses to quietly erase or modernize the Bible own view of the world and time. Where passages depend on Hebrew time patterns or cosmological assumptions, those are preserved and clarified rather than overwritten by Gregorian or secular assumptions.

Will the translation be free to read?

The intention is that the Holy Ekklesia Bible remain freely accessible in digital form, while print editions are made as affordable as possible. The online reader and downloadable samples are part of that commitment.

What stage is the work in right now?

At this time, the work is in an active drafting and review phase. Books like Genesis, Exodus, and Leviticus are being converted into structured digital form first, followed by the rest of the Old and New Testaments, with ongoing corrections to the front matter as needed.