Confessional, consecration, ecclesia, paraclete

Word Meanings

ver.: 27 December 2006 xml

What is :
confessional, consecration, ecclesia, paraclete.

What is Confessional

confessional:

• as a noun, it means a place one goes for privacy in order to turn away from one's wrong doings and wrong thoughts, and say it aloud to someone else (such as a priest), who then can tell you that God has forgiven your sin (this is called 'absolution').
• as an adjective/adverb, a 'confessional' Christian is one who turns to certain historic documents (such as the early Creeds or the works of the Reformation) which were written to define the renewing thrust of the Church, in order to further shape their faith. Confessional documents present a specific approach to the truths revealed in Scripture. Nearly all Christian churches hold to two ancient creeds : the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed. This is true even of churches that reject the use of creeds as 'tests of faith'; on the whole they uphold the truths spoken in the Creeds.

What is Consecration

consecration : a liturgical act in which some object (such as a building, room, communion ware, etc.) is dedicated or 'set apart' solely to God and God's work. This also applies to people : in some traditions, an ordained minister is consecrated as bishop, or a lay person is consecrated as a deacon. Consecrating someone or something does not make it superior; it just means that it is being put to use for a divine purpose.

What is Meant by an Ecclesia?

ecclesia : Greek, "those called out". The Church, in its various forms.

"Well before ekklesia  was used in a religious way, it referred to the assembly of persons 'called out' from everyday life for a particular purpose." [[Such as a volunteer army, or a gathering to make political decisions. (ed.)]] "When the early Christians used the word ekklesia  to describe their group, it showed that they understood that the Holy Spirit had called them out of one kind of life and into another. They were different people, and they had a new purpose."
--- Thomas Kadel, *Living the Creed* (Parish Life Press), p.62

What is a Paraclete?

The meaning of the Greek term paraclete differs in context. The basic root meaning is "one who is called to the side of". From there, it took on a public meaning of "advocate" or "defender", and a private-setting meaning of "one who supports another in difficult moments". Both meanings apply to the Holy Spirit, though the primary one is the public meaning. The root use may actually be the main meaning Jesus intended (even though it was detached from the word generations earlier) : Jesus left, and called on the Holy Spirit to come in His stead to be by our side.