Re: Historical impications of Romanian ecclesiastical terminology

In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, george knysh wrote:

> *****GK: One

wonders why the earlier word became popular here,

> but not the later.

Would a secular (political) authority have

> more impact on consciousness

in these areas?******

In Western Romance areas (including Italy), authority of (Latin
based) church was obviously stronger and could impose exclusive
use of official word instead of a popular spreading version.

> As you have just said, and you are quite right, "ecclesia"

in

> Christian parlance did mean "congregatio fidelium". It is so
>

used in the Gospels and in the Epistles. And that meaning of

> the word

does exist in most other Romance languages (at least

> the major ones: I'm

not sure about the smaller ones you've

> mentioned.) Question: does

Romanian have this word in the

> earlier sense?******

Not at my knowledge (that is: in Dacoromanian). I don't know for
sure the word doesn't exist in Aromanian under some form (and it
should be considered carefully if found there since this dialect
was influenced by Greek), but I think if there would have been
there, I'd have seen it mentioned in some book (and I didn't).
...
  Regards,
                 Marius Iacomi

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