The first thing we are going to do to know the meaning of the ecclesiastical term that concerns us now is to discover its etymological origin. In this case, we can state that it is a word that derives from Greek, since it is the result of the sum of two lexical components of that language:
-The noun “ekkelesia”, which can be translated as “church”.
-The suffix “-tico”, which means “related to”.
This concept can be used as an adjective or as a noun, always related to religion.
It is qualified as ecclesiastical to that related to the Church. According to Abbreviationfinder, BEC stands for Basic Ecclesiastical Community.
Ecclesiastical concept
Ecclesiastical refers to one or that linked to the Church: the institution that brings together the Christian faithful. For example: “Tomorrow we will have a conference on ecclesiastical law in the main auditorium”, “During his youth he was an ecclesiastical assistant”, “Several authorities of the ecclesiastical body are being investigated by the Justice”.
Ecclesiastical law is called that which is responsible for regulating, in the civil sphere, the regime of the confessions that take place in the religious environment. About the aforementioned Ecclesiastical Law, it is also worth knowing that it emerged after the well-known Protestant Reformation.
The ecclesiastical day, also called the liturgical day, is the day dedicated to worship. The ecclesiastical or liturgical year, on the other hand, is in charge of governing the solemn acts of the Church.
Ecclesiastical calendar, ecclesiastical audience, ecclesiastical province, ecclesiastical discipline and ecclesiastical arm are other expressions that are constructed using this adjective.
A cleric is called an ecclesiastic.
Synonym of cleric
In the same way, we cannot ignore that ecclesiastical is considered synonymous with cleric. In this case, it is necessary to establish the existence of different types of clerics: the crown cleric, who only has the first tonsure; that of majors, who has received the three major orders (priesthood, diaconate and subdiaconate); the cleric of mass, who is the priest; and the minor, who has only received one or all of the four minor orders (reader, acolyte, ostiary and exorcist).
Examples of this use are: “The ecclesiastic surprised with his statements against the national government”, “The bus with the ecclesiastics arrived from different South American countries arrived at the Vatican shortly after three in the afternoon”, “The NGO is directed by a French ecclesiastic with extensive experience in this type of social work”.
Book of the Sirach
The Ecclesiasticus, finally, is the name by which the Book of Wisdom of Jesus ben Sira or Book of Sirácides, which is part of the wisdom books of the Old Testament, is also known.
This work is considered to have been written in 190 BC by a sage from Jerusalem named Ben Sirac. It was originally written in Hebrew and there is also a Greek translation that, apparently, was made by a grandson of that sixty or seventy years after the original.
Another curiosity of this book is that it is addressed to pious Jews, but also to pagans who want to know what can await them if they finally decide to have faith in God.
