Beschreibung:
<jats:p>1 Timothy defines the<jats:italic>ekklēsia</jats:italic>as the οἶκος θεοῦ. This has led to the conclusion that the Pastoral Epistles regard the<jats:italic>ekklēsia</jats:italic>as an enlarged<jats:italic>oikos</jats:italic>, where the roles of the officials and the norms regulating the behaviour of its members reproduce the relationships of the patriarchal household. However, οἶκος θεοῦ is not a household properly speaking.<jats:italic>Ekklēsia</jats:italic>is a term with political connotations, and thus the community acquires a public dimension. In addition,<jats:italic>oikos</jats:italic>is used metaphorically, for a larger community. In this, the definition reflects the ancient custom of describing larger communities (the cosmos, the<jats:italic>polis</jats:italic>, or an association) through the metaphor of the<jats:italic>oikos</jats:italic>. The<jats:italic>ekklēsia</jats:italic>is therefore a public, quasi-cosmic space, whose laws and structures receive divine legitimation.</jats:p>