Chun [pron. Cun] (Heb. JSTtm, ^^S, deriv. uncertain; Sept. icXticrof, Vulg. C&tm), a Syrian city jnentioned in connection with Tibhath, as one of the '* cities of Ha- darezer," tnm which David procured brass for build- ing the Temple (1 Chron. xviii, 8). In the parallel pas- sage (2 Sam. viii, 8) these two cities are called respect- ively Betah and Bbbothai. It is perhaps the same with the Cotma mentioned in the Itin. Antonim as sit- uated between Laodioea and Baalbek. The rendering of the Sept. seems to imply that instead of **fh>m Chun" C\^W) it had read Berod O^'^^y q- ^ '^''S?, i. e. ^^insi, choice) ; but Josepbns supports the present Heb. text (Mux^mfh ^^' >^^t ^> ^)* See Berothah.
Chnroh. I. The toord Church,—!. The origin of the word is uncertain. In the Germanic and Slavo- nic languages it is found as follows : Anglo-Saxon, eyrica, circ, eyrie; English, church f Scottish, kirk; German, kirche ; Low-German, karke ; Frisian, tzieTke or tskirke; Danish, kyrke; Swedish, kyrka; Bohemi- an, cyrkew; Polish, cerkiewf Bussian, terkow. The following derivations have been assigned to the word :
(1) Heb. rrnp and Jt^g; (2) Tentonie, kOrm, io- rem ; (8) Celtic, cyrch or cyldk, cyrckm or eyiekm ; {^.j Latin, curia; Greek, cvptac^v (tke Lor^s Aouse, tnoL ffvpcoc, Lord). The preponderance of opinion is in ^ vor ot the last derivation (Gieseler, EceL BUe, § 1 : Hooker, Ecd. Pol. v, 18 ; Pearson, Om the Creed, Ox£ 1820, i, 504; and, the principal authority, JaGofama. Kirchenrechtliche Versuche, Kdnigsb. 188S, 8vo). On the other hand, Meyriok, In Smith's Dictionary oft^ Bible (iii. Appendix, p. d), argues at length agaxnet this derivation chiefly on the ground (]} that the Greek missionaries, who are suppoeed to hava carried the Word among the Northern tribes, used ioA^a, not KvpuiKov ; and that Ulphilas uses aUdkUsf^ (Roai. xvi, 23 et aL); (2) that the Roman Chnrt^ (and tbe Bo> manic languages after it) adopted the Greek word h- icXfftria, not ia;piar<H/, f^m its Greek taachen. Hb conclusion, after dropping the first derivation, is that *4t is difficult to say what is to be substituted. Tiaen was probably some word which, in the language ttcm which the Teutonic and Slavonic are* descended, desig- nated the old heathen places of religious assembly, and thb word, having taken different forms in difrerent di- alects, was adopted by the Christian missionaries. It was probably connected with the Latin ccrnts, eiremba, and with the Greek kvkKoc, possibly also with tbe Welsh cylch, cyl, cynMe, or ccier. IJpsins, who was the first to reject the received tradition, was probably right in his suggestion, ' Credo et a drco Kir^ nos- trum esse, quia veterum templa instar Ciroi rotunda* (Episi. ad Belgas, Cent, iii, Ep. 44).*'
2. N. T. uses of the word Church,— Th/e Greek word Ir- KKfltria in tbe New Testament (Matt xvi, 18 ; xviE, 17; 1 Cor. X, 82 ; *£ph. i, 22), corresponding to the Hebrew bh^, rt^5, *7i?^» ^ ^'^"^ caXiTv, to call (cX^^i^, a calling ; KKiiToi, called), and is rendered by cmr word church. The meaning of the word would thus seem to be, in the N. T., the whole company of God's elect, those whom he has called to be his people under the new dispensation, as he did the Israelites under tbe old. Such is the signification in one of the two in- stances in which Christ uses the word in the Goq»eb: "Upon this rock I will build my cftarcft** (Matt, xvi, 18). The other (Matt, xviii, 17) refers to tbe sin^ congregation. Instead of hcxXtioiay Christ geneiallv used the terms "kingdom of God," " kingdom of heaven," or simply "kingdom," or thy kingdom, or the Son of Man*s kingdom (John iii, 8 ; Matt, vi, 32; ib. iv, 28, etc. ; t5. xx, 21 ; t5. xiii, 41 ; xvi, 28). The word " church" is first applied by St. Luke to tbe com- pany of original disciples at Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost (Acts ii, 47), and is afterwards applied (in the Acts, Epbtles, and Apocalypse) to, 1. Tbe whole Christian body or society, as the sanctified of God (Eph. V, 27) ; 2. The whole number of those who profess the Christian religion under pastors, etc. (1 Cor. xii, 18); 8. Particular societies of Christians in particular cities or provinces, e. g. the church in Jerusalem (Acts viii, 1);
4. Beligious assemblies of these societies and the places in which they met, e. g. (Rom. xvi, 5), '* Greet tbe church that is in their house," etc (1 Cor. xi, 18 ; xxv, 19, 28).
8. Common uses of the word Church.—!. The most common sense in which the word church is used is to denote the bddy of the acknowledged followers of Christ, or his vUible body. 2. It is also used to de- note the community of true believers, whether known to be such or not. 8. It is used as '* church mtfitant' and " church triumphant" to distinguish between be- lievers yet on earth, and still contending with opposi- tion, and believers already glorified in heaven. 4. It is used to designate the house of Christian woiship.
5. Any particular denomination of Christian peqtle, as the Lutheran, or the Protestant Episcopal, or Method- ist Episcopal Church. 6. A particular congregatioo of any one denominatton of Christians. 7. ^e religkras