At least Thiselton gets James Barr right. Asked about the meaning of ekklesia in the New Testament, “we might say (a) ‘the Church is the Body of Christ’ (b) ‘the Church is the first installment of the Kingdom of God’ (c) ‘the Church is the Bride of Christ, and other such statements. In one sense Barr concedes, this is the ‘meaning of “church.”’ But it is certainly not ‘the meaning of ‘church’ in Matt. 16.18 .” Exactly: Totality transfer is... Read more