Lord

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ... Nicene-Constantinople Creed.

Lord--Κύριον or Kyrie in Greek--Dóminum in Latin--we now use "Lord" almost exclusively to mean "God."  

Social relationships shifted greatly between the first century and, for example, the twelfth, Our own concepts for kings and lords come entirely from the middle ages and from European aristocracy stretching into the 19th century.  American romance novels are full of "yes my Lord" and "His Lordship."  The idea seems oddly out of place in 21st century America.

But what did Kyrie mean when the Old Testament was translated in 100BC? I gather that the earlier Hebrew was Adonai for Lord and synonymous with "God."  The Septuagent translaters used Kyrie. Paul would have read "Kyrie" as God. He uses Kyrie/Dominus for Jesus in the first century and there it is in the fourth century Nicene language: Kyrie/Dominus.

So if Kyrie is synonymous with God, what is the connotation? What does it say about our relationship with God?

My search of Latin dictionaries brings back "master" as the meaning of Dominus. It comes from the same root as the English "dominate," that is the Latin Dominari, to rule.  I can't help wondering if it isn't also related to "Domus" or household--implying that to rule is to be head of the family or household. I wasn't able to document that.  

I found "master" and "ruler" as alternative translations of Adonai.  Regardless of the era or the social context, "Lord" always implies the man in charge, the one to whom some sort of obedience is owed.   What do we have in our own era that conveys such meaning? "Boss" doesn't seem to cover it. 

Household implies family--authority, yes, but loving authority.

I believe in one Master, Jesus Christ.  That fits. That is what I believe. I am of the household of Jesus and he is the Master of the household.

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