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| Michael O'Brien, Allegory on Seeking and Striving |
Hatȝ a property in hytself beyng: Has in itself a property, being:
Alle þat may þerinne aryue All that may therein arrive
Of alle þe reme is quen oþer kyng, Of all that realm is either queen or king.
– Pearl
The word “kingdom” is familiar to English-speaking Christians. We speak of the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of Heaven, and pray, “Thy kingdom come.” “Kingdom” is the traditional way to translate the New Testament term βασιλεία and is consistently used in English translations of Roman Catholic liturgy. However, these days, many use the word “reign”, when possible, in order to stress the primary meaning of the Greek word as used in Sacred Scripture. The entry for βασιλεία in my New Testament lexicon is: “reign, rule; kingdom, domain”. Hence, the thinking goes, “reign” more aptly emphasises the active ruling of God, whereas “kingdom” has misleading geopolitical connotations, making us think of a territorial place rather than the sovereignty of Almighty God.
While I do not think that the use of the word “reign” should be outlawed, I much prefer “kingdom”. Here are four reasons:
