Ochlos

Occurrences in Scripture

Ochlos appears frequently in the New Testament, especially in the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. The New Korean Revised Version usually renders it as muri ("crowd"). The word occurs a number of times in the Gospel of Mark:

• Because of the crowd, the paralytic could not be brought to Jesus (Mark 2:4).
• While the crowd sat around Jesus, he said, "For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother" (Mark 3:32–35).
• Seeing a great crowd, Jesus was moved with compassion toward them, "because they were as sheep not having a shepherd" (Mark 6:34).
• In the Passion narrative, the chief priests stirred up the crowd to cry out for the release of Barabbas (Mark 15:11).

In the Gospel of John, the Pharisees declare, "But this people who knoweth not the law are cursed" (John 7:49).

Meaning and Background

Ochlos originally means "a crowd of many people gathered together." In classical Greek literature it reportedly could carry the pejorative connotation of a disorderly mob. In the New Testament it is often contrasted with laos (λαός, "people"). The Septuagint commonly used laos to refer to Israel as the people of God. The attitude expressed in John 7:49 is often compared with that of rabbinic literature, which disparagingly called those ignorant of the Law am ha'aretz ("people of the land").

Usage Across Scripture

In the Gospels the crowd consists of people who throng to Jesus to hear his teaching and to seek healing. They are distinguished from the twelve disciples, yet they are portrayed as those to whom Jesus' ministry is directed. The crowd, however, is not always constant. At times it hears his teaching gladly (Mark 12:37), but in the end it joins those demanding his crucifixion.

Interpretation and Debate

In the 1970s, Korean Minjung theology gave this word theological significance. The theologian Ahn Byung-mu noted that the Gospel of Mark rarely uses laos but repeatedly uses ochlos. He read the ochlos as the poor and marginalized people of Galilee, interpreting Jesus as having taken their side and regarding them as the subjects of history. Proponents of Minjung theology attribute the crowd's turning against Jesus in Mark 15 to incitement by the ruling elite.

By contrast, a number of scholars, including those in the evangelical tradition, take a different view. They argue that ochlos in Mark is simply a general descriptive term for the "crowd" within the narrative and can hardly be regarded as a technical term for a particular social class. Some also contend that the distinction between laos and ochlos has been overemphasized. Others have voiced concern that such a reading risks reducing salvation to social and economic liberation. Because the text itself does not describe the social makeup of the crowd in detail, this question remains a matter of interpretation.

In the Korean Church

The Greek term ochlos is used chiefly in discussions related to Minjung theology. Minjung theology developed primarily within the Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea and at Hanshin University, and it is also connected with the church and the democratization movement. In ordinary preaching, the translated word muri ("crowd") is more familiar than the Greek term. Sermons commonly contrast the "crowd" that follows Jesus as onlookers with the "disciples" who follow him.