What meaneth thou, brother, when thou sayest, "hoi polloi" ?


Referrest thou to something Asiatic ?
Some thing exotic that brewest in some pot that hangeth over a wood stoked fire ?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoi_polloi
Heheh, actually it's plain ol' Koine Greek: "the many" (the most, the masses, the majority, the mainstream. IMO, the definite article implies a particular group of people within the scriptures who belong to the Lord, as is bore out in these passages:
so we,
the many, one body are in Christ, and members each one of one another.
Ro 12:5 YLT
15 But not as the trespass, so also is the free gift. For if by the trespass of the one
the many died, much more did the grace of God, and the gift by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abound unto
the many.
19 For as through the one man`s disobedience
the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the one shall
the many be made righteous. Ro 5:15,19 ASV
15 For all things are for your sakes, that the grace, being multiplied through
the many, may cause the thanksgiving to abound unto the glory of God. 2 Cor 3:15
15 looking carefully lest there be any man that falleth short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby
the many be defiled; Heb 12:15
Conformance with the majority, although they may belong to God, is not always a good thing, or necessarily means that one is correct:
1 For I would not, brethren, have you ignorant, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;
2 and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;
3 and did all eat the same spiritual food;
4 and did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of a spiritual rock that followed them: and the rock was Christ.
5 Howbeit
with most of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness. 1 Cor 10:1-5 ['the many' implied]
........wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and
many are they that enter in thereby...... [imo, again implied or alluded to]
12 And because iniquity shall be multiplied, the love of
the many shall wax cold.
Mt 24:12
17 For we are not as
the many, corrupting [lit. making merchandise of] the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God, speak we in Christ. 2 Cor 2:6,17
I referred to hoi polloi in the OP article as those that were offended at the posters. I am in agreement with them. The picture was offensive. Jaigner still fails to see any justification for 'the many' to take offense.