The Greek word means "assembly" and is used in place of the Hebrew word meaning "congregation" or "community of Israel. It is never used to refer to the Temple, which was God's dwelling place and not primarily a place of assembly for the community.
No one but Levites and priests could enter the Temple. All members of a Jewish community could participate in the community life of the synagogue. Some Jewish traditions hold that there were places of assembly for the study of Torah during the time of the Temple of Solomon. At the most, the Old Testament indicates that the practice of prayer, with or without sacrifice, which was to be so central to the synagogue, had already begun Ps.
The beginning of the assembly of people for the purpose of study and prayer the Jewish way of describing worship appears to be the Babylonian exile after the destruction of the first Temple. Jewish scholars believe Ezekiel's reassuring promise that God would provide a "sanctuary" for his people is a reference to the small groups that gathered in their homes during the exile to recall God's covenant, his law, and especially the redemptive promises of the prophets.
It is likely that these godly people, having learned a hard lesson about the importance of obedience to God, assembled regularly to study his Torah to prevent the sins of their ancestors from being repeated. A group of experts in the law and its interpretation taught and studied in small associations at humble locations called "houses of study.
In spite of the later emphasis on prayer and study in the place of assembly, it is likely the main focus of the early gatherings of Jewish people was simply the need to maintain their identity as a people living in a foreign and pagan country. That the synagogue began as the center of the Jewish social life is confirmed by the fact that it was the community center in the first century as well.
The synagogue was school, meeting place, courtroom, and place of prayer. In some towns, the synagogue may even have provided lodging for travelers. It was the place where small groups of Jewish students assembled for Scripture reading and discussion of the Torah and oral tradition. This meant that worship and study, friendship and community celebration, and even the governing of the community were all done by the same people in the same place. It appears that the early church patterned itself after the synagogue and continued the same practice of living and worshiping together as a community, often in private homes Acts ?
The modern "assembly" of Jesus' followers would do well to remember that the roots of the church are in a community living and worshiping together. Worship prayer was a natural extension of the life of the community. By the first century, a synagogue was found in most of the towns and villages of Galilee.
The Gospels specifically mention those of Nazareth Matt. Archaeological evidence is scant for those early synagogues, though later ones left much more substantial remains. Typically, they were built on the highest point in town or on a raised platform. As long as the Temple stood in Jerusalem, synagogues apparently did not face Jerusalem. In some cases, the front facade had three doors.
Inside there were benches on three sides of the room. There was a small platform where the speakers or readers would stand, and it is possible that a small menorah a seven-branched candlestick , like the one in the Temple, stood on that platform. The floor was usually dirt or flagstones, and common people probably sat on mats on the floor, while the important people sat on the stone benches Matt.
In later synagogues, elaborate mosaics with a variety of designs covered the floor none exist from Jesus' time. There was a seat for the reader of the Torah called the Moses Seat or the Seat of Honor , because the Torah recorded the words of Moses so the reader was taking Moses place Matt.
The Torah scrolls and the writings of the prophets were either kept in a portable chest and brought to the synagogue for worship or were kept in the Synagogue itself in a permanent Torah cabinet called the holy ark. Outside was a Mikveh ritual bath for the symbolic cleansing required for entrance into the synagogue.
Local elders governed the synagogue, a kind of democracy. While all adult members of the community could belong to the synagogue, only adult males age 13 or older could be elders. A local caretaker unfortunately sometimes called "ruler" in the English Bible , called the hazzan, was responsible for maintaining the building and organizing the prayer services Mark , 35?
The hazzan was sometimes the teacher of the synagogue school, especially in smaller villages. He would announce the coming Sabbath with blasts on the shofar ram's horn. Although the hazzan was in charge of worship services, the prayer leader, readers, and even the one who delivered the short sermon could be any adult member of the community. All were recognized as being able to share the meaning of God's Word as God had taught them in their daily walk with him. In this way, the community encouraged even its youngest members to be active participants in its religious life.
In each case, Jesus dismisses the devil by quoting scripture, not by bandying about the subject. Now we turn back to the Nazareth synagogue. Here is the grand announcement of what is coming during his ministry. Significantly, the announcement takes place in a synagogue, an institution of devotion and worship and ordinances and sacred learning. Soon the congregants turn on him and he has to withdraw.
Luke then follows Jesus to Capernaum where, on the next Sabbath, he goes into the local synagogue. Now comes a demonstration of power that is aimed partially at the devil and his minions.
We observe again that Jesus chooses to answer the devil in a place of prayer and worship, of holy ordinances and sacred learning. When Jesus sits down to comment, he holds the attention of everyone in the room. The worshipers erupt in fury and try to kill him. This visit highlights the colorful tapestry of his teachings and miracles, his life and redeeming death. In the first place, he comes to Nazareth to undrape his messiahship and chooses the synagogue to do so, the one place in the town where, within moments, he turns acquaintances into witnesses.
Further, in Nazareth Jesus puts his stamp on the character of his ministry. Only days before, he withstands the temptations to aggrandize himself by a dazzling public display in Jerusalem by jumping off the temple pinnacle. In Nazareth he faces the very same temptation, this time to satisfy the expectations of friends, people whom he loves and who will surely support his ambitions. His ministry will be to those who are in need of his aid, and will accept it. But Jesus is appealing to more than Gentiles who receive heavenly blessings.
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