Although the origin of the synagogue as a Jewish institution is unclear, by the first century C. Worship also took place in first-century synagogues, although this would not develop into something like modern Jewish synagogue worship until much later.
Nonetheless, reading and interpreting the Torah and Prophets is well attested in first-century synagogues Acts , and although scholars disagree about the extent of communal prayers, literary sources suggest that Jews prayed in at least some synagogues at this time Matt , Josephus, Life Since first-century synagogues were local communal institutions, it is not surprising that there is no evidence for a centralized group that determined what took place inside of them.
Rabbinic leadership of synagogues which is what we are familiar with today was limited in the first few centuries C. Though literary sources prove that first-century synagogues existed, there are few archaeological remains. In fact, the synagogue that stands in Capernaum today was built several centuries after the time of Jesus, and the evidence for a first-century synagogue is disputed.
Nonetheless, there are remains of a few first-century synagogues in Israel and Palestine, including buildings in Gamla, Masada , and Herodium. In other words, the buildings reflected the primary role of synagogues as Jewish community centers, with worship as a secondary use of the space. Until the year 70 C. Therefore, though synagogues were found in some first-century communities, their status as places of worship was limited until after the temple was destroyed in 70 C.
Without the temple, synagogues provided already-established communal institutions that would ultimately develop into the new centers of Jewish worship. Chad Spigel, "First Century Synagogues", n. Capernaum was a small Jewish fishing and agricultural community on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee that figures prominently in the Gospels' depictions of Jesus.
It is the place where Jews come together for community prayer services. Jews can satisfy the obligations of daily prayer by praying anywhere; however, there are certain prayers that can only be said in the presence of a minyan a quorum of 10 adult men , and tradition teaches that there is more merit to praying with a group than there is in praying alone.
The sanctity of the synagogue for this purpose is second only to The Temple. In fact, in rabbinical literature, the synagogue is sometimes referred to as the "little Temple.
A synagogue is usually also a beit midrash, a house of study. Contrary to popular belief, Jewish education does not end at the age of bar mitzvah.
For the observant Jew, the study of sacred texts is a life-long task. Thus, a synagogue normally has a well-stocked library of sacred Jewish texts for members of the community to study. It is also the place where children receive their basic religious education. Most synagogues also have a social hall for religious and non-religious activities.
The synagogue often functions as a sort of town hall where matters of importance to the community can be discussed. In addition, the synagogue functions as a social welfare agency, collecting and dispensing money and other items for the aid of the poor and needy within the community.
Synagogues are generally run by a board of directors composed of lay people. They manage and maintain the synagogue and its activities, and hire a rabbi for the community. It is worth noting that a synagogue can exist without a rabbi: religious services can be, and often are, conducted by lay people in whole or in part. It is not unusual for a synagogue to be without a rabbi, at least temporarily.
However, the rabbi is a valuable member of the community, providing leadership, guidance and education. Synagogues do not pass around collection plates during services, as many churches do. This is largely because Jews are not permitted to carry money on holidays and sabbaths. Instead, synagogues are financed through membership dues paid annually, through voluntary donations, and through the purchase of reserved seats for services on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur the holidays when the synagogue is most crowded.
It is important to note, however, that you do not have to be a member of a synagogue in order to worship there. Today, the synagogue is re-aligning itself with the powerful world of Jewish federations and philanthropies. Many synagogues have also begun to emphasize the community-building aspects of their own programs, through social work and political activism.
Now American Jews regularly turn to their synagogues not only for religious services, but for all manner of Jewish events, including Holocaust commemorations and speeches by Israeli politicians. But more than anything else, the modern synagogue remains a religious institution, a place for the Jewish encounter with the divine.
As spirituality has become more important to American society, the synagogue has become a center of Jewish renewal. Like many churches, many synagogues today are experimenting with new liturgical texts, music and choreographies. In new synagogue construction and renovation, the community often adopts new spatial arrangements in an attempt to reinvigorate the prayer service. One of the principal innovations is the creation of a moveable bimah.
In older synagogues, where the bimah is a fixed, raised platform at the front of the sanctuary, the service tended to become decorous; the congregation a passive audience. One of the large synagogues of Seville was transformed into the Church of S.
A church at the entrance to the ghetto of Saragossa is said to have been a synagogue; but there are no documents to verify this statement, although the style of architecture supports it. When the Jews of Ratisbon were expelled in , their synagogue, which was built of freestone, was demolished by the citizens even the nobles and the bishop taking part in the work of destruction , and a church was erected on the site. The intention of Ferdinand I.
When the Jews were expelled from Vienna, in , a church was built on the site of their demolished synagogue. These episodes in the history of the synagogue in Christian countries have had very few parallels in Mohammedan lands, although the rule of Islam also began with an edict against the synagogue. It was decreed in the "pact of Omar" see Jew. Islam that in those countries which should be conquered no new synagogues might be built, nor old ones repaired. The calif Al-Mutawakkil confirmed this decree in the ninth century, and commanded all synagogues to be transformed into mosques.
The great synagogue of Jerusalem was destroyed in , although the Jews were soon permitted to rebuild it. In eastern Mohammedan countries the names of Biblical personages or of representatives of tradition e. The following examples are taken from Benjamin of Tudela "Itinerary" , from the list of tombs compiled for R.
Some examples are found also in Pethahiah's itinerary, and in Sambari's chronicle of the year , printed in Neubauer, "M. In the village of Jaujar, in Egypt, there was a synagogue named in honor of the prophet Elijah, since Phinehas b. Eleazar was born there Sambari, p. The synagogue of the Palestinians at Fostat was also called after Elijah; the prophet Jeremiah was said to have prayed there Sambari, p.
Benjamin found a "Keneset Mosheh" outside the city of Fostat p. According to Sambari p. Egypt , in which Moses himself was said to have prayed comp. One of the three synagogues of Aleppo was called after Moses p. Sambari, p. Pethahiah mentions two synagogues built by Ezra at Nisibis. There was a synagogue at Ezra s tomb, and one near the grave of the prophet Ezekiel; the latter was said to have been built by King Jehoiachin "Itinerary," ed.
Benisch, pp. In the province of Mosul Ashur , Benjamin p. The tomb of Daniel at Susa and the graves of Mordecaiand Esther pp. At Ramlah Rama the Christians found the tomb of Samuel beside the synagogue p. Among the Tannaim the name of Simeon b. At Damascus, according to Benjamin, there was a synagogue of Eleazar b. Azariah , and at Nisibis one of Judah b. All these synagogues stood at the graves of the amoraim whose names they bore.
In his commentary on Job xxi.
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