SYNAGOGUE
similar
arrangement
in
Herod's
Temple,
Bee
Temple
§
11
(6)),
although
the
question
of
the
separation
of
the
sexes
in
NT
times
is
one
on
which
the
best
authorities
disagree.
As
regards
the
furniture
of
the
synagogue,
the
most
important
item
was
the
chest
or
cupboard
((56a,
the
'ark'),
in
which
the
sacred
rolls
of
the
Law
and
the
Proptiets
were
kept.
The
synagogues
of
NT
times
were
also
doubtless
provided
with
a
raised
platform
(65ma)
,
on
which
stood
the
reading-desk
from
which
the
Scriptures
were
read.
The
larger
portion
of
the
area
was
occupied
by
benches
for
the
congregation,
the
worshippers
facing
southwards,
in
Galilee
at
least,
towards
the
holy
city.
A
few
special
seats
in
front
of
the
bBmS,
and
facing
the
congregation,
were
occupied
by
the
heads
of
the
com-munity.
These
are
the
'
chief
seats
in
the
synagogues
'
coveted
by
the
Pharisees
(Mt
23«
and
||).
In
front
of
the
'
ark
'
a
lamp
burned
day
and
night.
3.
The
officials
ot
the
Synagogue.
—
The
general
management
ot
the
synagogue
of
a
Jewish
town,
where
it
served
also
as
a
court
of
justice
and
—
in
the
smaller
towns
and
villages
at
least
—
as
a
school,
was
in
the
hands
of
the
elders
of
the
community.
It
had
no
special
priest
or
'minister,'
as
will
appear
presently.
It
was
usual
however,
to
appoint
an
official
called
'the
ruler
o£
the
synagogue'
(Mk
5^.
Lk
8",
and
oft.),
to
whom
the
authorities
of
the
community
committed
the
care
of
the
building
as
well
as
the
more
important
duty
of
seeing
that
everything
connected
with
the
public
services
was
done
'
decently
and
in
order.'
Hence
the
indignation
of
the
ruler
of
Lk
13"
at
the
supposed
breach
of
the
decorum
of
worship
related
in
the
pre-ceding
verses
(vv.
m-is).
it
lay
with
the
ruler
also
to
select
the
readers
for
the
day,
and
to
determine
the
order
in
which
they
were
to
be
called
up
to
the
reading-desk.
Occasionally,
it
would
seem,
a
synagogue
might
have
two
or
more
rulers,
as
at
Antioch
ot
Pisidia
(Ac
13").
The
only
other
permanent
ofBcial
was
the
chazzSn,
'
the
'
attendant
'
ot
Lk
4™Ii,V
(AV
'
minister
'
in
the
same,
but
now
obsolete,
sense;
cf.
Ac
13').
The
duties
of
the
synagogue
'officer'
(as
we
say
in
Scotland)
were
some-what
varied.
He
was
responsible
for
the
cleaning
and
lighting
ot
the
building;
and
dm:ing
service
it
was
his
special
duty
to
convey
the
sacred
rolls
from
the
ark
to
the
readers
at
the
desk,
and
to
restore
them
when
the
reading
was
over,
as
recorded
in
Lk
i"-
2".
To
him
fell
also
the
duty
ot
scourging
criminals
condemned
by
the
court
(Mt
10"
23"
etc.),
but
not,
as
is
usually
repre-sented,
the
teaching
of
the
school
children
(art.'
Educa-tion'
in
DS
i.
650«).
4.
The
synagogue
service
in
NT
times.
—
For
this
part
of
our
subject
we
are
dependent
mainly
on
the
fuller
information
preserved
in
the
Mishna,
which
reflects
the
later
usage
of
the
2nd
century.
According
to
Megillah,
iv.
3,
the
service
consisted
of
four
parts,
and
with
this
the
scattered
hints
in
the
Gospels
and
Acts
agree.
These
parts
are:
(a)
the
recitation
of
the
Shema',
(6)
the
lifting
up
of
hands,
i.e.
the
prayers,
(c)
the
lessons
from
the
Law
and
the
Prophets,
and
(d)
the
priestly
benediction.
Two
elements
of
the
full
service,
however,
are
here
omitted
as
not
strictly
belonging
to
the
essentials
of
worship,
viz.
the
translation
of
the
lessons
into
the
vernacular,
and
the
sermon.
(a)
The
redtaiipn
of
the
Shema'
.
—
The
shema'
is
the
standing
designation
ot
three
short
sections
ot
the
Pentateuch,
Dt
6'-'
(which
opens
with
the
word
Shema'-=
'Hear,'
whence
the
name)
1V>-^',
Nu
15"-".
Their
recitation
by
the
congregation
was
preceded
and
followed
by
one
or
two
short
benedictions,
such
as
that
beginning,
'
Blessed
be
thou,
Adonai,
our
God,
King
of
the
universe,
who
didst
form
the
light
and
create
dark-ness.'
(6)
The
lifting
up
of
hands.
—
In
contrast
to
the
first
item
of
the
service.
In
which
all
took
part,
the
prayers
were
said
by
a
single
individual
chosen
for
the
purpose,
SYNAGOGUE
named
'
the
deputy
of
the
congregation,'
the
worshippers-however,
repeating
the
Amen
at
the
close
of
each
collect.
This.
mode
of
prayer
in
the
public
services
was
taken
over
by
the
early
Church,
as
is
attested
by
1
Co
14"
(where
the
word
rendered
'the
giving
of
thanks'
is
the
Gr.
equivalent
of
that
rendered
'benediction'
below).
By
the
middle
of
the
2nd
cent.
a.d.
a
formal
liturgy
had
been
developed
—
the
famous
'
eighteen
benedictions,
'
which
may
be
read
in
any
Jewish
prayer-book.
It
is
impossible,
however,
to
say
with
certainty
how
many
ot
these
were
in
use
in
our
Lord's
day.
Dalman
is
ot
opinion
that
at
least
twelve
of
the
eighteen
collects
are
older
than
a.d.
70.
These
he
arranges
in
three
groups,
consisting
of
three
opening
benedictions,
six
petitions,
and
three
closing
benedictions
(see
his
art.
'Gottes-dienst
[synagogaler]'
in
Hauck's
PBE'
vii.).
(c)
The
OT
lessons.
—
The
liturgy
was
followed
by
a
lesson
from
the
Law.
The
five
books
were
divided
into
154
(or
more)
Sabbath
pericopes
or
sections,
so
that
the
whole
Pentateuch
was
read
through
in
three
years
(or
3i
years,
half
of
a
Sabbatic
period).
The
custom
of
calling
up
seven
readers
in
succession
—
a
priest,
a
Levite,
and
five
others
—
may
be
as
old
as
the
1st
century.
After
the
Law
came,
at
the
Sabbath
morning
service
only,
a
lesson
from
the
Prophets,
read
by
one
person
and
left
to
his
choice.
It
was
the
haph-tarU,
as
the
prophetic
lesson
was
termed,
that
our
Lord
read
in
the
synagogue
of
Nazareth
(Lk
4'^).
'The
Hagiographa.
except
Esther,
were
not
at
this
period
read
at
Divine
service.
Even
the
Psalms
had
no
place
in
the
usual
service'
(Dalman).
In
order
that
the
common
people
might
follow
the
lessons
with
intelligence,
these
were
translated
into
Aramaic,
the
vernacular
ot
Palestine,
by
an
interpreter
(methurgeman
—
our
'dragoman'
is
from
the
same
root).
■The
unique
position
of
the
Law
in
the
estimation
ot
the
time
is
shown
by
the
fact
that
the
Pentateuch
lessons
had
to
be
translated
a
verse
at
a
time,
while
the
Prophets
might
be
rendered
three
verses
at
a
time.
Reader
and
interpreter
stood
while
at
the
reading-
desk.
At
this
point
in
the
service
at
the
principal
diets
ot
worship,
the
sermon
was
introduced.
The
preacher
sat
while
giving
his
exposition,
which
is
so
often
described
in
NT
as
'teaching'
(Mt
i'^,
Mk
l^'
6^
etc).
In
the
synagogue
there
was
full
liberty
of
prophesy-ing.'
Any
member
of
the
community
was
free
to
exercise
his
gift.
When
a
likely
stranger
was
present,
he
was
invited
by
the
ruler
of
the
synagogue
to
address
the
congregation
(Ac
13"').
(d)
The
service
was
closed
by
a
priest
pronouncing
the
priestly
benediction,
Nu
624-28;
if
no
priest
was
present,
it
is
said
that
a
layman
gave
the
blessing
in
the
form
of
a
prayer.
On
some
occasions,
at
least,
it
was
usual
to
ask
the
alms
of
the
congregation
(Mt
6')
on
behalf
of
the
poor.
The
full
service,
as
sketched
above,
was
confined
to
the
principal
service
ot
the
week,
which
was
held
on
the
forenoon
of
the
Sabbath.
At
the
other
services,
such
as
those
held
daily
in
the
larger
towns,
where
ten
'meri
of
leisure'
were
available
to
form
the
mini-mum
legal
congregation,
and
the
Monday
and
Thursday
services,
some
of
the
items
were
omitted.
5.
The
influence
o£
the
Synagogue.
—
This
article
would
be
incomplete
without
a
reference,
however
brief,
to
the
influence
of
the
synagogue
and
its
wor-ship
not
only
upon
the
Jews
themselves,
but
upon
the
world
ot
heathenism.
As
to
the
latter,
the
synagogue
played
a
conspicuous
part
in
the
preparalio
evangelica.
From
the
outworn
creeds
of
paganism
many
earnest
souls
turned
to
the
synagogue
and
its
teaching
for
the
satisfaction
of
their
highest
needs.
The
synagogues
of
'the
Dispersion"
(Jn
7^',
Ja
1',
1
P
1',
all
RV)
became
in
consequence
the
seed-plots
of
Christianity,
as
every
student
of
the
Book
of
Acts
is
aware.
The
work
which
the
synagogue
did
for
Judaism
itself
is
best
seen
in
the
ease
with
which
the
breach
