The Early Church and Synagogue Worship

The Church is called a mystery. Paul speaks of this in his letter to the Ephesians. However, it can be even more of a mystery to the casual reader of the Bible since the Church just seems to appear ex nehilo on the day of Pentecost. Not only that, but this new sect, The Way, seems to form itself into a tightly knit, fully functioning unit from day one. The question arises how did they do this so quickly, and why did they form the way they did? Where does Paul get the titles “elder”, “deacon”, and “bishop”? Is there precedence for this, was it revealed by the Holy Spirit, or is there another answer?
The Bible speaks in such matter-of-fact terms about this new entity, the Church that many give no consideration as to how it came to be. Other comments are made and questions raised that lead one to confusion about the makeup and direction of this newly formed group. Was this simply a new beginning for organized religion begun by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost or was it simply the reformation of long held practices by a new sect of Judaism? To answer this question, an examination must be made into the background of the Church. What was pre-existent in the religious life of the apostles that may have given way to the formation of church structure as it was in the early years of its inception? For a clearer view of this, it will be necessary to examine the model on which the Church was built, the Jewish synagogue.

The History of the Synagogue

According to The Dictionary of the Christian Church, the origins of the institution of the synagogue are debatable. The Old Testament, the New Testament, nor the Apocrypha give any detail as to when the synagogue began. Most scholars believe its creation was an occurrence during the Babylonian exile period during the 6th century B.C. when participation in Temple service was cut off for those in the Diaspora. Before long, with no access to Temple service, synagogue became the center of the exiles’ religious life.

The first mention of the synagogues in the Old Testament is in Psalm 74:8, which possibly describes their burning by Antiochus Epiphanies during his second century persecution. The first real evidence of synagogues in the form of buildings created specifically for worship is in Egypt during the Hellenistic period. By New Testament times, the synagogue was well established as a part of Jewish life and worship, as it is to this very day. As much of the Temple was the national center of Israel’s religious life, the synagogue was the local center.

Schaff tells us that by New Testament times every town had a synagogue. Some large cities such as Alexandria or Jerusalem had several. It is estimated that at one time Jerusalem had as many as 480 synagogues. The question arises why so many? The answer is simple in that the synagogue, much as our church structure is today, was limited by certain constraints such as building size and denominational or ethnic separation.

Still, this does not answer the question of what the synagogue was. The word synagogue, much like our word church, meant a congregation of people or a place of meeting, although the Hebrew term can be used either of a religious or secular nature . In fact, still today, the Hebrew word for synagogue (kneset) is used for the Israeli Parliamentary assembly. In Biblical terms, it is simply a gathering of the local assembly for worship. Over the years it came to be the name of the building in which these groups met.

In function, the synagogue was the local seat of great power. The loss of the Temple weighed heavily on the exiles, especially on the Sabbath and festival days. The synagogue became not a replacement, but rather a substitute for the Temple. The synagogue was the “nursery and guardian” of everything that was particularly Jewish. The synagogue was their center of worship, the school, the prayer house, and their community meeting place. In essence, it was the center of Jewish life, both social and religious.

Synagogue, if there were no actual building, could be held in a home or in the open air. The physical structure, if there was a separate building, was plain. Usually rectangular in shape and of a simple architecture, it would be the tallest structure in the town; no building should be made higher than it. Interestingly, if the synagogue could not hold a prominent spot in the town, a tall pole attached to the roof was used to call attention to it. This does not seem far removed from Church steeples of today. Inside, it was made to look something like the inside of the Tabernacle or the Temple with tiered benches, the taller ones being for the community elders and the wealthy; a stand from which to read or teach much like a pulpit, a sacred lamp was kept burning, and a wooden ark or closet which housed the sacred scrolls.

Finally, alms boxes were provided on either side of the door, one for the Temple in Jerusalem and one for local needs. A parallel of this point can be drawn to the early Church with Paul writing to the church at Corinth about the gift they wished to send to the church in Jerusalem. This information is key to dispelling the misconception that the first century Christians were communal in nature. God has always intended for the local congregation to take care of each other and moreover for His house, whether tabernacle, temple, synagogue, or church, to be a storehouse, a place of plenty in times of trouble.

The Synagogue Service

The worship and service, according to the Mishnah, were conducted in five parts. First the Shema, covering Deuteronomy 6:4-9; 11:13-21, and Numbers 15:37-41 was read. Certain “synagogical ” prayers followed this. Next was the reading of the Law, followed by a reading from the Prophets, which was expounded upon in Aramaic or Greek depending on the local language. A benediction concluded the service.

The Leadership of the Synagogue

Ten men were needed to form a synagogue. The synagogue served a threefold purpose of worship, education and community civil government. While subject to the laws of the nation over it, the synagogue maintained government over it’s own local affairs. It had certain members who held control over it, including elders and a leader who ruled the synagogue. These officers were given a certain measure of control over the congregation including discipline such as scourging and excommunication.

Also in the service of the synagogue were a “dispenser of the alms” , equivalent to a treasurer or accountant, and a person qualified to interpret the Law and the Prophets from the scrolls into Aramaic so the congregation could understand. Only those who were qualified could lead the congregation in worship services.

The Church – Synagogue Connection

As it is plain to see from the preceding, the Church is simply an evolvement or outcropping from its earliest beginnings from within the synagogue. As the members of the early Church assembled, first in the synagogues they always had, and then more exclusively with themselves, they retained the service, function, and history of the synagogue. The major difference is that while the traditional Jewish synagogue awaited the coming of Messiah, the Christian congregations were celebrating Him.

As has been noted, in larger cities such as Jerusalem, groups assembled into like-minded gatherings due to their sect, national origin or some other separating ideal. The followers of The Way, the sect of the Nazarenes was no different. Before long in the book of Acts and the Pauline epistles, we see Christians grouped primarily amongst themselves, though a complete break from the traditional synagogue did not occur for quite some time when Christians were no longer tolerated in the traditional assemblies.

That there appears to be strong, almost instantaneous form and structure to the early church is likewise not surprising. When looking at its origins in a contextual perspective rather than from right at the moment of its birth, it is plain to see that the skeleton of the church was in place; they simply needed to pull a new covering over themselves to identify the group more specifically with Christ.

With respect to the service in synagogue and church worship being similar, several parallels can be drawn. These include but are not limited to such things as songs being sung during the service. Also, at the end of the congregational prayers, the reader of the Holy Scriptures was greeted with a group amen from the assembly. Both of these traditions have carried through to the Christian Church to this very day, as has the reading of and expounding on Gods word. Another interesting note is that since the priesthood in general was limited to Jerusalem, any authorized Jew (a Jew of age) was permitted to read, offer prayer, and address the congregation. It was a custom to welcome visitors to address the assembly. It was probably a refreshing break for the group to hear fresh insight on the scriptures just as it is in some churches today. This would explain how it was that Jesus, Paul, and Silas among others are found reading and teaching in the local congregations they visited. Even in many denominations to this day, the laity still plays an important part in services through helping with scripture reading, the giving of prayers, ushering, singing, and preaching.

As for the Church leadership, much of the mystery of the how the early churches formed themselves together is dispelled. “Church” may have been a new title for these groups, but definitely not a new concept. When Paul is addressing Timothy and Titus (1 Timothy Chapter 3; Titus Chapter 1) regarding the selection of upright men for the positions of bishop, elder, and, deacon, these were more than likely the positions of the chief officer, treasurer, and elder being mirrored from the synagogue. In fact the village elders elected the ruler of the synagogue into office , much as a nominating committee today interviews a pastor for installment. Paul did not simply make up titles and positions to get people involved in church governance. Rather, he carried on the structure and tradition of the synagogue life he was so acquainted with. Although a direct position-to-position parallel is somewhat unsteady, the general consensus is that the positions of the synagogue transferred in some strong measure to those of the early church.

Using this information regarding where the Church came from, gives much fuller meaning to such verses as 1 Peter 2:25. Now instead of our modern day, Roman Catholic rendering of the term “bishop”, a beautiful imagery of Jesus as the “Shepherd and ‘leader of the congregation’ of your souls” leaps out of the text. And this in turn causes Jesus’ words to Peter in Matthew 16:18 to be understood more clearly “on this rock I will build my congregation”. The Synagogue and the Church have an inseparable history together and therefore, the real meaning of what the Church was, is, and should be, can never fully be appreciated until it is traced to the rich background from which it came.



Works Cited

1. Alexander, David Eerdmans’ Handbook to the Bible Grand Rapids, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1973.

2. Bruce, F. F. The Book of the Acts Grand Rapids, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1988.

3. Douglas, J. D. New Bible Dictionary 2nd Ed. Inter-Varsity Press, Leicester, England, 1982.

4. Elwell, Walter, A. Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology (Book on-line), Grand Rapids, Baker Book House Company, 1996, accessed 25 June 2003, available from: http://bible.crosswalk.com/Dictionaries/Bakers EvangelicalDictionary/bed.cgi?number=T678 ; Internet

5. Scofield, C.I. The New Scofield Study Bible New King James Version. Nashville, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989.

6. Schaff, Phillip History of the Christian Church Peabody, Hendrickson Publishers Inc., 2002.