Biblical Context: The Synagogue

He came to Nazareth, where he had been raised, and as usual for him he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read.

— The Story of Jesus 6.3

[adapted from Lk 4:16]

After the fall of Judah, and subsequent destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in 586 BC, the Jews no longer had a central place of worship. Surrounded by foreigners and pagan religions, the exiles faced extinction of their culture, so the synagogue arose as the center of Jewish religion and social life. The term comes from the Greek word for “assembly” or “gathering,” and can refer to both the people gathered and the building they gather in. In a synagogue, Jews would regularly study Scripture, worship, and pray as a community, which helped preserve Jewish faith, language, and culture despite isolation from other Jews and separation from the Temple. Unlike the Temple, where only priests could minister, all Jews participated and took turns leading activities. It also served as a local court for deciding legal matters, and an elementary school where Jewish children were taught to read. Synagogues were found throughout the Roman Empire anywhere a community of Jews lived. The buildings themselves had a large seating area, where the congregation sat on the floor or stone benches. At the far end of the room, opposite the doors, a platform held a chest containing Scriptures, which were read at every assembly. Seats on the platform were reserved as places of honor for elders and other synagogue leaders. 

Then the Jews said to one another [about Jesus], “Where does this man plan to go that we won’t find him? He isn’t planning to go along with the dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks, is he? So what are these words he has said, ‘You’ll look for me but won’t find me, because you can’t come where I am’? 

— The Story of Jesus 20.1

[adapted from Jn 7:35-36]

After their exile to Babylon, Jews began dispersing throughout the world in a movement called the diaspora, which is the Greek word for “scatter.” Much of the Jewish dispersion was forced, as captives were taken into exile by conquering nations or as refugees fleeing war or famine. Other times the relocation was voluntary, to pursue business or simply start afresh elsewhere. Other nations similarly dispersed around the world, such as the Greeks around the time of Alexander the Great, settling along the Mediterranean coast. But more than others, the Jews retained their culture despite generations of living away from their homeland. Regularly meeting in the local synagogue was pivotal.  Furthermore, they maintained ties by travelling back to Jerusalem to worship in the Temple.