Journal: Tyndale Bulletin
Volume: TYNBUL 57:2 (NA 2006)
Article: A Critical Analysis Of The Present State Of Synagogue Research And Its Implications For The Study Of Luke–Acts.
Author: Stephen Catto

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TynBull 57:2 (2006) p. 313

A Critical Analysis Of The Present State Of Synagogue Research And Its Implications For The Study Of Luke–Acts.¹

Stephen Catto

The form and function of the ‘synagogue’² in the first century AD has been the focus of a great deal of recent scholarly discussion. A previous generation of scholars would have perceived a reference to a synagōgē in a New Testament text as a monolithic institution with clearly defined functions, principally involving worship. Some recent scholarship has questioned many of these assumptions arguing that, in the first century AD, synagōgē should be understood as a reference to a gathering and not a building. Similarly, it is noted that many of the reconstructions of what happened in a ‘synagogue’ are built on evidence that dates to a period much later than the first century.

This study argues that the debate has become too polarised between those who hold a minimal or maximal position on our sources, and that some of the issues concerned have not been thoroughly examined. In this thesis particular attention is paid to the geographical location and socio-economic background of our sources, which allows us to highlight possible differences in practice in various communities. It is argued that there was considerable diversity in what the ‘synagogue’ was like and how it functioned. In short, we should not assume that a ‘synagogue’ in Nazareth would look and function like one in Pisidian Antioch; to perceive the ‘synagogue’ as a monolithic entity and translate various terms with the English ‘synagogue’ is untenable.

After giving an introduction to the field and detailing the history of research in chapter 1, chapter 2 assesses the relevant literary material

¹ Abstract of a dissertation awarded a Ph.D. at the University of Aberdeen, 2005, supervised by Dr. Simon J. Gathercole.

² Throughout the work inverted commas are used around the word synagogue where it is unclear whether a building or community is meant.

TynBull 57:2 (2006) p. 314

available to evaluate the form of the ‘synagogue’ in the first-century period. It is argued that, in many towns and cities throughout Palestine, synagogue buildings would have existed. Similarly, in the Diaspora, where there was a Jewish population, they could also gather in buildings set aside specifically for the purpose; however, others would gather in domestic settings or in the open. The use of terms such as hieron by non-Jews to refer to the meeting places of Jews suggests that there were similarities in appearance or function between the synagogue buildings and pagan temples.

A partic...

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