The Jews of the Intertestamental
period devoted themselves to two main places of worship the first was the Temple
in Jerusalem and the second was their local synagogue. For the average Jew of
this time the synagogue became the most important place of worship. Understanding
the roles that each of these places played in the time of Christ, will
enlighten us to a deeper understanding of what the scriptures are saying
without saying it specifically.
The Temple in particular was in the
process of being rebuilt after its destruction in 586 B.C. with the Babylonian
invasion. It would be completed around 63 A.D. only to be destroyed again in 70
A.D. According to Lea and Black, “Within
the daily life of the temple, priest presided over offerings in the morning and
the afternoon, and sacrifices for Caesar and the Roman nation were also
offered.”[1]
Most people would assume that the high priest presided over the worship
regularly, when in actuality it was only on the Sabbath and festival days.[2]
While the temple at one point held high honor amongst the Jewish people, “the
significance of the temple in Intertestamental Judaism was then, largely
symbolic and sentimental. It was the visible center of the religious life and
pride of the nation. Nevertheless, in fact, its role and function were in
decline.”[3]
With the
role of the temple on the decline that meant something else was on the rise and
that would be the synagogue. Most scholars will agree that we do not have an
exact date for the beginning of the synagogue; however it is assumed they
originated in the time of exile. If you take a moment to read what Lea and
Black say of the service in a synagogue, and you did not know they were referring
to an ancient Jewish service you would feel as though you were in a modern day church
service. Listen to what they had to say,
The synagogue service consisted of a recitation of the Jewish
creed known as the Shema (see Deut. 6:4-5). This recitation was accompanied with
praises to God known as the Shemone Esreh and was followed by a ritual prayer….The
reading of Scriptures was followed by a sermon, explaining the portion that had
been read. A blessing by the priest closed the service.[4]
I am part of a PCA church where we have multiple Scripture
readings, sing praises to God, several prayers are offered, and then the pastor
will read the Scripture, teach from it, we sing a closing song and receive the
benediction. We do not however have eighteen benedictions in the middle of our
service. So this is more than likely where we get our model for a service which
makes me appreciate it all the more.
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