Synagogues and Oral Law
This blurb marks the beginning of a series of blurbs focused on the Gospels. For the next several weeks, I will focus my attention on the Gospels and discuss here some of what I am learning. Any reader of the New Testament will benefit from an understanding of the Old Testament. Said reader will also benefit from understanding what is typically called the “Intertestamental Period” or “Second Temple Period” as well. This time provides a valuable context for the entire New Testament. For most readers, unfortunately, the information available in their study Bible is a page or three of explanation. When we understand what happened during this time we have a greater understanding of the problems that Jesus encountered in His ministry.
The Old Testament ends with the Israelites in exile under Persian rule. Many were allowed to return to their homeland during the exile, but many stayed behind or settled somewhere else. This lengthy time of separation from Jerusalem sparked the focus on Torah, especially the oral interpretation of the Law. They could only sacrifice at the temple, which was being rebuilt. Synagogues were implemented: places where Hebrews could gather and discuss the Torah. They could not sacrifice there, so their focus remained on obeying the Law and doing good works. (1 Samuel 15:22 — Behold to obey is better than sacrifice…) This oral Law forced interpretation and application. Synagogues forced community.
Did the Law change? Think about this: in the Old Testament the Law is clear. There were specific rules that the Jews either obeyed or disobeyed. The Exile period was seen as punishment. Read Jeremiah 5. God tells the people He was bringing this destruction upon them because of their disobedience to Him. During the Intertestamental time, the Jews knew this; they knew they had abandoned the Law. The problem was that they turned back to the Law, but they could not obey it all. This concept is difficult for us Westerners to comprehend because we have nothing like this. Most of our laws tell us what NOT to do. We have very few laws that tell us what we MUST do. We all MUST pay taxes, for example. Our government makes it very easy for us to obey that law.
Imagine, for a moment, that the law stated that you MUST vote in the city you were born in. It was not an option, but a decree. Not only that, it had serious consequences. If you did not vote in your hometown, you would be put to death. I presume that most of us would make an effort to vote. More than that, we would ensure that we, and those that we love, all voted. We would drive across the country, if need be. Now imagine that, for whatever reason, you were unable to vote. Would you simply shrug your shoulders and say, “Oh well!” No…your first reaction would be one of fear and terror that your life would be taken. But then you would probably do everything in your power to make up for your inability. Perhaps you would write letters to your Senator; call the political party office; donate money; help out on campaigns — the point is you would try to do whatever you could to show that you are not a bum.
The Israelites, similarly, were forced to take a different look at the Law. If they could not obey the letter of the Law, they would study the Law and obey the spirit of the Law. In the New Testament we see countless examples of people discussing how to obey the Law. The Law became something that had to be interpreted. We read about debates with Pharisees about what the Law said. The Pharisees took this a step further and insisted on obeying the Law perfectly.
The Israelites were also forced to congregate somewhere other than the Temple. So they built synagogues. These were small buildings with a central atrium and steps surrounding on three sides. When one walked in the door, they were standing in the atrium that was surrounded by steps on the other three walls. The people would gather and sit on these bleachers. The Torah was kept in jars in a side room. The roof over the atrium was typically open or had slits along the side of it for light. The priests would pick out a scroll from a jar and read it aloud and discussion would ensue. In Israel, the people went to the Temple to learn about the Torah and to hang out with each other. In other places, the synagogue fulfilled those two roles.
This has far-reaching impact throughout the New Testament. In Acts, for example, we read that in almost every place Paul visited, he first stopped at the synagogue. (Acts 17:2 — And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures.) The synagogue is similar to our Bible study; but it was more than that. It was the place in any city where one could count on finding Jews.
Alexander the Great came on the scene and conquered the Persians. This new Hellenistic influence left a similar relaxed environment with regards to the Jews. They were allowed to retain their religious beliefs and they benefited from some of the enhancements in urbanization and mass communication. Greek became the common language for the entire area. There was also enticements to disobey the Law – many new gods were introduced. Things went relatively smoothly until we meet a guy named Antiochus. I will talk about him and the most exciting piece of the Second Temple Period next week.
When you read through the New Testament, remember the Law and the synagogue. Why were the synagogues built? How did they change the way Jews related to one another? Why did oral Law become so important?
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