Religious Institutions of the Time of Jesus

In this post I will be explaining the religious institution during the time of Jesus and talking about what the church can learn from them.

There are three religious institutions during the time of Christ. The first institution is the Temple, which was the worship center of Judaism.¹ Sacrifices in the morning and the evening were offered and both rituals were almost identical.² While in the temple, where no Gentiles were permitted, the Jewish people would observe the sacrifice, recite the Ten Commandments, the Shema, benedictions, other prayers, and even sing in praise to God.³ Toward the end of the ritual, the Levites began singing, trumpet blasts prompted the people to prostrate themselves, and when the singing ended so did the service.⁴

The second institution is the synagogue. The synagogues provided a variety of functions for Judaism. Lea says this about the synagogue, “The synagogue served as the center of religious, social, and educational life for the Jewish community.”⁵ Every week Jews would gather to study the law, and during the weekdays children were instructed in the law. It also served as a place of worship and a place were money was collected for the poor.⁶ Though the Temple was the center of worship, the synagogue became the center of Jewish life, and was emphasized more.⁷ The synagogues were operated by the scribes who, according to Emil Schurer, “took more and more control of the nation’s spiritual guidance.”⁸

The third institution is not mentioned so directly by Lea, but cannot be overlooked and that is the institution of the home. Deuteronomy 6:6-9 lays out the importance of the home and the responsibility of parents to pass on the faith to their children. Scott says, “The Shema and other prayers were recited before the household started the affairs of the day and at other times.”⁹ Mom and dad were given the primary task of instilling the Jewish faith into their children. While the synagogue emphasized the study of the law, it seems that the home emphasized the practice of the law through the feasts and festivals, the Sabbath, trips to the temple, and the evening meal. The home played a major role in the spiritual formation of a Jewish child; however, it seems that the synagogue was the most important institution during the days of Jesus.

The church and synagogues are similar in a few ways. It is a place of worship as well as a place to learn the Scriptures, but to compare the activities of the synagogue to that of the modern church is a difficult task since many churches put their emphasis in different areas. I will say that it alarms me to see a lack of emphasis on doctrine in many modern churches. Many shy away from doctrine, either because it becomes divisive or it is boring to the average person. Regardless of the reason, I believe the church would do well to learn from the model of the synagogues and teach right doctrine without compromising our command to love God and love others.

Additionally, in many cases, the church has replaced the home as the primary place where faith is passed on. The synagogue, temple, and the home had a symbiotic relationship where as the church, I fear, has de-emphasized the home as God’s design to pass on the faith. The church has become primary as opposed to the being a partner to the primary… the home! What would it look like to have a church who genuinely partnered with the home to pass on the faith to their children?

¹ Thomas D. Lea and David Alan Black, The New Testament: Its Background and Message, 60.

² J. Julius Scott Jr., Jewish Background of the New Testament, 152.

³ J. Julius Scott Jr., Jewish Background of the New Testament, 151-152.

⁴ J. Julius Scott Jr., Jewish Background of the New Testament, 152.

⁵ Thomas D. Lea and David Alan Black, The New Testament: Its Background and Message, 63.

⁶ Thomas D. Lea and David Alan Black, The New Testament: Its Background and Message, 63.

⁷ J. Julius Scott Jr., Jewish Background of the New Testament, 155.

⁸ J. Julius Scott Jr., Jewish Background of the New Testament, 158.

⁹ J. Julius Scott Jr., Jewish Background of the New Testament, 251.