Body: | Synagogue allusions in the New Testament
A. Allusions to ritual purity and the Synagogue Mikveh in the New
Testament:
1. General allusions to ritual purity:
a. "Therefore Jesus no longer continued to walk publicly among
the Jews, but went away from there to the country near the wilderness, into
a city called Ephraim; and there He stayed with the disciples. Now the
Passover of the Jews was near, and many went up to Jerusalem out of the
country before the Passover to purify themselves." (John 11:54-55)
b. "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your
hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded." (James 4:8)
c. "instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and
to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the
blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior,
Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed,
and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good
deeds." (Titus 2:12-14)
d. ""Therefore do this that we tell you. We have four men who
are under a vow; take them and purify yourself along with them, and pay
their expenses so that they may shave their heads; and all will know that
there is nothing to the things which they have been told about you, but
that you yourself also walk orderly, keeping the Law. "But concerning the
Gentiles who have believed, we wrote, having decided that they should
abstain from meat sacrificed to idols and from blood and from what is
strangled and from fornication." Then Paul took the men, and the next
day, purifying himself along with them, went into the temple giving notice
of the completion of the days of purification, until the sacrifice was
offered for each one of them." (Acts 21:23-26)
e. ""You are already clean because of the word [not through a
mikveh] which I have spoken to you." (John 15:3)
2. Ritual purity that would include a mikveh:
a. "so that He might sanctify her, having
cleansed her by the washing of water with the word," (Ephesians 5:26)
b. "He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we
have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of
regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit," (Titus 3:5)
c. "let us draw near with a sincere heart in full
assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil
conscience and our bodies washed with pure water." (Hebrews 10:22)
d. "When Pilate saw that he was accomplishing
nothing, but rather that a riot was starting, he took water and washed his
hands in front of the crowd, saying, "I am innocent of this Man's
blood; see to that yourselves."" (Matthew 27:24)
e. "He answered, "The man who is called Jesus
made clay, and anointed my eyes, and said to me, 'Go to Siloam and
wash'; so I went away and washed, and I received sight."" (John 9:11)
f. "'Now why do you delay? Get up and be
baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name.'" (Acts 22:16)
g. "Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about
the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of
repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of instruction about
BAPTISMS [Greek: immersions in a Jewish Mikveh] and laying on of hands, and
the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment." (Hebrews 6:1-2)
3. Foot washing of Jn 13 uses same word in other passages:
[Greek: Louō]
a. Jesus said to peter: "you are clean, you only need your
feet washed". Peter wanted a full immersion.
b. "Then He poured water into the basin, and began to wash
[Greek: Louō] the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel with
which He was girded. So He came to Simon Peter. He said to Him, "Lord, do
You wash my feet?" Jesus answered and said to him, "What I do you do
not realize now, but you will understand hereafter." Peter said to Him,
"Never shall You wash my feet!" Jesus answered him, "If I do not wash
you, you have no part with Me." Simon Peter said to Him, "Lord, then
wash not only my feet, but also my hands and my head [ie. full immersion in
a mikveh]." Jesus said to him, "He who has bathed [Greek: Louō] needs
only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not
all of you."" (John 13:5-10)
c. "let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of
faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our
bodies washed [Greek: Louō] with pure water." (Hebrews 10:22)
d. "It has happened to them according to the true proverb, "A
dog returns to its own vomit," and, "A sow, after washing [Greek:
Louō], returns to wallowing in the mire."" (2 Peter 2:22)
B. Allusions to first century Rabbinical Judaism:
1. Jesus was called Rabbi (teacher) and he dressed like a Rabbi
complete with the distinctive "tassels" [Graspedon]
a. ""But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men; for
they broaden their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels [Graspedon] of
their garments." (Matthew 23:5)
2. Jesus wears tassels: same Greek word (Graspedon) for fringe
and tassel: Mt 9:20; 14:36; 23:5
a. "And a woman who had been suffering from a hemorrhage for
twelve years, came up behind Him and touched the fringe [Graspedon] of His
cloak;" (Matthew 9:20)
b. "and they implored Him that they might just touch the fringe
[Graspedon] of His cloak; and as many as touched it were cured." (Matthew
14:36)
C. Allusions to first century Synagogue Architecture:
1. Moses Seat and Synagogue triclinium bench seating:
a. "My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord
Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism. For if a man comes
into your assembly [synagogue] with a gold ring and dressed in fine
clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes, and you pay
special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes, and say,
"You sit here in a good place," and you say to the poor man, "You
stand over there, or sit down by my footstool," have you not made
distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives?" (James
2:1-4)
b. "Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of
the church [ecclesia] and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil
in the name of the Lord;" (James 5:14)
By Steve Rudd 2017: Contact the author for comments, input or corrections
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Ancient Synagogues
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By Steve Rudd 2017: Contact the author for comments, input or corrections
Quick links:
Master introduction: Summary overview is the place to start to tie it all together.
Providence: God's eternal plan: The providential transition from Temple to Synagogue to Church
Origin: Synagogues originated at Alexandria Egypt in 280 BC spawned by the Septuagint
Jesus the Messiah of the Tanakh:
1. First Century Jewish Messianic Expectation: As witnessed in the Dead Sea scrolls.
2. Looking for the wrong thing: Mistaken Jewish ideas of the Messiah in 30 AD.
3. Jesus fulfilled Prophecy: Master list of fulfilled messianic prophecies
4. Jesus fulfilled Prophecy: "He shall be called a Nazarene (branch)" Matthew 2:23
5. Jesus fulfilled Prophecy: "Jesus would rise the third day" 1 Corinthians 15:3-4
Synagogue Architectural Prototypes in the Church:
1. Standard architectural synagogue typology: Introduction, Master Chart
2. Mikveh for Ritual Purity: The Christian Maker
3. Ritual purity stone Vessels: Stoneware cups and wash basins
4. Freestanding Columns: Antitype of Christians
5. Artwork: Heart-Shaped Columns
6. The bema: Prototype of the Church Pulpit
7. Synagogue Benches: Metaphor of Equality in Christ
8. Women Seating in Synagogues: Not segregated from men
9. The Moses' Seat: Metaphor of Pride
10. Niches & Ark of The Scrolls: Prototype of Church Apse
11. Table of the Scrolls: Prototype of Communion Table
12. Byzantine Church Architecture: Octagonal and Basilica
13. Orientation: Early Synagogues did not Point to Jerusalem
14. The Church replaced the Temple: Replacement theology is pure Christianity
Synagogue Worship Prototypes in the Church:
15. Worship prototypes: Introduction and Master Summary Chart
16. Collective Names of Synagogues: House of Prayer, Temple, Church
17. Organization of Synagogues: Elders, officials, attendants, Independent, autonomous
18. Attendance: Weekly Sabbath Assemblies in Synagogues absent from Tanakh
19. Public Bible readings: Preaching and Teaching In Synagogues
20. Greek Septuagint: The Standard Tanakh of every ancient synagogue
21. Greek Septuagint scroll of the Twelve Minor Prophets written in 50 BC
22. Prayer in Synagogues: "House of prayer" Proseuche
23. Food: Sacred Passover Meals, No Common Meals In Synagogues
24. Sermon Topics in Synagogues: How Christians used the Tanakh to convert Jews
25. Singing in Synagogues: Non-Instrumental Acapella Responsive Singing
26. Benevolence Money: Freewill Weekly First fruits Collections for poor in Synagogues
27. Education: Schools and Literacy of Jews In Synagogues
28. Role of Women in Synagogues: Never leaders, preachers but never segregated
29. Sanctuary Status: Refugees seeking Asylum in Synagogues
30. Appendages: Hostels, Housing and Food Banks in Synagogues
31. Civil Court: Judgements, beatings and scourging in Synagogues
32. Civic Meetings: Political Town Hall assemblies in Synagogues
33. Christians replaced Jews: Replacement theology is pure Christianity
Synagogue Occupation Date (SOD)= Excavation date + Inscriptional date + Literary date
Allusions: Synagogue worship allusions and imagery in the New Testament
Master builder Stonemason Jesus: "Upon this Rock I will build My church"
Everyday life: Archeology of Everyday Life and Homes at the time of Jesus
Master List: Master list of First Temple Period, Pre-70 AD Synagogues
Attend a church you can read about in the Bible: Click here to find a church near you.
By Steve Rudd 2017: Contact the author for comments, input or corrections
Go to:
Master Synagogue List
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Jewish Messianic Expectations in DSS
Go to:
Map of Synagogue Sites
Excavations
Inscriptions
Literature
Go to:
Synagogue Excavations
Go to:
Synagogue Inscriptions
Go to:
Synagogue Literary Sources
Jesus Master Builder of the Church/Temple
Archeology of First Century Houses
By Steve Rudd 2017: Contact the author for comments, input or corrections
Jesus your messiah is waiting for you to come home!
Why not worship with a first century New Testament church near you, that has the same look and feel as the Jewish Synagogue in your own home town. As a Jew, you will find the transition as easy today as it was for the tens of thousands of your forefathers living in Jerusalem 2000 years ago when they believed in Jesus the Nazarene (the branch) as their messiah. It's time to come home!
Click here to find a church near you.
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