> Introductions, Announcements, and More of Ray's Teachings
synagogue vs temple
Roy Monis:
Hi! Everybody
Could someone straighten me out on this. The temple has been with us for a heck of a long time dating back to Exodus and before most likely but where did the synagogue come from? Where did it originate because it a appears to have overshadowed the temple in Jesus' day?
Thanks for any help.
God bless you my brothers and sisters in our communal walk in Christ.
Love in Christ Jesus.
Roy UK
hillsbororiver:
--- Quote from: Roy Monis UK on May 24, 2008, 10:36:01 AM ---Hi! Everybody
Could someone straighten me out on this. The temple has been with us for a heck of a long time dating back to Exodus and before most likely but where did the synagogue come from? Where did it originate because it a appears to have overshadowed the temple in Jesus' day?
Thanks for any help.
God bless you my brothers and sisters in our communal walk in Christ.
Love in Christ Jesus.
Roy UK
--- End quote ---
Hi Roy,
The Synagogue is basically a satellite of the Temple, a house of prayer and study but not a sacred place of sacrifices and tithes, there are Synagogues everywhere there are worshippers, but the only true Temple must be in Jerusalem. So presently there are many Synagogues but no Temple.
Functions of a Synagogue
At a minimum, a synagogue is a beit tefilah, a house of prayer. It is the place where Jews come together for community prayer services. Jews can satisfy the obligations of daily prayer by praying anywhere; however, there are certain prayers that can only be said in the presence of a minyan (a quorum of 10 adult men), and tradition teaches that there is more merit to praying with a group than there is in praying alone. The sanctity of the synagogue for this purpose is second only to The Temple. In fact, in rabbinical literature, the synagogue is sometimes referred to as the "little Temple."
A synagogue is usually also a beit midrash, a house of study. Contrary to popular belief, Jewish education does not end at the age of bar mitzvah. For the observant Jew, the study of sacred texts is a life-long task. Thus, a synagogue normally has a well-stocked library of sacred Jewish texts for members of the community to study. It is also the place where children receive their basic religious education.
Most synagogues also have a social hall for religious and non-religious activities. The synagogue often functions as a sort of town hall where matters of importance to the community can be discussed.
In addition, the synagogue functions as a social welfare agency, collecting and dispensing money and other items for the aid of the poor and needy within the community.
The Temple
When we speak of The Temple, we speak of the place in Jerusalem that was the center of Jewish worship from the time of Solomon to its destruction by the Romans in 70 C.E. This was the one and only place where sacrifices and certain other religious rituals were performed. It was partially destroyed at the time of the Babylonian Exile and rebuilt. The rebuilt temple was known as the Second Temple. The famous "Wailing Wall" (known to Jews as the Western Wall or in Hebrew, the Kotel) is the remains of the western retaining wall of that Temple, and is as close to the site of the original Sanctuary as Jews can go today. You can see a live picture of the Kotel and learn about it at KotelCam. The Temple was located on a platform above and behind this wall.
Today, the site of The Temple is occupied by the Dome of the Rock (a Muslim shrine for pilgrims) and the Al-Aqsa Mosque (a Muslim house of prayer). The Dome of the Rock is the gold-domed building that figures prominently in most pictures of Jerusalem.
Traditional Jews believe that The Temple will be rebuilt when the Moshiach (Messiah) comes. They eagerly await that day and pray for it continually.
Modern Jews, on the other hand, reject the idea of rebuilding the Temple and resuming sacrifices. They call their houses of prayer "temples," believing that such houses of worship are the only temples we need, the only temples we will ever have, and are equivalent to the Temple in Jerusalem. This idea is very offensive to some traditional Jews, which is why you should be very careful when using the word Temple to describe a Jewish place of worship.
http://www.jewfaq.org/shul.htm
His Peace to you,
Joe
Roy Monis:
--- Quote from: hillsbororiver on May 24, 2008, 12:55:49 PM ---
--- Quote from: Roy Monis UK on May 24, 2008, 10:36:01 AM ---Hi! Everybody
Could someone straighten me out on this. The temple has been with us for a heck of a long time dating back to Exodus and before most likely but where did the synagogue come from? Where did it originate because it a appears to have overshadowed the temple in Jesus' day?
Thanks for any help.
God bless you my brothers and sisters in our communal walk in Christ.
Love in Christ Jesus.
Roy UK
--- End quote ---
Hi Roy,
The Synagogue is basically a satellite of the Temple, a house of prayer and study but not a sacred place of sacrifices and tithes, there are Synagogues everywhere there are worshippers, but the only true Temple must be in Jerusalem. So presently there are many Synagogues but no Temple.
Functions of a Synagogue
At a minimum, a synagogue is a beit tefilah, a house of prayer. It is the place where Jews come together for community prayer services. Jews can satisfy the obligations of daily prayer by praying anywhere; however, there are certain prayers that can only be said in the presence of a minyan (a quorum of 10 adult men), and tradition teaches that there is more merit to praying with a group than there is in praying alone. The sanctity of the synagogue for this purpose is second only to The Temple. In fact, in rabbinical literature, the synagogue is sometimes referred to as the "little Temple."
A synagogue is usually also a beit midrash, a house of study. Contrary to popular belief, Jewish education does not end at the age of bar mitzvah. For the observant Jew, the study of sacred texts is a life-long task. Thus, a synagogue normally has a well-stocked library of sacred Jewish texts for members of the community to study. It is also the place where children receive their basic religious education.
Most synagogues also have a social hall for religious and non-religious activities. The synagogue often functions as a sort of town hall where matters of importance to the community can be discussed.
In addition, the synagogue functions as a social welfare agency, collecting and dispensing money and other items for the aid of the poor and needy within the community.
The Temple
When we speak of The Temple, we speak of the place in Jerusalem that was the center of Jewish worship from the time of Solomon to its destruction by the Romans in 70 C.E. This was the one and only place where sacrifices and certain other religious rituals were performed. It was partially destroyed at the time of the Babylonian Exile and rebuilt. The rebuilt temple was known as the Second Temple. The famous "Wailing Wall" (known to Jews as the Western Wall or in Hebrew, the Kotel) is the remains of the western retaining wall of that Temple, and is as close to the site of the original Sanctuary as Jews can go today. You can see a live picture of the Kotel and learn about it at KotelCam. The Temple was located on a platform above and behind this wall.
Today, the site of The Temple is occupied by the Dome of the Rock (a Muslim shrine for pilgrims) and the Al-Aqsa Mosque (a Muslim house of prayer). The Dome of the Rock is the gold-domed building that figures prominently in most pictures of Jerusalem.
Traditional Jews believe that The Temple will be rebuilt when the Moshiach (Messiah) comes. They eagerly await that day and pray for it continually.
Modern Jews, on the other hand, reject the idea of rebuilding the Temple and resuming sacrifices. They call their houses of prayer "temples," believing that such houses of worship are the only temples we need, the only temples we will ever have, and are equivalent to the Temple in Jerusalem. This idea is very offensive to some traditional Jews, which is why you should be very careful when using the word Temple to describe a Jewish place of worship.
http://www.jewfaq.org/shul.htm
His Peace to you,
Joe
--- End quote ---
Hi! Joe
Thanks a million brother, this has always confused me. Curiosity I suppose, a human failing because it can get one into a lot of trouble.[/url
God bless you.
Love in Christ Jesus.
Roy UK
Kat:
Hi Roy,
I found a bit more on synagoges, about there origin. I thought you might like to see this from Wikipedia.
The destruction of Solomon's Temple, and later the Second Temple, and the dispersion of the Jews into the Jewish diaspora, threatened the nation's focus and unity. At the time of the Babylonian captivity the Men of the Great Assembly began the process of formalizing and standardizing Jewish services and prayers that would not depend on the functioning of the Temple in Jerusalem.
Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai, one of the leaders at the end of the Second Temple era, promulgated the idea of creating individual houses of worship in whatever locale Jews found themselves. This contributed to the saving of the Jewish people by maintaining a unique identity and a portable way of worship, according to many historians.
Under Orthodox Jewish law whenever any group of ten men comes together, they form a minyan, and are eligible to conduct public prayer services—usually, but not necessarily, in a synagogue.
Note that a synagogue is not in the strictest sense a temple; it does not replace the true, long since destroyed, Solomon's Temple. A synagogue is not necessary for collective worship.
mercy, peace and love
Kat
Roy Monis:
--- Quote from: Kat on May 25, 2008, 12:06:38 AM ---
Hi Roy,
I found a bit more on synagoges, about there origin. I thought you might like to see this from Wikipedia.
The destruction of Solomon's Temple, and later the Second Temple, and the dispersion of the Jews into the Jewish diaspora, threatened the nation's focus and unity. At the time of the Babylonian captivity the Men of the Great Assembly began the process of formalizing and standardizing Jewish services and prayers that would not depend on the functioning of the Temple in Jerusalem.
Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai, one of the leaders at the end of the Second Temple era, promulgated the idea of creating individual houses of worship in whatever locale Jews found themselves. This contributed to the saving of the Jewish people by maintaining a unique identity and a portable way of worship, according to many historians.
Under Orthodox Jewish law whenever any group of ten men comes together, they form a minyan, and are eligible to conduct public prayer services—usually, but not necessarily, in a synagogue.
Note that a synagogue is not in the strictest sense a temple; it does not replace the true, long since destroyed, Solomon's Temple. A synagogue is not necessary for collective worship.
mercy, peace and love
Kat
--- End quote ---
Hi! Kath.
They say curiosity killed the cat, well both you and Joe have blown me to bits. But it's nice to know these things and worth the trip. By the way the cat didn't die, I was playing with him only yesterday.
God bless you in your walk in Christ.
Love in Christ Jesus.
Roy UK
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