The New Testament is quite obvious in presenting the locus of Christian activity to be in two places: the synagogue and the assembly (church). The expectation was that believers, whether Jew or a gentile, would attend both synagogue meetings for Torah study and instruction and private meals and other gatherings with believers. Both components of this are understood by the authors of the biblical texts. This is evident in three ways: 1) explicit instruction to do so; 2) patterns of apostolic practice; 3) assumptions made by NT authors. This article will present the argument and make practical suggestions to modern Christians.
The book of Acts is the only canonical work that describes the history of the early movement after the death of Jesus. There are two trajectories that should be considered which is the story of Jewish followers and non-Jewish followers. This is the order of the book of Acts. First, it is quite plainly stated that Jews continued to meet in the Temple after Jesus’ death (and probably much later). The passage below makes that clear. The implication is that Jews were to continue in their regular gathering in the Temple or synagogue. Because the earliest followers resided in Jerusalem, they met directly in the Temple, as it still stood and was the center of Jewish religious observance, although it is likely they also met in synagogues too.
Acts 2:42–47, NIV
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
If that is the case for Jewish followers, what about non-Jews? The deliberations of the Jerusalem meeting surrounding if Gentiles need to be circumcised reveals a fundamental assumption behind Jacob’s (James’) thinking. He does not want to put too much of a burden on Gentiles, which circumcision was, considering the rudimentary understanding of medical science in that time, it was a risky procedure. Jacob and the other apostles thought Gentiles needed to join the covenant and did not want to put that potentially life-threatening ritual in the way of Gentiles becoming part of the covenant family of Israel. However, Jacob assumes Gentiles will be in synagogue learning the Torah and that will help them continue to be able to observe the Torah.
Acts 15:19–21
It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. 20 Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. 21 For the law of Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.”
In the book of Acts, Paul and others frequently visit synagogues to preach or converse with Jews (Acts 9:20; 13:5, 14–15; 14:1; 17:1–2, 10, 17; 18:4, 19; 19:8). These visits were likely for two purposes, one to hear the Torah and, only as ambassadors, then try to convince Jews of the role of Jesus. However, the locus of activity is the synagogue.
Paul writes and quotes biblical text assuming his audience understands the references which could only be learned in the synagogue. People in Antiquity did not have access to books like people today. The only copies of Jewish scriptures in the Diaspora would have been held in synagogues and people would have had to go there to hear them read aloud on the Sabbath. Paul references many biblical narratives in the story of Abraham and Moses and Jesus as David’s son, not to mention other references to texts in the Torah and prophets. How would his audience know about these characters unless they heard the Torah read in synagogue?
Let’s say that you are convinced by this argument. How should you go about applying it? I would advise caution in this approach. First, Christians must acknowledge the long history of Christian anti-Judaism and anti-Semitism before approaching Jewish communities. If you are married to a Jew, you have a much easier route than if you are not. In either case, you should explicitly say that your goal is not to proselytize but to learn. Second, you should be ready for rejection. Jews do not appreciate Christian proselytization and are suspicious of outsiders who want to attend, due to the history of Christian anti-Semitism. However, it is easier than ever to fulfill this NT expectation nowadays through live-streamed services. You can check local synagogues to see if they have livestream or Zoom options (as most do). Or, if not, you look to large congregations in major cities (New York, Boston, Los Angeles, etc) which will have livestream options. In this case, you can easily learn Torah from the synagogue and continue to meet in your assembly, hopefully a home-based gathering.
