Hot off the computer, a new video looking at the New Testament synagogue and what they used for a daily living guide. The New Testament wasn’t compiled and accepted until about 200 A.D., so in the meantime what did the New Testament synagogue use?
Just a little curve to help with the biblical thinking processes.
Shalom
Bruce
I was raised thinking that the church started at Pentecost in Acts chapter 2. The story I was told was that God finally got fed up with Israel and switched His program to the Gentiles. As if the Gentiles were so wonderful or more receptive or better behaved or something. Translations of the Bible reinforce this story because they pretty much universally use the English word “church” in the New Testament but not in the Old.
The word the translators (and pastors, priests, and rabbis) think is associated with the church is the Greek word we transliterate ekklesia (ἐκκλησία a-klay-see-uh Strong’s number 1577). This word simply means “assembly” or “congregation.” The Hebrew words for assembly or congregation are qahal (6951) and edah. They mean the same thing as ekklesia, and in fact the Greek Septuagint uses ekklesia about 52 times. Sometimes the assembly is formal, such as when kings called Israel together, and sometimes is was an informal family gathering. But ekklesia is not translated “church” in the OT in any of the English translations I consulted.
There’s simply no reason to make an arbitrary distinction for the assembly between the OT and the NT. God’s assembly has been gathering for a long time. The plan of God is continuous, without interruption, and didn’t start in Acts 2. It might’ve gotten a kick in the pants, but the congregation has always been around. The “assembly” that Jesus said He would build (Matthew 16:18) has a foundation that was started in the Garden and goes on into the future as a kingdom that never ends.
From ‘Whole Bible Christianity’ chapter 4 section on Law before Law.
At least 40 observances of Law, implicit and explicit, before the Law was ‘given’ at Sinai.
Genesis 2:2-3 – Sabbath
Genesis 2:17 – Choose life not knowledge Deut. 30:19.
Genesis 2:23-25 – One man, one woman for marriage.
Genesis 3 – Redemption, blood sacrifice, and atonement.
Genesis 4:3-7 – Offering first born of flock and fat Deut. 12:6, 15:19
Genesis 4:4 – acceptable and unacceptable sacrifices
Genesis 4:10 – manslaughter penalties; avenger of blood; see Numbers 35.
Genesis 6:5, 11-13, 17 – Flood destroys innocent people?
Genesis 7:2, 8 – clean and unclean animals on the ark.
Genesis 8 – Noah’s burnt offerings, uses clean animals.
Genesis 9:4 – Don’t eat blood Lev. 3:17, 7:26; Acts 15:20
Genesis 9:6 – Don’t murder; equal justice; compare to Numbers 35:33.
Genesis 9:20-27 – Uncovering father’s nakedness Lev. 18:7, 20:11
Genesis 14:20, 28:22 – Tithing or giving.
Genesis 17:13-14 – Circumcision given as sign of covenant made in chapter 15.
Genesis 19:4-7 – Sodom and Gomorrah destroyed for homosexual sins.
Genesis 20:3 – Adultery wrong.
Genesis 22 – No sacrificing children.
Genesis 22:13 – Abraham makes a burnt offering.
Genesis 24:3, 28:1 – Don’t marry Canaanites Deut. 7:3.
Genesis 26:4, 5 – Abraham obeys God’s charges, commandments, statutes, laws
Genesis 27, 29:26 – Firstborn inherits Deut. 21:15-17; Genesis 48:18.
Genesis 30 – wrong to cheat a worker of his wages Lev. 19:13.
Genesis 31:35 – Rachel prevents finding idols while in the ‘manner of women.’ Compare to Lev. 15.
Genesis 31:54 – Jacob sacrifices.
Genesis 35:2 – Jacob has the family put away gods, purify themselves and change garments. Compare to Exodus 19:10, 14; Lev. 14:9, 15:3; Numbers 8:7; John 13:12; Heb. 10:22.
Genesis 35:14 – Jacob and drink offering with an altar and oil.
Genesis 38:6-26 – Er & Onan and an heir for a brother (Deut. 25:5)
Genesis 46:1 – Jacob sacrifices again.
Exodus 4:26 – Circumcision again.
Exodus 11 – Passover
Exodus 12 – additional mentions of circumcision.
Exodus 13:2 – The firstborn belong to Adonai, compare to Exodus 22:29, 27:26; Numbers 3:12, 13, 16-18.
Exodus 13:16 – “It shall be for you a token upon thy hand…”
Exodus 16:4 – Manna, “that I may prove them, whether they walk in my law or no.”
Exodus 16:26-28 – “How long will you refuse to keep my commandments & laws?”
Exodus 18:16 – Moses uses and teaches God’s laws before Sinai.