Reading of Scripture and Prayer in the Early Synagogue

In addition to serving other communal functions, synagogue buildings were primarily places of worship. In the first century CE, Jews attended the synagogue only on the Sabbath and holidays. In the land of Israel, the liturgy largely comprised the reading of the Torah and the Prophets, followed by a sermon. There is no evidence that prayer had been formalized at this time. The situation may have been different in the diaspora—particularly in the proseuchai (“houses of prayer” or “prayer halls”)—where prayer may have played a more important role in worship. Following the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, synagogues gradually became the primary loci for Jewish daily worship, and eventually, formalized prayers such as the Amidah and the Shema‘ were introduced. In the course of the Roman and Byzantine periods, synagogue liturgy evolved to include other prayers, targumim (translations of the Torah into Aramaic), and rituals, including certain adapted Temple practices associated with the Jewish festivals. Synagogue buildings reflect this amplified liturgical importance. Many synagogues in the land of Israel were oriented toward Jerusalem, and some were embellished with mosaic floors depicting Temple imagery. Increasingly, the synagogue started to be redefined as a holy place, and some texts imagine it as a site of God’s presence, now removed from the destroyed Temple. Synagogue liturgy did not become more fully standardized until later centuries, and the sources continue to reflect the fluidity and diversity of ritual practice (see also PRAYER).