Communal Activities in the Early Synagogue

Literary and epigraphic sources from the Roman and Byzantine periods indicate that synagogues fulfilled a wide range of social, economic, and political functions in addition to religious ones. Some synagogues were used for nonliturgical gatherings, such as town meetings, the organization of communal meals, public mourning, and the delivery of eulogies. Synagogues were also used for administrative and judicial purposes; for schooling, study, and instruction; and for the collection of taxes and charitable contributions. Some synagogue buildings had adjoining benched rooms to accommodate some of these activities. Others also incorporated living facilities to house synagogue officials or visitors from afar. In this sense, synagogues provided a variety of services to the local community. It must be emphasized that this communal dimension of the synagogue most likely varied in degree and intensity from one building or place to another. Nonetheless, many would have been a central place of gathering, where communal affairs and controversies were debated and decided, and where legal decisions were rendered.