Leadership of the Early Synagogue

The literary and epigraphic sources preserve a wide range of titles associated with synagogue leadership. In many cases, however, the exact nature of these titles and the responsibilities they entailed remain unclear. It is possible that some of the titles were honorary in nature, and others may have been related to the wider Jewish community rather than the synagogue specifically. The most widely attested is Greek archisynagōgos (“head of the synagogue,” equivalent to rosh knesset in Hebrew), a title associated with important administrative, socioreligious, and liturgical functions. However, there is some indication of it being used as an honorific, which may explain its application to children, perhaps as an inherited title. Women sometimes held the title, usually in the feminine form archisynagōgissa but also in the masculine archisynagōgos. It remains unclear whether this was similarly an honorific or an indication that these women filled leadership roles in their local synagogues. For more on this figure, see Archisynagōgos.

Another important official was the ḥazzan (“minister” or “sexton”), who appears to have been crucial in the day-to-day management of the synagogue and its liturgy. (The role of the ḥazzan as a regular prayer leader did not develop until the geonic period, in the late sixth through early eleventh centuries CE.) Less is known about the other attested designations. The variety of titles and their specific geographical distribution may reflect regional and chronological differences. Moreover, it is possible that the same titles had particular connotations specific to the Jewish communities in which they occurred. Many of the sources presented in this section are inscriptions found in the archaeological remains of synagogue buildings or catacombs.