Order Of First-century Synagogue Worship

Our knowledge of worship of the synagogue in the first century of the Common Era (c. e. ) is limited by a lack of source material. It seems clear, however, that readings from the Law and the Prophets, the recitation of the Shma, and the prayers or benedictions formed the order of the service. Apart from a few scattered references in the New Testament, Philo, and Josephus, most of our knowledge of early synagogue worship comes from the Mishnah, which does not date before 200 c. e. Although some traditions in the Mishnah may go back to the first century, the Mishnah represents only one form of Judaism (Pharasaic), in contrast to the diversity within Judaism reported by Philo, Josephus, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the New Testament. Further, the first Jewish prayer books did not appear until the ninth century (for example, Seder Rav Amram Gaon, which represents Babylonian Jewish usage); therefore, even the earliest complete texts of the majority of Jewish liturgical prayers are relatively…