Teaching And Preaching In The Synagogue And Early Church

Preaching in the Jewish synagogue instructed members in faith and practice but also could be intended for indoctrination and proselytizing. Christianity first spread through the preaching of Paul and others who traveled from city to city, preaching Jesus and the Resurrection and calling Jews to conversion in Christ. Preaching in the Synagogue The most significant institution in Jewish life was the synagogue. Prior to and during the apostolic period, the synagogue was a developing institution. Synagogues were established in every town or village in Palestine and the Diaspora wherever Jews lived in sizable numbers. There was no central authority to maintain particular patterns of practice or belief. Jerusalem, Rome, and the other large cities had several synagogues. Acts 15:21 confirms the existence of such synagogues: "For Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath. " Preaching occurred in the synagogues on a regular …