In the New Testament period, as today, a synagogue was a place of worship for Jews. Before the Babylonian capture of Jerusalem in 586 B.C., the center of worship was the temple built by Solomon. With the temple destroyed and the Jews scattered through Babylon and elsewhere, the Jews developed synagogues as places to meet and study their holy books.
By the time of Jesus, Jews lived in cities and towns throughout the Roman Empire, and wherever there were Jews, they formed synagogues. The Jewish group known as the Pharisees were often the leaders of synagogues, since they took a great interest in studying the Scripture and trying to lead a godly life.
In Jesus’ day the Jerusalem temple had been rebuilt, and the old system of priests and animal sacrifices was still in operation. But for most Jews, particularly those who lived away from Jerusalem, the synagogue was the center of their spirit-ual life.
Jesus was brought up in the synagogue of His hometown of Nazareth (Luke 4:16), and as He traveled about teaching and healing, He made the local synagogues His stopping points. Later His apostles did the same. Paul, who traveled widely in spreading the gospel, always tried to connect with his fellow Jews at the obvious place, synagogues.
As Christianity spread, many Jews opposed it, and not all synagogues gave a warm welcome to Christian Jews.
