The organization of the church was relatively fluid throughout the New Testament period. Various offices are mentioned, but their duties and interrelationships are not always clearly defined. General patterns emerge, however, permitting some description of the leadership and discipline of the church as an institution.
The church is the assembly of the “saints,” or holy ones, a people called out of the world by God. The early church was an urban movement. It held a world view that differed from that of the prevailing culture, yet it came to include people of all social classes in its radical fellowship.
The Shma‘ represents the creedal affirmation of Jewish synagogue worship. It is comprised of three passages from the Pentateuch. The first of these is the most important; Jesus quoted it in response to a scribe who asked him which commandment was the greatest in the Law (Mark 12:28). The second and third portions may be shortened. The Shma‘ is recited in the opening part of synagogue worship. This section gives a translation of the text of the Shma‘.
Our knowledge of synagogue worship 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.
Synagogue worship consisted of three main elements: praise, prayer, and instruction. The earliest Christians, who were Jews, would have been familiar with this pattern, which in Christian worship gave shape to what is called the service of the Word.
Like any religious institution, the synagogue developed various leadership functions. Over the centuries the roles of the synagogue officers have altered as the needs of the Jewish community have changed. The most important development has been the emergence of the office of rabbi.
The architecture of the synagogue reflected its function as a place where the Jewish community gathered for prayer, the study of the Law, and other activities. The synagogue often borrowed architectural features from the prevailing Greco-Roman culture.