THE CHURCH AS THE NEW SYNAGOGUE: AN EXPLORATION

OF THE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF THE TERMS USED IN ACTS 2:42

___________________

A Paper
Presented to
Dr. Timothy Ralston
Dallas Theological Seminary

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In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Course
RS102 Summary of Christian Doctrine

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by
Daniel Strange
April 2006
Box #1601
 THE CHURCH AS THE NEW SYNAGOGUE: AN EXPLORATION
OF THE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF THE TERMS USED IN ACTS 2:42
Many scholars cite Acts 2 to mark the beginning of the New Covenant Community of
the Spirit, the Church of Jesus Christ. The post-ascension timing, the apostolic attendance, the
prophetic citation from Joel, and the coming of the Spirit all support the assertion that this is
indeed the case. In the book of Acts, which charts the growth of the Church from a localized

community of Messianic Jews to an international Gospel ministry, Chapter 2 plays a pivotal role.
After Luke reminds Theophilus of the ascension (1:1-11) and sets the characters into place (1:12-
26), the Holy Spirit storms into the narrative at Pentecost (2:1-41), igniting not only the Church,
but the book of Acts as well.
Considering the place of Acts 2:42 in both the history of the church as well as the
Lukan narrative, it is not surprising that Christians often cling to this verse as the central
description of God’s Church. If the story of the Church’s initiation at Pentecost culminates in
2:41, the description of the New Community in the subsequent verse would seem to explain the
practices of Church in their purest form. At the outset of the New Community, Christ-followers
“devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and
to prayer” (Acts 2:42 NIV). These four “devotions” of the earliest believers are often cited as the
foundational practices of the Church, and the community of Acts 2:42 is often described as one
that all Christian communities should strive to replicate. Thus, Acts 2:42 has been quoted time
and time again as the most helpful description of the Church of Christ.
If it is indeed Luke’s intention that these four practices be given such gravity, perhaps
the New Community did not merely pick them at random, but rather very intentionally. If so,
what is the source of this framework for life and ministry together? From where is Luke
borrowing this imagery? It is this author’s contention that Luke’s description of the four

1
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practices in Acts 2:42 are meant to describe the early Church as the Christian synagogue, and the
duration of this paper will be devoted to presenting the possibility of this scenario. The author
will accomplish this goal through a study of Acts 2:42, Jewish synagogue life, and the early
Christian Church. Given the weight commonly granted to these four ideals, the current author
will devote this paper to uncovering the historical background of Acts 2:42, focusing on the
terms at hand.

Background and Context of Acts 2:42

Luke’s writing is an attempt to condense a “carefully investigated” narrative into an

“orderly account,” as is seen in his Gospel (Luke 1:1). In the Gospel that bears his name, Luke
acts as a historian, compiling a vast amount of material and then presenting the pertinent pieces
to his audience. Though this same claim is not stated explicitly in Luke’s second book, Acts,
there are many clues in the opening chapters that argue for a similar style. The book of Acts
picks up where the Gospel left off, addressing Theophilus before repeating the account of the
ascension of Christ and the sending the disciples to Jerusalem. It is because of this link between
Luke and Acts that many scholars treat the two books as a unit. Therefore, Luke-Acts can be
read through one single lens, as the authorial intent in both books is one and the same: to
condense the ministry of Christ and the early church into an orderly history.

Understanding Luke’s purpose in writing his books gives light to the “summary
passages” that are found in the early chapters of Acts, Acts 2:42 being one of them. In his Socio-
Rhetorical Commentary on Acts, Witherington explains that the role of Luke’s summary
passages is to describe the interior life of the ever-growing Christian community.1 In these
passages, we learn that the believers devote themselves to specific priorities (2:42-47); are one in

1
Ben Witherington, The Acts of the Apostles: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI:
W.B. Eerdmans Pub., 1998), 157-9. Witherington, in a section entitled, “A Closer Look—The Summary Statements
in Acts,” describes the distinctions between “summary statements” and “summary passages” and the importance of
each to the Lukan narrative.
 3

mind and possession (4:32-47); are a miraculous, healing community (5:12-16); and mourn
deeply for their martyrs (8:1b-4). The function of these passages follows the Lukan historical-
narrative style. Luke writes his summary passages in order to condense the current state of the
Church into a clear, concise picture for his readers.
An investigation into the geographical focus of Luke’s summary passages suggests
that they may be designed to carry Jewish significance. Though the Church of Jesus Christ grows
and expands throughout the book of Acts, these summary passages cease once the Church grows
beyond Jerusalem. Thus, in his summary passages, Luke pauses to specifically summarize the
state of the church in the Jewish capitol city. The fact that 2:42 is a “summary passage” draws
attention to its Jerusalem locale. Also, since Acts is the story of the Gospel growing from
Jerusalem to all nations, the fact that 2:42 is the first description of the Church in the book
signifies that, at this point, the Church is in its most Jewish state. It is probable, therefore, that
Luke’s intention in Acts 2:42 was to describe a very Jewish community of New Covenant
believers. If this is true, his description of the community in Acts 2:42 would find its roots in first
century Judaism. The possibility of this contention will be fleshed out in the sections to follow.

A Study of the Four Terms of Acts 2:42

In order to determine the source and significance of the four terms used in Acts 2:42,

one must first understand the terms themselves. One must unpack the meaning of each of Luke’s
four terms separately in order to lay a solid foundation for their interpretation. The following
section will be devoted to examining each of the four terms of Acts 2:42 in order to determine
their significance in the Lukan account of the early Church.

They Devoted Themselves to the Teaching of the Apostles

The first aspect of ministry to which the early church at Jerusalem was devoted was
the teaching of the apostles. Of the four terms employed by Luke, this first one is the most
straightforward in meaning. According to F.F. Bruce, τῇ διδαχῇ τῶν ἀποστόλων simply refers
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to authoritative sermons given to the church by the apostles.2 An example of this type of teaching
can be seen in the preceding passage (2:14-21), where the Peter, rising with his fellow apostles,
addresses the men of Jerusalem with impelling rhetoric that results in the salvation of thousands.
Luke uses τῇ διδαχῇ τῶν ἀποστόλων in the next verse to explain that the early Church was
devoted to this type of teaching for the edification of their community.
A cursory survey of the use of διδαχή in the book of Acts can help to further nuance
the definition of Luke’s first term. Throughout his book, Luke employs διδαχή to signify a
cohesive set of teachings, and not merely scattered sermons. The word is used to refer to the
comprehensive message of Christianity in 5:28, where the teaching of the apostles is said to have
“filled Jerusalem.” Later in Acts, διδαχή is used to refer to the overall message of the Gospel, as
the New International Version translates τῇ διδαχῇ τοῦ κυρίου as, “the teaching about the
Lord” (Acts 13:12). A final use in 17:19 includes both of the prior ideas, as ἡ καινὴ διδαχή is
used to signify the new Christian message that Paul had spread throughout Athens. Luke
consistently uses διδαχή in the book of Acts to signify a set of beliefs that are taught regularly
and repeatedly to a specific audience. The fact that the early Christians devoted themselves to the
teaching of the apostles signifies that they patterned their lives around the truths of Christianity
that were being regularly taught by their apostolic leaders.
A wider survey of διδαχή agrees with the “set of teachings” pattern found in Acts. In
the majority of New Testament texts, διδαχή signifies the whole of a teacher’s teaching, whether
the teacher is Jesus, the Pharisees, Paul, or even the heretics of Revelation 2.3 Outside of the
New Testament, Josephus uses this term to refer to the teaching of God written by Moses (Ant.,
17, 159). Josephus’ use of this term in relation to Jewish teaching shows διδαχή to be in

2
F. F. Bruce, The Book of the Acts, Rev. ed., The New International Commentary on the New
Testament, ed. Gordon D. Fee (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 1988), 73.
3
Karl Heinrich Rengstorf, “Διδαχή,” in Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, ed. Gerhard
Kittel, trans. Geoffrey William Bromiley, vol. 2 (Grand Rapids, MI.: W.B. Eerdmans, 1964), 163-4.
 5

semantic domain with the Hebrew term Talmud.4 This Hebrew equivalent is used in similar
manner as διδαχή in Greek, where it is used to describe (1) the teachings of individual Rabbis
and (2) the compilation of Jewish teachings known as Talmud.5 Through a deeper look at
διδαχή, it is evident that Luke’s employment of “the apostles’ teaching” is meant to signify the
overall set of doctrine delivered to the saints by the early leaders of the Church.
Though τῇ διδαχῇ τῶν ἀποστόλων refers to the specific act of teaching itself, the
use of the present active participle προσκαρτεροῦντες (to devote oneself) indicates that the
early church responded to the teaching reciprocally. According to Barrett, this phrase includes
not only the activity of teaching, but also its accompanying application by the congregation.6 In
this way, the role of preaching in the early church was very similar to its manifestation in the
contemporary paradigm. To say that the early Church was “devoted to the teaching of the
apostles” indicates that they put a high value on the act of preaching and worked diligently to
apply the principles that they were learning from the apostles.

They Devoted Themselves to the Fellowship

The term that Luke chooses to describe the second devotion of the early Church,
κοινωνία, is often used inadequately in contemporary ministry settings. This buzzword has been
linked to the English term “fellowship,” a word with which it is often used interchangeably.

While κοινωνία is often best translated as “fellowship,” this Greek term carries a richer
connotation than its English equivalent. Though contemporary usage does not necessarily

4
Gerhard Kittel, ed., Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, trans. Geoffrey William Bromiley,
vol. 2 (Grand Rapids, MI.: W.B. Eerdmans, 1964).
5
Marcus Jastrow, Sefer Ha-Milim: Dictionary of the Targumim, Talmud Bavli, Talmud Yerushalmi,
and Midrashic Literature (New York: Judaica Treasury, 2004), 1672.
6
C. K. Barrett, The Acts of the Apostles, vol. 1, 2 vols., The International Critical Commentary on the
Holy Sciptures of the Old and New Testaments, ed. J.A. Emerton, C.E.B. Cranfield, and G.N. Stanton (Edinburgh:
T&T Clark, 1994), 163.
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mistranslate κοινωνία, it misses the deeper layers of the word that are intended by its Biblical
employers.
Though κοινωνία is not an uncommon word in the New Testament as a whole, it is
notable that Acts 2:42 is Luke’s only use of the word. The apostle does not throw around this
term haphazardly; he uses it to define the culture of believers gathering to devote themselves to
the Christian lifestyle in the earliest stage of the Church. This term is not meant to denote a
specific practice of the early church per se, but instead envelop the focus and perspective of the
Christians in Jerusalem.
The lack of the connective καί between τῇ κοινωνία and τῇ κλάσει creates many
different interpretations of the number of practices that are described in this verse. One view
holds that the lack of conjunction creates a rift between two separate sets of activities; thus, Acts
2:42 describes two groups of “devotions” that are each composed of two practices.7 A second
reading of this verse sees two groups of activities, but places the rift between the first and second
datives, claiming that the third and fourth two substantives function in apposition to the second.8
A third view inserts καί between the two datives based on text critical evidence, thus holding to
four distinct activities.9
The current author would agree with the second view, yet would separate the final
dative due to its connective καί, thus creating three groups. The fact that the second and third
datives are employed consecutively with an identical syntactic relationship to the head participle
(προσκαρτεροῦντες) signifies that the latter functions appositionally to the former.10 Still, since

7
Bruce, The Book of the Acts, 73.
8
Witherington, The Acts of the Apostles: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary, 160.
9
Barrett, The Acts of the Apostles, 164. Barrett holds with manuscripts (∏3 E ø à sy) that support this
insertion.
10
Daniel B. Wallace, Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics: An Exegetical Syntax of the New Testament
with Scripture, Subject, and Greek Word Indexes (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1996), 152.
 7

the final substantive is preceded by καί, it is separated from the appositional chain created in the
prior two. Following this hermeneutic, Acts 2:42 can be paraphrased, “they devoted themselves
(1) to the apostles’ teaching and (2) to the fellowship, namely the breaking of bread, and (3) the
prayers.”
Κοινωνία is a term that is fairly abstract in its meaning. Related both semantically
and in definition to κοινός (common), it denotes an affiliation to the commonality that exists
within a group of people.11 The Theological Dictionary of the New Testament nuances this
definition, stating that κοινωνία is, “the abstract and spiritual term for the fellowship of
brotherly concord established and expressed in the life of the community.”12 In this vein, the
contemporary simplification to “fellowship” is again, inadequate. It has been stated that
κοινωνία is not fellowship, but rather, fellowship results from κοινωνία.13 Thus, if believers do
enjoy fellowship with one another, it is only because they are enjoying a relationship that flows
from the ties that bind them together, their κοινωνία. The fact that the early church ἦσαν
προσκαρτεροῦντες . . . τῇ κοινωνία signifies that they were dedicated to life and ministry
based on the truth that they held commonly.
From this interpretation, it becomes clear that “fellowship” includes a much wider
range of activities than which is commonly pictured. The commonality that existed among the
early church flowed into all aspects of life. Κοινωνία in the Jerusalem church included the
activities of communion and prayer that are mentioned in the immediate context, but also
fellowship with the apostles, dining together, and giving to the poor.14 Therefore, Luke’s use of

11
Walter Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature,
ed. Frederick W. Danker, 3rd ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 552.
12
Friedrich Hauck, “Κοινωνία,” in Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, ed. Gerhard Kittel,
trans. Geoffrey William Bromiley, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI.: W.B. Eerdmans, 1964), 797-8.
13
Witherington, The Acts of the Apostles: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary, 160.
14
Barrett, The Acts of the Apostles, 163.
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κοινωνία in Acts 2:42 describes the strong adherence to common bonds that existed within
the early church. This dedication is illustrated well in Luke’s next summary passage,
where the apostle summarizes:

All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his
possessions were his own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the
apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was
upon them all. There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those
who owned lands or houses sold them, brought money from the sales and put it at the
apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need (Acts 4:32-35 NIV).
Luke’s claim that the early church devoted themselves to the fellowship means that they lived
and ministered based on the common foundation that existed between them all. These Christians
not only listened to the teaching of the apostles and applied it to their own lives, but also lived
out the truths of the Gospel within their community.

They Devoted Themselves to the Breaking of Bread

While κοινωνία is a fairly abstract concept, Luke’s third term, “the breaking of
bread,” is quite concrete in meaning. Literally, τῇ κλάσει τοῦ ἄρτου describes the physical act
of opening a loaf of bread by hand. At the time of Luke’s writing, this term was not a common
Jewish colloquialism for “dining together,” though it is notable that meals in the Jewish culture
generally began with the act of bread breaking.15 Thus, it is not at all a stretch to infer that Luke’s
usage of this term denotes the early church’s practice of sharing common meals together. Still,
the history behind the picture of τῇ κλάσει τοῦ ἄρτου leads many scholars to interpret this
term as more than a simple meal.
The picture evoked by τῇ κλάσει τοῦ ἄρτου in Luke’s writings leads many
commentators to link the breaking of bread in Acts 2:42 to the practice of the Eucharist. In the

15
Ibid., 165. Barrett explains that “breaking of bread” is not a Jewish term for a meal.; I. Howard
Marshall, The Acts of the Apostles: An Introduction and Commentary, The Tyndale New Testament Commentaries,
ed. Tasker, R. V. G. (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1989), 83. Marshall describes the Jewish practice of breaking
bread before meals (cf. Luke 9:16; 22:19; 24:30; Acts 20:7, 11).
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Last Supper narrative, Luke records of Christ that after taking the bread and giving thanks, he
broke it (ἔκλασεν), employing the verbal form of κλάσις, the word that is used in Acts 2:42 to

describe the breaking of bread (Luke 22:19).16 The use of the indicative of ἔκλασεν, when
posited with the participles used of the former two verbs, draws attention to the action of
breaking the bread. In addition, Luke’s only other use of τῇ κλάσει τοῦ ἄρτου where the
definite article is employed is found in Luke 24:35, where the apostles did not recognize the
resurrected Christ until after he broke bread in front of them (εν τῇ κλάσει τοῦ ἄρτου). Luke’s
use of this term in his Gospel helps the reader to understand the intended meaning in Acts. For
Luke, the articular use of τῇ κλάσει τοῦ ἄρτου signifies a community’s sharing of the
Eucharistic meal together.
A deeper study into the Lukan account of the Last Supper gives additional weight to
this author’s argument that Luke intended Acts 2:42 to describe a distinctly Jewish set of actions.
Luke has been known to grant Greek terms to Jewish traditions in his writings, such as in this
Last Supper narrative, where he comments that the apostles “reclined at the table” (Luke 22:14).
Reclining to eat was a distinctive of Hellenistic culture, and so Luke uses this terminology to
explain the meal to his Greek audience (Theophilus).17 In the same way, Luke’s treatment of the
Passover helps the reader to understand his intended meaning of τῇ κλάσει τοῦ ἄρτου
thereafter. In the Last Supper narrative (Luke 22), the apostle employs the term πάσχα to refer
to the Passover six times in fifteen verses, until the bread and cup are shared in verses 17-
19. After this point, Luke never again uses the word πάσχα to refer to believers celebrating
the Passover meal, and instead looks back at this account by speaking of τῇ κλάσει τοῦ ἄρτου.

16
In Luke’s writings, as well as in Pauline usage, κλάω is often used in description of the Lord’s
Supper (cf. Luke 22:19, Acts 20:4, 1 Corinthians 11:20). See also Johannes Behm, “Κλάω,” in Theological
Dictionary of the New Testament, ed. Gerhard Kittel, trans. Geoffrey William Bromiley, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI.:
W.B. Eerdmans, 1964), 729-30. Still, the current author wishes here to focus on the specific articular use of τῇ
κλάσει τοῦ ἄρτου found in Acts 2:42 and Luke 24:35.
17
Witherington, The Acts of the Apostles: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary, 165.
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After Luke 22, the Passover meal has been overshadowed by the Christian bread-breaking
ceremony. Luke has effectively claimed a Jewish ceremony for Christianity by adopting new
terminology. It is this author’s contention that Luke employed this technique with other Jewish
practices as well, including the description of the early Church in Acts 2:42.

They Devoted Themselves to the Prayers

According to Luke’s account in Acts 2:42, the fourth and final practice of the early
Church was a devotion to “the prayers” (ταῖς προσευχαῖς). The most simplistic interpretation
of this term would be to say that the church in Jerusalem was committed to praying, and some
claim, as does Witherington, that this term dictates no more than that the Christians prayed
together.18 This choice could be proven in the New Testament context, as Paul employs ταῖς
προσευχαῖς to refer to the general practice of praying for one another (Colossians 4:12, 1
Timothy 5:5). Still, though Paul uses the term in this manner, a study of ταῖς προσευχαῖς in the
Lukan narratives suggests a slightly different interpretation.
An investigation of the Lukan usage of προσευχή in Acts gives the term a more
ritualistic, Jewish feel. In the passage immediately following 2:42, Peter and John are shown
walking to the temple for the Jewish time of prayer (3:1). It is evident from this narrative that the
apostles continued to practice Jewish prayer ritual even after the initiation of the Church at

Pentecost. This practice of Jewish prayer in the Christian Church continued outside of Jerusalem
as well. In the account of Peter’s vision regarding clean and unclean foods, Luke places Peter on
Simon’s rooftop at the noon hour, for prayer. This account does not only show Peter as
continuing to practice Jewish prayer rituals, but is even reminiscent of Rabbinic tradition, where
Abba Hilkiah is depicted as telling his wife, “Let us go to the roof and pray for mercy.19 Even

18
Ibid., 166. Witherington also believes that τῇ κλάσει τοῦ ἄρτου simply denotes the act of sharing
meals. Thus, in his view, Acts 2:42 explains that this early church ate and prayed together.
19
Taanith 23b.
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outside of the book of Acts, the Christian community is seen praying in a distinctly Jewish
manner. In response to 1 Corinthians 14:26, for example, Oesterley argues that, “although the
leader in prayer might use his own words, the subject-matter was in essence that of the liturgical
prayers of the synagogue.”20 It is partially from this evidence that many commentators interpret
ταῖς προσευχαῖς in Acts 2:42 as prayers that are driven by Christian content, but based on
Jewish models and tradition.21
Of course, the Christian community described in Acts did not merely pray based on
Jewish rituals. The Church would often pray spontaneously, such as in Acts 4, where the
community prays together after the release of Peter and John from the Sanhedrin. The
community also prays together in Acts 12 when Peter was in prison, earnestly seeking God
during that difficult time. Still, a look at the use of the article in Acts 2:42 shows that, in this
specific passage, ταῖς προσευχαῖς refers not only to the act of praying, but to a specific set of
prayers. The four terms of Acts 2:42 are listed in similar manner, as they are all introduced by
the definite article. According to Wallace, this verse is a perfect example of “The Well-Known
Article,” a use of the article where the author intends to describe the regular, par excellence
occurrence of the activity described by the noun.22 Thus, in the case of ταῖς προσευχαῖς, Luke’s
use of the article shows the reader that the early Church was not just devoted to praying in
general; rather, it is Luke’s intention to point out that this community met regularly for the
purpose of engaging in a specific time of prayer. Based on the Jewish prayer rituals described in

20
W. O. E. Oesterley, The Jewish Background of the Christian Liturgy (Gloucester, Mass.: P. Smith,
1965), 92.
21
Barrett, The Acts of the Apostles, 166.; Bruce, The Book of the Acts, 73. Most others claim that ταῖς
προσευχαῖς in Acts 2:42 refers to the practice of Jewish prayer rituals, but will also include distinctly Christian
community prayer under the umbrella of the term (See Ernst Haenchen, The Acts of the Apostles a Commentary
(Oxford,: Blackwell, 1971), 191.; David John Williams, Acts (Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson Publishers, 1990), 60.;
William Neil, Acts: Based on the Revised Standard Version (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 1981), 81.).
22
Wallace, Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics: An Exegetical Syntax of the New Testament with
Scripture, Subject, and Greek Word Indexes, 225.
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Acts as well as the picture of the apostles going to the temple for the time of prayer in the section
following 2:42, it is safe to conclude that the content of the prayers described in Acts 2:42 is
based on a distinctly Jewish foundation.
From this author’s study of the four terms of Acts 2:42, it seems evident that the
apostle is attempting to describe the new Christian community in like manner. According to
Luke, the early church was powered by Christian theology and teaching, yet found its pattern and
practice in a distinctly Jewish tradition. This author will argue that the Jewish tradition fueling
Acts 2:42 is the first century synagogue. The remainder of this paper will be devoted to
exploring this possibility more explicitly.

The Community in Acts 2:42 as “The New Synagogue”

In the former sections, the current author developed the background and context of
Acts 2:42 and developed the four terms within this verse. It was his contention from that study
that Luke’s usage of τῇ διδαχῇ τῶν ἀποστόλων, τῇ κοινωνία, τῇ κλάσει τοῦ ἄρτου and
ταῖς προσευχαῖς was an attempt to give new, Christian terms and meanings to first century
Jewish concepts and practices. In short, to answer the question of source for these early Church
practices, this author found solution in contemporary Judaism.
This conclusion is neither new nor completely unique, as commentators have often

noted the distinct Jewish feel to the writings of Luke. In the International Critical Commentary
on Acts, Barrett goes so far as to conclude that, “it is Luke’s overall scheme to portray the first
Christians as devout and observant Jews, maintaining Jewish practices and frequenting
synagogue and temple until forced out of them.”23 According to this statement, the Jewish
background of the early church did not merely bleed into the writing of Acts. Rather, the Semitic
characteristics of the Christian community were noted by Luke and intentionally portrayed in his

23
Barrett, The Acts of the Apostles, 164.
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narrative. For the remainder of this paper, the current author will continue to support this
hypothesis as well as show that the explicit referent for the Jewish background seen in Acts 2:42
is none other than the first century synagogue.

Synagogue in the Purpose of Luke-Acts

While Luke’s allusion to Judaism in his writings has already been discussed at length,
this author would also argue for a purposeful use of synagogue in the Lukan accounts, as the
apostle employs the term συναγωγή over 30 times in his two books. A survey of Luke’s usage
of this term follows a chiastic structure. In his Gospel, the συναγωγή begins as a place where
the Gospel is preached by Christ and later becomes a place of persecution of Christ and his
disciples. In Acts, the συναγωγή is first presented as a place of Christian persecution, but later is
shown as the venue of Paul’s Gospel ministry. In the Acts account, a pivotal moment in the
development of συναγωγή is seen in Chapter 9, where Saul, en route to persecute the believers
in the synagogues of Damascus, is converted and begins preaching the Gospel in those same
synagogues by verse 20. While these facts do not speak directly to Luke’s presentation of the
Christian synagogue in Acts 2:42, they do demonstrate the intentionality with which the apostle
approaches this concept. It is obvious that Luke is attempting to use the synagogue as a literary
device in his presentation.

Luke’s emphasis on the synagogue is not only seen by its regular occurrence in his
narrative, but the apostle also uses the picture of the synagogue as a tool for the purpose of
portraying his message. The first event portrayed by Luke in Jesus’ earthly ministry took place in
the Jewish synagogue. Immediately after returning from his desert temptation, the apostle
describes Jesus as teaching in the Galilean synagogues (Luke 4:15). Next, Luke has the Messiah
standing in the synagogue at Nazareth, preaching on the purpose of his incarnation. In this first
event of Jesus’ ministry, Luke presents the Christ as preaching on the inclusion of the Gentiles
into the kingdom of God, a topic that results in Him being kicked out of the synagogue and
 14

pursued for stoning. Jesus begins His earthly ministry by standing in the synagogue and
foreseeing the Gospel message as extending to all of the nations of the world.
An interesting parallel can be found between the synagogue account in Luke 4 and
the beginning of the book of Acts. Luke summarizes his purpose for Acts in 1:8, as he presents
Jesus telling the apostles that are destined to be his witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria,
and to the ends of the earth. In the remainder of the book of Acts, Luke shows the Gospel
likewise progressing from Jerusalem outwards. In both Luke and Acts, the first message for
God’s people has Jesus predicting the outward movement of the Gospel, from Jews to Gentiles.
Acts 1 describes movement from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth, and Luke 4 puts the expanse
from the synagogue to the Gentile nations. This parallel puts a connection between the
synagogue and Jerusalem as starting points for the outward expansion of Christianity. Based on
this parallelism, and because Chapter 2 marks the beginning of the outward expansion seen in
Acts, it is possible that Luke intended the picture of the New Community in Acts 2:42 to be a
Christian representation of the Jewish synagogue. This contention is fortified by a study of
Jewish synagogue culture at the time of Christ.

Synagogue in First Century Judaism

Though the contemporary notion of the Jewish synagogue is a building where Jews

would come and worship, the term συναγωγή connotes a much broader meaning. The concept
of synagogue in first Century Judaism is similar in meaning to the Christian term “church” today.
While it does in fact point to the physical edifice where Jews would meet, συναγωγή was more
of a culture than a building in first century life. According to Urman’s studies on the first century
Synagogue, the term often enveloped all of the Jewish residents of a city. 24 To this culture,
synagogue was not only a place of worship; it was the worshipping community.

24
Dan Urman and Paul Virgil McCracken Flesher, Ancient Synagogues: Historical Analysis and
Archaeological Discovery (Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1995), 181.; Oesterley also describes the synagogue as an “assembly”
rather than a building, stating that the synagogue began in Nehemiah 8 (See W. O. E. Oesterley, The Jews and
 15

Based on this definition of συναγωγή, it quickly becomes easier to imagine the early
church in acts as falling within this definition. In his account, Luke does not illuminate the
building in which the early church at Jerusalem worshipped; rather, the apostle highlights the
community of faith itself. Just as “synagogue” was, for Jews, a description of the community of
faith in a specific city, the Christian community of faith in Jerusalem was, to Luke, a synagogue
of sorts for the Christ followers in that city. The remainder of this section will be devoted to
illustrating the apostle’s effort to make this fact clear through the specific terms of Acts 2:42.

Synagogue, House of Torah

Just as the early church was devoted to the teaching of the apostles, the synagogue of
the time period was known for its dedication to the study of Torah. Though the synagogue did
act as a school of Hebrew and the Scriptures, the specific function of preaching in the synagogue
is especially notable for this study. The Jewish community often experienced teaching in a
similar manner as is expected in the early church. Wise men of the faith, standing before the
συναγωγή, would teach the community, in Homily form, regarding Torah and its practice.25 A
study of the Mishnah reveals that three out of the five practices of the synagogue are based on
the reading and recitation of Scripture.26 Based on this fact, Bradshaw claims that, “studying . . .
was a regular function of the synagogue from the outset, and may even have constituted the

fundamental reason for the emergence of that institution.”27 The function of Biblical preaching in
the συναγωγή community is what won their common meeting places the nomenclature of

Judaism During the Greek Period; the Background of Christianity (Port Washington, N. Y.: Kennikat Press, 1970),
211.).
25
Urman and Flesher, Ancient Synagogues: Historical Analysis and Archaeological Discovery, 182.
26
Megillah 4:3
27
Paul F. Bradshaw, The Search for the Origins of Christian Worship: Sources and Methods for the
Study of Early Liturgy, 2nd rev. and enlarged ed. (London: SPCK, 2002), 36.
 16

“διδασκαλεῖον.”28 It is therefore logical to describe the community of the first century

synagogue as one devoted to Torah and its teaching.
This διδασκαλεῖον label shows that the early Church was very similar to the Jewish
synagogue communities. Just as the synagogues are seen in Luke as a place of teaching, the
Jerusalem church in Acts is devoted to τῇ διδαχῇ τῶν ἀποστόλων.29 Oesterley goes so far as to
say that the early Church, as a “place of instruction,” must be a Christian adaptation of the
Jewish Beth ha-Midrash (house of instruction), namely the synagogue.30 The parallel function of
the synagogue as the house of instruction with the teaching priority of the early Church seen in
Acts 2:42 supports the assertion that the church described in Acts 2:42 was functioning as the
Christian manifestation of the Jewish synagogue.

Synagogue, House of Fellowship

For first century Jews, the synagogue was not only a community dedicated to Torah,
but to fellowship as well. In fact, the word συναγωγή is a Greek translation of the Hebrew ha-
keneset, a term meaning “house of assembly.”31 Unlike the temple, the synagogue was not a place
where religious rituals were performed, but rather where the people of God would gather to hear
from the word of God and to pray with one another.32 Thus, though the Jewish synagogue was
normally described as a “house of teaching” or “house of prayer,” the synagogue functioned in

28
Carsten Claussen, “Meeting, Community, Synagogue—Different Frameworks of Ancient Jewish
Cngregations in the Diaspora,” in The Ancient Synagogue from Its Origins until 200 C.E. : Papers Presented at an
International Conference at Lund University, October 14-17, 2001, ed. Birger Olsson and Magnus Zetterholm
(Stockholm: Almqvist & Wiksell International, 2003), 151.
29
In the New Testament, the synagogue is seen primarily as a place where teaching took place (cf.
Matthew 4:23; Acts 13:15; 17:17; 18:4)
30
Oesterley, The Jewish Background of the Christian Liturgy, 121.
31
Hyam Maccoby, Judaism in the First Century (London: Sheldon, 1989), 59.
32
Ibid.
 17

line with its, “house of assembly,” every time the community gathered to pray or to hear from
Torah.
Since συναγωγή represented the whole of Jewish society in a specific city, one
person’s devotion to his or her neighbor was a devotion to the fellowship of the synagogue.
Luke’s account of the parable of the Good Samaritan shows plainly that first century Jewish
culture had, even to a fault, expressed an exclusive love for their fellow believers (Luke 10:25-
37). Moreover, a look at the apostle’s account of the man persistently seeking bread from his
neighbor shows the high value that this culture placed on hospitality (11:1-8). Jewish culture was
so devoted to fellowship that it was believable to propose that one man would wake another in
the middle of the night merely to provide food for a visitor.
Jewish devotion to fellowship is seen not only in their social interactions, but also in
the architecture of their synagogues. According to Claussen, synagogues might be most
accurately described as “community centers which also provide a place for Jewish worship,” as
the synagogue acted as the hub for social interaction within the Israeli culture.33 The structure
served as a place for interaction, meetings, legal proceedings, and even meals. Outside of the
main building, a portion of the synagogue was even designed to provide a hostel for visitors and
travelers.34 Social meetings inside the synagogue would include teaching, prayer, and the giving
of charitable gifts for the benefit of those in need. 35 Parallels to many of these actions are seen in
Barrett’s description of the early church in Acts 2, giving weight to the proposition that Luke
intended his account of the early church to evoke a picture of fellowship in the synagogue
community.36 Though social interactions, as well as the function of the synagogue building itself,

33
Claussen, “Meeting, Community, Synagogue—Different Frameworks of Ancient Jewish
Cngregations in the Diaspora,” 152.
34
Urman and Flesher, Ancient Synagogues: Historical Analysis and Archaeological Discovery, 181.
35
Ibid.
36
Barrett, The Acts of the Apostles, 163.
 18

is clear that first century Jews were deeply devoted to the fellowship. This value carries over into
the early Christian community, as described by Luke in his account of the early Church.

Synagogue, House of Prayer

Along with the titles of “House of Torah” and “House of Fellowship,” the first
century synagogue can also accurately be described a house of prayer. Although προσευχή refers
exclusively to the act of prayer in the LXX, the definition broadens to include the synagogue by
the time of the Diaspora.37 It is referred thusly in the Apocrypha (1 Maccabees 7:20), papyri
sources (cf. Philo Flaccus 53), as well as in Luke’s writings (Acts 16:13). Moreover, προσευχή
is never used by Gentile authors in a verbal sense to describe prayer, but always substantively, as
“prayer-house.”38 By the time of Luke’s writing, the synagogue has become not merely a place
where prayer occurs, but as a place known for prayer.
It is notable that Luke’s account of the early church shows the Christians at Jerusalem
frequenting the synagogue for prayer. As was previously mentioned, Peter and John are shown to
visit the synagogue for prayer immediately following the summary passage at hand in Acts 2:42.
It is very possible that Luke’s intention in the placement of this pericope is to highlight the
Jewish nature of the prayer-practice of the early church. As the early Church began to take the
role of the new synagogue in Jerusalem, the apostles continued to use the Jewish edifice in the

practice of their religion. As the Church grew and expanded, however, Christian use of Jewish
resources diminished and the body of Christ created their own autonomous synagogue within
their context. Thus, in Acts 2, when the church was at its earliest form, stating that the Christians
were “devoted to the prayers” describes a church in Jerusalem praying together in Jewish

37
Claussen, “Meeting, Community, Synagogue—Different Frameworks of Ancient Jewish
Cngregations in the Diaspora,” 151. For a more complete discussion of the use of προσευχή to denote the synagogue
building in the diaspora period, see Claussen’s section on “Terminology.”
38
I. A. Levinskaya, The Book of Acts in Its Diaspora Setting, vol. 5, 5 vols., The Book of Acts in Its
First Century Setting (Grand Rapids, Mich.: W.B. Eerdmans, 1996), 213.
 19

manner, even occasionally frequenting the synagogue and temple with one another. The
Christian church was initiated as a body parallel to the synagogue in form and function.

Synagogue in First Century Christianity

The previous sections have served to illuminate the similarities between Luke’s
account of the Jerusalem church in Acts 2:42 and Synagogue life in first century Judaism. This
has been done in an effort to show that Luke’s intention in 2:42 is to describe the early Church as
the new Christian Synagogue. The final section of this study will discuss the Jewish nature of the
early church, in an effort to support the argument that the early Church was composed of
Christian Jews who were building a new religion based on the patterns and practices of their
former way of life. For this task, the author will rely mainly on the most reliable extra-Biblical
sourcebook of the early church, the Didache.
The Didache is an excellent resource for the study of the community in Acts 2:42
community for two reasons. First, Luke and the Ante-Nicene Fathers wrote at approximately the
same time, namely the latter half of the first or early decades of the second century.39 This
closeness of dating allows both writings to give a similar account of the church. Second, many
parallels can be seen between the writings of the Fathers and the Jerusalem church community
described in Acts 2. Both of these sources place value on the authority of Christian teaching, as

Acts 2:42 records the Christians’ devotion to the teaching of the apostles, and the Didache
records teachings of the Ante-Nicene Fathers. Similarly, both sources refer to community life, as
Acts 2 describes a devotion to the fellowship and the Fathers explain how the community ought
to live with one another.40 Finally, Acts and the Didache both give attention to the breaking of

39
For an extended treatment of the dating of the Didache, see Hubertus Waltherus Maria van de Sandt
and David Flusser, The Didache: Its Jewish Sources and Its Place in Early Judaism and Christianity (Minneapolis:
Fortress Press, 2002), 48-52. The authors of this work make a strong argument for a late first century date, but place
a possibility of as early as 50 or as late as the first half of the second century.
40
For a definition of “fellowship” in the early church, see previous sections. The Didache records
community activities such as Baptism, Prayer and Fasting, and the Eucharist.
 20

bread and to specific prayers. It is notable that the Fathers not only address the practice of both
the Eucharist and community prayers, but place them consecutively, as they are presented in
Acts 2:42. From this evidence, it becomes clear that the Didache’s teachings regarding church
life and practice are very similar to the reality posed by Luke in Acts 2.
The most notable evidence for the Jewish nature of Christian life in the early church
is found in the Ante-Nicene Fathers’ treatment of prayer, as the discipline of prayer in the
Didache seems to be heavily patterned after Jewish practice. The Fathers exhort the Church to
pray three times daily, a practice derived from the Jewish custom of prayer morning, noon, and
night.41 Still, not only the forms of prayer are similar, but the content as well. Concerning
Eucharistic prayers in the Didache, Milavec notes that the character of the prayers was
profoundly shaped by currents thriving in the synagogues.42 There is a distinct parallel between
prayer practices of the early Church and synagogue life of the first century. This fact is evident in
the writings of the Didache, and is seen in Acts 2:42 as well.
A closer study of the Didache illuminates the fact that much of the philosophy of
early Christianity is pulled from Jewish culture.43 It seems from these writings that the Church,
while adopting practices directly from Judaism, adapts and nuances these forms to make them
distinctly Christian. For example, the Fathers present the calendar for the church based on the
Jewish numbering system, yet change the Sabbath from the seventh to the first day of the week
in order to distinguish themselves by the Resurrection of Christ.44 Also, they practice fasting

41
Didache 8:3
42
Aaron Milavec, The Didache: Faith, Hope, & Life of the Earliest Christian Communities, 50-70 C.E
(New York: Newman Press, 2003), 298-301.
43
For a deeper study of Jewish influence on the Didache, see chapter 2 of Van de Sant and Flusser’s
work (Sandt and Flusser, The Didache: Its Jewish Sources and Its Place in Early Judaism and Christianity, 55-80.).
These authors describe the “Two Ways” found in the Didache, one being its Jewish influence, and another its
Christian foundations.
44
Milavec, The Didache: Faith, Hope, & Life of the Earliest Christian Communities, 50-70 C.E, 298-
301.
 21

twice weekly (a Jewish custom), yet modify the fasting days from the Jewish system.45 These
adaptations reveal that the early church began as extremely Jewish in form, and was beginning to
branch out from Judaism in an effort to be distinct. In the time of the Didache and Acts, the
church was at its most Jewish form.
From the evidence of the early church found in the Didache, it seems probable that
Luke’s description of the Jerusalem community in Acts 2:42 presents a church strongly
influenced by Jewish forms. The content of worship and its practice in the Church was very
similar to Judaism, and, as is seen in a study of the synagogue, comparable to life and worship in
that Jewish culture. Acts 2:42 presents a depiction of Christianity that has been sculpted in the
form of Israeli life.

Conclusion—The Church as the New Synagogue

It is this author’s contention that the terms employed by Luke in Acts 2:42 to describe
the “devotions” of the early Church are meant to describe the Christian Church as the New
Synagogue. This conclusion is based on a study of the terms themselves, Luke’s usage of
synagogue in his writings, Jewish synagogue life and culture, and the evidence of Jewish
tradition in the early church.
The intentional use of the Jewish synagogue in Luke’s writings draws attention to its

intended importance. The synagogue as a building is mentioned many times in Luke-Acts, where
it is employed to show both Christ’s and Paul’s ministry methodology. Moreover, the placement
of Acts 2:42 within the history of the Church places the devoted believers in the most Jewish
phase of the growth of the church. In Luke’s account of the Gospel going from Jerusalem to all
nations, Acts 2:42 describes the Church in its most Jewish state.

45
Didache 8:1.
 22

From a study of the four terms in Acts 2:42, it is clear that Luke is describing
historically Jewish activities, but employing new terminology to do so. The apostles’ teaching
has replaced the Dershans in the synagogues, the fellowship has replaced the synagogue
community, the breaking of bread has replaced the Passover meal and other festivals, and the
prayers officered in the Christian community have begun to replace those offered in the
synagogue. A look at the larger range of meaning in these four terms illuminates many parallels
with Judaism, especially when paired with a study of first century synagogue life.
Investigating the culture of the early church in the first century brings closure to the
proposal that Luke intended Acts 2 to describe a Christian synagogue community, as the
community of faith was, at that time, extremely Jewish in nature. From the methods and content
of prayers to the observance of dating systems and fasting times, Jewish form and function
permeated the first century Church. This fact is what led Sandmel in his study of Christian
beginnings to the conclusion that, “it is not to be doubted that Christianity historically arose not
from the Temple, but from synagogue Judaism.”46 The first Christian church in Jerusalem was a
notably Jewish one: an actual Christian synagogue community existing in Jerusalem. It is Luke’s
intention in Acts 2:42 to present this church as such, as the parallels between the apostle’s
account and the synagogue community are unquestionable.
The picture of the New Synagogue described in Acts 2:42 is verified in the fact that it
flows well with Christian ecclesiology. The New Synagogue interpretation illustrates that while
the Christian church has not replaced Israel in God’s plan of redemption, the Church has indeed
taken the forefront in this time of salvation history. In these last times, God has transferred his
grace from the former covenant community, the Jewish synagogue culture, to the New
Synagogue, the believers’ fellowship of the Spirit. Luke’s description of the Church as
synagogue in Acts 2 paints the vivid picture of a baton being passed from one chosen people to

46
Samuel Sandmel, Judaism and Christian Beginnings (New York: Oxford University Press, 1978),
418.
 23

another. The coming of the Spirit at Pentecost served to usher in a transfer of people and
ministry. This transfer is fleshed out in the remainder of the Lukan account and will continue to
be manifest in the Church until the redemption of the Jewish people in the kingdom to come.

Modern Applications of The Church as the New Synagogue

The fact that the Church has become the new synagogue has many implications for
modern-day ecclesiology. First, it is important to note the continuity of God’s covenant
community throughout time. While the Church was created as a new entity composed of Jews
and Gentiles (cf. Ephesians 2:11-22), it was not created to be entirely different from the Jewish
community. A study of Acts 2:42 shows that teaching, fellowship, and prayer have always been
part of God’s covenant community. In a contemporary age of post-modern thought, this liturgy
has often been discarded as “old-fashioned” or “modern.” Understanding the central role of these
practices in God’s community since the Diaspora makes a strong case for their continued
centrality in the Church today.47
Second, understanding the inherent Jewish nature of early Christianity can shed light
on hermeneutically approaching any New Testament text. The strong links between Judaism and
Christianity in Acts 2:42 should remind the reader of this text that it is imperative to continue
learning the features of first century Jewish life and culture. The early Christians were Jewish, as

was Jesus, the disciples, and the apostle Paul. Therefore, approaching any New Testament
passage, it is important to consider the Jewish background of the text being studied. This study of
Acts 2:42 serves as a reminder of the distinct Jewish makeup of not only the early Church, but of
the writings of Scripture as well.
Finally, an understanding of the synagogue nature of the early Church can serve to
remind the interpreter of this passage that culture plays a large part in any worship setting.

47
The current author would posit that these practices have central since the beginning of God’s
relationship with mankind. Still, the range of study for this paper does not extend past the synagogue of the
Diaspora, and so any application thereof will be limited to that timeframe.
 24

Though the four “devotions” described in Acts 2:42 are appropriate for God’s people for all time,
it is important to note that the manner in which these passions were manifested arose out of the
background of the worshippers. Thus, in designing contemporary worship settings, it is
imperative to separate form and function. While all communities should devote themselves to the
priorities of Scripture, fellowship, and prayer, they method by which they accomplish these
priorities is largely dependent on the culture of those who worship.
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