Today during lifegroup, samuel scott asked what the Synagogue of Freedmen from Acts 6 was. I didn't immediately know so I looked it up when I got home.. here's a short article.
Synagogue of the Freedmen (συναγωγή τω̂ν Λιβερτίνων, synagōgē tōn Libertinōn). One of the religious groups who argued with Stephen in Acts 6:9, eventually leading to his stoning.
Biblical Relevance
Despite of the centrality of the Jerusalem temple in Jewish worship, hundreds of synagogues flourished across Israel in the first century (Mark 1:21; Luke 7:1; Acts 9:2; b. Ketubbot 105a, t. Sukkah 4.5; Josephus, Jewish War 2.285–90, Life 277, Antiquities XIX.300). In Acts 6:9 those who belonged to the Synagogue of the Freedmen—together with Cyrenian, Alexandrian, Cilician, and Asian Jews—argued with Stephen, one of the deacons (servants) in the Jerusalem Assembly. As a result of this theological dispute, Stephen was falsely accused of blasphemy; he was then tried and stoned outside the city (Acts 6:11–7:59).
Identification
Only a handful of historical references provide clues to the nature and composition of this Synagogue of Freedmen in Jerusalem, producing multiple scholarly theories and speculations. In seeking to understand the nature of this synagogue, some scholars focus on the name “Freedmen.” The Greek term “freedmen” (libertinos) is a loan word from the Latin libertini, which designated freed slaves (Bruce, Acts, 156). In the Roman world the term was used to identify one’s social status—usually for the purpose of differentiating a freed individual from someone who was never a slave (Mouritsen, Freedmen, 21). “Freedmen” could also refer to Jews taken into slavery by the Romans under Pompey in 63 bc (Philo, On the Embassy to Gaius, 23). The descendants of slaves who were freed were also called “freedmen.” It is possible that these freed slaves were proselytes (prosēlytoi), enslaved non-Jews, who embraced the Jewish way of life. Ancient sources mention thousands of slaves embracing Jewish beliefs (Tacitus, Annals, 2, 85; Philo, On the Embassy to Gaius, 155).
The names of synagogues often referred to the makeup or the language of the congregation, such as “the synagogue of the Hebrews.” There are also examples of synagogues being named after their patrons and founders—for example, Synagogue of the Augustans, Agrippans, Herodians (Zetterholm, Formation, 91). The Synagogue of the Freedmen may have been somehow connected to freed slaves at the time of its establishment, but its membership could have been very different in the first century. There is also a less popular opinion, based on ancient Armenian and Syriac commentaries, that the original synagogue name did not mention freed slaves but Libyans, which would make all names in Acts 9:6 geographical locations (Levine, Ancient Synagogue, 56–57; Bruce, Acts, 126).
Scholarship and Debate
In 1913–1914 Raymond Weill discovered a first-century inscription in the Lower City of David that confirmed the existence of a Greek-speaking synagogue in first-century Jerusalem (Kloppenborg, “Theodotus Synagogue Inscription”, 253–55; Gibson, Jewish Manumission Inscriptions, 137; Levine, Ancient Synagogue, 56–57). The plaque identified Theodotus son of Vettenus as a founder, priest, and the head of the synagogue. The inscription credited the builder with the construction of ritual baths and a guesthouse available to travelers (Barnett, Jesus, 217–18; Levine, Ancient Synagogue, 56–58). Because Theodotus is a Greek name and Vettenus is a Latin name, some scholars (Weill, Clermont-Geneau, Reinach, Vincent, and many others) theorized that Vettenus was a freedman who bore the name of his former master. Thus they attempted to connect the inscription to the Synagogue of the Freedmen mentioned in Acts 6:9 (Reisner, “Synagogues”, 205; Levine, Ancient Synagogue, 57–58). Yet Safrai, Roth-Gerson, Bruce, Kloppenberg, and many others cite a lack of tangible evidence and reject the implied connection of the Theodotus inscription to the Acts 6:9 synagogue (Levine, Ancient Synagogue, 56–58; Kloppenborg, “Theodotus Synagogue Inscription”, 277–78; Bruce, Acts, 126).
Despite the ongoing debate, there is a general consensus that the Synagogue of the Freedmen mentioned in Acts 6:9 was indeed a Greek-speaking synagogue of the first-century Hellenized Diaspora Jews. The other groups mentioned in Acts 6:9 (Cyrene, Alexandria, Cilicia, and Asia) are all well-known Greek-speaking Jewish Diaspora communities that could have been distinct or a part of this same synagogue. Several Hellenistic Diaspora communities may have shared one facility, making them several synagogues, or gatherings, under the same roof (Bruce, Acts, 126; Gibson, Jewish Manumission Inscriptions, 137). Stephen himself was believed to be one of the Hellenist Jews (Hellēnistēs) who spoke and worshiped in Greek. If true, this would explain Stephen’s appointment for service in Acts 6:1–7 (Reisner, “Synagogues”, 205).
Selected Resources for Further Study
Barnett, Paul. Jesus and the Rise of Early Christianity: A History of New Testament Times. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 2002.
Bruce, Frederick Fyvie. The Acts of the Apostles: The Greek Text with Introduction and Commentary. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1990.
Gibson, Elizabeth Leigh. The Jewish Manumission Inscriptions of the Bosporus Kingdom. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 1999.
Kloppenborg, John S. “The Theodotus Synagogue Inscription and the Problem of First-Century Synagogue Buildings.” Pages 236–82 in Jesus and Archaeology. Edited by James H. Charlesworth. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2006.
Levine, Lee I. The Ancient Synagogue: The First Thousand Years. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 2000.
Mouritsen, Henrik. Freedmen in the Roman World. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011.
Reisner, Rainer. “Synagogues in Jerusalem.” Pages 179–209 in The Book of Acts in Its Palestinian Setting. Edited by Richard Bauckham. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1995.
Zetterholm, Magnus. The Formation of Christianity in Antioch. New York: Routledge, 2013.
Peter Shirokov
Peter Shirokov, “Synagogue of the Freedmen,” ed. John D. Barry et al., The Lexham Bible Dictionary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016).
Synagogue of Freedmen
Today during lifegroup, samuel scott asked what the Synagogue of Freedmen from Acts 6 was. I didn't immediately know so I looked it up when I got home.. here's a short article.
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Synagogue of the Freedmen (συναγωγή τω̂ν Λιβερτίνων, synagōgē tōn Libertinōn). One of the religious groups who argued with Stephen in Acts 6:9, eventually leading to his stoning.
Biblical Relevance
Despite of the centrality of the Jerusalem temple in Jewish worship, hundreds of synagogues flourished across Israel in the first century (Mark 1:21; Luke 7:1; Acts 9:2; b. Ketubbot 105a, t. Sukkah 4.5; Josephus, Jewish War 2.285–90, Life 277, Antiquities XIX.300). In Acts 6:9 those who belonged to the Synagogue of the Freedmen—together with Cyrenian, Alexandrian, Cilician, and Asian Jews—argued with Stephen, one of the deacons (servants) in the Jerusalem Assembly. As a result of this theological dispute, Stephen was falsely accused of blasphemy; he was then tried and stoned outside the city (Acts 6:11–7:59).
Identification
Only a handful of historical references provide clues to the nature and composition of this Synagogue of Freedmen in Jerusalem, producing multiple scholarly theories and speculations. In seeking to understand the nature of this synagogue, some scholars focus on the name “Freedmen.” The Greek term “freedmen” (libertinos) is a loan word from the Latin libertini, which designated freed slaves (Bruce, Acts, 156). In the Roman world the term was used to identify one’s social status—usually for the purpose of differentiating a freed individual from someone who was never a slave (Mouritsen, Freedmen, 21). “Freedmen” could also refer to Jews taken into slavery by the Romans under Pompey in 63 bc (Philo, On the Embassy to Gaius, 23). The descendants of slaves who were freed were also called “freedmen.” It is possible that these freed slaves were proselytes (prosēlytoi), enslaved non-Jews, who embraced the Jewish way of life. Ancient sources mention thousands of slaves embracing Jewish beliefs (Tacitus, Annals, 2, 85; Philo, On the Embassy to Gaius, 155).
The names of synagogues often referred to the makeup or the language of the congregation, such as “the synagogue of the Hebrews.” There are also examples of synagogues being named after their patrons and founders—for example, Synagogue of the Augustans, Agrippans, Herodians (Zetterholm, Formation, 91). The Synagogue of the Freedmen may have been somehow connected to freed slaves at the time of its establishment, but its membership could have been very different in the first century. There is also a less popular opinion, based on ancient Armenian and Syriac commentaries, that the original synagogue name did not mention freed slaves but Libyans, which would make all names in Acts 9:6 geographical locations (Levine, Ancient Synagogue, 56–57; Bruce, Acts, 126).
Scholarship and Debate
In 1913–1914 Raymond Weill discovered a first-century inscription in the Lower City of David that confirmed the existence of a Greek-speaking synagogue in first-century Jerusalem (Kloppenborg, “Theodotus Synagogue Inscription”, 253–55; Gibson, Jewish Manumission Inscriptions, 137; Levine, Ancient Synagogue, 56–57). The plaque identified Theodotus son of Vettenus as a founder, priest, and the head of the synagogue. The inscription credited the builder with the construction of ritual baths and a guesthouse available to travelers (Barnett, Jesus, 217–18; Levine, Ancient Synagogue, 56–58). Because Theodotus is a Greek name and Vettenus is a Latin name, some scholars (Weill, Clermont-Geneau, Reinach, Vincent, and many others) theorized that Vettenus was a freedman who bore the name of his former master. Thus they attempted to connect the inscription to the Synagogue of the Freedmen mentioned in Acts 6:9 (Reisner, “Synagogues”, 205; Levine, Ancient Synagogue, 57–58). Yet Safrai, Roth-Gerson, Bruce, Kloppenberg, and many others cite a lack of tangible evidence and reject the implied connection of the Theodotus inscription to the Acts 6:9 synagogue (Levine, Ancient Synagogue, 56–58; Kloppenborg, “Theodotus Synagogue Inscription”, 277–78; Bruce, Acts, 126).
Despite the ongoing debate, there is a general consensus that the Synagogue of the Freedmen mentioned in Acts 6:9 was indeed a Greek-speaking synagogue of the first-century Hellenized Diaspora Jews. The other groups mentioned in Acts 6:9 (Cyrene, Alexandria, Cilicia, and Asia) are all well-known Greek-speaking Jewish Diaspora communities that could have been distinct or a part of this same synagogue. Several Hellenistic Diaspora communities may have shared one facility, making them several synagogues, or gatherings, under the same roof (Bruce, Acts, 126; Gibson, Jewish Manumission Inscriptions, 137). Stephen himself was believed to be one of the Hellenist Jews (Hellēnistēs) who spoke and worshiped in Greek. If true, this would explain Stephen’s appointment for service in Acts 6:1–7 (Reisner, “Synagogues”, 205).
Selected Resources for Further Study
Barnett, Paul. Jesus and the Rise of Early Christianity: A History of New Testament Times. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 2002.
Bruce, Frederick Fyvie. The Acts of the Apostles: The Greek Text with Introduction and Commentary. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1990.
Gibson, Elizabeth Leigh. The Jewish Manumission Inscriptions of the Bosporus Kingdom. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 1999.
Kloppenborg, John S. “The Theodotus Synagogue Inscription and the Problem of First-Century Synagogue Buildings.” Pages 236–82 in Jesus and Archaeology. Edited by James H. Charlesworth. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2006.
Levine, Lee I. The Ancient Synagogue: The First Thousand Years. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 2000.
Mouritsen, Henrik. Freedmen in the Roman World. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011.
Reisner, Rainer. “Synagogues in Jerusalem.” Pages 179–209 in The Book of Acts in Its Palestinian Setting. Edited by Richard Bauckham. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1995.
Zetterholm, Magnus. The Formation of Christianity in Antioch. New York: Routledge, 2013.
Peter Shirokov
Peter Shirokov, “Synagogue of the Freedmen,” ed. John D. Barry et al., The Lexham Bible Dictionary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016).