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Second
Temple
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A few words about myself and how this project came into being. I'm an Episcopal priest presently serving as Rector of Historic Pohick Church near Mount Vernon, Virginia. In the academic world, I have served as Professor of New Testament at the Anglican School of Theology and as Adjunct Assistant Professor of New Testament in the Religious Studies Department of Southern Methodist University, both in Dallas, Texas. I hold a Ph.D. in New Testament Studies from Southern Methodist University, a Master of Divinity from Virginia Theological Seminary, and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Penn State University. I decided to write about Second Temple synagogues after noticing a number of methodological problems in many of the recent and older treatments of this subject. The resulting volume purposely combines a probing examination of the literary evidence with an in-depth look at the archaeological and epigraphic record. Fusing this two-pronged approach with the insights of anthropology and ritual studies, the book concludes that the early synagogues were the natural outgrowth of their central cultic site—the Jerusalem Temple in the case of Jews, and the sanctuary on Mt. Gerizim for the Samaritans. This conclusion should probably not come as a surprise to Jews (or to the few remaining Samaritans, for that matter), since even today the Western Wall of the Temple Mount remains the holiest place within Judaism (as does Gerizim for the Samaritans). Yet within Christian scholarship, for a variety of reasons, there has been a tendency both to vilify the Temple leadership and to downplay the importance of animal sacrifice within Second Temple Jewish practices. Recognizing the nearly universal exercise of sacrifice in the Second Temple period, my book attempts to treat the early data more evenhandedly. It consequently holds a greater appreciation for Jewish cult and Jewish ritual than is found in most studies of this period—perhaps owing to a rationalistic bias among many modern researchers. In offering my book and this web site, I realize that as a "Son of Adam" (and Eve), I approach the topic of ancient synagogues as an outsider. I am also aware that the history of Christian scholarship within Judaic Studies has, to put it kindly, been checkered. My book has therefore sought to present all the relevant evidence so that the reader can make his or her critical judgments on my interpretations. I have been and expect to be challenged on various conclusions. That, after all, is what scholarly engagement is about. Nevertheless, I believe that the views expressed in my book and on this site provide to persons of all creeds a reasonable, coherent, and meaningful portrait of the early synagogues. As this site evolves, please let me know what you think! The many hours I have devoted to this topic have meaning only within the context of a larger dialogue—a dialogue in which, I hope, new insights can emerge and faith be deepened.
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Archaeology
