The functions of the Judaean synagogue in the first century and the Torah as its unifying element

Las Fuentes escritas de! siglo primero d.C., los escritos rabinicos tempranos y los descubrimientos arqueológicos de las primeras sinagogas en Judea, muestran que la sinagoga tenia en esta epoca una amplia gama de funciones. Era al mismo tiempo una institución tanto religiosa como social, que marcó la sociedad judia de! primer siglo. Este articulo busca explorar de forma comprensiva sus diferentes funciones, que incluian entre otras la lectura de las Sagradas Escrituras, debates politicos, cenas sagradas, asi como tambien la corte local de justicia. Y se descubre la Tora como elemento unificador de esta gran variedad de elementos.
Looking at the written sources of the first century A. D., early Rabbinic writings, and the archeological findings of early Judaean synagogues, it seems that the synagogue served a wide range of functions. It was at the same time a religious as well as the central social institution of Jewish society during the first century. Ibis article seeks to give comprehensive insight into these different functions which range from scripture reading to political debates, from dining place to court of justice. And it discovers the Torah as the unifying element of them all.