VIII. =Its Preparation for the Gospel.= It is evident that the apostles and early Christian teachers were greatly aided by the synagogue.
1. It furnished a _place_; for everywhere the church began in the synagogue, even though it soon left it (Acts 13. 5; 18. 4; 19. 8).
2. It prepared a _people_; for the synagogue was attended by the earnest and thoughtful, both of Jews and Gentiles, who were thus made ready for the higher truths of the gospel (Acts 13. 42, 43).
3. It supplied a _plan of service_; for it is evident that the early Christian worship was modeled, not on the ritual of the Temple, but on the simpler forms of the synagogue.
4. It gave a _system of organization_; for the Government of the early church was similar to, and doubtless suggested by, that of the synagogue.
III. =Pl. Meet.= Buil. ro. op. air. sec. us.
IV. =Arr.= 1. Ark. 2. Ch. sea. 3. Desk. 4. Pla. wor. 5. Gal.
VII. =Inf.= 1. Per. wor. 2. Spir. wor. 3. St. O. T. 4. Attr. Gen.
VIII. =Prep. Gosp.= 1. Pla. 2. Peo. 3. Ser. 4. Org.
Between what two institutions was the synagogue a link of connection? How did the synagogue originate? Who gave it definite organization? Wherein did it differ from the temple and its services? Where were synagogues formed? How many were in Jerusalem? What buildings and places were used for the synagogue service? To what secular uses were these buildings put? What were the arrangements of the synagogue? Where did the women worship? What was "the ark" in the synagogue? Who were the officers? What was the _chazzan_? Who were the _batlanim_? What were the services of the synagogue? What influence did the synagogue exert? Whom did the synagogue benefit outside of the Jews? How did the synagogue prepare the way for the gospel?
From the Ascension of Christ A. D. 30, to the Appointment of the Seven A. D. 35.
We now enter upon the second great subject in New Testament history, the Early Church. This will include the annals of the church from the Ascension of Christ, A. D. 30, to the end of the apostolic age, A. D. 100. This epoch of seventy years is divided into four periods:
1. _The church in Judea_, from the Ascension of Christ, A. D. 30, to the Appointment of the Seven, A. D. 35.
2. _The church in Transition_, from the Appointment of the Seven, A. D. 35, to the Council at Jerusalem, A. D. 50.