Page 382 - Bible History

THE REDEEMER AMONG MEN 355
for He taught them as one having power and authority, and not as the scribes and Pharisees.
Soon after His temptation in the desert, Jesus re­ turned to Galilee and came to Nazareth, where He had spent His youth. The people of Nazareth had heard rumors of the wonderful things He had done since He left His home. Therefore, when He came into the synagogue with them on the Sabbath Day, they asked Him to preach to them.
The synagogue consisted of a long hall, at the end of which there was a kind of sanctuary. There was no altar in the sanctuary, because sacri ces were never o ered in the synagogue, but only a wooden chest cov­ ered with a veil, in which the Sacred Books were kept. Near the center was a raised platform upon which the rabbi stood when he preached to the people. The main body of the synagogue was divided into two parts, one of which was reserved for the men, the other for the women.
The services always began with the singing of the Psalms, after which a prayer was said. Then came the instruction. A passage from the Bible was read by the rabbi, just as our priests today read the Epistle
and the Gospel on Sunday. The rabbi then explained the passage to the people, and pointed out to them the lessons it taught them for their daily lives. If some stranger or some prominent man were present, the people would ask him to mount the platform and to speak to them.
At the invitation of the people, Jesus rose up to