Page 628 - Way of Life Encyclopedia of the Bible Christianity. Based on the King James Bible

SYNCRETISM - SYROPHENICIAN

than this. Bible believers trusted God’s promises that He Today the Jews are returning to their land, and many
would preserve His Word. But in the 1950s, scrolls of synagogues have closed. A report in the New York Times
the Hebrew Bible were found in caves near the Dead for Oct. 24, 2013, was entitled “The Last Jews of
Sea. They date to 100-200 years BC, a full millennium Calcutta.” It described the closing of the synagogue at
earlier than the Masoretic Aleppo Codex, yet they were Calcutta, India, which was once bustling. Where are the
found to be nearly word-for-word the same as the Jews going? They are going home in preparation for the
Masoretic Hebrew Bible of the 10th century AD! For final fulfillment of Bible prophecy.
example, when Isaiah 53 is compared between the SYNCRETISM. The attempt to reconcile different
nearly complete Great Isaiah Scroll from the Dead Sea religious and philosophical beliefs. It has become
Caves and the Aleppo Codex, there are only three letters commonplace for ecumenical Christians to join hands
that differ. This means that the Hebrew Bible was with non-Christian religions in prayer and worship. This
successfully preserved until the time of printing, in spite is not surprising in light of the Bible’s prophecies about
of the fact that the Jews were dispersed among the the formation of a one-world apostate religion (Re. 17).
nations and bitterly persecuted. [See Church, Prophecy, Universalism, World Council of
The synagogues were also instrumental in preserving Churches.]
the Hebrew language over the past 2,000 years. After SYNOPTIC. Pertaining to the first three gospels—
Israel was evicted from her land by the Romans and Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Synoptic means to present a
scattered through the nations, her language was in view of the whole through a collection of smaller parts.
danger of dying. The preservation of the Hebrew The gospels present a combined portrait of Jesus Christ.
Scriptures in the synagogues by the rabbis preserved the SYNTYCHE (an accident). Ph. 4:2.
language, and it is the official language today in modern
Israel. SYRACUSE (Tyre hidden). Ac. 28:12.
Over the past 2,000 years countless synagogues have SYRIA (high, descending). Is. 7:8.
been destroyed during persecutions against the Jews. SYRIACK. Ancient language of Syria (Da. 2:4). “The
For example, during Kristallnacht (crystal night) in word means Aramean, and the reference is to that
1938, the German Nazis under Hitler destroyed more language which is known as East Aramean--a general
than 1,000 synagogues and rounded up 200,000 Jews term embracing the Chaldee, the Syriac, and the
to send to death camps. languages whi ch were sp oken i n
Mesopotamia” (Barnes).
SYROPHENICIAN (redness, purple). Mk. 7:26.

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