What Functions did the Synagogues Serve?
Synagogues served a variety of functions, both civic and religious. Here we must remember that the dividing wall between state and religion, so characteristic of modern Western societies, did not exist in antiquity. Within the synagogues, religion and civic affairs were inextricably intertwined. Consequently, synagogues frequently served as venues for civil and criminal courts. Political assemblies met inside them, as did special interest groups like Jewish burial societies. Synagogues also functioned as museums for votive offerings and archives for decrees and legal documents, both of which were often inscribed on steles. In addition, synagogues served as treasuries for sacred funds that were either donated to Temple or to the synagogue itself. The Egyptian synagogues were places of asylum through at least the Hellenistic period, while the synagogues of the Bosporus Kingdom functioned as venues for manumission ceremonies, a role most often seen in pagan temples. And, of course, synago
