Beit Kneset
Synagogue
House of Assembly
House Congregation
All Scriptures taken from the Son Of Man Bible, SOMB.bblx e-Sword Bible program module. CC BY-SA 4.0. Original work at www.door43.org. Son Of Man Bible e-Sword modules (SOMB.bblx and SOMB.bbli), The Word module (SOMB.ont), MySword modules (SOMB.bblx and SOMB.bbli), Bible Analyzer module (SOMB.bib), and LOGOS Bible import file (SOMB.docx), were created and edited by Gene Benjamin II. All of these modules can be downloaded from our website downloads page: https://www.fmcmi.org/downloads. The e-Sword, MySword, and The Word Bible modules are available for download on PC, Apple, Android, and other Linux devices from www.biblesupport.com and www.wordmodules.com. On biblesupport.com do a search for “Unlocked Literal Bible 9” then scroll down, and on wordmodules.com do a search for “Unlocked Literal Bible 9” then scroll down. E-Sword Bible program for PC and Apple devices is available from www.e-sword.net. E-Sword for Android is now in the Google Play Store. E-Sword for Apple is also in the App Store. The Word Bible program for PC is available from www.theword.net. MySword Bible app for Android is available from www.mysword.info. Bible Analyzer program is available from www.bibleanalyzer.com. The LOGOS Bible software is available from https://www.logos.com/install.
I use the Hebrew title Beit Kneset because those are the English words transliterated from the Hebrew script, from which the Koine Greek word Synagogue comes to us. Synagogue is simply transliterated in most English Bibles, instead of being translated into a phrase like house of assembly or house of meeting. Most Jews in Yeshua’s time were accustomed to worshiping and meeting on Sabbath in their local synagogues, better translated as houses of assembly. They held prayer meetings and study times during the week also. The early Messianic or Nazarene sect of Judaism (aka The Way) also first met in the temple and in Jewish synagogues. It was only later, under Roman pressure and persecution that Messianics began to separate from Jews, because the Romans tried to force the non-Jews into emperor worship. The Jews had an agreement, or Pax Romana, with the Romans so they did not have to worship the Roman Emperor. The non-Jewish Messianic believers were not protected by that law, so the separation began. The Messianic-Nazarene-The Way sect of Judaism never had anything to do with the creation of the pagan Christian religion by the Romans, which became known as Roman Catholicism, today also known as Catholislam. The Messianic sect, or movement, has always been Sabbath and Yehowah Feast keepers.
Below are many examples of Messianic congregations meeting in private homes, not in community built houses of assembly:
House assemblies: Acts 2:46, “So day after day, the (Messianic) allegiants continued with one purpose in the temple, and they broke bread in homes, and they shared food with joy and humility of heart;”
House assemblies: Acts 5:42, “Thereafter, every day in the temple and from house to house, they (Messianics) were continuously teaching and preaching Yeshua Messiah.”
House assemblies: Acts 8:3, “But Saul greatly harmed the (Messianic) congregation; he went into house after house and dragged out men and women, and put them into prison.”
Cornelius’s house assembly: Acts 10:22-33, “22They said, “A centurion named Cornelius, a righteous man and one who worships Yehowah, and is well spoken of by all the Jewish nation, was told by a set-apart angel of Yehowah to send for you to come to his house, so he could listen to a message from you.”” Cornelius and his household and friends became the first non-Jewish Messianic believers.
Miriam’s house assembly: Acts 12:12, “After he realized this, he came to the house of Miriam the mother of John, whose surname was Mark; many (Messianic) believers had gathered there and were praying.”
Philippian Jailer’s house assembly: Acts 16:32, 34, “They spoke the word of Yehowah to him, together with everyone in his household. . . 34He brought Paul and Silas up into his house and set food before them. He rejoiced greatly with all his (Messianic) household, because they had all believed in Yehowah”
Lydia’s house assembly: Acts 16:40, “So Paul and Silas went out of the prison and came to the house of Lydia. When Paul and Silas saw the (Messianic) allegiants, they encouraged them and then departed from the city.”
Corinthian Titius Justus’ house assembly: Acts 18:7, “Then he left from there and went to the house of Titius Justus, a man who worshiped Yehowah. His house was next to the house of assembly.”
Paul ministered in house assemblies: Acts 20:20, “You know how I did not keep back from declaring to you anything that was useful, and how I taught you in public and also going from house to house.”
Aquila and Priscilla’s house assembly: Romans 16:5, “Greet the (Messianic) congregation that is in their house. Greet Epaenetus my beloved, who is the firstfruit of Achaia to Messiah.”
Aquila and Priscilla’s house assembly: 1 Corinthians 16:19, “The (Messianic) congregations of Asia send greetings to you. Aquila and Priscilla greet you in the Lord, with the (Messianic) congregation that is in their home.”
Nymphas’ house assembly: Colossians 4:15, “Greet the (Messianic) allegiants in Laodicea, and Nymphas, and the (Messianic) congregation that is in his house.”
Philemon’s house assembly: Philemon 1:2, “and to Apphia our sister, and to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the (Messianic) congregation that meets in your home.”
Here is an example of Yeshua’s early believers meeting in a synagogue:
James (Jacob) 2:2, “Suppose that someone enters your Messianic house of assembly (synagogue in the Greek) wearing gold rings and fine clothes, and there also enters a poor person in dirty clothes.”
At the time James, or Jacob, wrote this epistle, there was no such thing as a Christian congregation, or Christian church building.
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