Synagogues
Alma 16:13; “And Alma and Amulek went forth preaching repentance to the people in their temples, and in their sanctuaries, and also in their synagogues, which were built after the manner of the Jews.”
Mark 6:2; “And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands?”
Synagogue comes from the Greek word synagein or sunagoô, meaning to bring together, convene, meeting hall or assembly. This is a problem for Smith’s claim that no Greek or Latin words were found on the plates.
The word synagogue doesn’t exist in the Hebrew and the exact history of its origin has been lost. However, the general consensus is that synagogues as a permanent structure of the Jewish life originated during the Babylonian Exile at which time the Israelites were denied access to the temple.
They gained widespread use and became more established especially with the destruction of the temple in 70 AD.
The Jewish Encyclopedia states that while the term synagogue can be traced back to the time of Moses in Exodus 18:20 and used by those living during the Exile, it is being used in the sense of the place where they go to learn the statutes of God.
If synagogues weren’t used until the time of the Babylonian takeover and later, how did Alma know about these in 82 BC? Certainly Lehi wouldn’t have had knowledge of them since he left Jerusalem before they’d become established in the Babylonian takeover. According to the Jewish Encyclopedia the existence of them didn’t come around until 587 BC or later.
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