The works of the Reverend and learned John Lightfoot D. D., late Master of Katherine Hall in Cambridge such as were, and such as never before were printed : in two volumes : with the authors life and large and useful tables to each volume : also three maps : one of the temple drawn by the author himself, the others of Jervsalem and the Holy Land drawn according to the author's chorography, with a description collected out of his writings.

Sect. III. Of their Synagogue days, or time of their meeting there.

Where a City or Town was stockt with ten such sufficient men there they built a Sy∣nagogue, and according to the number of such men, and populousness of the place, they increased the number of their Synagogues sometimes to a very great multitude: The treatise Beracoth saith there were twelve Synagogues in Tiberias: fol. 8. And Rabbi Solo∣mon speaketh of four hundred and eighty Synagogues in Jerusalem, on Esay. 1.

Now their Synagogue days, or the times of their publick prayers there, were three every week (setting holy days aside) namely, on the Sabbath, and on the second day of the week, which answereth to our Munday, and on the fifth day, which is our Thursday: Their meeting there on the Sabbath, and praying, and reading the Law was ordained by Moses. Maym. Tephil. per. 12. But on the second and fifth day of the week was appoin∣ted by Ezra. Talm. in Bava bathra per. 4. There the Gemarists and Glossaries debate the ma••ter why on these two days rather than on any other two of the week, and some sa•…•… was, because they should never be three days together without hearing of the Law. And in al••usion hereunto they apply that passage in Exod. 15. 22. They went three days

to the wilderness and found no water. Others say it was, because Moses went up on the fifth day of the week to receive the renewed Tables, and came down on the se∣cond.

These two days of the week were called 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 The days of Assembling. Megill. per. 1. Because on these days the Inhabitans of the Villages went into the great Towns where Synagogues were to hear the Law, Gloss. Mishuaioth in octavo. ibid.

The Judges used to sit in Judgement on these two days of the week: Chetuboth. per. 5. and these were the two days of the week on which they used to fast, Luke 18. 12. Gloss. in Bava bathr. ubi supr.

There is an expression in Acts 13. 22. The Gentiles desired to have the same words spoken to them 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 on the Sabbath between: which if it be not to be un∣derstood of one of these Synagogue days of the week, it would fairly plead for our Christian Sabbath.

Their traditional Canons injoyned the frequenting of the publick assemblies in their Synagogues, and that upon the very clear grounds of Reason and Religion, God refu∣seth (say they) the prayers of a Congregation, yea though sinners be amongst them. There∣fore it is necessary that a man joyn himself to the Congregation, and pray not alone at any time, when he may pray with the Congregation. And let a man ever go to morning and evening prayer in the Synagogue: And every one that hath a Synagogue in his City, and prayeth not in it, with the Congregation he is called 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 An evil neighbour. Maym. in Tephillah. per. 8. Beracoth. fol. 61. And it was forbidden that any one should go by the Synagogue at the time of Prayer, unless he had some burden upon his back: or unless there were more Synagogues in the City, for then he might be thought to be going to his own Church: or that there were two doors in the Synagogue: for then he that saw him go by the one door might think he would come at in the other. But if had his Phylacteries upon his head he might go by, for those bare witness at in that he was mindful of the Law. Id. ibid. per. 6. This Phylacterial note of a Student, and learned man in the Law, I suppose was that, by which the rulers of the Synagogue of Antioch in Pisidia, were incited to make the motion to Paul and Barnabas to make a Sermon to the people. They were meer strangers one to another, and I see not how they should guess them to be men fit to teach, any way so well and readily, as by see∣ing their Phylacteries upon them, which the learned among the Jews only used to wear and the Apostles among the Jews wore them as well as others, for to the Jews they be∣came Jews for the winning of them.