Ruler of the Synagogue

Biblical Texts

• Mark 5:22; Luke 8:41: Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue, falls at the feet of Jesus and pleads with him to heal his dying daughter. The account continues in the raising of Jairus's daughter. Matthew 9:18 refers to the same man simply as "a certain ruler."
• Luke 13:14: When Jesus heals a woman on the Sabbath who had been unable to straighten herself for eighteen years, the ruler of the synagogue responds with indignation and tells the crowd, "There are six days in which men ought to work: in them therefore come and be healed."
• Acts 13:15: In Antioch of Pisidia, after the reading of the law and the prophets, the rulers of the synagogue invite Paul and his companions to speak if they have any word of exhortation.
• Acts 18:8, 18:17: Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue in Corinth, believes on the Lord with all his house. Later another ruler of the synagogue, Sosthenes, is beaten before the judgment seat.

Background

The Greek term archisynagōgos means "head of the synagogue." The synagogue was the place where Jews gathered to read the Scriptures, pray, and receive instruction. The ruler of the synagogue is understood to have been responsible for maintaining order in these gatherings, deciding who would read the Scriptures and who would speak, and overseeing the synagogue. The scene in Acts 13:15, in which the rulers of the synagogue give Paul and his companions an opportunity to speak, illustrates this role.

The ruler of the synagogue did not hold a temple office such as that of the priest or the Levite, and he was also distinct from the teachers of the law; he was a leader of the congregation. Citing the expression "one of the rulers of the synagogue" in Mark 5:22 and the plural "rulers of the synagogue" in Acts 13:15, some interpreters hold that a single synagogue could have several rulers. The title also appears on a synagogue inscription from Jerusalem generally dated to around the first century.

Significance in Scripture as a Whole

In the Gospels, rulers of the synagogue appear in contrasting portraits. Jairus, though he held a respected position in his community, falls down before Jesus and asks for help. The ruler of the synagogue in Luke 13, by contrast, invokes the Sabbath regulations in an attempt to prevent healing. Acts records that rulers of the synagogue such as Crispus accepted the gospel, showing that early evangelism used the synagogue as a base.

Interpretation and Points of Discussion

• The identity of Sosthenes: Some interpreters identify "Sosthenes our brother," named alongside Paul in 1 Corinthians 1:1, with the ruler of the synagogue in Acts 18:17. Because the text does not state this directly, however, others regard him as a different person who bore the same name.
• Who beat Sosthenes: Acts 18:17 does not clearly identify those who beat him. Some manuscripts add the words "the Greeks," while some interpreters hold that it was the Jews who beat him.
• Caution against generalization: Portraying all rulers of the synagogue as hostile to Jesus on the basis of the ruler in Luke 13 goes beyond the text, since the accounts of Jairus and Crispus are recorded as well.

In the Korean Church

In the Korean church, "ruler of the synagogue" is not used as the title of a church office. The term appears mainly in sermons on the Jairus passage, where Jairus is cited as an example of faith that laid aside social standing to come to Jesus.