Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 18.djvu/892

SYNAGOGTJE. SYNCRETISM. instruction as well as a place of worship was of profound influence on the development of Judaism. Both primary and advanced instruc- tion in the Scriptures and subsequently in Tal- mudic literature was given in the synagogue, and in the earh' centuries of the Christian Era legal decisions were likewise announced there. The synagogue could also be used as the place of mourning for prominent members of the com- munity, and there are instances on record of the use of synagogues for political gatherings. In Babylonia travelers were accommodated in the synagogue and ate their Sabbath meals there. In view of these various uses to which the syna- gogue was put, it is not surprising that it be- came in the Jliddle Ages the centre of the re- ligious and intellectual life of the Jews and in a measure of their social life' as well. The 're- form' movement within .ludaism as well as the extension of the intellectual interests of the Jews has resulted in narrowing the influence and scope of the synagogue to purely religious aff'airs, though in orthodox Jewish communities in Eastern Europe and in the Orient the former status of the synagogue is still in large meas- ure maintained. Bibliography. Schiirer, Bistort/ of the Jew- ish People in the Time of Jesus Christ (Eng. trans., London, 1886-90) ; Abrahams, Jewish Life in the Middle Ages (Philadelphia, 1896) ; Gratz, History of the Jews, vol. i. (Eng. trans., ib., 1893). For the ritual, Leopold Low, Der synagogale Ritiis {Gesammelte Schriften, vol. iv., iSzegedin, 1889) ; Dembitz, JeiHsh Services in Synagogue and Borne (Philadelphia, 1899) ; Zunz, Der Ritus synagogalen Gottesdienstes, geschichtlich entwickelt (Berlin, 1855-59); a complete English translation of the Portuguese ritual may be found in Lesser's Prayer-book (Philadelphia, 1845) ; and a translation of the German ritual in Sachs's Machsar (Berlin, 1866). SYNAGOGUE, The Great (Heb. hakkene- seth haggcddlah). An alleged assembly or synod, said to have been founded and presided over by Ezra and to have controlled the national and religious fortunes of the Jews after the re- turn from Babylon, c. 450-200 B.C. Its mem- bership is generally given as 120, but sometimes as 80. The palpable chronological discrepancies that occur in the early accoimts about this sj'nod, together with other doubtful points, have led modern scholars to deny its existence. It is not mentioned by Josephus or the Apocrypha and is only twice referred to in the Mishna (Pirke Ahoth I., 1 and 2). Even according to the Tal- mudical notices the 'great synagogue' continued only for a single generation. According to these notices the men of the great synagogue secured the acceptance of certain books of the Old Testa- ment (Proverbs, Canticles, Ecclesiastes) ; they promoted the work of copying the Torah, de- voted themselves to' the perfection of a daily ritual, and introduced certain changes into the Old Testament text in order to avoid misunder- standings. The notion that they collected the books of the Old Testament and fixed the canon had no authority in the Talmud, and indeed does not arise till the sixteenth century. Kuenen has traced the origin of the name to the 'great as- sembly' which is described in Nehemiah viii.-x. This assembly was of a popular character, and no doubt marked an epoch in the history of post- exilic .ludaism. An uncritical age made of this 'as.sembly' a permanent institution and attributed to it the various steps taken in the natural un- folding of that phase of Rabbinical .Juilaism which came to a temporary close when the canon of the Old Testament was definitely established. While some scholars (notably D. Hotlniann of Berlin) still cling to the traditional view.Kuencn's results have been accepted by the great majority. Consult his essay in Gesammelte Abhandluiigen, pp. 125-160 (Freiburg, 1894): Hofl'niann's reply will be found in the Magazin fiir die Wissen^ schaft des Judenthutns, vol. x. (1883), pp. 45-63. See also L. Krauss, "The Great Synod," in the Jeirish Quarterhi Review, vol. x. (1898), pp. 347-377. SYNCHRONOUS MOTORS. See Dynamo- Electric Maciiineuy. SYNCLINE (fromGk. awKXlvtiv, synklinein, to lean together, from aiv^ syn, together + KKlveiv, klinein, to lean). A term used in geology for the structure formed by the bend- ing of strata into a basin of downward fold, the limbs of the fold dipping toward each other and meeting at a line called the synclinal axis. Where the strata dip downward from all sides a peculiar type of syncline arises, known as a geologic basin ; in this case the synclinal axis is reduced to a point. The syncline. structurally, is the complement of the anticline (q.v.). See Geology. SYNCOPATION (from Lat. syncopatus, p.p. of syncopare, to syncopate, from syncope, from Gk. atr/KOTrii, synkopc, a cutting .short, from 0-117- kStttciv, sytikoptein, to abridge, from <rup, syn, together + KSirTeiv, koptein, to cut). In music, the joining together of two similar notes by means of a tie, so that the accent intended to fall on the second (strong beat) comes on the first (weak beat). The effect produced is that of con- tra-tempo. The following example is from Bee- thoven's overture "Lenora No. 3:" P TZt= - ^ -I I u^rt ■ ^ m m T i v^ — ^^ The effect of syncopation can also be produced by merely shifting the accent by means of sf marks (Eroica Symphony, Scherzo) : sf Sf The North American Indians made extensive use of syncopation, and in this were followed by the Southern negroes. In fact, the music of nearly every savage or semi-civilized nation shows traces of syncopated rhythm. SYNCOPE. See Fainting. SYNCRETISM (from Gk. ixvyKpriTiafxbt, syn- krctismos. combination against a common enemy, from o-vyKpTiTl^eif, sjinkrctizein, to combine against a common enemy, apparently from ffiv, si/n. together + KprjTl^eiv, krcttzein, to act like a Cretan, from Kpijs, Krcs, Cretan). A term used: (1) in ancient times, politically, to designate the Cretan custom of disregarding all internal dissensions whenever a controversy with a for-