ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the early history of the reading in public of the Torah as it can be documented in Second-Temple and Rabbinic times, in order to arrive at a sense of the manner in which it was conducted both before and after the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE. Unlike most studies on this topic, this study attempts to find a basis in historical sources which can be demonstrated to provide reliable information, not on later accounts attempting to provide an early background for practices which developed subsequently.1 This study does not deal with periods for which there are no data, and makes every effort to avoid assumptions based on later practices. It is hoped that in this manner some new perspectives will be provided on this ritual which remains at the center of synagogue life today as it was crystallized in late antiquity.
