Synagogue Mosaics Research Articles

The Hebrew Bible in Ancient Jewish Education

After the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple and the end of the sacrificial service in 70 CE rabbis made Torah study and observance the basis of Jewish identity. Since no organised Jewish school system existed in Roman Palestine, only a very small proportion of the mostly male Jewish population would have been able to read, and few people had access to Torah scrolls. Rabbinic Torah experts set themselves up as intermediaries and advisers who helped ordinary people solve their daily life problems. In late antiquity, when urban rabbis served as role models and synagogues required Torah readers, Torah-reading skills may have slightly increased. At that time, rabbis’ Scripture-based public sermons and the depiction of biblical scenes on synagogue mosaic floors familiarised ordinary Jews, including women, with biblical rules and narratives. Rabbinic study and discussion would have largely depended on memorization of the biblical text rather than access to written scrolls. This phenomenon led to a creative use of the Bible, which enabled innovation, change, and adaptation to new circumstances.

Synagogues in the Hellenistic and Roman Periods: Archaeological Finds, New Methods, New Theories and The Synagogue in Ancient Palestine: Current Issues and Emerging Trends

Synagogues in the Hellenistic and Roman Periods: Archaeological Finds, New Methods, New Theories and The Synagogue in Ancient Palestine: Current Issues and Emerging Trends

Jewish Childhood in the Roman World by Hagith Sivan

Reviewed by: Jewish Childhood in the Roman World by Hagith Sivan Mary Harlow Jewish Childhood in the Roman World. By Hagith Sivan. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2018. xxxiv + 443 pp. Cloth $135 (£105). Hagith Sivan's study of Jewish Childhood in the Roman World is to be welcomed as the first scholarly volume on the subject. It opens with a brief overview of the nature of sources, explaining the differences and implications of the Torah, the Mishnah, the Tosefta, the Talmud and other Rabbinic writings. I am ashamed to admit, but this is one of the most useful parts of this volume for me and I shall recommend it to students as clear and precise in approaching the complexity of place, dating, and content. Sivan asks if it is possible to extrapolate a Jewish childhood from the Mediterranean cultural milieu in which Jewish children lived, given the nature of the sources. She answers this question admirably, presenting many sources that most scholars of the ancient world will know little of in detail. The problems that Sivan faces are common to the study of childhood in the past: the silence of children themselves; a lack of knowledge of the "everyday"; the cultural overprivileging of the male viewpoint. This volume, therefore, is welcome and timely. The first two parts follow the conventional trajectory of histories of childhood. The opening chapter deals with cultural stereotypes of children and childhood, particularly how these are expressed in theories of the life course that embody societal expectations of particular age stages. As with Greco-Roman versions of such theories, they privilege males over females. Further discussions focus on the nature of minority and its use not only to define a stage of childhood development but also as a metaphor for women and gentile members of the household. However, as Sivan shows, there was a concern that as a child aged, they took on increasing obligations and roles within the family. The tables on the "Meaning of Age" (23 ff) are instructional in the balance of obligations of girls against those of boys. Chapter 2 takes children from birth to (untimely) death, following the child within the household and wider Jewish community. The spaces where one might locate children take up a greater part of the chapter—the home, school, synagogue, the fields, as young workers—providing a way into lived experiences as each space demands a varying set of [End Page 159] behaviors. As with chapter 1 and the sources per se, the lives of boys dominate. The two following chapters acknowledge this and focus first on boys to men, then girls to women. They deal with the rituals that surround various key moments in a child's life, particularly those surrounding puberty and rites of passage that move children beyond childhood. Chapter 5 addresses the "misbegotten and malformed." Bastardy and disability have only recently been granted the focus they deserve in studies of childhood in antiquity and it is gratifying to see this chapter included. The rabbinic literature on both subjects is extensive and suggests a constant anxiety about both inclusion and exclusion of less-than-perfect beings and their potential to disrupt the social contract between man, family, and Yahweh. This is particularly pointed in the section on androgini, where the uniqueness of those born with either sexual attributes of both males and females or without any clear sexual demarcation throws up a series of rules, which categorize an androgynous child predominantly as male despite evidence to the contrary. Interestingly, the Greco-Roman worries about androgyny and effeminacy are not those on which the Jewish rulings focus. Chapters 6 and 7 examine the iconography of children in synagogue mosaics and the wall paintings of the Dura Europus Synagogue in Syria, where exceptional numbers are depicted. However, Sivan's contention that there is a "children register" in the lowest band of images on the western wall of the synagogue is harder to accept. The stories there depict child-protagonists but include Esther with her husband—a girl who has clearly moved beyond childhood according to Sivan's earlier chapters. There is also the danger of equating all short figures with children. Despite this, the Dura...

Historical Scenes in Mosaics from Late Roman Syria and Palestine: Building on the Seleucid Past in Late Antiquity

Among the floor mosaics discovered in the ongoing excavations in the fifth-century synagogue at Huqoq in Galilee, none has elicited more interest than the Elephant Mosaic. The subject matter of this mosaic departs from the artistic conventions believed to govern ancient synagogue art. Contrary to the view that narratives in synagogue mosaics were solely based on scripture, this mosaic depicts the first known example of a historical narrative. Scholars have commonly presumed that engagement with the historical past is rare in floor mosaics. This view requires modification in light of recent mosaic discoveries from Syria that reflect an abiding interest in the region's history. These mosaics bolster our claim that the Elephant Mosaic depicts an episode from the Hellenistic period, indicating that interest in the past among the Jewish communities in Galilee not only transcended the boundaries of sacred scripture but also participated in far broader cultural and artistic trends.

Stepping stones: Virtual restoration and 3D visualisation of the tessellated 4th century Byzantine synagogue floor at Apamea on Orontes, Syria

This article examines the Digital Apamea Project. Photogrammetry, visual restoration and colourisation are employed to reconstruct the ancient 4th Century synagogue mosaic floor at Apamea, Syria. These practices were applied to a photographic dataset. The source file was rendered in Unity 3D and an App of the reconstructed floor generated. Oculus Go was used to simulate the phenomenon of standing and moving across the floor.This article is restricted to the synagogue's inception circa 391 CE to its demise in early 5th Century and the synagogue's eventual discovery in 1934.Brief discussion of the Digital Apamea Project is provided and historical overview. Inherent problems circumscribe study of the synagogue. A new frame of reference is offered. A theoretical discussion regarding material culture and placement of the mosaics follows. This grounds the methodology to shift attention from the vertical to horizontal axis in the attempt of approximating the historical experience.

Huqoq (Lower Galilee) and its synagogue mosaics: preliminary report on the excavations of 2011-13

Horvat Huqoq (henceforth Huqoq; pronounced “hoo-COKE”) lies 3 km northwest of the Sea of Galilee. The site (map ref. 1952/2546) sits on a moderate hill surrounded by arable land, with alluvial plains on the west. A perennial fresh water spring (En Huqoq) is located at the foot of the N slope. Roads run 2 km to the south (the Wadi Zalmon route) and 3 km to the north (the Beth ha-Kerem to Ramat Korazim route).1 The remains of the ancient settlement (c.25-30 dunams) are covered partly by the ruins of the 19th-20th c. village of Yakuk (c.10 dunams), which was inhabited until 1948.

In Praise of the Sun: Zodiac Sun-Gods in Galilee Synagogues and the Palestinian Heritage

Zodiac sun-gods on ancient synagogue mosaic floors have been discovered by archaeological excavations of sites in the Galilee and elsewhere in late antiquity Palestine. This was the period when the Roman Empire converted to Christianity – only to be followed by an attempt to restore pagan beliefs which the sun-god came to symbolise. One of these sites is located in the Roman Jewish city, Sepphoris. Its geographical and historical link to the Israeli-destroyed, Palestinian Galilee peasant village of Saffuriyya raises the further question of Arab historical claims on these ancient sites. Sun-god worship, its links to early Judaism, and its contribution to the evolution of the monotheistic religions of the Middle East will be examined.

Conservative Approaches in the Ancient Synagogue Mosaic Pavements in Israel: The Cases of ‘Ein Gedi and Sepphoris/Zippori

The uniqueness of the ‘Ein Gedi synagogue (fifth century CE) is reflected in several mosaic inscriptions, which give a clear idea of the particular religious view of the Jewish community there, especially that of its spiritual leaders. The textual representation of the twelve signs of the zodiac wheel, instead of the figurative one, was tendentious and stood in total opposition to the visual depiction. A similar conservative approach appears in the non-figural (aniconic) representation of Helios/Sol in the zodiac wheel of the synagogue mosaic at Sepphoris/Zippori (fifth century CE). This representation of Helios/Sol, as a rayed sun-disk, emphasizes the intolerant and non-liberal perception of the Jewish Sages in Sepphoris/Zippori, following the Biblical Second Commandment and in contrast to other synagogues of the early Byzantine period in Israel.

Space, Social Space, and the Construction of Early Christian Identity in First Century Asia Minor

Abstract A unique feature of the rhetoric of the Gospel of John is its imagination of space, both in terms of its narration of spatialised events, as well as its reconceptualisation of itself as a narrativised sacred space. Taking as starting point the conventional view of an Ephesian origins for the (final version of the) narrative, it can be shown how the Gospel of John plots the Ephesian temple-city space onto a Jerusalem/Judaean narrative space, and vice versa. Plotting the representation of Jesus onto such represented and reimagined sacred space, John reconfigures the narrative itself as sacred space. In this, it stands in a line with other similar reimagined conceptualisations of sacred space such as incipient Jewish mysticism – the Testament of Abraham for instance, as well as such representations of sacred space as the synagogue mosaics of Beth Alpha and others. Characteristic of these representations, graphic or narrative, is the imagining of the representation itself becoming the replacement of the represented space. In the case of the Gospel of John the narrative not only places the bulk of its narration in relation to the narrated temple in Jerusalem, but by portraying Jesus of Nazareth literally as replacement of the temple, the gospel narrative itself becomes the temple as dwelling-place of the presence of God.

The Symbolic Meaning of the David-Orpheus Image in the Gaza Synagogue Mosaic

The image of King David in the Gaza synagogue mosaic (508/9 CE) is depicted in an ambiguous iconographical adaptation: as Orpheus and as an early Byzantine emperor. Based on Jewish literary sources, David’s harp/lyre or kithara, together with King David himself, can be perceived as a symbol expressing the Divine Providence – forgiveness and redemption, with Messianic salvation, in addition to the didactic aspect.

Art and Judaism in the Greco-Roman world: toward a new Jewish archaeology

Introduction Part I. 'The 'Most Unmonumental People' of the World': Modern Constructions of Ancient Jewish Art: 1. Building an ancient synagogue on the Delaware: Philadelphia's Henry S. Frank Memorial Synagogue and constructions of Jewish art at the turn of the twentieth century 2. The old-new land: 'Jewish archaeology' and the Zionist narrative 3. Archaeology and the search for 'non-Rabbinic Judaism' 4. Art history: transmitting Jewish artlessness to new generations 5. Toward a new 'Jewish archaeology': methodological reflections Part II. Art and Identity During the Greco-Roman Period: 6. Art and identity in latter second temple period Judaism: the Hasmonean Roay Tombs at Modi'in 7. Art and identity in Late Antique Palestine: the Na'aran Synagogue 8. Art and identity in Diaspora communities in Late Antiquity from Nehardea to Rome Part III. Jewish 'Symbols' During the Greco-Roman Period: 9. Between Rome and Jerusalem: the date palm as a 'Jewish symbol' 10. 'The lamps of Israel': the Menorah as a Jewish symbol Part IV. Reading Holistically: Art and the Liturgy of Late Antique Synagogues: 11. The Dura Europos Synagogue and its liturgical parchment 12. Synagogue mosaics and liturgy in the land of Israel a. The Sepphoris Synagogue: a liturgical interpretation b. The Torah, its shrine, and the decoration of late antique Palestinian synagogues c. The zodiac 13. Concluding comments: sanctity and the art of ancient synagogues Epilogue.

Synagogue Mosaics

Previous articleNext article No AccessSynagogue MosaicsNatalie Boymel KampenNatalie Boymel Kampen Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUS Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by American Journal of Archaeology Volume 110, Number 2April 2006 The journal of the Archaeological Institute of America Views: 4Total views on this site Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.3764/aja.110.2.301 Views: 4Total views on this site Copyright © 2006 by the Archaeological Institute of America. All rights reserved.PDF download Crossref reports no articles citing this article.

Mosaics as Midrash: The Zodiacs of The Ancient Synagogues and the Conflict between Judaism and Christianity

This chapter suggests a different ideological significance to the zodiac and to the entire iconographic array. The zodiac as represented in the synagogue is unique. The four seasons that appear in the synagogue mosaics as a frame for the zodiac are not mentioned among the witnesses to the validity of the covenant. It was also familiar in the context of the constantly crystallizing midrashic literature, from liturgical poetry, and from what was customary among common people as well as among the Greek and Roman rulers of the land. The purpose of the mosaic floors and the part they played in the life of the community, as well as the significance of the iconographic plan, should apparently be sought in the context of the relations between Judaism and the ever stronger Christianity in the land of Israel.Keywords: Christianity; Judaism; midrashic literature; synagogue mosaics

Samaritan Tabernacle Drawings

AbstractDrawings of the Israelite tent sanctuary, the Tabernacle, and its implements are the main expression of representional art among the Samaritans. They are based on the descriptions in Exodus and are expressions of central tenets of the Samaritan faith—belief in the special status of Moses, in the Tabernacle as the only legitimate sanctuary in the history of Israel, and in the end times for which the restoration of the Tabernacle is expected. The paper is an attempt to probe the question of the age of the Samaritan tradition of depicting the Tabernacle in different media.Archaeological excavations have revealed synagogue mosaics and clay lamps from the Byzantine period that represent various elements of this artistic tradition. However, the main specimens date from the early sixteenth to the early twentieth century. It is these representations, executed on metal, cloth, parchment and paper, which are the focus of this article. The discussion is based on an examination of all extant and publicly accessible samples (see the Inventory at the end of this article).A great chronological and artistic gap separates the representations on the mosaics and oil lamps of the Byzantine period from the drawings of modern times. No continuous line exists between the two groups. The parchment in Moscow that allegedly dates from 32 A.H., i.e., 652/653 C.E., must be assigned to a much later period.There are obvious similarities of the Samaritan drawings with Jewish representations of the Tabernacle/Temple, yet it is impossible to identify a time or place where cross-fertilization may have taken place.At the present state of our knowledge, therefore, neither the mosaics from the Byzantine period nor the similarities with Jewish representations enable us to determine the time at which the Samaritan tradition of making Tabernacle drawings may have originated. It is probable, though, that the tradition had its beginnings well before the oldest extant samples from the early sixteenth century.