4/28/08
In Part II of this series we learned of
the scant archaeological evidence for
synagogue construction in Palestine in
the approximately 200 years following
the Temple’s destruction in 70 C.E.
Did this pattern continue?
No. From the late third century and continuing until the seventh (Late Roman to
Byzantine periods), we find ample material attesting to synagogue construction in
Palestine. In fact, most of the ancient synagogues excavated in Israel to date were
constructed in this time frame; all but six
ancient synagogues from among the
remains of the estimated 120 such buildings in Palestine date to this era. In the
Golan alone, twenty-five synagogues
were constructed in this period, with only
one (Gamla) surviving the earlier, Second
Temple, era.
What does this boom in synagogue
construction reveal about Jewish life in
Byzantine Palestine?
Until these discoveries scholars had
believed that Jewish life was in steady
decline after the destruction of the
Jerusalem Temple in the first century.
Many referred to the period as the “dawn
of the Dark Ages” for the Jews of Pales-
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tine. However, we now recognize that this
picture of a social, cultural, and demographic wasteland in Jewish Palestine
ravaged by political decline and economic decay is far from accurate. The rich,
diverse architectural and artistic synagogue remains—including a variety of
most people.
The archaeological evidence indicates
that this prohibition was heeded in some
periods and not in others. For example,
Jews in the biblical and early Second
Temple periods made use of a variety of
figural representations, and the Bible itself
In no fewer than six synagogues all over
the country, spanning the fourth to sixth
centuries, the zodiac was always placed in
the very center of the mosaic floor.
figural depictions—attest to a robust
Judaism and flourishing Jewish communities in the late third to seventh centuries.
Doesn’t the Bible prohibit the
depiction of figural art?
The Bible’s alleged prohibition of figural
art in the Second Commandment is far
from clear. One could interpret these verses either as an outright proscription (as is
often done) or as an almost blanket permission (for instance, figural images are
banned only in cases of idolatry). It is also
debatable how normative this injunction
was, whether it was obeyed or ignored by
attests to this. Solomon’s Temple was decorated with cherubs and animal figures,
and images of golden calves were created
for the northern Israelite sanctuaries of
Dan and Beth-el. Moreover, archaeological excavations have uncovered innumerable figurines and seal engravings (e.g., of
lions, horses, gazelles, cocks, snakes, and
monkeys) at a number of Israelite sites, all
pointing to a generally permissive attitude
toward figural art throughout most of the
first millennium B.C.E.
However, later on, beginning in the
Hellenistic period (ca. 150 B.C.E.) and
continuing for about 300 years, the pen-
In the Bet Alpha synagogue, the mosaic floor displayed both Jewish content, such as the binding of Isaac (shown at left) and pagan motifs,
such as Helios and the zodiac signs (shown at right).
reform judaism
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summer 2008
O P E N I N G S P R E A D : H A N A N I S AC H A R / C O R B I S ; L E F T: A R T R E S O U R C E , N Y ; R I G H T: E R I C H L E S S I N G / A R T R E S O U R C E , N Y
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