Beth Alpha
During the fifth and sixth centuries, synagogue buildings continued to undergo changes. Synagogues of this period are called Byzantine because the Jews of Palestine were living under Byzantine Christian rule. Beth Alpha is a classic example of the Byzantine synagogue type. Similar to Transitional synagogues such as Hammath Tiberias, the building is constructed of field stones with no carved reliefs, and the floors are covered with decorated mosaics. However, the building's plan resembles that of an early church. It consists of a large courtyard (atrium) that provided access to a narrow porch (narthex) in front of the main
14.12 Plan of the synagogue at Beth Alpha. Courtesy of ZevRadovan/BibleLandPictures. com.
Hall (basilica). The main hall has two rows of piers (square pillars) dividing the interior into a nave flanked by aisles. A large semicircular niche (apse) in the southern (Jerusalem-oriented) wall contained the Torah shrine. This modest building did not have a second story or gallery level. Instead, the aisles were only one story high, and the walls on either side of the nave rose to a height of two stories, creating a clerestory pierced by windows to let light into the interior.
14.13 The offering of Isaac and dedicatory inscriptions in the mosaic floor of the synagogue at Beth Alpha. Courtesy of Zev Radovan/BibleLandPictures. com.
The floors of the entire structure (including the courtyard and porch) were paved with mosaics with geometric and floral designs. However, the nave was paved with three panels containing figured scenes, surrounded by a decorated border. Just inside the main entrance (on the north side, opposite the Jerusalem-oriented wall), the mosaic contained two inscriptions flanked by a bull and a lion. One inscription, in Greek, states that the mosaic was laid by two local craftsmen named Marianos and his son Hanina, who are known to have worked on other mosaics in this area. The Beth Alpha congregation was a rural (farming) community (in contrast to the urban congregation at Hammath Tiberias), which paid the craftsmen in kind (produce and livestock) instead of in cash. The second inscription, in Aramaic, is important because it is one of the only dated inscriptions associated with an ancient Palestinian synagogue. The inscription mentions that the mosaic was laid during the reign of Justin. Although there were two emperors named Justin (Justin I and Justin II), both ruled during the sixth century, providing a general date for the mosaic (unfortunately, the part of the inscription that specified a precise date is not preserved).
The area inside the decorated border (which contains the inscriptions) is divided into three panels. The first (lowest) panel (closest to the main door in the north wall) is decorated with a biblical scene depicting the binding or offering of Isaac by his father Abraham. The figures are labeled with their names in Hebrew. Isaac is depicted on the right as a small boy with his hands bound behind his back, just as he is about to be tossed onto a flaming altar by Abraham, who holds a large knife in his hand. At this moment, the hand of God appears emerging from the heavens above, accompanied by the command, “do not lay [your hand upon the boy]." To the left of Abraham is a bush to which a ram is tethered, and an inscription that says, “and behold [here is] the ram." To the left of the ram, two of Abraham's servants lead a donkey.
The central panel contains a depiction of Helios, the zodiac cycle, and the four seasons similar to that at Hammath Tiberias, but in a less skillful artistic style. Helios is depicted frontally in his chariot pulled by four horses. The signs of the zodiac are labeled in Hebrew, and the personifications of the four seasons occupy the corners of the panel.
The uppermost panel (in front of the Torah shrine) is decorated with a depiction of the Ark of the Covenant and perhaps Torah shrine (a structure with double paneled doors and a pitched roof) flanked by Jewish ritual objects, including menorahs, lulavs and ethrogs, and incense shovels. An “eternal lamp" is shown hanging from the top of the ark, and the area around the ark is filled with additional objects and figures including birds and lions (perhaps lions of Judah). On either side of the panel two curtains are depicted as if they have been drawn aside to reveal the ark and surrounding objects, recalling the veil that existed in the Holy of Holies in the Jerusalem temple, as well as the later practice of hanging a curtain in front of the scrolls in a Torah shrine.
Naaran
Just outside of Jericho, by the springs at Naaran, is another synagogue of the Byzantine type. Its plan is similar to Beth Alpha: a courtyard, porch, and hall with apse in the Jerusalem-oriented wall. The floors are paved with mosaics decorated with geometric and floral designs, except the nave, which has figured scenes. The mosaics suffered heavy damage from shelling during World War I. Nevertheless, the outline of a Helios and zodiac cycle is still visible, as well as a panel containing a depiction of the Ark of the Covenant surrounded by Jewish ritual objects. A narrow panel between these showed Daniel in the lions' den. Daniel is depicted as a man facing the viewer with his hands raised, flanked by two lions.
Sepphoris
In 1993, a fifth-century synagogue decorated with stunning mosaics was discovered in excavations at Sepphoris. The building has an unusual plan: the nave is flanked by an aisle on only one side (north); there is a rectangular platform instead of an apse at the end of the nave; and the building is oriented northwest-southeast, with the platform for the Torah shrine located against the northwest wall. A handful of other ancient synagogues also are not oriented
14.14 Drawing of the mosaic floor in the nave of the Sep-phoris synagogue. From Z. Weiss, The Sepphoris Synagogue (Jerusalem: Israel Exploration Society, 2005), p. 57 Fig. 2. Courtesy of Zeev Weiss, The Sepphoris Excavations. Drawing by Pnina Arad.
Toward Jerusalem, indicating that this direction of prayer was not yet universally observed in Judaism. The hall was entered by turning ninety degrees through a narthex.
The narthex and aisle were paved with mosaics containing geometric and floral patterns, and the nave was decorated with seven successive registers (or “bands" in the excavator's language) of figured scenes and Jewish ritual objects (according to the excavator's numbering, Register 7 was the first one seen upon entering the nave from the narthex, and Register 1 was in front of the platform for the Torah shrine). Register 6 was divided into two panels, and Registers 1, 2, and 4 were divided into three panels each. Register 7, which is very poorly preserved, apparently depicted the visit of the angels to Abraham and Sarah, announcing that Sarah will bear a son. Register 6, also poorly preserved, portrayed the binding or offering of Isaac by Abraham. The largest register (about twice as wide as the other registers) contained a medallion with Helios surrounded by the signs of the zodiac and the four seasons in the corners. The signs of the zodiac were labeled in Hebrew not only with their names (Libra, Virgo, etc.), but also the corresponding month (for example, Kislev and Tishrei). The figure of Helios was depicted not in human form but as a ball of fire with radiating rays in a chariot pulled by four horses across the heavens.
The registers above this (1—4) showed scenes and objects associated with the Tabernacle or Jerusalem temple and the sacrificial cult. The right and central panels of Register 4 depicted the basket of first fruits and the showbread table. The left panel of Register 4 displayed a lamb, ajar of oil, a vessel containing fine flour, and two trumpets — all of which are connected with the daily sacrifice portrayed in Register 3. Register 3 showed Aaron (poorly preserved) next to a large rectangular altar, flanked on one side by a large water basin with animal spouts and on the other side by a lamb and a bull. Register 2 depicted the Ark of the Covenant and perhaps Torah shrine (a gabled structure with two paneled doors) flanked by menorahs, shofars, incense shovels, and lulavs and ethrogs. Register 1 had a wreath framing a Greek dedicatory inscription flanked by two lions, each holding a bull's head in its front paws.
Was there a central unifying theme behind the images in this mosaic? The excavator, Zeev Weiss, proposes that this was a single composition referring to God's promise to the Jewish people (through the agency of Abraham), and their future redemption with the reestablishment of the Jerusalem temple. Although Weiss might be right, other interpretations have been suggested. It is difficult to make a case for a unified theme in most ancient synagogues because generally only the decoration on the floors has survived, whereas often the walls were decorated too (with paintings and/or inscriptions). The floors were part of a larger decorative program, most of which is gone.
14.15 Mosaic floor in the Jericho synagogue. Courtesy of Zev Radovan/BibleLandPictures. com.
World History
