The Ancient Synagogue
The Ancient Synagogue

Author: Lee I. Levine

Publisher: Yale University Press

Published: 2000-01-01

Total Pages: 816

ISBN-13: 0300074751

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Annotation The synagogue was one of the most central and revolutionary institutions of ancient Judaism leaving an indelible mark on Christianity and Islam as well. This commanding book provides an in-depth and comprehensive history of the synagogue from the Hellenistic period to the end of late antiquity. Drawing exhaustively on archeological evidence and on such literary sources as rabbinic material, the New Testament, Jewish writings of the Second Temple period, and Christian and pagan works, Lee Levine traces the development of the synagogue from what was essentially a communal institution to one which came to embody a distinctively religious profile. Exploring its history in the Greco-Roman and Byzantine periods in both Palestine and the Diaspora, he describes the synagogue's basic features: its physical remains; its role in the community; its leadership; the roles of rabbis, Patriarchs, women, and priests in its operation; its liturgy; and its art. What emerges is a fascinating mosaic of a dynamic institution that succeeded in integrating patterns of social and religious behavior from the contemporary non-Jewish society while maintaining a distinctively Jewish character.

The Ancient Synagogue from Its Origins to 200 C.E.
The Ancient Synagogue from Its Origins to 200 C.E.

Author: Anders Runesson

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2008

Total Pages: 345

ISBN-13: 9004161163

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This volume gathers for the first time all of the primary source material on the early synagogues up through the Second Century C. E. Each entry contains bibliographic citations and interpretative comments. An Introduction frames the current state of synagogue research, while extensive indices allow for easy location of specific allusions.

Sacred Realm
Sacred Realm

Author: Steven Fine

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Published: 1996

Total Pages: 248

ISBN-13:

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Beautiful illustrations and maps transport the reader into the remains of synagogues as far afield as North Africa, Italy, Asia Minor, Israel, and Syria. Sacred Realm complements an exhibition organized by the Yeshiva University Museum in New York. The exhibition brings together archaeological artifacts and manuscripts from museums in North America, Europe, and Israel, most of which have never before been displayed in the Unites States.

Ancient Synagogues - Archaeology and Art: New Discoveries and Current Research
Ancient Synagogues - Archaeology and Art: New Discoveries and Current Research

Author: Rachel Hachlili

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2013-09-30

Total Pages: 772

ISBN-13: 9004257721

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Ancient Synagogues - Archaeology and Art. New Discoveries and Current Research presents archaeological evidence - the architecture, art, Jewish symbols, zodiac, biblical tales, inscriptions, and coins – which attest to the importance of the synagogue. When considered as a whole, all these pieces of evidence confirm the centrality of the synagogue institution in the life of the Jewish communities all through Israel and in the Diaspora. Most importantly, the synagogue and its art and architecture played a powerful role in the preservation of the fundamental beliefs, customs, and traditions of the Jewish people following the destruction of the Second Temple and the loss of Jewish sovereignty in the Land of Israel. The book also includes a supplement of the report on the Qazion excavation.

Ancient Synagogues of Southern Palestine, 300-800 C.E.
Ancient Synagogues of Southern Palestine, 300-800 C.E.

Author: Steven H. Werlin

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2015-08-25

Total Pages: 529

ISBN-13: 9004298401

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Following the failure of the Bar-Kokhba revolt in the second century, the majority of the Jewish population of Palestine migrated northward away from Jerusalem to join the communities of Jews in Galilee and the Golan Heights. Although rabbinic sources indicate that from the second century onward the demographic center of Jewish Palestine was in Galilee, archaeological evidence of Jewish communities is found in the southern part of the country as well. In The Ancient Synagogues of Southern Palestine, 300-800 C.E., Steve Werlin considers ten synagogues uncovered in southern Palestine. Through an in-depth analysis of the art, architecture, epigraphy, and stratigraphy, the author demonstrates how monumental, religious structures provide critical insight into the lives of those who were strangers among Christians and Muslims in their ancestral homeland.

The Role of the Synagogue in the Aims of Jesus
The Role of the Synagogue in the Aims of Jesus

Author: Jordan J. Ryan

Publisher: Fortress Press

Published: 2017-11-15

Total Pages: 416

ISBN-13: 150643844X

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Reviewing what we now know about actual synagogues in the land of Israel and their public role in Jewish life and culture, Jordan J. Ryan shows that Gospel narratives placed in synagogues accurately reflect the ancient synagogue setting. He argues for the historical plausibility of the setting of these narratives and suggests that synagogue research must be a starting point for their interpretation. He further argues that Jesus‘s efforts at the restoration of Israel were intentionally aimed at the synagogue as an institution of public and political life.

Judaism and Hellenism in Antiquity
Judaism and Hellenism in Antiquity

Author: Lee I. Levine

Publisher: University of Washington Press

Published: 2012-03-01

Total Pages: 242

ISBN-13: 0295803827

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Generations of scholars have debated the influence of Greco-Roman culture on Jewish society and the degree of its impact on Jewish material culture and religious practice in Palestine and the Diaspora of antiquity. Judaism and Hellenism in Antiquity examines this phenomenon from the aftermath of Alexander’s conquest to the Byzantine era, offering a balanced view of the literary, epigraphical, and archeological evidence attesting to the process of Hellenization in Jewish life and its impact on several aspects of Judaism as we know it today. Lee Levine approaches this broad subject in three essays, each focusing on diverse issues in Jewish culture: Jerusalem at the end of the Second Temple period, rabbinic tradition, and the ancient synagogue. With his comprehensive and thorough knowledge of the intricate dynamics of the Jewish and Greco-Roman societies, the author demonstrates the complexities of Hellenization and its role in shaping many aspects of Jewish life—economic, social, political, cultural, and religious. He argues against oversimplification and encourages a more nuanced view, whereby the Jews of antiquity survived and prospered, despite the social and political upheavals of this era, emerging as perpetuators of their own Jewish traditions while open to change from the outside world.