Early Judaism- A Comprehensive Overview

{Ein Feshka

In an oasis only two kilometers east of Qumran lies{Ein Feshkha. The ce-

ramic data indicate that the settlement was contemporaneous with

Qumran Period II and was likewise destroyed in 68c.e.{Ein Feshkha is a

good example of the continuity of traditional architecture in a rural con-

text: a rectangular courtyard was surrounded on all sides by rooms; an in-

dustrial installation for processing dates or balsam lies immediately north

of it, and stables to the south. Other sites such as Rujm el-Bahr, Qasr et-

Turabe, and Khirbet Mazin show that the vicinity of Qumran was inten-

sively used between 100b.c.e.and 68c.e.

Synagogues

In the Herodian period we find the oldest synagogues in Palestine. While

the synagogue at Gamla may slightly predate the Herodian period, the

ones at Qiryat Sefer and Horvat Etri and the added synagogues in Masada

and Herodium are Herodian or later. The character of the “synagogue” in

Jericho is uncertain. Since none of these buildings is explicitly identified as

a synagogue through inscriptions, definition is a matter of conjecture

based on form and functionality. All the structures have various shared ar-

chitectural features: long halls divided by rows of columns into a central

nave with surrounding aisles and stepped benches along all four walls. The

earliest epigraphic evidence for synagogues in Judea is a building inscrip-

tion in Greek found in a secondary context on Mount Ophel. No remains

of the building itself have survived, but the inscription, which dates to the

first decades of the first centuryc.e., names the dedicator of a synagogue, a

man named Theodotus (see fig. 24):

Theodotus, son of Vettanos, a priest and anarchisynagZgos,son of an

archisynagZgosgrandson of anarchisynagZgos,built the synagogue for

the reading of Torah and for teaching the commandments; also the hos-

tel, and the rooms, and the water installation for lodging needy strang-

ers. Its foundation stone was laid by his ancestors, the elders, and

Simonides.

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Archaeology, Papyri, and Inscriptions

EERDMANS -- Early Judaism (Collins and Harlow) final text
Tuesday, October 09, 2012 12:04:13 PM