Sacred Realm: The Emergence of the Synagogue in the Ancient World

221 Pages·1996·32.77 MB·English

by  Steven Fine

Plate i. Aerial view of the synagogue at Kefar Baram in Northern Israel.
S A C R ED R E A LM
The Emergence of the Synagogue
in the Ancient World
Edited by
STEVEN FINE
Organized by
Yeshiva University Museum
New York Oxford
OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
YESHIVA UNIVERSITY MUSEUM
1996
Oxford University Press
Oxford New York
Athens Auckland Bangkok Bombay
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Florence Hong Kong Istanbul Karachi
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and associated companies in
Berlin Ibadan
Copyright © 1996 by the Yeshiva University Museum
Published by Oxford University Press, Inc.
198 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10016
Oxford is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means,
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without the prior permission of Oxford University Press.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Sacred realm : the emergence of the synagogue in the ancient world
edited by Steven Fine : organized by Yeshiva University Museum
p. cm.
Catalog of an exhibition held at the Yeshiva University Museum'.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-19-510224-X (cloth). -ISBN 0-19-510225-8 (pbk.)
1. Synagogues—Calesriiie—Exhibitions.
2. Synagogue architecture—EStetine—Exhibitions.
3. Palestine—Antiquities—Exhibitions.
I. Fine, Steven. II. Yeshiva University. Museum.
DS111.7.S27 1996
296.6' 5'09010747471 -dc20 95-45029
Photographic credits are on page 193.
1 3 5 79 8642
Printed in the Hong Kong
on acid-free paper
Contents
Director's Preface ix Editor's Preface xiii Acknowledgments xv
Donors xvii Lenders to the Exhibition xxi Historical Chronology xxiii
Foreword: The Ancient Synagogue and the History of Judaism xxvii
Lawrence H. Schiffman, New York University
1. Ancient Synagogues: An Archaeological Introduction 3
Eric M. Meyers, Duke University
2. From Meeting House to Sacred Realm: Holiness
and the Ancient Synagogue 21
Steven Fine, Baltimore Hebrew University
3. Diaspora Synagogues: New Light from Inscriptions and Papyri 48
Louis H. Feldman, Yeshiva University
4. Diaspora Synagogues: Synagogue Archaeology
in the Greco-Roman World 67
Leonard Victor Rutgers, University of Utrecht
5. Synagogues in the Land of Israel: The Art and Architecture
of the Late Antique Synagogues 96
Rachel Hachlili, University of Haifa
6. Synagogues in the Land of Israel: The Literature of the
Ancient Synagogue and Synagogue Archaeology 130
Avigdor Shinan, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
/i C O N T E N TS
Contributors 153
Catalogue of Objects in the Exhibition 155
Notes 177 Glossary 183 Selected Bibliography 185
Photographic Credits 193 Index 195
Map 1: Ancient Synagogues in the Diaspora, Selected Sites vii
Map 2: Ancient Synagogues in the Land of Israel, Selected Sites xxv

Director's Preface
Twenty-three years ago when Yeshiva University Museum first opened, its inaugural exhi­
bition consisted of ten superbly crafted architectural models of historic synagogues. Among
these are Dura Europos (244-45 C.E.), Beth Alpha (c. sixth century C.E.), Touro in
Newport, Rhode Island (1763), and the Altneuschul in Prague (c. 1280). The models were
accompanied by three audiovisual pieces illustrating the development of the synagogue
following the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple in 70 C.E. The concept, research, and
construction of the exhibition were overseen by a committee headed by Professor Rachel
Wischnitzer, the eminent art historian and expert on synagogue architecture, who was
then professor of art history at Yeshiva University's Stern College for Women.
Since then, many diverse exhibitions have occupied our halls and galleries that reflect
the sweep of Jewish artistic and cultural expression. Most notable are "Ashkenaz: The
German Jewish Heritage" (1986-88), "The Sephardic Journey: 1492-1992" (1990-92),
and "Beta Israel: The Jews of Ethiopia" (1993-94). We are delighted that "Sacred Realm"
offers us the opportunity to return to our roots, as it were, to revisit the origins of the syna­
gogue and explore its development, this time with the full force of a seasoned professional
staff of our own, led by Guest Curator Steven Fine, with whom we have enjoyed a long
and happy association.
Under Dr. Fine's expert guidance, the story of the synagogue has taken shape in a way
that is especially reflective of the mission of this museum: to preserve, exhibit, and inter­
pret artifacts that represent the cultural, intellectual, and artistic achievements of three
thousand years of Jewish experience.
DIRECTOR'S PREFACE
The time period of the exhibition (c. 300 B.C.E. to c. 700 C.E.), a millennium overflow­
ing with great Jewish intellectual and spiritual productivity, is a second highly compelling
reason why we were so eager to present "Sacred Realm." For a museum of an academic
institution distinguished for its ongoing studies of ancient texts —a place where the
Rabbinic literature is of paramount intellectual and spiritual importance—this opportunity
was not to be missed. Presenting documentary and visual evidence for the history of Jewish
religious life is exactly what this museum is all about.
Dr. Fine's exhaustive study of Rabbinic literature and his synthesis of archaeological
and textual material have made possible the interdisciplinary linking of text with artifact,
which is the defining feature of this groundbreaking installation. Scholars from throughout
the world have joined Dr. Fine in making "Sacred Realm" a project of international scope.
Among the many visitors who tour the museum annually are thousands of elementary,
high school, and college students, as well as members of Yeshiva University's academic com­
munity who study Talmud and Jewish thought daily. For them the juxtaposition of ancient
Jewish literature with contemporaneous archaeological discoveries is acutely relevant.
"Sacred Realm" is a cause for celebration in the scholarly community as well, bringing
together artifacts and manuscripts from museums throughout the world for the first time.
Whether discovered in the last century or just last year, in Israel or in the lands of the
Mediterranean, it is our hope that "Sacred Realm" will provoke new thinking about the
history of the synagogue and of religion in general in the ancient world.
As a museum committed to serving New York's culturally and religiously diverse audi­
ences, we have learned to seek out and highlight the universal message within the Jewish
matrix. "Sacred Realm" presents many of the architectural and artistic forms that were
common to Jewish, Christian, and Muslim houses of worship in antiquity and that have
persisted in modern synagogues, churches, and mosques to this day. We hope that the
exhibition will heighten awareness of these relationships within the general culture and
lead to increased mutual respect.
Finally, this entire project would not have been possible without the support of two
public agencies—the National Endowment for the Humanities and the New York State
Council on the Arts. The Council's confidence in the museum's capabilities resulted in a
planning grant that enabled us to realize fully the proposal for "Sacred Realm." Further
redevelopment and refinement of the proposal was aided by the encouragement and coun­
sel of Fred Miller, Program Officer at NEH. The award from NEH, Yeshiva University
Museum's largest to date from any federal agency, validated our six years of effort and is an
enormous source of pride for me, our board members, and staff. Our board chairperson,
Erica Jesselson, led the successful campaign to obtain matching funds, and we thank her
and all those individuals, corporations, and foundations that helped us meet the match.
On behalf of the museum community, I thank NEH and its chairman, Sheldon Hackney,
for giving us this opportunity.
Sylvia Axelrod Herskowitz
Director
Fig. i. Synagogue at Kefar
Baram, fourth to fifth
century C.E., taken by Kohl
and Watzinger, 1905-1907.
Fig. ii. Nineteenth-
century engraving of the
synagogue at Kefar
Baram from Picturesque
Palestine published in
1889.