Synagogue of Chammat Tiberias

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Detail: personification of autumn.

The synagogue of Chammat Tiberias (חמת טבריה also: Hammat Tiberias, English transcription: Hamat-Tiveryah ) is an archaeological site in an Israeli national park on the Sea of ​​Galilee . It is known for its large mosaic floor, the central motif of which is Helios surrounded by the twelve signs of the zodiac - similar to Bet Alpha , but completely different in style. The synagogue was excavated between 1961 and 1963 under the direction of Moshe Dothan .

The place name Chammat refers to the hot mineral springs that spring here and were visited by spa guests in ancient times.

Building history

The Torah shrine between candlesticks.

A previous synagogue from the 3rd century was used until the earthquake year 306. A new building was erected above this in the 4th century, a broad house measuring 15 × 13 meters. The magnificent mosaic floor described below belongs to this synagogue, which covered over 100 square meters and required at least 2000 man hours to build.

In the early 5th century this synagogue was replaced by a larger building. Perhaps it had been damaged by the 419 earthquake. The new building is a basilica with an apse on a footprint of 19 × 15 meters. The large mosaic floor was covered with earth and replaced by a new floor laid over it, which depicted geometric patterns, flowers and animals. The religious attitude of the community had apparently become more conservative. During this construction work, a strip of the older mosaic floor was destroyed across the zodiac.

Mosaic floor

The large mosaic is divided into three parts. The Torah shrine is depicted in the uppermost field , flanked by two Menorot and surrounded by various symbols of the Jewish religion. The central middle field occupies a zodiac; in the spandrels one sees personifications of the seasons. The third field is a multi-part Greek donor inscription between two lions.

Torah shrine

This shrine has a pediment supported by two slender columns. Three schematically shown steps lead up to a closed, two-winged door. A white curtain hanging in front of the double doors and gathered in the middle by a knot makes it clear that this temple-like housing houses the Torah scrolls.

With the two Menorot it is noticeable that the flames in the attached glass bowls burn towards the center. The smaller symbols of the religion can be seen in duplicate: a shovel for the incense offering in the temple , a shofar (ram's horn that is blown on the Jewish New Year ) and the lulav , a festive bouquet made from different branches for the feast of tabernacles .

Helios

Detail: Helios

The sun god is depicted like a ruler. He has raised his right hand in a blessing, his left hand holds a globe and a crop, apparently to steer the horses of his sun chariot. The Roman emperors could be depicted in this pose. When the mosaic was laid, the emperors were already Christian. It is difficult to imagine what associations such a depiction aroused in the Jewish community in the middle of their worship room.

The zodiac, bottom right: Aquarius.

Zodiac signs

All signs of the zodiac have a Hebrew lettering. The Hebrew letters of the zodiac sign Aquarius are incorrectly arranged, which suggests that the mosaicist did not speak this language or script. “Maybe he was a pagan who found work building the synagogue. It would be convenient to attribute this mosaic to a non-Jewish artist. Anyway, someone in this Jewish community liked the design and paid the bill. "

interpretation

Because of the hot springs, Chammat Tiberias was considered in rabbinical tradition to be one of three places on earth where the wells of the deep would not have closed again after the flood . Living in such a place was worrying for ancient people. It was all the more important to confirm the promise of Genesis 8:22 iconographically: “As long as the earth stands, sowing and harvesting, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night should not stop.” That is according to the interpretation by Shulamit Laderman the theme of the mosaic floor.

vandalism

In May 2012, the mosaic was badly damaged by sprayed graffiti with Hebrew slogans. They were directed against Shuka Dorfman, the head of the Israel Antiquities Authority , for having archaeologists examine ancient rabbis' graves. In addition, the intruders bored a hole in the representation of the Torah shrine and tried to destroy the zodiac with a pickaxe. "There are Haredim who believe that if there are signs of the zodiac in a synagogue, it could not have been a synagogue," said Dror Ben Yosef of the Antiquities Authority to Haaretz. The perpetrators were suspected to be in the ultra-orthodox milieu.

The damage done is severe. Since the tesserae were not only removed from the mosaic, but also chopped up, parts of the mosaic have to be re-laid by the restorers after photographs.

Web links

literature

  • Günter Stemberger : Jews and Christians in the Holy Land. Palestine under Constantine and Theodosius . CH Beck, Munich 1987. ISBN 3-406-32303-0
  • Moshe Dothan : Hammath Tiberias. Early Synagogues and the Hellenistic and Roman Remains , Jerusalem 1983.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b Günter Stemberger: Jews and Christians . S. 123 .
  2. ^ Günter Stemberger: Jews and Christians . S. 124 .
  3. ↑ Shulamit Laderman: Images of Cosmology in Jewish and Byzantine Art: God's Blueprint of Creation . Leiden 2013, p. 74 .
  4. ^ Douglas Boin: A Social and Cultural History of Late Antiquity . Hoboken NJ 2018, p. 163 .
  5. ↑ Burton L. Visotzky: Aphrodite and the Rabbis: How the Jews Adapted Roman Culture to Create Judaism as We Know It . New York 2016, p. 195 .
  6. ↑ Shulamit Ladermann: Images of Cosmology . S. 81-82 .
  7. ^ Vandals damage mosaic floor at ancient synagogue. In: The Jerusalem Post. May 29, 2012. Retrieved March 11, 2018 .
  8. ↑ Eli Ashkenazi: Vandals Desecrate Ancient Tiberias Synagogue; Authorities Suspect Haredim. May 30, 2012, accessed March 11, 2018 .

Coordinates: 32 ° 46 ′ 6.5 "  N , 35 ° 32 ′ 54.4"  E