Synagogue Complete
ID: 167
Building type: basilical synagogue
Context:
urban/rural
Inscriptions:
Description:
Excavations at Nabratein revealed multiple synagogue phases whose sequence and dating remain debated. Meyers identified three distinct buildings, each with a somewhat different plan. In contrast, J. Magness maintained that no synagogue predated the Byzantine-period prayer hall. The best-described structure is the Byzantine-phase synagogue: a rectangular hall with interior dimensions of approximately 15 by 10 meters. Its principal doorway opened in the south wall and carried an inscribed lintel. A northern entrance appears on Kohl’s plan and is accepted by Meyers, yet the excavations produced no physical confirmation of such a doorway. The interior was articulated by two alignments of four columns each, creating a central nave flanked by side aisles. Column pedestals were square, about 75 by 75 centimeters, with circular plinths of roughly 60 m in diameter supporting the column bases. The floor consisted of limestone slabs set in mortar over a layer of cobbles, and stone-filled foundations for a single tier of benches ran along the east wall and possibly along the west wall as well. Magness argued that the Byzantine hall is the earliest synagogue on the site, dated no earlier than the latter half of the fourth century, with repairs—or perhaps initial construction—associated with the year 564. Meyers, by contrast, proposed a longer history: he regarded the earliest synagogue as a broadhouse (ca. 11 by 9 meters) in use during the second to third centuries CE, enlarged and embellished in the later third century. He further suggested that the site was abandoned in 363, attributing this to the consequences of the so-called revolt of Caesar Gallus and/or the destructive earthquake of that year. According to Meyers, a synagogue was (re)built in the sixth century and continued in service into the seventh, possibly even the eighth century CE. Image source: Meyers & Meyers 2009: 63, fig. 16. Further reading: - Magness, J. 2010. Review: “The Ancient Synagogue at Nabratein.” BASOR 358: 61–68. - Meyers, E. M. 1993. “Nabratein.” In The New Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land, 1077–1079. - Meyers, E. M., and Meyers, C. L. 2009. Excavations at Ancient Nabratein: Synagogue and Environs. Winona Lake, Indiana. - Meyers, E. M., and Meyers, C. L. 2010. “Response to Jodi Magness’s Review of the Final Publication of Nabratein.” BASOR 359: 67–76. - Milson, D. W. 2007. Art and Architecture of the Synagogue in Late Antique Palestine: In the Shadow of the Church, 52–53, 442–445. - https://synagogues.kinneret.ac.il/synagogues/nabratein/