Complete

Dimensions: surface: w 257 x h 61.6 cm

Condition: Inscription on mosaic in Hebrew and Aramaic scripts founded in western aisle of the main sanctuary room, being the only entrance to the main hall. Mosaic floor panel composed of black, white, brown, yellow, pink, red and grayblue tesserae. The panel, which is about 9 m long and 2 m wide, is divided into eight sub-panels, the first two consisting of geometric patterns. Sub-panels three through six contain the present inscription, consisting of eighteen uneven lines of Jewish script; The letter shapes in the fourth register are significantly different from those in the first three, suggesting a later addition. The entire panel is surrounded by a frame consisting of black lines and a series of red triangles pointing outward. Mosaic has geometric patterns decoration.

Text: the size of letters 4-9 cm.

Date: 401 CE - 600 CE

5-6th century AD

Findspot: Unknown

Original location: Palestine En Gedi (Engaddai) 31.458611, 35.388889 Synagogue western aisle of the main sanctuary room

Current repository: Unknown

Text type: Christian inscription

Summary:

Inscription on mosaic in Hebrew and Aramaic scripts from En Gedi (Engaddai). AD 401 - AD 600.

Changes history: 2022-05-26 Tomasz Barański Creation; 2024-03-27 Martyna Swierk Last modification; 2023-11-28 Martyna Swierk Preparation of EpiDoc file

Publication details: University of Warsaw; Warsaw;

Available under licence CC-BY 4.0

Translation

1-2: 'Adam, Seth, Enosh, Kenan, Mehalalel, Yared Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, Noah, Shem, Ham and Yaphet.'
3-8: 'Ram (Aries), Bull (Taurus), Twins (Gemini), Crab (Cancer), Lion (Leo), Virgin (Virgo), Scales (Libra), Scorpion (Scorpio), Archer (Sagittarius), Goat (Capricorn), and Bucket (Aquarius), Fish (Pisces). (5) Nissan, Iyyar, Sivan, Tammuz, Av, Elul, Tishri, Marḥešvan, Kislev, Ṭevet, Shevat, and Adar. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Peace! Ḥananiah, Mishaʾel and Azariah. Peace be upon Israel!'
9-16: 'Be remembered for the good Yose and Azarian and Ḥizqian, the sons of Ḥalfi. (10) Whoever causes a dispute between a man and his fellow, or says evil words about his fellow to the Gentiles, or steals his fellow’s things, or whoever reveals the secret of the village to the Gentiles – He whose eyes roam the entire earth and (who) sees the mysteries, He will set his face against (=punish) that man (15) and his descendants, and uproot him from under the heaven. And all the people will say Amen and Amen, Selah!'
17-18: 'Rabbi Yose son of Ḥalfi, Ḥizqian son of Ḥalfi, (may they be) remembered for the good, for they did/donated(?) very much for (the exaltation of?) the name of The Merciful One. Peace!'
(CIIP IV 3853)

Commentary

(more to be found at CIIP IV 3853, and Werlin 2015:114-127) Line 1-2: list of the ancestors of man (I Chron 1:1-4);
Line 3-8: list of 12 signs of zodiac; 12 Hebrew months; names of Patriarchs; names Hananiah, Mishael, Azariah (i.e. Daniel’s three companions); and exclamation “Peace on Israel”
Line 9-16: Commemoration of three brothers, sons of Halifi or Halfi, and a solemn decision, however mysterious, made by the community upon which divine punishment is approved.
Line 17-18: [Different and much less clear script] Commemoration of just two brothers. Perhaps, identical with the 2 of 3 mentioned in line 9, but one of them is now called rabbi. It seems this part was added later.

Bibliography (edition)

CIIP IV W., Ameling, H., Cotton, W., Eck, A., Ecker, B., Isaac, A., Kushnir-Stein, H., Misgav, J., Price, P., Weiß, A., Yardeni, 2023, Corpus inscriptionum Iudaeae/Palaestinae. Volume IV: Iudaea/Idumaea, Berlin, Boston, 3853.

Bibliography

D., Barag, 1993, En Gedi, [in:] The New Encyclopedia of Archeological Excavations in the Holy Land Jerusalem, 405-409. K., Beyer, 1984, Die aramäischen Texte vom Toten Meer: samt den Inschriften aus Palästina, dem Testament Levis aus der Kairoer Genisa, der Fastenrolle und den alten Talmudischen Zitaten, Gottingen, 363–365. K., Beyer, 1994, Die aramäischen Texte vom Toten Meer. Ergänzungsband: Samt Den Inschriften Aus Palastina, Dem Testament Levis Aus Der Lairoer Genisa, Der Fastenrolle Und Den Alten Talmudischen Zitaten, Gottingen, 234-235. D.W., Milson, 2007, Art and Architecture of the Synagogue in Late Antique Palestine. In the Shadow of the Church, Leiden, 352-357. J., Naveh, 1978, On Stone and Mosaic: The Aramaic and Hebrew Inscriptions from Ancient Synagogues, Tel Aviv, 105-109, 70. S.H., Werlin, 2015, Ancient Synagogues of Southern Palestine, 300-800 C.E.: Living on the Edge, Leiden, 114-127.

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