Complete
Linguistic features:
Formulae:
Quotations from literary texts:
Dating:
AD 401
-
AD 600
Language:
Jewish Palestinian Aramaic
Monumental:
Medium:
mosaic
Visible:
Accessible:
Has figural depiction:
Has iconoclastic damage:
Activities commemorated:
the repair of the synagogue
Funds:
unknown
Price:
unknown
Placement:
western aisle of the main sanctuary room
People mentioned:
Name:
Yonatan
Patronym:
Status:
religious_authority
Ethnic allegance:
Semitic
Tribal allegane:
none
Family status:
unspecified
Role:
Benefactor
Occupation:
ḥazan
Age:
Gender:
male
Religion:
Judaism
Religious denomination:
unspecified
Language:
Jewish Palestinian Aramaic
Description
date: 5-6th century AD description: Mosaic inscription founded in the western aisle of the main sanctuary room, being the only entrance to main hall. Three lines of Jewish script in black tesserae against a tan, red and yellow background, in the eighth and bottommost register of the synagogue floor, right below CIIP IV 3853 (Epidentity Database no. 35). The style of the letters is like that in the first three registers of CIIP IV 3853 (Epidentity Database no. 35). Inscription surrounded by black frame. Underneath the text are five rows of interlaced half-circles with flowers. Dimensions: 65 cm in height, 161 cm in width. ed. CIIP IV 3854 דכירין לטב כל בני קרתה דיהב גרמהון וחקין כנישתה דכיר לטב יונתן חזנה דיהב גרמיה בתקונה דכנישתה שלם 'Be remembered for the good all the residents of the town who gave from their own property [or: devoted themselves to] and support the synagogue. Be remembered for the good Yonatan the hazan who gave from his own property in [or: devoted himself to] the repair of the synagogue. Peace.' (CIIP IV 3854) commentary: Commemorative inscription for the benefactors of the synagogue. The combination of anonymous and named benefactors in the same inscription is found at also Ḥamat Gader, Beth Alfa and Ḥuseifa. Line 2: The ḥazan Yonatan is apparently not from the same family as the three benefactors mentioned in the upper registers of the panel (CIIP IV 3853). The office of ḥazan is mentioned occasionally in inscriptions (Naveh, Stone and Mosaic, nos. 20, 28; Noy - Bloedhorn, IJO III Syr58; CIIP II 1490) ( Our ID numbers: …?), and very frequently in rabbinic literature; he was a minor but essential officer in the synagogue, see Levine, Ancient Synagogue 410-7. CIIP IV 3854 Barag 1993 = "En Gedi" in: The New Encyclopaedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land: 405-409. Beyer 1984: 365 (yyEN 5) Beyer 1994: 234-235 Milson 2007: 352-357 Naveh 1978: not mentioned? Werlin 2015: 114-127 https://synagogues.kinneret.ac.il/synagogues/en-gedi/
Author:
Tomasz Barański
Added by:
Martyna
Created:
2022-05-26 16:58:57
Last update:
2024-03-27 14:45:40
Building:
Synagogue
Site:
En Gedi; Engaddai
Dimensions: surface: w 161 x h 65 cm
Condition: Mosaic inscription founded in the western aisle of the main sanctuary room, being the only entrance to main hall. Three lines of Jewish script in black tesserae against a tan, red and yellow background, in the eighth and bottommost register of the synagogue floor, right below CIIP IV 3853 (Epidentity Database no. 35).
Text:
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: dedicatory inscription
Summary:
Mosaic deicatory inscription 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; 2023-11-29 Martyna Swierk Preparation of EpiDoc file
Publication details: University of Warsaw; Warsaw;
Available under licence CC-BY 4.0
; @2021Translation
Be remembered for the good all the residents of the town who gave from their own property [or: devoted themselves to] and support the synagogue. Be remembered for the good Yonatan the hazan who gave from his own property in [or: devoted himself to] the repair of the synagogue. Peace. (CIIP IV 3854)
Commentary
Commemorative inscription for the benefactors of the synagogue. The combination of anonymous and named benefactors in the same inscription is found at also Ḥamat Gader, Beth Alfa and Ḥuseifa. Line 2: The ḥazan Yonatan is apparently not from the same family as the three benefactors mentioned in the upper registers of the panel (CIIP IV 3853). The office of ḥazan is mentioned occasionally in inscriptions (Naveh, Stone and Mosaic, nos. 20, 28; Noy - Bloedhorn, IJO III Syr58; CIIP II 1490) ( Our ID numbers: …?), and very frequently in rabbinic literature; he was a minor but essential officer in the synagogue, see Levine, Ancient Synagogue 410-7.
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, 3854.
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, 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, not mentioned?. S.H., Werlin, 2015, Ancient Synagogues of Southern Palestine, 300-800 C.E.: Living on the Edge, Leiden, 114-127.