Ancient synagogues in Israel refers to synagogues located in Israel built by communities of Jews and Samaritans from antiquity to the Early Islamic period.
The designation of ancient synagogues in Israel requires careful definition. Many ancient synagogues have been discovered in archaeological digs. Some synagogues have been destroyed and rebuilt several times on the same site, so, while the site or congregation may be ancient, the building may be modern.
Archaeologists have uncovered many remains of synagogues from over two thousand years ago, including several that were in use before the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. Synagogues securely dated to before the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem include the two synagogues from Migdal, the White Synagogue at Capernaum,[1] the synagogue at Khirbet Umm el-Umdan, and the small synagogue at the top of Masada. The Theodotos inscription from Jerusalem is usually considered to have come from a synagogue of the Second Temple period, although the associated building has not been discovered.
Numerous inscriptions have been found in the ancient synagogues in Israel the vast majority, c.140, of these are in Aramaic, with another c.50 in Greek and only a few in Hebrew.[2]
- ^ "Capernaum Synagogue - Madain Project (en)". madainproject.com.
- ^ Rachel Hachlili (4 October 2013). Ancient Synagogues - Archaeology and Art: New Discoveries and Current Research. BRILL. pp. 517–. ISBN 978-90-04-25772-6.
The majority of the inscriptions revealed in synagogues in the land of israel are in aramaic (about 140). There are, in addition , a few Hebrew inscriptions and about fifty Greek inscriptions