Beit Alfa Synagogue
Encyclopedia
The Beit Alfa Synagogue is an ancient Byzantine
-era synagogue
located in Heftziba, at the foot of Mount Gilboa in northern Israel
. It was constructed in the 6th century CE and is famous for its mosaic
floor which was uncovered in 1928.
, measuring 5.4 metres wide. The building also contained a second-floor balcony and an additional room. The synagogue is aligned south-west, facing Jerusalem
.
A hoard
of 36 Byzantine coins were found in a shallow depression in the floor apse
.
Two inscriptions were found on the entryway floor. The Greek
inscription is in memory of the artists who made the mosaic, Marianus and his son Hanina. The Aramaic
inscription reads:
The central nave floor is divided into three panels: a depiction of the Binding of Isaac
; a representation of the sun pulled by a star chariot surrounded by the constellations and signs of the zodiac
; and a tableau representing the Temple of Jerusalem and religious objects associated with Judaism.
The zodiac has the names of the twelve signs in Hebrew. In the center is Helios
, the sun god, being whisked away in his chariot by four galloping horses. The four women in the corners of the mosaic represent the four seasons
.
Byzantine
Byzantine usually refers to the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages.Byzantine may also refer to:* A citizen of the Byzantine Empire, or native Greek during the Middle Ages...
-era synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
located in Heftziba, at the foot of Mount Gilboa in northern Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. It was constructed in the 6th century CE and is famous for its mosaic
Mosaic
Mosaic is the art of creating images with an assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other materials. It may be a technique of decorative art, an aspect of interior decoration, or of cultural and spiritual significance as in a cathedral...
floor which was uncovered in 1928.
Dimensions
A courtyard, separated by an entranceway, led into a central naveNave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
, measuring 5.4 metres wide. The building also contained a second-floor balcony and an additional room. The synagogue is aligned south-west, facing Jerusalem
Mizrah
In Judaism, mizrah is the direction that most Jews in the diaspora face during prayer, as Jewish law prescribes that Jews face the site of the Temple in Jerusalem during prayer, and most Jews in the diaspora live west of Jerusalem, so they face eastward during prayer...
.
A hoard
Hoard
In archaeology, a hoard is a collection of valuable objects or artifacts, sometimes purposely buried in the ground. This would usually be with the intention of later recovery by the hoarder; hoarders sometimes died before retrieving the hoard, and these surviving hoards may be uncovered by...
of 36 Byzantine coins were found in a shallow depression in the floor apse
Apse
In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
.
Mosaic
The mosaic was discovered in 1928 by Jewish farmers digging an irrigation ditch below Mount Gilboa in the Valley of Jezreel. Professor Elazar Sukenik from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem was called to supervise the subsequent excavations of the synagogue in 1929.Two inscriptions were found on the entryway floor. The Greek
Medieval Greek
Medieval Greek, also known as Byzantine Greek, is the stage of the Greek language between the beginning of the Middle Ages around 600 and the Ottoman conquest of the city of Constantinople in 1453. The latter date marked the end of the Middle Ages in Southeast Europe...
inscription is in memory of the artists who made the mosaic, Marianus and his son Hanina. The Aramaic
Aramaic language
Aramaic is a group of languages belonging to the Afroasiatic language phylum. The name of the language is based on the name of Aram, an ancient region in central Syria. Within this family, Aramaic belongs to the Semitic family, and more specifically, is a part of the Northwest Semitic subfamily,...
inscription reads:
- This mosaic was laid in the year of the reign of JustinianJustin IJustin I was Byzantine Emperor from 518 to 527. He rose through the ranks of the army and ultimately became its Emperor, in spite of the fact he was illiterate and almost 70 years old at the time of accession...
the emperor for the sum of one hundred measures of wheat donated by the people of the village.
The central nave floor is divided into three panels: a depiction of the Binding of Isaac
Binding of Isaac
The Binding of Isaac Akedah or Akeidat Yitzchak in Hebrew and Dhabih in Arabic, is a story from the Hebrew Bible in which God asks Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac, on Mount Moriah...
; a representation of the sun pulled by a star chariot surrounded by the constellations and signs of the zodiac
Zodiac
In astronomy, the zodiac is a circle of twelve 30° divisions of celestial longitude which are centred upon the ecliptic: the apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of the year...
; and a tableau representing the Temple of Jerusalem and religious objects associated with Judaism.
The zodiac has the names of the twelve signs in Hebrew. In the center is Helios
Helios
Helios was the personification of the Sun in Greek mythology. Homer often calls him simply Titan or Hyperion, while Hesiod and the Homeric Hymn separate him as a son of the Titans Hyperion and Theia or Euryphaessa and brother of the goddesses Selene, the moon, and Eos, the dawn...
, the sun god, being whisked away in his chariot by four galloping horses. The four women in the corners of the mosaic represent the four seasons
Season
A season is a division of the year, marked by changes in weather, ecology, and hours of daylight.Seasons result from the yearly revolution of the Earth around the Sun and the tilt of the Earth's axis relative to the plane of revolution...
.