by Rossella Tercatin
The building is the second synagogue from the time uncovered in Migdal, a prominent Jewish settlement that was also the main base of Flavius Josephus, historian and anti-Roman rebel commander.
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Magdala stone exhibited for the first time in Israel at Yigal Allon Center
(photo credit: EINAT AMBAR ARMON/ISRAEL ANTIQUITIES AUTHORITY)
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A 2,000-year-old synagogue was discovered in the ancient Jewish settlement of Migdal in Galilee,
the second synagogue from the Second Temple Period uncovered in the
town, also known as Magdala. The location is prominently featured both
in the Jewish-Roman historian Flavius Josephus’ writings, and as the
birthplace of Mary Magdalene in the Gospels.
“The
discovery of a second synagogue in this Galilean settlement casts light
on the social and religious lives of the Jews in the area in this
period, and reflects a need for a dedicated building for Torah reading
and study and for social gatherings,” said Dina Avshalom-Gorni, one of
the directors of the excavations. “We can imagine Mary Magdalene and her
family coming to the synagogue here, along with other residents of
Migdal, to participate in religious and communal events.”
According to the Gospels, Mary Magdalene
– also known as Mary from Magdala – was one of the women who traveled
with Jesus and witnessed his crucifixion and resurrection.
In
the first century CE, Migdal was also the main base of Yosef ben
Matityahu (Flavius Josephus), who served as commander of the rebellion
against the Romans in Galilee before he surrendered to them and
eventually obtained Roman citizenship.
Ancient synagogue uncovered in Migdal, Galilee. (credit: COURTESY OF UNIVERSITY OF HAIFA)The
first synagogue was uncovered in the Migdal in 2009, when an excavation
by the Israel Antiquities Authority unearthed Jewish ritual baths
(mikvaot), streets, a marketplace and industrial facilities. A unique
artifact stood in the middle of the synagogue’s main hall: a large stone
portraying the Second Temple of Jerusalem, with a carved seven-branched
menorah on one of its sides. It represented a crucial discovery because
the depiction was engraved in the stone when the temple was still
standing.
“The
fact that we have found two synagogues shows that the Jews of the Second
Temple period were looking for a place for religious, and perhaps also
social, gatherings,” said Zinman Institute head Prof. Adi Erlich. “The
stone bearing a relief of the Menorah from the other synagogue at
Migdal, suggests that the local Jews saw Jerusalem as their religious
center, and their local activities took place under this centrality.”
The
newly discovered synagogue was shaped as a square and built in basalt
and limestone. It featured a main hall and two other rooms. The main
hall was coated in white plaster and featured a stone bench along the
walls, also coated in plaster. One of the smaller rooms presented a
stone shelf. According to the experts it might have been used to store
Torah scrolls.
“The
synagogue we are excavating now is close to the residential street,
whereas the one excavated in 2009 was surrounded by an industrial area,”
Erlich also said. “Thus the local synagogues were constructed within
the social fabric of the settlement.”
The excavation was initiated as a salvage excavation prior to
construction works at the Migdal intersection. According to Israeli law,
all development projects need to be accompanied by such an excavation.
Rossella Tercatin
Source: https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/2nd-temple-period-synagogue-found-where-gospels-mary-magdalene-was-born-688519
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