Synagogue Architecture

Architecture of the synagogue reflected its function as a place where the Jewish community gathered for prayer, study of the Law, and other activities. The synagogue often borrowed architectural features from the prevailing Greco-Roman culture.

Architecture

The architecture of the early Middle Eastern synagogues was similar to that which prevailed throughout the Hellenistic and later Roman ages. The synagogue grounds were surrounded by a low wall within which the synagogue met. Documents from Turkey and other countries of the early medieval period show that often the congregation met outdoors, although at other times in private rooms. Usually the synagogue was divided in some fashion into a sector for men and a separate and lesser room for the women. In the earliest Palestinian synagogues, such as that at Masada and those at Capernaum, Chorazin, and Kefr Bir'im, stone seats in the form of a double tier ran the length of three walls. Such buildings had either a separate balcony for women or some separation down the center. In the Roman age many of these buildings were of a type of Corinthian Greek design with freestanding columns in the front portico, and columns arranged in rows within the sanctuary to support the vaulted ceilings.

Location

In accordance with certain Talmudic instructions that must have been in the oral lore of Judaism, all the synagogues were built in such a fashion that the congregations could face Jerusalem. The common practice was to erect the building on a small hill or prominence, sometimes near water but always in such a fashion that the back wall, which faced the door, was toward Jerusalem. The temple in Jerusalem represented the priestly element and ritual in Judaism, so the elaborate ceremonial architecture of the later synagogues was unnecessary until after the destruction of the temple in a.d. 70. Whether the local synagogues were built as models or miniatures of the great temple or conceived as centers for the rituals is debated. By the first century the style of construction was set and the synagogue was located in the center of the market square.

Structure

By the first century a.d. the basilica type of building, with its massive and ornamented facade, became the standard synagogue form. However, the extent of symbolism and the expanse was limited by the economic ability of the congregation. There is no clear-cut evolution of synagogal architecture, and each community of the Diaspora seems to have built structures best suited to its situation. The widespread use of the half-square, half-round columns and the elaborate shell niches, both associated with Roman buildings, demonstrates how deeply Greco-Roman civilization had altered the Jewish mind. In or about the middle of the blank wall opposite the entrance doors was the location of the niche or chamber in which the sacred rolls of the Torah were kept. Such cabinets or chests set in the east wall were often ornamented and decorated with hangings and embellishments of considerable value. One of the most interesting appointments of the early synagogues was the g?nizah, a place either in a cellar or pit or in an old attic high in the wall, where the worn and frayed parchment scrolls were placed. Since they bore the divine name of God they could not be desecrated or destroyed, so their contents were interred. Ancient scrolls of inestimable value have been discovered in g?nizot from a number of synagogues. In the center, and later front, of the hall was the b?ma, an upraised platform on which the scrolls were placed for reading; the b?ma was also used for the sermon, which was a sort of explanation of the text.

Furniture and Decoration

The furniture of the ancient synagogue was utilitarian and connected with the service. The Torah ark was frequently carved or encrusted with some type of decoration and covered with magnificent hangings and covers, called parohet, and often richly ornamented with silver and gold embroideries. The bema, or lecterns, might be carved and inlaid, and often the great seven-branched candelabra, or m?norah, was also richly decorated. Many smaller articles, lampstands, ritual implements for the holy days such as Yom Kippurand the pilgrimages of Pesa?, Shavu'ot, and Sukkot, were present in the synagogue. The decoration of the synagogues was a subject of much debate and alteration of tastes. The earliest ones often show a strangely exotic degree of profusion in Hellenistic and Roman motifs. The ancient congregations at Capernaum and Chorazin decorated their edifices with stone lions, elaborate bands of designs using plant motifs, and epigraphic inscriptions in uncial Greek. They carved many similar natural motifs on the furniture; pomegranates, grapes, and similar fruit and vegetables are seen. This type of symbolism was developed from the Old Testament as the temple was to have such ornamentation in the same fashion as the wilderness tabernacle. However, strict prohibition against the portrayal of the human form was also in evidence. One decorative feature that survived the ages in the synagogue was the use of mosaic tiles. Numerous elaborate natural figures, including the signs of the zodiac and small animals, are found. The ancient synagogue at Beit Alpha is especially noted for these fine mosaics. Few synagogue frescoes have survived from antiquity, but those from Dura Europus and elsewhere show artistic affinities to the sculpting of the mosaics, as does Christian art of the period. Again, the scenes are of the various festivals, with some few architectural constructs and what may be patriarchal stories in smaller registers. The motifs of the sun, the wheel, the candle, the plant, the fruit, and the various Greek running figures, such as the arrow, the egg, and the dart are all found in the synagogue.