Synagogue Mosaics Beth Alpha Synagogue 6 th cent

Synagogue Mosaics

Beth Alpha Synagogue 6 th cent. CE

Beth Alpha Synagogue

From a Greek Vase

Hamath-Tiberias

Sephorris

• You shall not make for yourself a graven image or any likeness of what is in the heavens above or on the earth below or in the waters under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them” (Exodus 20: 4– 5)

“In the days of Rabbi Abun they began depicting figures in mosaic and he did not protest against it. ” • From a Geniza manuscript of JT Avoda Zarah “… you may place a mosaic pavement impressed with figures and images in the floors of synagogue; but not for bowing down to it. ” • Pseudo-Jonathan Targum to Lev. 26: 1 “The Holy One, Blessed be He, said to him [Abraham]: just as the zodiac [mazalot] surrounds me, and my glory is in the center, so shall your descendants multiply and camp under many flags, with my shekhina in the center. ” • Geniza fragment of Midrash Deut. Rabba)

Among the many mysteries of the Beit Alpha floor is the fact that the signs of the zodiac move counterclockwise and do not correspond to the surrounding representations of the four seasons. According to one theory, this indicates that the mosaicists and the Bet Alpha community did not understand the astronomical and astrological relationships of the zodiac, and merely used the design for decorative purposes. Another theory holds that the artisans deliberately rearranged the zodiac to negate its pagan implications. Other scholars theorize that Cancer, the sign of Judaism, was deliberately placed at the top of the wheel, ascendant to Leo, the sign of Rome in order to depict an astrological belief in the eventual victory of Judaism over its oppressor. Some scholars believe that the zodiac motif discovered here (as well as at synagogues uncovered at Na'aran, near Jericho, Hammat Tiberias, and Zippori) was used to symbolize the orderly rhythms of God's universe, or perhaps even the concept of God. It has also been suggested that the geometric mosaic designs to the side of the main floor were boards for games similar to backgammon and chess, and that this may indicate the synagogue was a Jewish community center in every sense of the word.