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The oldest original synagogue building in the Diaspora: the Delos synagogue reconsidered

Hesperia, Fall, 2004 by Monika Trumper

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Whereas the synagogues in Palestine are usually identified on the basis of characteristic architectural features (first and foremost a large hall with columns or pillars as roof supports, benches along the walls, often a miqveh next to or near the hall, and sometimes a niche or a room for the storage of sacred scriptures), Diaspora synagogues can be recognized only if they are provided with specific Jewish (or Samaritan) symbols, elements, and inscriptions, because their forms are thought to have been shaped more by local architectural customs and influences than by Palestinian concepts of synagogues. In this sense Diaspora synagogues form a heterogeneous group, (158) but they nevertheless served to house all activities that "declared the distinctiveness of the Jewish community and the adherence to its traditions," as well as "to entrench a sense of collective identity." (159)

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As in synagogues in Palestine, the dominating feature of the building in Delos is the large hall, which might even have included supports for the roof and could have served most of the functions enumerated above; it was presumably used in a more flexible way, however, with moveable furniture, as there is no evidence for benches built along the walls. Therefore, those participating in common meals could have reclined on couches according to local customs, whereas for more religious/liturgical activities such as prayer or reading the Torah, and for larger civic meetings, benches could have been set up in the hall. The secondary rooms in the south might have been conceived, and indeed enlarged and partitioned, to meet additional needs such as the storing of sacred funds, scriptures, archives, and furniture, or the preparation of communal feasts, or the lodging of guests. (160) Votive offerings and dedicatory or honorific inscriptions were set up by preference within courtyards and in close proximity to shrines, altars, or cult images; by contrast, large assembly halls, without specific features such as niches, apses, or podia, offered no suitable space for such activity. Therefore it must remain uncertain whether, and if so how and where, the first users of GD 80 honored their god and benefactors with offerings.

The best parallel for GD 80 from the Diaspora is furnished by the synagogue of Ostia, which was situated outside the city and in proximity to the sea, was conceived as a monumental synagogue from the beginning, and was remodeled several times during its use from early in the second half of the first century A.D. until the fifth century. (161) The original building comprised a large assembly hall with benches, a podium, and an entrance construction that was square with a column at each corner; a separate, unusually large triclinium with built benches; and water facilities. It is worth noting, however, that the permanent furnishings for specific functions and the strict spatial differentiation between prayer hall and dining room might be attributed to the date of origin--about 200 years later than that of GD 80 in Delos. In the second half of the first century A.D. the functions and importance of synagogues might have changed or shifted slightly, for example, from being multifunctional community centers to promoting a sharper focus on religious aspects and activities, which would be reflected in the permanent equipment of the large hall in Ostia. In addition, the design of the synagogue in Ostia might have been inspired predominantly by local architectural styles, but despite some general similarities with meeting places, there is no exact parallel in any part of Ostia, and the synagogue does not fit into the known typology of such meeting places. Most interestingly, the original synagogue buildings in Delos and Ostia both lack the peristyle-courtyard that was obligatory for the larger meeting places in Ostia and the cited examples in Delos. (162)

The oldest original synagogue building in the Diaspora: the Delos synagogue reconsidered

Hesperia, Fall, 2004 by Monika Trumper

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