Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By simmons on July 7, 2017

Unprecedented depictions of the biblical Jonah and the whale have been found at a fifth-century Roman synagogue in Israels lower Galilee. In the recently discovered mosaic, Jonahs legs are shown dangling from the mouth of a large fish, which is being swallowed by a larger fish, which is being consumed by a third, even larger fish.

According to the team of specialists and students led by University of North Carolina, this is the first known depiction of the story of Jonah in an ancient synagogue in Israel.

This is the teams seventh season at the ancient Jewish village of Huqoq. Beginning in 2012, a series of other prominent biblical scenes, including Noahs ark and the splitting of the Red Sea, in which Pharaohs soldiers are swallowed by large fish similar to the fish swallowing Jonah in the mosaic uncovered this summer, were previously found at the archaeological dig.

In addition to the Roman synagogue, the site also houses remains of what is possibly a Medieval synagogue as well.

The Huqoq synagogues 5th century mosaic, with the upper register showing a war elephant. (Jim Haberman)

According to UNC Prof. Jodi Magness, The Huqoq mosaics are unusually rich and diverse. In addition, they display variations on biblical stories which must represent oral traditions that circulated among the local Jewish population.

These scenes are very rare in ancient synagogues, said Magness. The director of the excavations continued, The only other examples that have been found are at Gerasa/Jerash in Jordan and Mopsuestia/Misis in Turkey, and at Khirbet Wadi Hamam in Israel and Dura Europos in Syria.

This Huqoq synagogue mosaic in Lower Galilee depicts men at work constructing a stone tower, apparently the Tower of Babel. (Jim Haberman UNC Media Relations)

The excavation is co-directed by Shua Kisilevitz of the Israel Antiquities Authority and sponsored by UNC-Chapel Hill, Baylor University, Brigham Young University, the University of Toronto and others. There are plans to continue work in 2018.

Among the other rich mosaic finds this season was a detailed scene of men at work constructing a stone tower, which the team hypothesizes is a depiction of the building of the Tower of Babel. Also, a mosaic medallion shows the Greco-Roman sun god Helios in a four-horse chariot. He is surrounded by personifications of the months, the signs of the zodiac, and personifications of the four seasons.

Other notable mosaic scenes found at the Huqoq site include the story of Samson and the foxes (Judges 15:4), which was found in the synagogue in 2012. In 2013, a nearby mosaic was found which depicts Samson carrying the gate of Gaza on his shoulders (Judges 16:3).

Interestingly, the synagogue also housed a mosaic without a biblical tie. The 2013 and 2014 dig seasons uncovered what could be the legendary meeting between Alexander the Great and the Jewish high priest.

Pictured is the Huqoq synagogue mosaic depicting the month of Teveth (December-January) with the sign of Capricorn. (Jim Haberman UNC Media Relations)

One of the distinguishing features of the Huqoq mosaics is the incorporation of numerous classical [Greco-Roman] elements such as putti, winged personifications of the seasons, and in the Jonah scene harpies [large birds with female heads and torsos] representing storm winds, said Magness.

In addition to their artistic value, the mosaics are a window into the lifestyles and craft techniques used some 1,500 years ago.

The mosaics also provide a great deal of information about ancient daily life, such as the construction techniques shown in the Tower of Babel scene uncovered this summer, said Magness.

A fish swallows an Egyptian soldier in a mosaic scene depicting the splitting of the Red Sea from the Exodus story, from the 5th-century synagogue at Huqoq, in northern Israel. (Jim Haberman/University of North Carolina Chapel Hill)

Read more from the original source:

Earliest mosaic of Jonah and the whale found in Galilee synagogue - The Times of Israel

Category: Synagogue
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