Synagogues in the Land of Israel for 2,000 Years
The Theodotus Inscription found in the southern part of the City of David, is the earliest evidence of a synagogue in Jerusalem and testifies to an active synagogue during the Temple era and perhaps into the 3rd century CE.
This means that the synagogue only functioned as a place for Torah study and observance, joining evidence of a small number of active synagogues in the country during the Temple period. The small number of synagogues was due to the prevailing religious practice of making pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem as the primary form of worship at the time.
Theodotus Inscription found in southern part of City of David
Andrey Zeigarnik from Raanana, Israel, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Overview
Theodotus Inscription, an early Synagogue inscription in Jerusalem, 1st-3rd Century CE
“Theodotos son of Vettenus, priest and head of the synagogue (archisynágōgos), son of a head of the synagogue, and grandson of a head of the synagogue, built the synagogue for the reading of the law and for the teaching of the commandments, as well as the guest room, the chambers, and the water fittings as an inn for those in need from abroad, the synagogue which his fathers founded with the elders and Simonides.”
In the Bible
Life lessons
Humor
Advocacy
Fun fact
Antisimetism
