In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

  • From Synagogue Furnishing to Media Event:The Magdala Ashlar
  • Steven Fine (bio)

Few periods in the history of Jewish art and visual culture evoke as wide an interest among the scholarly community and within the general public as Roman antiquity. Even the names given to this period reflect its significance: devout Christians refer to it as the "time of Jesus," the "intertestamental," and New Testament periods; classicists speak of the Roman Empire; and many Jews know it as the period of "The Second Temple, Mishnah, and Talmud." Western culture harbors an interest in Jews, their texts and artifacts that is quite remarkable. Within the religious studies community, Jewish art and visual culture of this period is often perceived as an alternate window into the culture of this pivotal era–a direct link to "our" culture heroes unencumbered by later religious tradition and scribal influence.1 It is as a gateway to Jesus beyond the books to Jewish life beyond the Talmudic rabbis–sometimes called upon to affirm tradition, though more often to transform or subvert it. In modern Israel, the history and archaeology of this period are ever present, whether directly through archaeological discovery or more subtly through street names, the national "symbol," the reproduction of ancient Jewish coins on modern currency and stamps, the subtle presence of mosaic art in modern and historic patterns in the public sphere, and particularly in the rhetoric of modern Israel as the fulfillment of "a hope two thousand years old" in both state and popular contexts.2 While the rhetoric of archaeology as Israel's national pastime may have faded, each new discovery of an ancient synagogue, interesting coin, or even a glass fragment with the image of a menorah continues to be national and international news.

Western society's interest in Jewish visual culture in Roman antiquity is not satiated by the supply. Each new discovery is subject to far more scrutiny and interest than might be the case with a larger corpus of artifacts. Discoveries are often portrayed as windows through which to view the very different world views that feed and give sustenance to popular and scholarly approaches to the Jewish past–and particularly to Jewish visual culture. This essay focuses upon one of these discoveries, the so-called [End Page 27] Magdala ashlar, and its recent interpretation. Discovered in 2009, this object has since gained considerable cultural significance, attracting both scholarly and popular interest. The interpretations offered thus far assert an approach that I find troubling in their attempts to attribute far more meaning to this ashlar than I believe is actually there. I begin by explaining my reticence with the interpretations offered by my colleagues, followed by my own far less expansive–arguably less interesting–object-centered approach to interpreting Jewish visual culture in Roman antiquity.


Click for larger view
View full resolution
Fig. 1.

Magdala (Migdal) Synagogue, Galilee, before 66 CE. Photograph: Steven Fine, 2016

In 2009, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced the discovery of a first-century synagogue on the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee, at a site known in Hebrew as Migdal, and in Aramaic and Greek as Magdala. It is an impressive structure, excavated by an Israeli team led by D. Avshalom-Gorni and A. Najar, which was joined by a Mexican team led by M. Zapata (fig. 1).3 Near the center of the Migdal synagogue's hall a large ashlar of a sort never before found in a synagogue was discovered. It was 0.6 m long, 0.5 m wide, and 0.4 m high, and rested on short legs (figs. 2–4). This artifact was described by the excavators as "a chair or table."4 The surfaces of this rectangular object are all decorated in low relief, mainly in geometric designs. The upper surface, slightly angled, is dominated by a large rosette, palm trees, and other floral imagery; and the long sides are articulated as a series of four round arches separated by columns. Within these arches are what the excavators reasonably identified as three sheaves of grain. To the right side there is what appears to be a Herodian-type oil lamp. One of the narrow ends...

pdf

Share