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5 Giving for a Return: Jewish Votive O√erings in Late Antiquity Michael L. Satlow When the otherwise unknown Maximos made a donation to the synagogue in Hammath Tiberias in the fourth or fifth century c.e., he—like many other Jews who made such gifts throughout the circum-Mediterranean—commemorated it with an inscription. Like a significant minority of such Jews, he noted that his contribution was made ‘‘in fulfillment of a vow.’’ In fact, the tabular mosaic that contains his inscription notes five other gifts in fulfillment of vows. Though written in Greek, the names of these donors reflect Greek, Latin, and Semitic origins. This was far from atypical; from the fourth century on, Jewish men and women, from a variety of origins, began to mark the fulfillment of their vows with public inscriptions in the synagogue. Although donation inscriptions in general have received extensive scholarly attention, the religious aspects of these votive inscriptions have largely gone unnoticed. The argument of this paper is that the Jewish votive inscriptions from late antiquity represent a distinctive religious mentalité that imagines God as an immanent being to be bartered with; they reflect selves in active negotiation with the divine. Yet while they reflect personal sentiments, they are also public documents written and displayed according to conventional norms. As texts that are personal but not private, they lie at the intersection of individual religious sentiments and their public representation. Additionally, these inscriptions give us a window, however opaque, into the religious lives of a group of people typically ignored in the richer literary remains examined by most of the other papers in this volume. Let us momentarily return to Maximos. His votive inscription appears in a mosaic located in one of the most lavishly decorated synagogues yet found in 92 Michael L. Satlow the land of Israel. The elaborate floor mosaic was apparently installed in the fourth century or later, as part of an extensive renovation of the Hammath Tiberias synagogue.∞ Measuring about ten meters square, the mosaic almost covers the entire floor of the main room. Of the three surviving sections (out of four), it is the central one that most concerns us. Positioned between the central entrance to the synagogue and the ark, it is divided into three panels. The top panel (closest to the ark) contains a central picture of the tabernacle or ark surrounded by an assortment of implements related to the temple (e.g., incense shovel, seven-branched candelabra). The panel below it is a zodiac, with a picture of a figure (Helios? God?) in the middle. The lowest panel—directly in front of the entrance—is laid out as a table, flanked by lions, containing eight Greek inscriptions: Maximos vowing, fulfilled (it). Long may he live. Aboudemos vowing, fulfilled (it). Zoilos vowing fulfilled (it). Long may he live. Ioullos the supervisor completed the whole work. Sever[os] disciple of the most illustrious patriarchs fulfilled (it). Blessings upon him. Amen. Kalinikos vowing fulfilled (it). Long may he live. [Profutouros vow]ing fulfilled (it). Long may he live. Siortasis vowing fulfilled (it). May he be saved.≤ Of these eight inscriptions, seven record donations given in fulfillment of a vow. The donors have Greek, Latin, and Aramaic names, and several receive a blessing for a ‘‘long life.’’ Siortasis receives a wish for ‘‘salvation’’ (sōzestō), perhaps here meaning good health. For a late antique synagogue from the land of Israel, the quantity of such inscriptions is somewhat unusual, but the wording and ideas that they reflect are not. Two of the Greek inscriptions found at the synagogue in Sepphoris appear to share the vow terminology as well as the wishes for salvation.≥ Greek inscriptions in Palestinian synagogues sometimes mention ‘‘thanksgiving o√erings ’’ (eucharizō).∂ One inscription from a fragment of a screen in a synagogue from Ashkelon, for example, reads: ‘‘God help kura∑ Domna daughter of Julianus [?], and kuros Mari(n) son of Nonnus, having made a thanksgiving o√ering (eucharizō). Kuros . . . grandson of Helikias made a thanksgiving o√ering to God and to this holy place, gift for the sake of salvation.’’∏ Another fragmentary inscription from Gaza begins: ‘‘[For the salvati]on of Jacob, Leaz[ar, and Mar]eina, having made a thanksgiving o√er[ing to God and] to this holy place.’’π Some of the other Greek terminology found in the Hammath Tiberias, such as ‘‘salvation’’ and ‘‘be remembered for good...

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