The following is the ESV Study Bible reconstruction of the synagogue at Gamla (click the image to enlarge).
What follows is an FAQ of sorts regarding this image and the background to it:
Where is this synagogue mentioned in the Bible?
It’s not explicitly mentioned in the NT. It is quite possible, however, that Jesus taught in this synagogue, given Matthew 4:23 (“And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues”).
Why not depict a synagogue explicitly mentioned?
We had to make a choice: should we include a drawing of a synagogue mentioned in the Bible (say, the one in Capernaum; Mark 1; Luke 4) when we don’t know what it looked like in Jesus’ time, or should we include a drawing of a synagogue not mentioned in the Bible, but which we can reconstruct with a great deal of confidence. As the synagogue in Gamla is the only excavated Galilean synagogue building that could be dated to the time of Christ, we chose the latter.
The dating for the synagogue reconstruction you can see today in Capernaum is debated, but it’s certainly not from the first century A.D. Archaeologists do know that there’s a first-century synagogue beneath it, but all that has been uncovered are foundation walls, fragments from columns, and a portion of the cobblestone pavement. (For more info on the Capernaum synagogues, click here and here.) So we decided to go with something much better preserved. The internal features of the Gamla synagogue indicate that it has the characteristics of a typical synagogue in Galilee.
Where was Gamla?
Gamla was about about 83 miles (134 km) northeast of Jerusalem, and about 6 miles (10 km) northeast of the Sea of Galilee (see the map below):
Like most synagogues, the entrance to the synagogue faced toward the city of Jerusalem, which was to the southwest.
When did archaeologists discover this?
After the Golan Heights were captured in 1967, Israeli archaeologists quickly identified this hill as ancient Gamla and excavations began in 1976.
Here’s what the remains of the synagogue look like today (click to enlarge; photo courtesy of BiblePlaces.com, used by permission), viewed from the northwest (the same perspective as our reconstruction above):
When did the synagogue exist?
The synagogue itself seems to have been built during the time of Herod the Great (1st century B.C.). The Romans destroyed it in A.D. 67, early in the Jewish revolt. Gamla was never rebuilt, which is enormously helpful for us in that we now have a very good idea of what the synagogue would have looked like in the first century A.D. The Gamla synagogue is considered by many scholars to be one of the oldest in Israel.
How big was it?
The exterior structure, made up of basalt stone blocks, measures 84 x 56 feet (26 x 17 m). Here’s a top-down plan:
Can you explain some of what we’re looking at in the synagogue?
If you look inside the synagogue, you’ll notice numerous pillars, which support the roof. (The double pillars in the corners are heart-shaped.) The pillars line an unpaved rectangular space, which formed the center of the synagogue. Four rows of stone benches lined the walls and could have held a few hundred people. In the northwest corner you’ll see an alcove, or niche closet, which may have housed the scrolls of the Law and the Prophets.
What is the structure with water to the right?
This is a stone ritual bath, called a mikveh. The excavation revealed seven steps. It held just enough water for the complete immersion of that which needed to be purified for worship—whether a person, a jar, or a utensil. A covered water channel ran from the synagogue to the mikveh.
What took place within the synagogue?
Pre-70 A.D. synagogues (lit., houses of assembly) were a place for Jews to read, study, and teach the Hebrew Scriptures and Law. It also served as a sort of community center for hosting social functions, debating political matters, settling disputes, housing temporary travelers, and storing and distributing charity.
What was a typical synagogue service like?
The earliest account of a synagogue service—though obviously incomplete–is found in Luke 4:16–28. According to Robert Stein’s commentary on Luke, a typical synagogue service seems to have had the following order and elements:
- Singing of a psalm
- Reading of the Shema (Deut. 6:4-9; 11:13-21)
- Prayers (including set prayers, like the Eighteen Blessings [the Shemoneh Esreh)
- Reading of the Law in Hebrew (then translated into Aramaic for those who didn’t know Hebrew)
- Reading of the Prophets in Hebrew (and in Aramaic)
- Sermon/teaching on the Scripture passages
- Concluding blessing/benediction by the ruler of the synagogue
For more information on Gamla and its synagogue, visit the page at BiblePlaces.com, as well as the page at Second Temple Synagogues (written by Donald Binder, an expert on these synagogues).
