The synagogue was one of the most central and revolutionary institutions of ancient Judaism, leaving an indelible mark on Christianity and Islam as well. This commanding book provides an in-depth and comprehensive history of the synagogue from the Hellenistic period to the end of late antiquity. Drawing exhaustively on archeological evidence and on such literary sources as rabbinic material, the New Testament, Jewish writings of the Second Temple period, and Christian and pagan works, Lee Levine traces the development of the synagogue from what was essentially a communal institution to one which came to embody a distinctively religious profile. Exploring its history in the Greco-Roman and Byzantine periods in both Palestine and the Diaspora, he describes the synagogue's basic features: its physical remains; its role in the community; its leadership; the roles of rabbis, Patriarchs, women, and priests in its operation; its liturgy; and its art. What emerges is a fascinating mosaic of a dynamic institution that succeeded in integrating patterns of social and religious behavior from the contemporary non-Jewish society while maintaining a distinctively Jewish character.
- 814 pages
- English
- PDF
- Available on iOS & Android
eBook - PDF
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Topic
Theology & ReligionSubtopic
Jewish TheologyTable of contents
- PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION
- PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION
- CHRONOLOGY
- one INTRODUCTION
- PART I: THE HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE SYNAGOGUE
- two ORIGINS
- three PRE-70 JUDAEA
- four THE PRE-70 DIASPORA
- five THE SECOND TEMPLE SYNAGOGUE—ITS ROLE AND FUNCTIONS
- six LATE ROMAN PALESTINE (70–FOURTH CENTURY C.E.)
- seven BYZANTINE PALESTINE
- eight DIASPORA SYNAGOGUES
- PART II: THE SYNAGOGUE AS AN INSTITUTION
- nine THE BUILDING
- ten THE COMMUNAL DIMENSION
- eleven LEADERSHIP
- twelve THE PATRIARCH (NASI) AND THE SYNAGOGUE
- thirteen THE SAGES AND THE SYNAGOGUE
- fourteen WOMEN IN THE SYNAGOGUE
- fifteen PRIESTS
- sixteen LITURGY
- seventeen ICONOGRAPHY: THE LIMITS OF INTERPRETATION
- eighteen DIACHRONIC AND SYNCHRONIC DIMENSIONS—THE SYNAGOGUE IN CONTEXT
- nineteen EPILOGUE
- GLOSSARY
- ABBREVIATIONS
- BIBLIOGRAPHY
- ILLUSTRATION CREDITS
- SOURCE INDEX
- SUBJECT INDEX
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Yes, you can access The Ancient Synagogue by Lee I. Levine in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Theology & Religion & Jewish Theology. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.