Gamla
Capernaum
Masada
Herodium
Qumran
Jerusalem
Delos
Ostia
Egypt
Cyrenaica
Bosporus
Credits

Second Temple
Synagogue
Literary
Archive

Second Temple
Synagogue
FAQs

Sign the
Guestbook

Overview

     Although Jewish refugees probably fled to Egypt after the Babylonian conquest of Palestine (Jer 42:14–22), the first great influx of Jews to this country does not appear to have occurred until the wars of Ptolemy I against the rival successors of Alexander the Great (320–301 BCE). Invading Palestine four times in those wars, Ptolemy I is said to have "removed from the land of the Jews into Egypt up to one hundred thousand people, from whom he armed about thirty thousand chosen men and settled them through the land in the forts" (Ep. Arist. 12–13). While Aristeas’ numbers are likely exaggerated, various papyri, inscriptions and ostraca from the third century BCE nonetheless testify to the presence of substantial Jewish populations in all parts of Egypt.

     While no synagogue remains have yet been discovered in Egypt, a sizable number of synagogue dedications have been recovered in Middle and Lower Egypt, some dating as early as the third century BCE. In addition, numerous references to synagogues exist in pre-70 papyrological and literary sources. By the first century CE, they were clearly established throughout Egypt. The Jewish philosopher Philo, writing in this period, states that in Alexandria alone many synagogues existed in each section of the city.

     The synagogues also appear to have been quite large in size: a land survey in Arsinoë-Crocodilopolis from the first century BCE records that a synagogue on the outskirts of the city occupied two-and-a-half acres of land. Moreover, its congregation leased out a "sacred garden" on an adjoining one-acre plot.

     The synagogue dedications pictured below are nearly identical to those recovered for Egyptian temples of the period, the chief difference being the substitution of the word "synagogue" for "temple." Various allusions in inscriptions to asylum rights and to such architectural features as sacred precincts, pylons (monumental gateways), and exedrae (usually temple annexes for philosophical debate) suggest that the synagogues in this country were modeled after local temples. If so, the absence of altars and idols would have distinguished them from their pagan counterparts.

Note: The abbreviation JIE refers to the compendium, Jewish Inscriptions of Graeco-Roman Egypt (William Horbury and David Noy, 1992), while CIJ refers to the standard compilation, Corpus Inscriptionum Judaicarum. Several other pre-70 synagogue inscriptions from Egypt exist; the examples cited are simply the ones for which I have photographs. Translations are from JIE. Click here for a map of Ancient Egypt.

JIE 22 (=CIJ 2.1440). From Schedia in Lower Egypt. Date: 246-221 BCE. This is one of the earliest of the dedicatory inscriptions from Egypt. Its wording, similar to that of other Egyptian synagogue (and temple) dedications, suggests a positive relationship between the Jews of Schedia and the Ptolemaic rulers (in this case, Euergetes I). Translation:

On behalf of king
Ptolemy and
queen Berenice his sister
and wife and
their children,
the Jews (dedicate)
the synagogue

JIE 13 (=CIJ 1432). From the Gabbary section of Alexandria. Date: 37 BCE. This dedication is one of only two in Egypt offered by an individual (for the other, see JIE 126, below). Translation:

On behalf of the queen and
king, for the great God
who listens to prayer, Alypus
made the synagogue in the
15th year, Mecheir . . .

 

JIE 125 (=CIJ 2.1449). Exact origin uncertain. Date: 47-31 BCE; replaced an inscription dating from 145-116 BCE. This inscription reveals that at least some Egyptian synagogues enjoyed the right of asylum--a privilege otherwise only bestowed upon native temples. Translation:

On the orders of the queen and king, in place of the previous plaque about the dedication of the synagogue let what is written below be written up. King Ptolemy Euergetes (proclaimed) the synagogue  inviolate. The queen and king gave the order.

 

JIE 9 (=CIJ 2.1433). Date: II BCE. From Alexandria. This inscription, while fragmentary, mentions both the synagogue and a surrounding sacred precinct (hieros peribolos). The Jewish philosopher Philo also uses this latter term in reference to the synagogues (Flacc. 48). Translation:

. . . to God, the Highest . . . the sacred precinct and the synagogue and its appurtenances

JIE 24 (=CIJ 2.1441). From Xenephyris (35 miles SE of Alexandria). Date: 124-116 BCE. This inscription is the dedication of a synagogue pylon or momental gateway. It mentions the names of two prostatai or presiding officers of the synagogue. Translation:

On behalf of King Ptolemy and Queen Cleopatra the sister and queen Cleopatra the wife, the Jews of Xenephyris (dedicated) the gateway of the synagogue when Theodore and Achillion were presiding

 

JIE 25 (=CIJ 2.1442). From Nitriai (probably el-Barnugi on the southern side of Lake Mareotis). Date: 124-116 BCE. This inscription, similar in wording to JIE 24, dedicates both the synagogue and unspecified appurtenances. Translation:

On behalf of King Ptolemy and Queen Cleopatra the sister and queen Cleopatra the wife, Benefactors, the Jews in Nitriai (dedicated) the synagogue and its appurenances

JIE 126. Exact origin unknown. Probable date: I CE. One of only two private dedications of a synagogue known from Egypt (for the other, see JIE 13, above). Translation:

Papous built the synagogue on behalf of himself and his wife and children. In the 4th year, Pharmouthi 7.

JIE18. From Alexandria. Date: 3 CE. While fragmentrary, this inscription seems to allude to the repair of a synagogue. It is valuable because the term archisynagogos, "ruler of the synagogue," appears here for the first time among extant inscriptions. The term archiprostates, "chief officer," is otherwise unattested (though prostates is common). The use of two separate titles suggests a high degree of institutionalization within this synagogue. Translation: 

. . . Hathyr 18, in the . . . of those from the . . . archisynagogos (or -oi) . . . archiprostates . . . Since Brasidas son of Herakleides . . . 33rd year of Caesar . . . in all . . . and soundly, . . . the expense . . . days . . . repair . . . by word in . . . crown . . . with two . . .

© Donald D. Binder, 1997-2007
All Rights Reserved