Anders Runesson

Birger Olsson

Donald D. Binder

This volume gathers for the first time all of the primary source material on the early synagogues up through the Second Century C. E. Each entry contains bibliographic citations and interpretative comments. An Introduction frames the current state of synagogue research, while extensive indices allow for easy location of specific allusions.

A Source Book

The Ancient Synagogue from Its Origins to 200 C.E.

Binder explores both the Jewish congregations and the buildings they met in throughout the Middle East from the late sixth century BCE, and the earliest known synagogue (at the time of his writing) to 70 CE, which marks the cessation of the Temple cult, the abrupt termination of the high priestly hegemony that had mostly administered affairs in Palestine since the end of the Babylonian exile, and a major change in Jewish worship and community life throughout the Roman Empire. A companion website provides new information such as Ehud Netzer's March 1998 discovery of what may the oldest synagogue yet. The dissertation was for Southern Methodist University in 1997.

Donald D. Binder

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