Posted on 07/11/2016 1:33:40 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
Mosaics depicting prominent Bible scenes were uncovered during annual excavations of an ancient synagogue in Israel's Lower Galilee.
During the excavation in June, archaeologists found two new panels of a mosaic floor in a Late Roman (fifth-century) synagogue at Huqoq, an ancient Jewish village. One panel showed Noah's ark with pairs of animals, such as lions, leopards and bears. The other panel depicted soldiers being swallowed by large fish, surrounded by overturned chariots in the parting of the Red Sea.
Such images are extremely rare for the time period, according to excavation director Jodi Magness, of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, whose work was funded by the National Geographic Society. [Photos: Unusual Mosaics Decorated Ancient Synagogue in Israel]
"I know of only two other scenes of the parting of the Red Sea in ancient synagogues," Magness told National Geographic.
"One is in the wall paintings at Dura Europos [in Syria], which is a complete scene but different from ours — no fish devouring the Egyptian soldiers," Magness said. "The other is at Wadi Hamam [in Israel], but that's very fragmentary and poorly preserved."
The ark scenes are also uncommon; Magness said she knows of only two other mosaics showing such depictions.
(Excerpt) Read more at yahoo.com ...
Noah’s Ark(&UberRide) Ping
I assume the two @sses foretold the election of Obama and Biden....
God to Noah: Time to get asses into the ark.
Amazingly nice artwork - and now being preserved and protected - super!
It must be a Hellenized synagogue because images are forbidden in Judaism.
The Huqoq excavations revealed the first nonbiblical mosaic found in an ancient synagogue. That three-tiered mosaic included a scene showing a meeting between two important male figures, thought to be the legendary meeting between Alexander the Great and the Jewish high priest.
The general reading of the bible prohibition is that it applies to producing “graven images” for the purpose of worshiping them, but not for other purposes.
Except for the cherubim on the Ark of the Covenant, right?
Exodus 25:18-20
And make two cherubim out of hammered gold at the ends of the cover. Make one cherub on one end and the second cherub on the other; make the cherubim of one piece with the cover, at the two ends. The cherubim are to have their wings spread upward, overshadowing the cover with them. The cherubim are to face each other, looking toward the cover.
Or the snake that healed those bitten by poisonous snakes.
Numbers 21:8-9
The LORD said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived.
I didn’t see a reference as to how old the synagogue is other than “ancient”.
We’re all missing something if it wasn’t just me.
What is now Israel was then part of the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) empire.
So what is your point?
People who make generalized, blanket statements often don’t know what they are speaking about.
Ping
It does not matter what your interpretation of the Bible says but what Jews of that era thought.
Sheesh - I am not trying to argue theology and what is permitted in the bible or not.
This not unique - in India, they were using Greek art styles in their temples.
was derived from the swastika, commonly used in India for millenia as a symbol of auspiciousness, among other uses.
The Greek key was not taken from the Indians by the Greeks and the so called swastika is a widely diffused symbol found even amongst isolated Native American tribes. So unless you have a scholarly article I will ignore your statement other than to correct it.
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