Ancient Synagogues: Historical Analysis and Archaeological Discovery (Studia Post-Biblica) [Hardcover]

Dan Urman (Author), Paul V. M. Flesher (Author), editor (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1995 | Series: Studia Post-Biblica

The origins of the synagogue remain shrouded in mystery and its development in its early centuries is only slightly better understood. This text brings together over 20 essays from Israeli, British and American scholars to explore the development of the ancient synagogue. Combining original articles with the best of earlier studies - including nine articles translated from Hebrew for the first time - this collection presents a critical picture of the early synagogue and the scholarly discussions surrounding it. This book focuses on two central questions. First, what were the origins of the earliest synagogues, and where did they achieve the greatest growth in the early centuries? Second, what role did the early synagogue play within the Jewish community?

Product Details

• Hardcover: 299677 pages
• Publisher: Brill Academic Pub (June 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9004102434
• ISBN-13: 978-9004102439
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 6.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,112,832 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Paul V.M. Flesher is a professor at the University of Wyoming, where he skis six months a year. Having done graduate study at Oxford University, Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and Brown University, Dr. Flesher is an expert in the Roman and Byzantine periods of Judaism. His main areas of research are the Aramaic translations of the Hebrew Bible known as Targums and the earliest centuries of the Jewish synagogues. He spent two years as the president of the International Organization of Targumic Study, a European-based scholarly organization devoted to increasing the understanding of the Targums.