Hammath Tiberias Synagogue and Zodiac Mosaic
A 4th-century synagogue by the hot springs of biblical Hammath, with Helios and the zodiac on its floor
Found 1961 — Moshe Dothan (Israel Department of Antiquities), 1961–1963; earlier soundings by Nahum Slouschz (1921) at a second synagogue nearby
Where Hamat Tiberias National Park, south shore of Tiberias, Sea of Galilee (Israel)
Dates from c. 350–400 CE (Synagogue IIa) · Late Roman · Rabbinic Galilee after the Sanhedrin moved to Tiberias
Now at In situ under a protective building, Hamat Tiberias National Park
How Hammath Tiberias Synagogue and Zodiac Mosaic was found
Excavating just south of Tiberias' Roman wall, Dothan found a sequence of synagogues built one over another from the 3rd to the 8th century. The 4th-century floor was almost complete: a Torah shrine flanked by menorahs, a zodiac wheel with the sun-god Helios in his chariot, four seasons in the corners, and Greek donor inscriptions between lions naming 'Severus, pupil of the most illustrious patriarchs'.
What it is
A broad-house synagogue with a three-panel mosaic floor: the earliest and finest of the seven zodiac synagogue floors known in the Land. Its Greek inscriptions tie the building to the household of the Jewish Patriarch (Nasi) in Tiberias, and the hot springs beside it were famous in the Talmud.
Why it matters for the Bible
Hammath ('hot springs') appears in Joshua's list of Naphtali's fortified cities, and Tiberias itself is named in John's Gospel. The mosaic startles modern readers: the Jewish community that produced the Jerusalem Talmud in this very town laid a Greek sun-god at the centre of its prayer hall. Scholars debate whether Helios was a calendar symbol, a picture of God's rule over the seasons, or borrowed decoration; either way the floor shows how Galilean Jews after the Temple pictured heaven, time and Torah together.
The Hebrew word: mah-zah-LOHT
מַזָּלוֹת
מַזָּלוֹת is pronounced mah-zah-LOHT and means constellations / signs of the zodiac (2 Kings 23:5); the mosaic labels each sign in Hebrew (Strong's H4208).
Places
- Hammath — חַמַּת (cha-MAHT) — hot springs
- Tiberias — טְבֶרְיָה (teh-ver-YAH) — city of (Emperor) Tiberius
Events
Naphtali's fortified cities · Boats from Tiberias in John 6 · The Sanhedrin's move to Tiberias
Hammath Tiberias Synagogue and Zodiac Mosaic in Scripture
Joshua 19:35 Hammath among Naphtali's fortified cities; the synagogue stands on the ruins of that town by the springs. (First mention of Hammath.)
2 Kings 23:5 Josiah ends worship of the sun and the 'mazzalot'; the mosaic shows later Jews reusing those very images as art.
John 6:23 Boats come 'from Tiberias' after the feeding of the five thousand — the city beside this synagogue.
Questions people ask
What is Hammath Tiberias Synagogue and Zodiac Mosaic?
A broad-house synagogue with a three-panel mosaic floor: the earliest and finest of the seven zodiac synagogue floors known in the Land. Its Greek inscriptions tie the building to the household of the Jewish Patriarch (Nasi) in Tiberias, and the hot springs beside it were famous in the Talmud.
When was Hammath Tiberias Synagogue and Zodiac Mosaic discovered?
It was found in 1961 by Moshe Dothan (Israel Department of Antiquities), 1961–1963; earlier soundings by Nahum Slouschz (1921) at a second synagogue nearby, at Hamat Tiberias National Park, south shore of Tiberias, Sea of Galilee.
Where is Hammath Tiberias Synagogue and Zodiac Mosaic today?
In situ under a protective building, Hamat Tiberias National Park.
Which Bible verses does Hammath Tiberias Synagogue and Zodiac Mosaic relate to?
Joshua 19:35, 2 Kings 23:5, John 6:23.
Related discoveries
- כִּנּוֹרGaza Synagogue and the 'King David' MosaicA 6th-century synagogue floor showing David with a lyre, found by chance in 1965
- מְנוֹרָהMagdala Synagogue and the Magdala StoneA 1st-century synagogue in Mary Magdalene's town, with a carved stone showing the Temple menorah
- כִּסֵּאChorazin Synagogue and the 'Seat of Moses'Basalt synagogue with a carved stone chair in the town Yeshua rebuked
- כְּפַרCapernaum Synagogue and 'Peter's House'The white limestone synagogue over a 1st-century basalt one, and the house-church venerated as Peter's
- בֵּית כְּנֶסֶתHuqoq Synagogue MosaicsSamson, Jonah, the Red Sea and an 'elephant' panel in a Galilean village synagogue
- לֶחֶםTabgha: Church of the Multiplication and the Loaves-and-Fishes MosaicA 5th-century Byzantine church marking the feeding of the five thousand
Sources
- Dothan, M., Hammath Tiberias: Early Synagogues and the Hellenistic and Roman Remains (1983)
- Wikipedia, 'Hamat Tiberias'
- Israel Nature and Parks Authority, 'Hamat Tverya National Park'
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