Magdala Synagogue and the Magdala Stone
A 1st-century synagogue in Mary Magdalene's town, with a carved stone showing the Temple menorah
Found 2009 — Dina Avshalom-Gorni and Arfan Najjar (Israel Antiquities Authority), during a salvage dig for a pilgrim guesthouse; later Marcela Zapata-Meza (Universidad Anáhuac México)
Where Migdal (Magdala), northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee (Israel)
Dates from c. 50 BCE–67 CE · Early Roman · Galilean ministry of Yeshua
Now at Synagogue in place at the Magdala site; the Magdala Stone is held by the Israel Antiquities Authority (replica on site)
How Magdala Synagogue and the Magdala Stone was found
Test excavations before building the Magdala Center found a synagogue hall with benches, frescoed walls and a mosaic floor. In its center lay a carved stone block, probably a Torah-reading table. A second synagogue was found in the town in 2021 by the IAA and University of Haifa.
What it is
A square limestone hall about 11 by 11 meters with stepped benches, columns, colored plaster and a mosaic — one of only about seven synagogues from before 70 CE. The Magdala Stone is a 60 by 50 cm carved block showing a seven-branched menorah flanked by amphorae on one face, and rosettes, arches and a wheeled chariot-like image on others.
Why it matters for the Bible
It shows a Galilean synagogue of exactly the type Yeshua taught in (Matthew 4:23), in the home town of Miriam of Magdala. The menorah carving is the earliest image of the Temple menorah found in a synagogue, made while the Temple still stood, so its carver may have seen the real one. The town also had a large fish-processing industry, fitting its Greek name Tarichaeae.
The Hebrew word: me-no-RAH
מְנוֹרָה
מְנוֹרָה is pronounced me-no-RAH and means lampstand; the seven-branched Temple menorah (Strong's H4501).
People this discovery connects to
- Mary Magdalene — מִרְיָם הַמַּגְדָּלִית (Meer-YAM ha-mag-da-LEET) — Miriam of Magdala; Greek Maria he Magdalene (G3094)
Places
- Magdala — מִגְדָּל (Mig-DAL) — tower
Events
Yeshua teaching in Galilean synagogues · Miriam of Magdala freed of seven demons (Luke 8:2)
Magdala Synagogue and the Magdala Stone in Scripture
Matthew 4:23 Yeshua 'teaching in their synagogues' throughout Galilee — this is one of them.
Matthew 15:39 First mention of Mary Magdalene in Scripture.
Luke 8:1-2 Introduces Miriam called Magdalene, from this town.
Questions people ask
What is Magdala Synagogue and the Magdala Stone?
A square limestone hall about 11 by 11 meters with stepped benches, columns, colored plaster and a mosaic — one of only about seven synagogues from before 70 CE. The Magdala Stone is a 60 by 50 cm carved block showing a seven-branched menorah flanked by amphorae on one face, and rosettes, arches and a wheeled chariot-like image on others.
When was Magdala Synagogue and the Magdala Stone discovered?
It was found in 2009 by Dina Avshalom-Gorni and Arfan Najjar (Israel Antiquities Authority), during a salvage dig for a pilgrim guesthouse; later Marcela Zapata-Meza (Universidad Anáhuac México), at Migdal (Magdala), northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee.
Where is Magdala Synagogue and the Magdala Stone today?
Synagogue in place at the Magdala site; the Magdala Stone is held by the Israel Antiquities Authority (replica on site).
Which Bible verses does Magdala Synagogue and the Magdala Stone relate to?
Matthew 4:23, Matthew 15:39, Luke 8:1-2.
Related discoveries
- 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
- מַזָּלוֹתHammath Tiberias Synagogue and Zodiac MosaicA 4th-century synagogue by the hot springs of biblical Hammath, with Helios and the zodiac on its floor
- כִּנּוֹרGaza Synagogue and the 'King David' MosaicA 6th-century synagogue floor showing David with a lyre, found by chance in 1965
- עִבְרִים'Synagogue of the Hebrews' Lintel (Corinth)Marble doorway block from a Jewish meeting house in Paul's Corinth
- אֲרוֹן הַקֹּדֶשׁOstia SynagogueThe oldest synagogue building in Europe, at Rome's harbour town
Sources
- Avshalom-Gorni & Najjar, 'Migdal', Hadashot Arkheologiyot 125 (2013); Aviam, 'The Decorated Stone from the Synagogue at Migdal', Novum Testamentum 55 (2013)
- Wikipedia: Migdal Synagogue
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