Friday, August 24, 2012

The Use of Pagan Symbols in Jewish Synagogues

The evidence indicates that we are in the presence of a mystical Hellenistic-Byzantine Jewish tradition, a tradition that Talmudic Judaism either ignored or suppressed,29 a tradition we would not know anything about (for it left no literature) were it not for the discovery of this artwork, these symbols.30 The mosaics are in fact the literature of the movement. We need to learn how to read them.

In the square panel of the Beth Alpha mosaic was a zodiac wheel with all 12 symbols and names of the zodiac, surrounded by four female figures at the corners, identifying the seasons of the year. Credit: Art Resource, NY

You can read the entire article and see the mosaics that are cataloged.

From Biblical Archaeology

Jewish Worship, Pagan Symbols
Zodiac mosaics in ancient synagogues

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