Dura-Europos Synagogue
The synagogue was built in the late 2nd century on what had previously been a residential site between 244 and 245, and was partially covered with sand and earth shortly before the Sassanian attack in 256, which destroyed the city. This filling was carried out by the Roman garrison to strengthen the western wall, which faced the desert and was the most vulnerable part of the city. It is thanks to this that most of the wall paintings have been preserved. The line that separates the preserved parts from the missing sections clearly indicates the slope of the backfill.
These paintings were probably executed between 245 and a few years before 256. The wall itself formed the western wall of the room, on which there was a niche for the Torah ark. All of the frescoes found on this wall, as well as on the two side walls, come from this wall and are now on display in the National Museum in Damascus, the capital of Syria. It is likely that the eastern wall, the entrance wall, was also painted, but since it was demolished during the defensive works mentioned above, nothing has been recovered.
The frescoes consist of scenes depicting various episodes from the Torah and images of the prophets, framed to cover the entire wall surface.
André Grabar argues that: “…unlike most third-century Christian depictions, which are always sketches, the frescoes in the Dura Europos synagogue are seen as large framed paintings that describe the depicted scene in detail”. On the other hand, while Christian images from the same period deal with individual salvation, the Jewish iconography of Dura has as its theme the destiny of the entire Jewish people as the chosen people.
The images of the synagogue in Dura are centuries ahead of their Christian counterparts in terms of development and formal complexity. However, both iconographies have one thing in common, which is that they attempt to show the power of God and the happiness of the faithful, individual in one case (Christian) and collective in the other. Both images also contain “…consolation and assurance of protection and salvation, and they remind us of divine power consecrated for the good of man.
The images depict the Jewish people crossing the Red Sea, the Ark of the Covenant and the Temple of Dagon, and Moses drawing water from a rock.
