Story of Third Century Dura Synagogue, Pagan
Symbols in Biblical Scenes Described in New
3-Volume Addenda to Greco-Roman Studies

Three volumes devoted to "Sym-
bolism in the Dura Synagogue"
complete the monumental work by
Prof. Erwin R. Goodenough which
has just been issued by Bollingen
Series (140 E. 62nd, NY 21), and is
being distributed by Pantheon
Books (22 E. 51st, NY 22).
These are volumes 9, 10 and 11,
and the final, the 12th volume,
will be a complete index to the
total work, "Jewish Symbols in
the Greco-Roman Period."
One of the outstanding studies
of recent explorations that have
revolutionized historical knowledge
about the third century synagogue,
on the Euphrates River in Syria,
Dr. Goodenough's works are the
result of the eminent scholar's
search to establish what the mate-
rial he had gathered "meant to

DR. ERWIN R. GOODENOUGH

the Jews of the synagogue." Re-
garding the new volumes, the au-
thor states in his preface:
"Dura has given a new kind of
data altogether, for here Jews,
while using many of the pagan
and Jewish symbols discussed in
the former volumes, were at the
same time painting interpretations
of their Bible. These two cannot
be separated: a single person or
group put together the pagan sym-
bols and the biblical scenes, put,
indeed, many new pagan symbols
into the biblical scenes themselves.
Such integration of paganism and
Judaism in the whole decoration
of the room. even within the bibli-
cal paintings, demands integration
in the interpretation."
We have proof here again that
despite the biblical injunction
against "graven images," they ex-
isted—and in synagogues.
Volume 11 of Prof. Goodenough's
great study—the third in the pres-
ent and the final series—contains
the illustrations, the color plates
and drawings that explain the text.
There are complete explanations
of all of them in the text, and a
thorough index guides the stu-
dents in their acquisition of the
vast amount of information offered
here.
Describing the amazement ex-
perienced by archaeologists who,
in November 1932, "saw the paint-
ed walls of a third-century syna-
gogue emerge from the sands of
Dura Europos," Dr. Goodenough
explains:
"About A.D. 256 the citizens of
Dura, with a little Roman garri-
son, had been cut off from all help
and faced inevitable extinction at
the hands of an advancing Persian
host. To strengthen the most ex-
posed wall of the city the desper-
ate people tore the roofs from the
buildings in the street behind it
and constructed a great ramp by
filling the whole with quantities
of earth. It did no good. The
Persians tunneled under, and Dura
was never heard of again until, in
1921, a British captain warring
against the Arabs camped on the

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Friday, May 1, 1964

38

site, and in the course of 'digging
some trenches in the ruins' dis-
covered the painting of the 'Pal,
myrene gods.' J. H. Breasted, who
was near by, came and took pho-
tographs; he reported the discov-
ery to the members of the French
Academy of Inscriptions, who ex-
cavated the site for two years.
They did not touch the ramp be-
hind the wall, however, and there
the decorations of the synagogue,
freshly painted just before being
buried, remained in the dry earth.
They came out eventually with the
colors almost as clear as when the
morituri had buried them.

"When Jews first came to Dura
we do not know. The painted syn-
agogue was clearly built upon an
earlier one, which in turn had
been made by remodeling a typical
dwelling of the city. (Carl H.)•
Kraeling estimated that the first
synagogue dated from the end of
the second to the beginning of the
third centuries, approximately 50
years before it was demolished to
make the second synagogue in
A. D. 245. The earlier synagogue
had had a ceiling painted to imi-
tate coffers, with a guilded plaster
rosette in each, and on the walls
painted panels to imitate marble.
An inscription on one of the ceil-
ing tiles of the second synagogue
established the date firmly, but
not the date of the murals."
* *.
Use of pagan images by Jews
comes as a revelation. Dr. Goode-
nough: "The literary remains of
Judaism in the Greco-Roman pe-
riod had led us to believe that
Jews at that time used no images.
Although for centuries archaeolo-
gists had been finding a great
number of Jewish images from the
period, the Dura synagogue, and
the other remains of Jewish art
collected in the first three volumes
of the present study, came as a
total surprise to those historians
who had used only literary evi-
dence . . . Jewish history, based
upon Jewish writings, has been
largely written on the assumption
that the basic motif of all Jews
of this period was total rejection
of pagan religion. Even the monu-
mental study of V. Tcherikover is
devoted to the thesis that helleni-
zation affected only a few great
families corrupted by their riches,
while the mass of Jews everywhere
rejected any taint, and remained
what G. F. Moore called 'norma-
tive' Jews. By rejecting paganism,
it has been suppose d, Jews
strengthened themselves as a
group, distinguished by their wor-
ship of the one true God . . .
Suddenly, the new discoveries pre-
sented us with a Judaism that had
no such feeling about pagan art
or images—to the point that at
Dura the god Ares, for example,
could supervise the Exodus from
Egypt, Victories bring their crowns
on the acroteria of the Temple,
and the three Nymphs guard the
infant Moses while Aphrodite-
Anahita takes him out of the little
ark. Helios riding in the zodiac
had occupied the center of Pales-
tinian synagogues. All of them di-
rectly violate what had seemed
the basic attitude of Judaism.
True, nothing suggests that Jews
ever worshiped these figures . . .
the monumental evidence has
taken us into a new pan of Juda-
ism, for which the art remains
themselves are our only direct
evidence. Because here, clearly, is
a widespread Judaism that did
want them."

Prof. Goodenough further con-
tends: "Pagan motifs in Jewish
synagogues and graves have al-
ready led us to suspect that Jews
used them to express faith in
heaven, in the love of God, in
coming victory, and, for some, in

mysticism . . . The biblical scenes
of Christianity in no sense detract-
ed from the symbolic power of the
borrowed pagan emblems . . . The
natural hypothesis is that at Dura,
Jews were doing the same thing
in the name of Judaism: that the
biblical scenes they selected to
present in such a setting would
declare in Jewish terms the values
and hopes which pagans had set
forth by these symbols before the
Jews used them, and for which
Christians were already beginning
eagerly to borrow them ... "
* *
Dr. Goodenough contrasts Dura
and Babylonian Jewries, showing
that in contrast to the latter "the
Jews of Dura constituted a small
minority within a pagan city,
where they lived cheek by jowl
among first Greek, then Parthian,
then Roman soldiers and mer-
chants." The Jews of Dura spoke
Greek and "in culture and' atmo-
sphere Dura was utterly remote
from Jewish Bablyonia."
Led into the lost old world, the
eminent scholar states that the
recognizable scenes from the Old
Testament in the Dura structure
"make it indisputable that the
building was a synagogue . . "
Scenes from the Books of Moses,
depictions of Jewish festivals, the
story of Esther, the kings of Ju-
daea — Solomon and David — and
the Queen of Sheba and other bib-
lical incidents are described in the
course of the evaluation of the
paganism at Dura. There is a thor-
ough analysis of the architecture,
and commenting on the "philoso-
pher" of the synagogue Dr. Goode-
nough states that the paintings
must be approached "with the
possibility of such a thoughtful
mind, or group of thoughtful
minds, clearly before us."
Talmudic influence also is noted,
such as in the gouged eyes in one
of the paintings.
Structural forms of the syna-
gogue are studied in the light of
biblical backgrounds. and Scrip-
tures and Talmudic references are
frequently referred to.
Referring to the pictorial graf-
fiti, Dr. Goodenough speaks of
their "strong symbolic motivation
on the part of the Jews of Dura"
and ascribes to them an earnest
attempt at getting the symbols on
the walls.
The explanations of the paint-
ings in the first and second syna-
gogues gain importance from the
reproduced color plates and illus-
trations in Volume II. There is
an especially valuable chapter on
the Torah Shrine, with historical
references to the various symbols
related to the synagogue and to
Jewish ceremonialism. Much use
is made of Dr. Louis Ginzberg's
"Jewish Legends" and other his-
torical data, including numerous
Christian authorities.
Considerable space is devoted to
consideration of the central rere-
dos painting. Its presence, albeit
it is similar to the reredos in a
Christian church, is interpreted as
indicating the burning desire of
the leading Dura Jews "to leave
the savagery of bestial desires and
follow the leadership of the great
hierophants," the greatest of them
all being Moses himself.
*
*
Symbolism of dress also is stud-
ied for an understanding of the
historic practices and the interpre-
tation of the paintings.
A special section in the first of
these three new volumes is de-
voted to a study of the biblical
scenes, of the royalty represented,
with special reference to the de-
picted miraculous babies and the
infancy of Moses. The Christian
element of the infant Jesus is in-
jected here in the study of the
symbolism of infants, Dr. Goode-

nough's conclusion being that "in
hellenized Jewish tradition the
great biblical heroes began as
Wunderkinder, extraordinary in
their conception, effulgence, beau-
ty and precocity." Other infant
stories are related to proVe the
point.
Philo's views are drawn upon
to explain the role of Moses as
interpreted in these paintings.
Aaron's place in this historical
analysis, and the Moses - Aaron
story is summed up in an explan-
ation of Judaism's role as "the
true cosmic religion," emerging
supremely through Moses.
The place of the Ark in the
Dura synagogues in juxtaposition
to the paganism is elaborated upon
in a long chapter. The two ideas
are interpreted as representing "a
city with walls and gates, and to
penetrate the inner part is to
achieve not the apocalyptic but
the mystic vision."
Various fragmentary scenes are
described, and special attention is
given to those showing Moses lead-
ing the migration from Egypt. The
paintings on the various walls of
the synagogue are studied in great
detail.
The summary about the Judaism
of Dura is in itself a masterful
and scholarly essay in which the
author reviews his findings.
Dr. Goodenough summarizes by
stating that from Dura we have
"one of the most remarkable docu-
ments of human history.
"Here," he declares, •"men
worshiped as loyal Jews, loyal to
their people, to their Torah as
the supreme revelation of hu-
man hopes and metaphysical
reality. But while the reality
was revealed in Judaism, it was
not confined within. Judaism, so
that whatever from paganism
helped make it vivid could free-
ly be used in presenting it. Like
Philo, the 'philosopher' who de-
signed these paintings saw in
the Torah something so great
that it was beyond the Torah as
a document, something so great
that it promised material and
messianic triumph, mystical as-
sociation with the universe in
its worship of God, and a leav-
ing of Egypt to be purged of
material dross and to come into
the metaphysical reality of the
ultimate pool, and of the ulti-
mate sanctuary behind the seven
walls. To the reality itself, su-
premely revealed by the Torah,
many ancient Jews lifted their
hearts and opened their minds.
We cannot understand their
Judaism or their paintings un-
less at least in sympathy we
share in this sort of devotion
to reality ourselves."
So thorough is this study, so
impressive are the hundreds of
illustrations and color plates, that
the new story of an old civilization
emerges as one of the great ro-
mances of all times. Prof. Goode-
nough certainly does justice to his
subject and made a great contri-
bution to the history of Jewry in
the early centuries after the Dis-
persion. —P. S.

7,000 Jewish Refugees
Readjusted in Brazil

NEW YORK (JTA)—More than
7,000 Jewish refugees from East-
ern Europe and Egypt, who re-
settled in Brazil during the past
decade, have made a successful
readjustment with the aid of the
United Hias Service working
closely with local Sao Paulo Jew-
ish organizations. This was re-
ported here by Mrs. Susanna
Frank, a prominent member of the
Sao Paulo Jewish community, who
was the guest speaker at a meet-
ing of the Women's Division of
United Hias.

7

Yael Lotan -1
Novel ,
Shotvs Confidence
in New Freedoms

Yael Lotan, a former Israeli
now residing in Kingston, Jamaica,
has caught the spirit of the lo-
cale in which she is now rooted
and has applied her knowledge
well in writing her third novel,
"Mangrove Town," published by
Doubleday.
In this story of the people on
a Caribbean island', she has de-
picted the results of liberation
from British colonial rule and the
effects of life under the new
freedom.
This is a study of -people and
the new challenges to them. It is
a story about white-colored con-
flicts resulting from an earlier
colonialism.
Yael Lotan, daughter of a for
mer Israeli Consul General in
this country, is the author of "The
Other I" and "Phaedra" and her
third novel possesses even greater
strength than her two previous
works, due primarily to the new
freedom.
It is definitely the acquisition
of knowledge about Jamaica and
surrounding territories where the
new freedoms are emerging that
has given Yael Lotan the defini-
tive background for so fine a
novel.
West Indians, Englishmen,
Americans play their roles in this
story which describes a vast build-
ing project, tells about a British
architect's dubious scheme to turn
the island's economy over to an
international gang, and his in-
volvement with a Negress who be-
comes pregnant. The role of a
preacher, the expression of faith
in a future during which "Jackass
will learn to speak up," the cer-
tainty that the new freedom will
be accepted with honor and with
a determined will to master the
evolving siutations — these are
signs of optimism that make
"Mangrove Town" a novel of
merit.

B. Baruch's Daughter
Succumbs in New York

NEW YORK. — Sportswoman
and charity worker Belle Wilcox
Baruch, daughter of elder states-
man Bernard M. Baruch, died last
weekend at age 64.
Miss Baruch devoted much of
her time to the rehabilitation of
the crippled and disabled and the
care of the blind. She held a
number of awards as horsewoman,
sailor and hunter, and piloted
her own plane as recently as three
months ago.
Miss Baruch was a close friend
of the late Mrs. Woodrow Wilson,
wife of the World War I presi-
dent, with whom her father was
long established.

Set Aside Ground for
First U.S. Jewish Cemetery
Abraham DeLucena, one of the
earliest Jewish residents of New
Amsterdam (New York), was in-
strumental in 1656 in having
ground set aside for the first
Jewish burial ground in the city.

The Jews of Denmark
....The Jewish Community of Den-
mark, which dates back to the
early part of the seventeenth cent-
ury, now numbers some 6,000 per-
sons, nearly all of whom reside
in the capital city of Copenhagen.

Shrinks Hemorrhoids
Without Surgery

Stops Itch—Relieves Pain

For the first time science has found

a new healing substance with the as-

tonishing ability to shrink hemor-
rhoids and to relieve pain — without
surgery. In case after case, while
gently relieving pain, actual reduc-
tion (shrinkage) took place. Most
amazing of all — results were so thor.
ough that sufferers made astonishing
statements like "Piles have ceased to
be a problem!" The secret is a ne*
healing substance (Bio-Dyne6)— dis-
covery of a world-famous research
institute. This substance is now avail-
able in suppository or ointment form
called Preparation Mk At all drys

'Punters.

/