What can the synagogues of Asia Minor tell us about the place of Jewish communities in the cities of Late Antiquity?
As part of the Jeudis de l’ÉBAF series, Fr Yunus Demirci, OFM Cap., coordinator of archaeology at the École biblique et archéologique française de Jérusalem, gave a lecture on the synagogues of Asia Minor in the late antique period on Thursday, 14 May.
How were synagogues integrated into the urban fabric of the cities of Asia Minor? What relationships did they have with their religious environment? Through an archaeological approach to these buildings, we shall seek to gain a better understanding of the place of Jewish communities in contexts marked by cultural and religious plurality, as well as the dynamics of interaction between Judaism, paganism and Christianity at the end of Antiquity.
By paying close attention to built remains, decoration and the organisation of spaces, archaeology offers a concrete insight into these historical realities. It also enables us to address broader questions concerning the visibility of communities, their integration into urban life, and the still highly topical question of forms of religious coexistence.
A full video of the lecture can be accessed here: