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This dedicatory building inscription was excavated near the Temple Mount and dates to the First Century BCE. An important find, it demonstrates that synagogues existed before the destruction of the Temple. Although they existed during that time, synagogues had not yet become substitutes for the Temple and its rites, but rather filled other religious and social roles.
Recorded in Greek, it reads:
"Theodotos, son of Vettenos, priest and head of the synagogue, son of the head of the synagogue, who was also the son of the head of the synagogue, build the synagogue for the reading of the Law and for the study of the precepts, as well as the hospice and the chambers and the bathing-establishment, for lodging those who need them, from abroad; it (the synagogue) was founded by his ancestors and the elders and Simonides."
Limestone dedicatory inscription currently housed in the Israel Museum, Jerusalem.
Murray, D. (2015, August 29). Theodotos Inscription. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/image/4031/theodotos-inscription/
Murray, Dana. "Theodotos Inscription." World History Encyclopedia. Last modified August 29, 2015. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/4031/theodotos-inscription/.
Murray, Dana. "Theodotos Inscription." World History Encyclopedia. World History Encyclopedia, 29 Aug 2015. Web. 20 Apr 2021.
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