Bet Sheʿarim

Bet Sheʿarim

▪ Israel
      agricultural cooperative settlement (moshav) and archaeological site in northern Israel, near the western end of the Plain of Esdraelon. Ancient Bet Sheʿarim (Hebrew: House [of the] Gates), about 3 mi (5 km) east-northeast of the modern settlement (founded in 1936), is frequently mentioned in rabbinic sources. These recount that Rabbi Judah ha-Nasi (c. AD 135–220) presided over the Sanhedrin, or supreme Jewish rabbinical tribunal there, and that upon his death his remains were transferred to Bet Sheʿarim for burial. In the following two centuries the town became the central necropolis of Jewry (Jew). The bodies of prominent Jews who died abroad were brought to Bet Sheʿarim for burial. Destroyed in the 4th century, the site lay forgotten for centuries, until rediscovered in 1875. Excavations, begun in 1936 under the auspices of the Jewish Palestine Exploration Society, revealed the ruins of one of the largest synagogues of ancient Palestine (now partially restored), destroyed in 352.

      Burial at Bet Sheʿarim was in elaborate catacombs, of which more than 20 have been discovered. The sarcophagi there and the catacomb walls have funerary inscriptions in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek and are a valuable primary source for Jewish history of the Talmudic period. The presence of many decorative motifs on the sarcophagi, contrary to the Mosaic Law, shows strong Hellenistic influence among the Jews of the period. Bet Sheʿarim is frequently called Sheikh Abreiq in archaeological literature.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • BET SHE'ARIM — (Heb. בֵּית שְׁעָרִים; Gr. Besara), ancient city on the southern slopes of Lower Galilee situated on the hill of al Sheikh Burayk (near Kiryat Tivon on the Nazareth–Haifa road). Although settlement at Bet She arim apparently started during the… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Bet Sche'arim — Eingangsportal einer Grabkammer Bet Sche arim (hebräisch בית שערים; durch die Übertragung aus dem Hebräischen auch in abweichenden Schreibungen) ist eine archäologische Stätte im Norden Israels. Die Ausgrabungen sind heute Teil eines israelischen …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Beit She'arim National Park — Beit She arim ( he. בֵּית שְׁעָרִים), also known as Beth She arim, is the archeological site of a Jewish town and necropolis. The site is part of the Beit She arim National Park, which borders the town of Kiryat Tiv on on the northeast and is… …   Wikipedia

  • Beit She'an — Hebrew transcription(s)  – Hebrew בֵּית שְׁאָן  – ISO 259 Beit Šˀan  – Translit …   Wikipedia

  • HISTORY — For Prehistory see archaeology ; for Biblical and Second Temple periods, see history . Destruction of the Second Temple until the Arab Conquest (70–640 C.E.) THE EFFECTS OF THE WAR OF 66–70 C.E. The Jewish war against the Romans, which lasted… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • POPULATION — THE JEWISH POPULATION Growth by Aliyah In 1882 the Jewish population of Ereẓ Israel numbered some 24,000, roughly 5% of the total, and about 0.3% of the world Jewish population. Since then there has been an almost continuous flow of aliyah, which …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • JUDAH HA-LEVI BEI-RABBI HILLEL — JUDAH HA LEVI BEI RABBI HILLEL, medieval paytan, some of whose work was recently discovered in the Cairo Genizah. Judah s piyyutim are based on customs prevailing in Ereẓ Israel, which would indicate that he lived there or in Egypt, where there… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Islamic glass — Egyptian mosque lamp, 1360. The influence of the Islamic world to the history of glass is reflected by its distribution around the world, from Europe to China, and from Russia to East Africa. Islamic glass developed a unique expression that was… …   Wikipedia

  • ARABIA — ARABIA, the Arabian Peninsula. Arabia attained a high level of civilization and culture continuing from antiquity until the rise of Islam in the seventh century C.E. In its southwestern part several developed states existed (see Ḥimyar ); the… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Judah ha-Nasi — /hah nah see / A.D. c135 c210, Jewish rabbi and scholar. Also, Judah Hanasi. Also called Judah I. * * * born AD 135 died с 220 Palestinian Jewish scholar. A descendant of the great sage Hillel, he was patriarch of the Jewish community in… …   Universalium

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”