Magdala was a major city in Second Temple times, first settled during the Hellenistic period between the 2nd to 1st century BCE. It was located by the Via Maris, the main highway linking Egypt with Syria, Anatolia and Mesopotamia. Archeological excavations have shown that this site was a thriving port city with a large harbor and warehouses, public baths, a fish-salting facility, and two synagogues. The city was largely abandoned in about 270 CE, and was further devastated by an earthquake in 363 CE. About a century later, Christian pilgrims identified it as the Magdala of the New Testament.

 

If so, Jesus of Nazareth taught here and healed a lady called Mary Magdalene. She subsequently travelled with him and was a witness to his crucifixion and burial. Christian sources from the 8th and 10th centuries CE mention a church built on Mary Magdalene’s former home. The city was destroyed by the Romans during the Great Revolt. Later Byzantine and early Islamic cities were located slightly to the north of the older city.

 

The synagogue uncovered here is the oldest synagogue discovered around Lake Kinneret, and is one of only a few synagogues found in Israel dated to before the destruction of the Second Temple. It represents, therefore, the very beginnings of the synagogue as a feature of Judaism. At this time, a synagogue may have functioned more as a community center for public meetings and a learning center for Torah readings than as a house of prayer.

 

Prior to its destruction, the Temple was considered the focus for Jewish prayer, and development of the synagogue as we know it today only took place after the destruction of the Second Temple. The synagogue was a major innovation in Jewish religious life in that it allowed everyone, rather than just a priestly class, to become involved in the public rituals of Judaism. It also permitted the development of a more personal relationship with God, as this was no longer dependent on the intervention of a priest. The church and the mosque modeled themselves on this innovation.

 

There is a stone block within the synagogue with the design of a menorah on its sides that has been called the Magdala Stone. This is the earliest menorah design seen outside of Jerusalem. It is tall enough for someone to be able to read a scroll of the law while seated.