Ancient Synagogue Land Survey Inscription from Crocodilopolis, Egypt: 113 BC

Ancient Synagogue Land Survey Inscription from Crocodilopolis, Egypt: 113 BC

Synagogue Inscriptions from the Oldest Synagogues in the world

Crocodilopolis, Egypt: 113 BC

A. Synagogue Inscription:

1. Inscription text:

a. Col. II: “Situated to the north, a sacred garden the property [total: 2.5 acres] of Hermione daughter of Apollonides (5 13/32 arourai). Of these a quarter (of an aroura) is occupied by a storehouse, 1/32 by an empty dovecote, and 5 1/8 are waste land. Neighbours: to the south, waste land belonging to Demetrios the Thracian; to the north, a prayer hall¹ [proseuche]; to the west the city boundary; to the east the canal of Argaitis. Situated to the north, a Jewish prayer hall [proseuche] represented by Pertollos, and a sacred garden cultivated by a tenant, Petesouchos son of Marres, of 3 13/16 arourai and 1 1/2 arourai [1 acre] planted with flowers and vegetables. Neighbours: to the south Hermione daughter of Apollonides; to the north and west the city boundary; to the east the canal of Argaitis. Situated to the north, and narrowing to the west outside the city for 4 1/2 schoinia, Sarapion, who holds from the Queen 1 aroura of sacred land, of which half is occupied by empty houses, and half is unoccupied”

b. Col. III: “Neighbours; to the south the Jewish prayer hall¹ [proseuche]; to the north and west the city boundary; to the east the canal of Argaitis. Northwards as far as the city boundary...”

2. Epigraphic Evidence: Greek Synagogue text on papyrus

3. Provenance: Tebtunis, Egypt, 1902 AD

4. Current location: P.Tebt.0085, Bancroft Library, Berkley University.

5. Synagogue Occupation Date (SOD) = Excavation date + Inscriptional date + Literary date = 240 BC

a. SOD computation system details

b. Excavation date: none

c. Inscriptional date: Crocodilopolis 240 BC

d. Literary date: 113 BC and Crocodilopolis 113 AD

6. Contemporary Rulers: Ptolemy IX Soter II King of Ptolemy (116-107 BC)

7. References:

a. CPJ: Corpus Papyrorum Judaicarum, Tcherikover, vol 1, no. 1.134, 1957 AD

8. Related Literary references:

a. Acts 16:13

b. Philo, Embassy 132-134

c. Josephus, Life 277

9. Further documentation and comments:

a. This papyrus is a record of a land survey.

b. This is probably the same Synagogue as in the Synagogue inscription that dates to 240 BC and also one of the two synagogues referenced in the papyrus of 113 AD around the time of Trajan.

c. Synagogue inscription at Crocodilopolis 240 BC

d. This Synagogue papyrus references two different synagogues in 113 AD at the time of Trajan: Crocodilopolis 113 AD

B. Inscription footnotes:

1. Lit. proseuche = house of prayer, synagogue

2. The land and outbuildings of the “Synagogue plantation”: This was probably typical of all synagogues everywhere.

a. The “Synagogue plantation” is about 2.5 acres in total size.

b. A formal Synagogue building called a “prayer hall”

c. a sacred garden for flowers and vegetables cultivated by a tenant who lived in a house on site

d. a storehouse

e. an unused dovecote

f. waste land

g. sacred land

h. several additional guest houses, half of which were occupied for visiting preachers or other important out of town guests.

By Steve Rudd 2017: Contact the author for comments, input or corrections

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