If they cannot, one wonders if perhaps they are too young for the stories.Īdult readers wishing to familiarize children with some of the Christian Bible stories will find greater satisfaction looking elsewhere. Children old enough to be told these stories are also capable of understanding more than this book presents. The life of Jesus is told from his birth, moving on to his message of love and the multiplication of the loaves and fish, and ending with his resurrection and ascension. These tales have been simplified to the point of near meaninglessness. Other Old Testament stories included are Noah’s Ark, Moses, and David and Goliath. Brown-haired, olive-skinned Adam and Eve stand behind a bush surrounded by incongruous flora and fauna that include an elephant, a monkey, what looks like an Easter bunny, a palm tree, an apple tree, and daisies. Creation is told in three lines that feel more like an introduction to the concept of God than a Bible story. The site is being handed over to the Israeli Antiquities Authority and the Jewish National Fund which plan to transform it into a unique tourist attraction.Nine stories taken from both the Old Testament and the New Testament are introduced to the youngest readers in this board book.Ī child-friendly cover depicts Noah and his ark in bright, cartoony artwork and sets the tone for the greatly simplified stories presented inside. The one built over it is the only known synagogue from the Mamluk Period uncovered in Israel. Architecturally, the original synagogue is similar to the one at Capernaum. The excavations show that Huqoq was growing throughout the 4th, 5th, and 6th centuries, and the size of the mosaic means it was a fairly prosperous village, Professor Magness explained. My impression from the archaeology was always exactly the opposite, that the settlements continued to prosper and flourish.” “Many of my Israeli colleagues think that Christian rule was oppressive to the Jews and that these early Jewish settlements declined, and some even disappeared. The Times Of Israel reports Professor Magness concedes the mosaics were an accidental discovery after she was originally drawn to the site for very different reasons that focused on the impact of early Christian rule, and what happened to Jewish villages as Christianity became more widespread. “There is no other synagogue like this anywhere in Israel that has so many different mosaics with so many different Biblical themes and parallels,” said Professor Magness, adding that while “the mosaics get the publicity, we have huge quantities of other artifacts, including pottery, coins, boxes of animal bones, and glass fragments” The building itself features unique architecture including columns still retaining some of their original, colourful plaster paintings. Numerous animals are featured such as a tiger hunting an ibex, plus lions and bulls.“ Also illustrated are Noah’s Ark, the Tower of Babel, the splitting of the Red Sea, Moses’s spies in Canaan, the oasis of Elim from Exodus and Jonah being swallowed by a fish. The incredibly well-preserved depictions include scenes from the Book of Judges such as Samson with foxes and carrying the Gaza gate, judge Deborah and Kenite woman Yael killing Canaanite general Sisera. The Times Of Israel writes that the entire 20×14 metre floor is covered in vibrant mosaics illustrating Biblical scenes and ornate designs from the period. This year the team finished its dig on the interior of the Late Roman synagogue and the Mamluk synagogue from the 14th century that was built on top of it. Professor Jodi Magness, an archaeologist and professor of early Judaism at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, has been excavating the site every northern summer since 2011, except for two years during the pandemic, supported by an international team of experts, students, and volunteers. A Roman-era mosaic portraying multiple Biblical characters and stories has been unearthed in the ruins of a 1,600-year-old synagogue at Huqoq in Israel’s Galilee region.
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