AFTER THE DESTRUCTION OF THE SECOND TEMPLE
Emerging From the Same Ground
Jewish Synagogues and Christian Churches
When the Jews lost their central place of worship with the destruction
of the Second Temple in 70 CE, they were forced to find alternatives.
It took more than two centuries for synagogues to reach the
typical architectural form we know. These houses of prayer where people
gathered to study and analyze the scriptures would become the
centre of their spiritual lives. Close to one hundred synagogues, most
of them dating from the 4th to the 7th century CE, have been unearthed
in Galilee, in the Golan and in Judea.
The first churches were also established around the same period.
Once the Roman Emperor Constantine I converted to Christianity in 312,
Christians no longer had to hide for fear of Roman persecution.
With their roots in the same ground, Judaism and Christianity
each gradually developed their own symbols.
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