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time. They might have contained general compositions,
such as carpet borders, files of motifs such
as birds and animals, and compiled themes: biblical,
everyday and rural life, mythological scenes,
and Jewish iconography and symbols.
Trends and fashions could also have been
a source of influence on schemes and designs,
especially geometric and organic interlacing compositions
filled with motifs. A design of interlocking
hexagons creating various geometric shapes
such as circles, triangles, lozenges, and octagons,
filled with geometric patterns, artefacts, and animals,
appears on several pavements of churches
and synagogues. Examples are the mosaics in
Shavei Zion church (Avi-Yonah 1967: 58,59, pls.
XXXIB-XXXIII), the north aisle of Beth Loya
church (Patrich and Tsafrir 1993: 269, 270),
Horvat Berachot church, and the third panel of
the synagogue at Na#aran (fig. XI-1). The similarity
of the inhabited scroll carpets appearing
in synagogues and churches alike (pls. VI.1-12)
is further evidence of trendy compositions or of
the existence of pattern books (see Chap. VI).
The Jews gave added significance to their synagogue
floors by inserting Jewish symbols in prominent
positions in the inhabited scroll carpet, as in
the Beth-She"an, Gaza, and Ma’on synagogues.
Artists used these assumed pattern books for the
execution of designs chosen by themselves, or
more probably by patrons, donors or the community
(see Chap. XII). Presumably, pattern
books existed on several topics. The similarity of
Jewish iconography and the identical portrayal
of themes such as the Torah shrine, the Ark, the
seven-branched menorah, and the zodiac design
imply that these were copied from such pattern
books. Equally, the scenes of rural life, vintage,
and hunting, which are depicted on Christian
pavements, were possibly copied from Christian
pattern books.
It seems reasonable to assume that artists and
especially mosaicists used general copy books and
occasionally specific Jewish or Christian pattern
books for the ornamentation of synagogues and
churches. The decision on what to use was probably
made by the donors, the community representatives,
the hierarchy of the religious edifices,
or occasionally by the artists. A preference for
symbols, iconography, and special motifs can be
detected in the ornamentation of synagogues,
while an inclination for rural life, vintage, and
hunting scenes can be seen in church mosaic
pavements.
between synagogue and church 241
B. Summary and Conclusions
Comparison of the development of synagogue
and church pavement designs indicates that the
growth and evolution of each went in opposite
directions conceptually and consciously. Whenever
one religion chose to represent figurative
art, the other refrained, and vice versa (Roussin
1985: 264; Hachlili 1988: 370-374). Synagogue
pavements contain conventionalized designs and
schemes such as panels of symbolic and ritual
motifs combined with varied subjects such as
the zodiac, and heraldic scenes with inscriptions.
Most of these pavements have some symbolic
element depicted, usually the menorah, generally
in a prominent place but occasionally in the
border or in an inscription. The Jews’ deliberate
choice of symbolic elements was meant to emphasize
the distinct and independent quality of
Judaism. On church mosaics on the other hand,
personifications of natural forces, scenes of village
life, farming, hunting, animal chase, and architectural
representations are numerous. Floors
decorated with designs of medallions filled with
beasts and birds and the inhabited scroll decoration
are common to both synagogue and church
pavements, but on some Jewish symbolic panel
or motif is added.
The organization of the church field is different
from that of the synagogue: floors are divided
into geometric or organic carpets, and sometimes
sub-divided into sections by vine branches or
geometric patterns such as squares, circles, and
hexagons, all filled with beasts, birds, objects, and
plants. Several synagogue pavements are divided
into panels with the same general themes, such
as the sanctury façade, the zodiac, and a biblical
scene.
The pavements in the 4th-century Hammath
Tiberias synagogue are the first to be designed to
include prototypical figurative themes and subjects,
proving that their iconography developed
earlier than that of the churches. Such themes
begin to appear on church pavements only in
early 5th century; they differ from those of synagogues,
taking the form of genre subjects which
represented ‘the world as it is’, such as vintage
and village life. Figurative art, iconography and
symbolism, religious themes, and calendars represented
as the zodiac are introduced into the
designs on synagogue floors from the 4th century
on; biblical scenes start being used from the 5th
century. The Labours of the Months and the seasons,
as well as pagan subjects, appear on church