The Theodotus synagogue inscription
Synagogues used for scripture reading and teaching, and hosting travellers, existed in first-century Jerusalem — the institutional setting the Gospels and Acts take for granted.
Fakapapau'i 'e he keliTohi tongi makabefore AD 70
A dedication stone from a synagogue in Jerusalem, built by Theodotus for the reading of the Law and the teaching of the commandments, with lodgings for visitors from abroad. It shows a functioning synagogue with exactly the purpose the Gospels assume — in Jerusalem, before the city's destruction.
Theodotus, son of Vettenus, priest and synagogue leader… built the synagogue for the reading of the Law and the teaching of the commandments, and the guest-house and the rooms and the water installations, for the lodging of those from abroad who need it.
- Na'e 'ilo'i
- City of David, Jerusalem, 1913 — Raymond Weill's excavation
- 'Oku tauhi 'i
- Israel Museum, Jerusalem
- Lea
- Greek
- Na'e a'u mai fēfē kiate kitautolu
- Na'e keli hake, pe 'oku kei tu'u 'i he potu na'e langa ai.
Ko e me'a 'oku ne fakahā
The pre-70 dating is the mainstream view, though a minority has argued for a later date.
Founga hono ngāue'aki 'e he kau hisitōlia
Central evidence in the secular debate over the origins of the synagogue as an institution.
'I he Folofola
Fekau'aki mo
Ngaahi ma'u'anga fakamatala
- Theodotus inscription — overview and bibliography
- Levine, The Ancient Synagogue: The First Thousand Years, 2nd ed. (2005)
'Oku 'i he lea faka-Pilitānia 'a e ngaahi fakamatala ko 'eni he taimi ni. 'E muimui mai 'a e liliu.