§ Debates · Ch. 5 · From Temple to Talmud
Who gouged out the eyes of the figures painted in the Dura-Europos synagogue?
2 positions · no single answer
Position A · held by A hypothesis mentioned by the authors
Pious Jews
Jews upset by anthropomorphic pictures inside the prayer hall would have mutilated them on taking control of the building.
Rests on: p. 129
Reads the same page as : the same source, different readings.
Statements tied to the debate
- The murals suffered violence: the eyes of some figures were gouged out. The perpetrators may have been pious Jews offended by human images, but that is speculation; noting that several mutilated figures wear Persian dress, one scholar has suggested they were Roman soldiers symbolically striking at Persian enemies.