To date, fifteen Christian churches have been excavated in Jerash. Two sites in particular show how the places of worship of other religions were reused by the Christians of Jerash. They also demonstrate how the nature of that acquisition changed with time.
The two sites in question are the cathedral complex and the synagogue church. Not only do they show how abandoned sites and materials were recycled, they also demonstrate how they could be deliberately appropriated.
The Cathedral Complex and the Temple of Dionysus
The cathedral complex is located next to the temple of Artemis along the main cardo of Jerash. It is so called because it is believed to be the site of the city’s cathedral. It consists of the basilica of the supposed cathedral, whose name is lost, the Church of St Theodore and Fountain Court.
The cathedral complex was begun in the fourth century AD. It was built over the supposed pagan sanctuary of Dionysus, believed to have been abandoned by this time. The temple’s propylaea and entrance stairway survive and were re-used by the site’s Christian successors. But whilst Dionysus’s gateway remained, the rest of the site was remodelled.
The new Christian churches did not utilize any of the old temple buildings. Rather, they rebuilt completely, recycling materials from older classical buildings. Onlookers climbing the stairs of the propylaea did not face the entrance of the cathedral but a shrine set into the basilica’s wall. Dedicated to the Virgin Mary and Archangels Gabriel and Michael, the shrine was constructed from a shell niche dating to the period of the emperor Hadrian.
Inside the churches, Corinthian columns from classical buildings were used to divide the nave from the aisles. In the church of St Theodore, built in the fifth century, the door lintels were constructed from the architraves of the by then abandoned temple of Artemis.
The only visible remains of the pagan temple of Dionysus can be seen under the west porch of the church where the stylobytes of the porch columns rest on the base moulding from the temple’s podium
Fountain Court and the Rites of Dionysus
At the centre of the cathedral complex was Fountain Court, a small courtyard area complete with fountain that divided the cathedral basilica from the church of St Theodore. It is one of the few areas of the supposed temple of Dionysus to be preserved within the Christian complex, despite its association with pagan rites. This is because fountain court is a prime example of the Christianisation of pagan rituals and their venues.
The assumption that fountain court was part of the temple of Dionysus is based on textual and archaeological evidence. Although the courtyard was redesigned and resurfaced by the Christians, its origins can be dated to the second century AD and the time of Jerash’s Roman make over. The central fountain is fed off the same water conduit as the great nymphaeum further up the main cardo, suggesting that both structures are contemporary.
But how does the fountain relate to the rites of Dionysus? Various classical writers, such as Pliny describe part of the festival of Dionysus being celebrated around fountains where water was turned into wine. Brown in his work on the city cites the writer Epiphanius specifically mentioning this rite occurring in Jerash. No other structure has been found in the city that fits the bill except for fountain court.
The Christians used fountain court to rein act and commemorate Jesus’ miracle of the water and wine at the wedding in Cana. This echoes the rites of Dionysus exactly, lending further credence to the theory of the fountain’s origins. But it also shows how Christians absorbed not just pagan sites but rituals too. Perhaps by preserving popular pagan festivities within their own religion, they won further converts.
Christianity and Judaism in Jerash- The Synagogue Church
The sanctuary of Dionysus may not have been forcibly converted into a Christian site but the same cannot be said for Synagogue church.
The church, which dates to the sixth century AD, was not specially constructed. Rather, it is a conversion of a third or fourth century Jewish synagogue which was forcibly acquired, probably during the persecutions against Judaism instigated by the emperor Justinian.
The conversion from synagogue to church occurred between 530-531AD. The whole orientation of the building was shifted from east to west to accommodate the change in religion.
The western colonnade of the synagogue was demolished to create an apse and the chancel was built over the earlier synagogue vestibule. The Christian porch was built over the former house for the synagogue’s Ark of the Covenant. Even the floor of the synagogue was changed, with geometric pattern flooring overlaying the Jewish mosaics depicting Noah’s flood. Fragments of this earlier flooring have been recovered, one piece giving the name of the synagogues benefactor.
The cathedral complex demonstrates how the newly legitimate Christian religion in Jerash established itself where it could. Just over a century later, not only was Christianity acceptable, its power base was sufficiently well established to allow it to impose itself on other religions.
Sources
Browning, I, 1982. Jerash and the Decapolis. Chatto & Windus: London
Wharton, A, J, 1995. Refiguring the Post Classical City-Duras Europos, Jerash, Jerusalem and Ravenna. Cambridge University Press.
Natasha Sheldon - A writer since 2000, Natasha Sheldon holds a BA Hons in ancient history and archaeology and MA in ancient history and historiography.
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