Overview

The Good Samaritan Museum, Israel’s first mosaic museum and one of only three in the world, houses an indoor and outdoor collection from Judea, Samaria and Gaza. Mosaics from synagogues, the Samaritans and churches are all contained at this site which can trace it’s history to the Second Temple era.

Located in Ma’ale Adumim which marked the border between the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, it was also the site associated with the Parable of the Good Samaritan in the Christian religion.

On display for the first time is a mosaic from a Gazan synagogue as well as one from the Mount Gerizim synagogue that dates back to the 2nd and 3rd centuries BCE inscribed with the words “cohen,” “cohanim,” and other sacred words. Other mosaics on display show the seven species and Torah arks from some of the Samaritan synagogues as well as mosaics from a 4th to 6th century church in Shiloh.

See also Byzantine-era artifacts such as an ornate baluster (part of a railing), a dining table, a case for holy relics, and a carved sermon table.

The museum is located inside The Inn of the Good Samaritan, a National Park and archaeological site where there are ancient cave dwellings, cisterns, and a reconstructed Byzantine church to explore. Nearby are the Euthymius and Martyrius monasteries from the Byzantine era.

The post The Good Samaritan Museum appeared first on baruchhaba.com.