The wall paintings of Dura-Europos related to the bible: A comparative study of text and image

The discovery of the ancient city Dura-Europos, now in eastern Syria, was a turning point in Archaeology and art history. Hopkins, one of Dura's scholars, expressed its unearthed treasures as "An oasis of paintings springing up from the dull earth." Indeed, one of the most prominent features in Dura is its artistic riches, especially polychrome wall paintings coming from civil and religious buildings. The most noticeable among them, which is the focus of my research, is the painted synagogue and the earliest known Christian church/baptistery. This thesis investigates the mural paintings scheme of both structures in order to clarify the interaction between two different media: Text and image. The study confirmed the utilize of rabbinic literature besides the Tanakh (Holy book) in the synagogue panels. Also, it determined the great importance of the paintings in tracing the development of Jewish and Christian iconography and verified the invalidity of the hostility theory. Furthermore, the analysis of drawing style in the synagogue and Christian chapel and comparing them with other paintings in and out Dura demonstrates that the art of Dura-Europos is Durene adapted from local practices and done by local workshops. Keywords: Synagogue, church, Early Christianity, Midrash, Torah, wall paintings, Roman Period, Syria, iconography, Rabbinic Judaism, baptistery