In the Book of Chronicles, the families of scribes at Jabez are said to be "Kenites that come from Hammath, the father of the house of Rechab".

[4] The context in which they were built is that Tiberias became the seat of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish high court of religious law, from 193 CE to the late 4th century, when Emperor Theodosius I prohibited its activity.

[6][7] Synagogue A, as it is known to archaeologists, stood on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, some 500 metres north of the city's south wall.

[8] Next to the Torah shrine in the first panel are also other Jewish ritualistic objects: two of the four species of plants (the lulab and ethrog), the shofar horn, and incense shovel.

[citation needed] The signs are arranged counterclockwise, with four women symbolizing the manifestation of the four seasons in nature in the corners.

[8] Libra is represented by a nude male uncircumcised figure, which led to speculations that the artist was not Jewish.

[citation needed] The large inscription from the third panel mention names are of donors and consists of nine squares, two of which are dedicated to one major contributor: "Severus, the pupil of the most illustrious Patriarchs, has made this blessing.

[7] This fact, along with the depiction of the Greek god Helios and the naked figures, are not unique to this ancient synagogue and seem to indicate a degree of self-confident cohabitation of Judaism with pagan Hellenistic cultures.