Original sentence: It contains a forecourt and house of assembly with frescoed walls depicting people and animals, and a Torah shrine in the western wall facing Jerusalem.It is thought that the Synagogue was used in part as an instructional display to educate and teach the history and laws of the religion.Some think that this synagogue was painted in order to compete with the many other religions practiced in Dura Europos.The  commandment prohibiting "graven images" was not being extended by Dura-Europos' Jews to all pictorial representations.The large-scale pictorial art in the synagogue helps to dispel narrow interpretations of historically prohibited visual images.The painted scenes of stories include Moses receiving the Law, Moses leading the Hebrews out of Egypt, and many others.The world's oldest preserved Jewish synagogue was dated by an Aramaic inscription to 244
Edited sentence: It contained painted scenes of Old Testament stories including Moses receiving the Law, Moses leading the chosen people out of Egypt, and others.Judaism is a rather scholarly religion, and it is thought that the Synagogue was used in part as an instructional display to educate and teach the history and laws of the religion.Judaism is often traced to  a covenant made between God and Abraham.Some think that this synagogue was painted in order to compete with the many other religions practiced in Dura.The promise God made Abraham was that he would give "seed like unto the stars", or endless descendants, and a Promised Land if his people would cease the practice of worshipping idols.This structure is based on the Jewish religion, which is a monotheistic religion