Meyers, Strange, Meyers, and Hanson (1979) reported strong evidence for destruction at the end of Late Roman Stratum VIb due to the northern Cyril Quake of 363 CE. They noted that coin evidence “may extend at the latest until 365 CE” in the western corridor and that the ceramic repertoire matched that of Meiron Stratum IV and Khirbet Shema Stratum IV, indicating a clear Late Roman ceramic continuity. They further observed that Stratum VII, representing the Byzantine period, began after the 363 CE earthquake and was marked by localized repairs within the building. According to Eric M. Meyers in Stern et al. (1993 v. 2), these repairs included significant reinforcements made to corners, stylobates, and walls, with many architectural fragments repurposed and a smaller bema replacing the earlier, larger one along the southwest interior wall.

Their reference to coins “extending at the latest until 365 CE” may be problematic as it appears to provide a terminus post quem slightly later than the northern Cyril Quake of 363 CE. Chronological difficulties, however, extend beyond this issue. Magness (2001a) re-examined the stratigraphy presented in Meyers, Meyers, and Strange (1990) and, based on numismatic and ceramic evidence, argued that a synagogue was not built on the site until no earlier than the second half of the 5th century CE. Although she acknowledged the presence of earthquake damage, she linked it to a later event, sometime after abandonment in the 7th or 8th centuries CE. Strange (2001) and Meyers (2001) rebutted Magness (2001a), to which Magness (2001b) responded.

Netzer (1996) reviewed the original reports and, while accepting the dating of the material remains, concluded that only one synagogue was constructed at Gush Halav — in the first half of the 4th century CE — and that its destruction should be attributed to the 551 CE Beirut Quake. He found no evidence for seismic damage from 363 CE in the material record.