Sixteen years after the publication of my earlier comprehensive study, The Menorah, The Ancient Seven-armed Candelabrum. Origin, Form and Significance, Brill, Leiden-Boston-Köln 2001, I realized that a continuation was necessary. This second book would entail the compilation and study of the material of the past two decades, especially the latest finds, together with previous materials and new studies. It is my hope that it encompasses almost all finds and items of the menorah and its representation.
The geographical scope of this study covers the Land of Israel and some Jewish sites in the Diaspora. The chronological time span is the Second Temple period and Late Antiquity, the 1st century BCE until the 8th century CE.
Excavations and several corpuses of inscriptions have brought to light a large body of new material which encourages comprehensive treatment and an in-depth examination of the theme of the menorah, the seven-armed candelabrum, especially focusing on its development, form, meaning, significance and symbolism in antiquity. Various conceivable explanations of the menorah’s meaning, both symbolic and ceremonial, have been proposed. The volume attempts to establish the continuity and intricacy of this symbol, and to assess and illustrate its history and significance. Although the form of the menorah has remained essentially unchanged, this research also encountered more variety in the design of the basic shapes.
Specific topics and issues are surveyed, such as the discussion of the explicit theme of why it was the menorah that evolved into the significant symbol of Judaism rather than the showbread table; the research explores this theme from a variety of viewpoints. The menorah finds in the Land of Israel, in the Diaspora, and on lamps are reexamined, discussing the various types of items depicted with menoroth, assessing the form of the menorah and its accompanying items, as well as its meaning, interpretation, significance, and symbolism. This extensive research establishes what I hope is a conclusive case for the existence of a distinctive and most important Jewish symbol—the menorah—which survives to this day in the form of the emblem of the State of Israel.
I have sought to offer in this continuing study an assessment and evaluation of the evidence based on the comprehensive archaeological data and the ornamentation of epigraphic data; to indicate valuable insights into the theme, clarifying and resolving specific problems; and also to organize the material into a corpus that might be of use for further study.
This book study, like the previous one, is divided into two distinct parts, the first—seven chapters comprising the research, discussion, interpretation and meaning of the finds, and the second consisting of a comprehensive corpus presenting all the most current menoroth found in Israel, in the Diaspora and on lamps. This book corpus includes 465 items.