The Menorah: Evolving Into the Most Important Jewish Symbol

Erscheinungsjahr 2018
ISBN: 978-90-04-37502-4
Verlag: Brill

Buch, Englisch, 296 Seiten, Format (B × H): 226 mm x 295 mm, Gewicht: 1043 g

The Menorah, the ancient seven-armed candelabrum, was the most important Jewish symbol both in the Land of Israel and the Diaspora. The menorah was the most important of the Temple vessels and it also came to symbolize Judaism, when it was necessary to distinguish synagogues and Jewish tombs from Christian or pagan structures. This book is a continuation of Hachlili's earlier comprehensive study, The Menorah, the Ancient Seven-armed Candelabrum: Origin, Form and Significance. Brill, 2001. It entails the compilation and study of the material of the past two decades, presenting the theme of the menorah, focusing on its development, form, meaning, significance, and symbolism in antiquity.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Hachlili, Rachel

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Geschichtliche Themen Kultur- und Ideengeschichte
• Geisteswissenschaften Kunst Künstlerische Stoffe, Motive, Themen Künstlerische Stoffe, Motive, Themen: Religiöse Themen
• Geisteswissenschaften Jüdische Studien Jüdische Studien Jüdische Studien: Kult, Riten, Zeremonien

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Preface

Acknowledgments

List of Figures

Figures Credits

List of Tables

Abbreviations

Introduction

Part 1

1 Why did the Menorah and Not the Showbread Table Evolve into the Most Important Symbol of Judaism

1 The Showbread Table

2 The Menorah

2 Description of the Finds: The Menorah in the Land of Israel, the Diaspora and on Lamps

1 Menoroth in Israel

2 Menoroth in the Diaspora

3 Menoroth on Lamps

4 Concluding Numbers

3 The Form of the Menorah

1 The Base

2 The Arms

3 Light Fittings: Lamps and Glasses

In Conclusion

4 Interpretation, Meaning and Significance of the Menorah

1 The Menorah—Location and Function in the Synagogue

2 Location and Function of the Menorah in Burial and Everyday Contexts

3 The Menorah with More or Less than Seven Arms

4 Special Ornamentation in the Form of the Menorah

5 Unique Jewish Design

6 The Significance and Symbolism of the Menorah

5 The Accompanying Ritual Objects

1 The Shofar: Ram’s Horn

2 The Lulav

3 The Ethrog—a Citrus Fruit

4 The Incense Shovel

5 Other Flanking Objects

6 The Menorah as an Identifying Sign/Indicator of a Jewish Site: Synagogue, Cemetery or Other

1 Synagogues in Israel

2 Diaspora Synagogues

3 Questionable Synagogues?
4 Cemeteries

5 Shops and Stalls

In Conclusion

7 Concluding Remarks

Appendix

The Images from Rough Cilicia Identified as Menoroth

Other Images

Part 2

The Corpus

Corpus of Menoroth on Finds in Israel

Corpus of Menoroth on Finds in the Diaspora

Corpus of Menoroth on Lamps Found in Israel and in the Diaspora

1 Corpus of Menoroth on Finds in Israel

2 Corpus of Menoroth on Finds in the Diaspora

Corpus of Menoroth on Lamps Found in Israel and the Diaspora

Bibliography

Glossary

The Corpus Indexes

Index of Locations 1

Index of Locations 2

Index of Locations 3

Corpus Figures

Über Autor(innen)

Rachel Hachlili, University of Haifa, Israel, is Professor of Archaeology at that university. She has published books and articles on Jewish art and archaeology, including Ancient Synagogues - Archaeology and Art: New Discoveries and Current Research (Brill, 2013).