Grigorescu, Felicia: Forme de artă în cimitire evreieşti din nord-vestul Romaniei (Satu Mare, 2013)
Glosar de termeni
primarily the phytomorphic and zoomorphic, which were legitimated by the Biblical Text. 1. Religious symbols The Menorah. Today an emblem of Israel91, the menorah, or the sevenarmed candelabrum92 93, was constantly among the Jews’ most important symbols, having profound religious significances (Pic. 43). The menorah was a cultic object built by the Jews before the construction of the Temple of Jerusalem ' and is present in the course of all the Jewish rituals. The first mention of this cultic object in the Bible94 is connected to the fact that Moses was told to make a seven-armed candelabrum, the Biblical Text making a very detailed description of the object: made of pure gold, of beaten work, with shaft, and with three branches out of the one side, and three branches of the candlestick out of the other side of the main axis, with tongs and snuff-dishes, its ornaments in the shape of the almond flower being also mentioned - although ambiguously. Because Moses did not understand the instructions he received, he was shown a fire menorah, described as a candlestick like the countenance of the One who had shown Himself on the mountain. Another biblical mention refers to the candlesticks made by King Solomon for the Temple95. They probably disappeared during the destruction of the first Temple96 97 98, as the Bible no longer makes references to them, but only names the things stolen by the Babylonians. It is believed that these had been melt, as they were no longer mentioned. As for the second Temple, the hypothesis that was taken into consideration was that it had one candelabrum only , made after Moses’ pattern, which was taken by Antiochus Epiphanes. When the Maccabees re-conquered Judea, they improvised a candelabrum of tin-covered spears, bent lamps in them, and afterwards filled them with the oil they had found and turned the lights back on. The usage of iron from the weapons for manufacturing the menorah was loathsome for the Jews, so they made another menorah out of silver, and then out of gold . The first representation known up to today appears on the coins of Antigonus Mattathias, the last representative of the Hasmonean dynasty99. An unusual form of the menorah was the one configured on the Arch of Titus, taken as pillage, whose pedestal has a heavy hexagonal shape, on two levels, uncharacteristic to the Jewish art100. The lack of stylistic unity between the basis and the head of the candelabrum was noticed, as well as of balance: the basis is a lot more out of 91 N. Badrus, Simboluri...., p. 91 92 Jean Chevalier, Alain Gheerbrant, Dicţionar de simboluri, voi. II, p. 223, Jean Chevalier, (From now on: D.S.) 93 Bible , Exodus 35: 14 94 Ibidem, 25:31-14 95 Ibidem, I Kings 7: 49, And the candlestick of pure gold, five on the right [side] and five on the left, before the oracle, with the flowers, and the lamps, and the tongs [of] gold 96 Daniel Sperber, History of The menorah, http://jewishideasdaily.com/docLib/20091207_sperber.pdf.pdf, p. 136, (From now on: Menorah...) 97 Ibidem, p. 137 98 Ibidem, p. 139 99 Ibidem, p. 140 100 Ibidem, p. 144 127
