Das Schicksal des siebenarmigen Leuchters aus dem Jerusalemer Tempel im mittelalterlichen Rom
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Matthias Morgenstern
Abstract
The Jerusalem MenorahJerusalemJerusalemSolomon’s TempleJerusalemSolomon’s TempleSeven-branched candelabrum, as depicted on the Arch of Titus in RomeRomeRomeArch of Titus, was taken as looted property in 70 CE. According to Roman historiographers, the candelabrum and other items from the Temple (most prominently the Torah scroll from the Jewish sanctuary) were displayed in VespasianVespasian, Roman Emperor’s ‘Temple of Peace’. Allegedly stolen by the Vandals in the 5th century, brought to North Africa and then to Constantinople, all traces of these treasures have long been lost. The Talmud, trying to come to terms with this loss, strictly forbids any artistic depiction of the Menorah, thus apparently closing this chapter in the history of Judaism for good. In the Middle Ages, however, the sacred objects from the former Temple (among them possibly the Menorah), are said to have reappeared in the Lateran in Rome. Astonishingly, the account of the Jewish traveller BenjaminBenjamin of Tudela of Tudela in the 12th century agrees with Christian testimony in this respect.
This chapter asks what this correspondence might have to do with the Torah scroll of the former Temple, whose fate gained new interest when alleged text variants in this scroll were discussed in the Middle Ages. It also explores why Jewish legal scholars lifted the ban on the artistic representation of the Menorah at a time when its fate, due to these circumstances, regained attention.
Abstract
The Jerusalem MenorahJerusalemJerusalemSolomon’s TempleJerusalemSolomon’s TempleSeven-branched candelabrum, as depicted on the Arch of Titus in RomeRomeRomeArch of Titus, was taken as looted property in 70 CE. According to Roman historiographers, the candelabrum and other items from the Temple (most prominently the Torah scroll from the Jewish sanctuary) were displayed in VespasianVespasian, Roman Emperor’s ‘Temple of Peace’. Allegedly stolen by the Vandals in the 5th century, brought to North Africa and then to Constantinople, all traces of these treasures have long been lost. The Talmud, trying to come to terms with this loss, strictly forbids any artistic depiction of the Menorah, thus apparently closing this chapter in the history of Judaism for good. In the Middle Ages, however, the sacred objects from the former Temple (among them possibly the Menorah), are said to have reappeared in the Lateran in Rome. Astonishingly, the account of the Jewish traveller BenjaminBenjamin of Tudela of Tudela in the 12th century agrees with Christian testimony in this respect.
This chapter asks what this correspondence might have to do with the Torah scroll of the former Temple, whose fate gained new interest when alleged text variants in this scroll were discussed in the Middle Ages. It also explores why Jewish legal scholars lifted the ban on the artistic representation of the Menorah at a time when its fate, due to these circumstances, regained attention.
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- List of Contents V
- Introduction 1
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I. Tabernacle and Temple
- Das Schicksal des siebenarmigen Leuchters aus dem Jerusalemer Tempel im mittelalterlichen Rom 3
- Priest, Temple, Jewishness, Redemption? 37
- Articulating the geometricalia of Scripture 79
- Vasari and Giambullari on the Menorah, the Tabernacle, and Bezalel 97
- Die Menora in Raffaels Vertreibung des Heliodor und Garofalos Vertreibung der Wechsler aus dem Tempel 143
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II. Image and Exegesis
- tres gradus fidelium in ecclesia 169
- Jewish and Christian Re-Imagining of the Seven-branched Lampstand in the Postilla litteralis of Nicholas of Lyra (d. 1349) 217
- Der siebenarmige Leuchter im Speculum humanae salvationis 243
- The Sanctuary’s Implements 271
- “A Secret Particularly Obscure” 307
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III. Patronage and Memoria
- Aniane and Fulda 341
- Seven-branched Candelabra in Medieval England 365
- Marienwohlde oder Mölln? 415
- Siebenarmige Leuchter im 16. Jahrhundert 443
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IV. Context and (Re-)Use
- Der siebenarmige Leuchter im Heiligtum von Mentorella (Vulturella) in Latium 475
- „Madonna del Albero, dandole tal cognome quella gran pianta“ 503
- Der siebenarmige Leuchter in der Marienkirche in Frankfurt an der Oder 543
- „den store liusestaken af bronz med dess Siu lampor“ 577
- Survivals and Revivals of the Menorah in Medieval and Early Modern European Synagogues 613
- Figures and Charts 653
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- List of Contents V
- Introduction 1
-
I. Tabernacle and Temple
- Das Schicksal des siebenarmigen Leuchters aus dem Jerusalemer Tempel im mittelalterlichen Rom 3
- Priest, Temple, Jewishness, Redemption? 37
- Articulating the geometricalia of Scripture 79
- Vasari and Giambullari on the Menorah, the Tabernacle, and Bezalel 97
- Die Menora in Raffaels Vertreibung des Heliodor und Garofalos Vertreibung der Wechsler aus dem Tempel 143
-
II. Image and Exegesis
- tres gradus fidelium in ecclesia 169
- Jewish and Christian Re-Imagining of the Seven-branched Lampstand in the Postilla litteralis of Nicholas of Lyra (d. 1349) 217
- Der siebenarmige Leuchter im Speculum humanae salvationis 243
- The Sanctuary’s Implements 271
- “A Secret Particularly Obscure” 307
-
III. Patronage and Memoria
- Aniane and Fulda 341
- Seven-branched Candelabra in Medieval England 365
- Marienwohlde oder Mölln? 415
- Siebenarmige Leuchter im 16. Jahrhundert 443
-
IV. Context and (Re-)Use
- Der siebenarmige Leuchter im Heiligtum von Mentorella (Vulturella) in Latium 475
- „Madonna del Albero, dandole tal cognome quella gran pianta“ 503
- Der siebenarmige Leuchter in der Marienkirche in Frankfurt an der Oder 543
- „den store liusestaken af bronz med dess Siu lampor“ 577
- Survivals and Revivals of the Menorah in Medieval and Early Modern European Synagogues 613
- Figures and Charts 653
