Jewish History Logo       Jewish Family & Life! Logo  
    Jewish History Overview Ancient 1 Ancient 2 Medieval Early Modern Modern 1 Modern 2 Modern 3  
   Search: Become a Member      About Us   
Editor, H. S. (2002;2002). BAR 05:05 (Sep/Oct 1979). Biblical Archaeology Society.

Was There a Seven-Branched Lampstand in Solomon's Temple?

By Carol L. Meyers

The captured menorah from the Second Temple is depicted in bas-relief on the Arch of Titus in Rome. This famous triumphal arch commemorates the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus in 70 A.D. and, perhaps, gives us a graphic representation of the last of the series of menorahs which stood in the Second Temple. Since certain of its details differ from descriptions in Josephus and the Talmud, the complete accuracy of the menorah representation cannot be assured. Among the reasons for questioning its authenticity is that its base depicts human and animal forms, in apparent contravention of the Second Commandment.

Did Solomon's temple contain a seven-branched lampstand known as a menorah? Most people answer this question with an automatic "of course."

next page >
page 1:15

Arch of Titus
Back to Arch of Titus


Biblical Archaeology Review
This article is part of the Biblical Archaeology Review Archive CD-ROM. Click here to learn more.