stephan huller

I am also going to send it to my Samaritan friend in Holon. He might know what it is saying. Here is a more comprehensive diagram of Samaritan letters:





There is a bit (bet) right under the menorah.

XKV8R

all,

i've been looking at the photos linked by jim davila here:
(blog, image), or see the first image stephan huller posted above.

i note that the candleabrum/hanukiah in the picture is 9-branched (8 + shamash), not the typical 7-branched menorah that we find depicted, for instance, on the arch of titus, which was erected in 82 ce long after the maccabean revolt.

were these 9-branched hanukiot typical at this time? if not, would the presence of a 9-branched hanukiah in this text be evidence of an anachronism, and therefore a forgery?

or would this have to be the earliest example of a 9-branched hanukiah?

if anyone knows of an earlier or contemporary hanukiah, i'd be interested to learn.

-bc

stephan huller

I only see seven in the second image. If you were right this would not be Samaritan. Samaritans only have the seven branched ones.

stephan huller

The shape of the nine branched menorah is weird. The lowest branch on the left side seems not to have a companion on the right side. It just juts out of the object independent of the order of the rest. Actually its very strange. The object is assymetrical.

Toto

The image above looks like it only has 7 branches, but if you go to the image posted by Jim Davila and enlarge it a bit, you can see what appear to be 9 branches.

XKV8R

right, and the second one from the center on the right doesn't seem to connect to the trunk. even if these are decorations, letters, etc., the menorah would be weirdly spaced, no?

XKV8R

i've been running filters to check for image manipulation.

stephan huller

The origin of the nine branch menorah is rooted in the fact that Hanukah commemorates the miracle that a day's worth of oil for this menorah lasted eight days. It might be symbolic. It might be a forgery. But I still think the construction of the nine branches is unique. It is assymetrical. This might argue for originality.

stephan huller

If you look at the image the top two branches are symetrical (i.e. at the very core). Usually there is one in the center rather than a pairing of two. Then going outward (i.e. to bigger branches) the next layer has three branches on the right side for one on the left (!!). A seeming symetrical left-right branch and then an addition off the left side of this pairing to make another branch. Very atypical. This is something very strange.

stephan huller

For what it is worth there are three passages which are practically identical in the Talmud which state that no one should make a house like the Temple, or a table like the sacred table in the Temple, or a menorah [the seven branched lampstand like that in the Temple, or of whatever material (Menahoth, 28b; Abodah Zarah, 43a; Rosh Hashanah, 24ab)]. To avoid such imitations, it is stated that one may make a menorah of five, six or eight branches, but not one of seven.