ИСТИНА

The menorah or seven-branched lampstand is probably the most frequently used Jewish symbol of antiquity. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that it first appeared as a symbol on the coins of Antigonus and then as a graffity from Jerusalem much earlier than any other visual expression of Jewish identity. Much has been written on various symbolic meanings of the menorah. In the recent study devoted to the significance of the menorah Lee I.Levine pointed out that its use was very much influenced by the widely spread application of the cross in the 4-5 c CE. One can also assume, that the reverse influence is possible as well, that is, that the earlier use of the menorah might have influenced the depiction of the cross as a Christian symbol. The depiction of the Cross as the principle Christian symbol appears surprisingly late. The image of the menorah can be seen in the frescoes of the Dura-Europos synagogue and in the Roman catacombs quite early. Whereas the earliest representations of the cross first appeared in the form of different alphabetical letters, reminiscent of it, rather then the image of the cross itself. In Roman catacombs there are numerous depictions of menorahs and very few crosses. It is only in the 4 c, after the Constantine’s vision of the cross (in the form of letters), and his mothers excavation of the Cross in Jerusalem, that the concept of the cross was developed in its visual representation as an object. As part of it the image of a Cross acquired a new symbolic meaning as a notion essential for the building of a new state. It is interesting to notice that the image of the menorah had long before been associated with the Jewish state, because of its close association with the Temple and the Maccabees, who restored the Temple. It first appeared on the Antigonus coins primarily for political reason. In antiquity the menorah with its many-fold meanings and visual representation, was the first to become a symbol as we know it in medieval art. Therefore we may assume that the menorah influenced the depiction of the cross in Christian art.