Summary: A rare 1,700-year-old oil lamp decorated with a Temple menorah was recently uncovered during excavations near the Mount of Olives.
[Moses] put the lampstand in the tent of meeting, opposite the table on the south side of the tabernacle, and set up the lamps before the Lord, as the Lord had commanded Moses. – Exodus 40: 24-25 (ESV)
Oil Lamp with Jewish Symbols
A 1,700-year-old ceramic oil lamp, decorated with distinct Jewish Temple symbols including a unique menorah, has been uncovered in Jerusalem, announced the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) last month.
The rare lamp, dated to the late Roman period, was discovered in remarkable condition during an archaeological excavation on the Mount of Olives, a ridge just east of Jerusalem’s Old City. Visible soot marks on the spout confirm that it was used as a light source.
This is an exceptional find given the scarcity of evidence for Jewish settlement in Jerusalem at this period in time, since the Jewish people had been evicted from the city as a result of the Bar Kokhba revolt in AD 135.
Seven-Branched Temple Menorah
“The artistic quality of the candle, which was found intact, is extraordinary and rare in its quality,” says Michael Tchernin, director of the excavation for the IAA.
The intricate Jewish artwork decorating the lamp relates to services in the Jewish Temple. In the lamp’s center is a distinctive menorah with seven branches that was specifically used in the Temple. In contrast, nine-branched menorahs are used during Hanukkah, the Jewish holiday commemorating the miracle of a single jar of oil staying lit for eight days.
Decorative elements on the clay lamp also feature a censer or incense shovel used by Temple priests when making offerings. Opposite to the censer is a lulav, the date palm frond associated with the holiday of Sukkot which celebrates the harvest and the wandering of the Israelites in the desert for 40 years.According to the Bible, the menorah was made of pure gold and the only source of fuel was fresh olive oil. Specific instructions were given for how it was to be made with seven branches, along with its ornamental features.
Make a lampstand [menorah] of pure gold. Hammer out its base and shaft, and make its flowerlike cups, buds and blossoms of one piece with them. Six branches are to extend from the sides of the lampstand—three on one side and three on the other. – Exodus 25:31-32
Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron and say to him, When you set up the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light in front of the lampstand.” And Aaron did so: he set up its lamps in front of the lampstand, as the Lord commanded Moses. – Numbers 8:1-3
The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Command the people of Israel to bring you pure oil from beaten olives for the lamp, that a light may be kept burning regularly. Outside the veil of the testimony, in the tent of meeting, Aaron shall arrange it from evening to morning before the Lord regularly. It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations. – Leviticus 24:1-3 (ESV)
Originally, the menorah was constructed for the tabernacle at Mount Sinai. When Solomon constructed the Temple in Jerusalem, he made ten menorahs for it –
five for the south side and five for the north (Kings 7:48-49). These were presumably cut into pieces and carried off to Babylon with the destruction of the First Temple around 586 BC (2 Kings 24:13).
Seven-branched lamp stands were constructed when the second Temple was built after the return from exile in Babylon. However, these were seized by Antiochus IV Epiphanes when he desecrated the Temple. The construction of at least one new menorah was ordered by Judas Maccabeus, and this presumably carried over into Herod’s massive upgrade of the Temple in the first century before being taken away by the Romans (see below).
Roman Suppression of Judaism
Tchernin emphasized the rare nature of this discovery dating to the Roman period saying, the find is “particularly surprising, since we have very little evidence of the existence of a Jewish settlement in and around Jerusalem” at this time period.
The Jews had been expelled from Jerusalem by Roman emperor Hadrian after the defeat of the Bar Kokhba revolt in 135 AD. The Romans tried to suppress Judaism in the city, but the lamp shows the persistence of Jewish belief there in the centuries that followed.
“The candle from the Mount of Olives may be material evidence which opens a window to the possibility of a Jewish presence around Jerusalem in the 3rd-4th centuries,” said Tchernin.
Beit Natif Candles (Lamps)
The Mount Olives lamp belongs to a type known as “Beit Natif candles/lamps.” This style was named after the 1930s discovery of a production house in the area of present-day Beit Shemesh, located about 20 miles west of Jerusalem.
Beautiful geometric patterns decorate the spout and shoulders of the lamp, surrounding a three-legged base menorah with seven branches in the center. Oil candles with menorah decorations are extremely rare, and only a few of them are known in the state treasury, let alone candles of the Beit Natif variety.
“It is clear that the potter who created the candle devoted time and effort to its decoration,” said archaeologist Benjamin Storchen. “The candle was prepared in molds made of soft limestone, with the decoration appearing on it carved into the inside of the mold using drills and chisels. The molds were made of two parts (upper and lower). To create the candle, the potter attached the soft clay to the sides of the mold, and after the two parts of the candle dried, they were joined together. Finally, the vessel was assembled and could be used.”
This method of using molds to make lamps allowed for more meticulous design, as well as the addition of delicate and detailed decorations. “The Temple menorah was a Jewish symbol as early as the Second Temple period. However, after the destruction of the Temple, the image of the menorah became an important icon in the collective memory of the Jews in Israel and in the Diaspora,” continued Storchen.
“Sometimes, the image of the menorah appeared on personal objects such as oil candles, which, being lighting devices, perhaps evoked a sense of actually lighting the menorah,” said Storchen. Artistic Temple symbols carry deep significance and reflect the intricate connection between everyday life and religious observance among Jerusalem’s ancient inhabitants. “It seems that the lamp belonged to a Jew, who purchased it because of its religious affiliation and memorial to the Temple,” he added.
Arch of Titus and the Menorah
The Arch of Titus was constructed by Emperor Domitian in 81 AD to commemorate the victory of Titus over the Jewish rebellion in Judaea. The arch contains panels showing the triumphal procession, which took place in 71 AD, after the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple.
The distinctive seven-branched Temple menorah is depicted on the arch, among the treasures being carried away from Herod’s Temple. This menorah became a symbol of the Jewish people and served as a model for the menorah used as the emblem of the State of Israel.
The menorah was reportedly taken to Carthage after the sacking of Rome in 455 by the Vandals, a Germanic people from what is today Poland. Byzantine historian Procopius reported that it was recovered in 533 by the Byzantine army and brought to Constantinople, then later returned to Jerusalem. No clear evidence of its location has been recorded since late antiquity. Many theories have been given, but its eventual fate remains a mystery.
Bar Kokhba Jewish Revolt
The Bar Kokhba revolt of 135 AD was the third major Jewish uprising against Roman rule. It is described by both Roman historians and Jewish sources. Jewish military commander Simon Bar Kokhba led the rebellion, which was initially successful, but ended when he was killed at a stronghold in the Judean Mountains.
In response, Emperor Hadrian ordered the restriction of Jewish worship and the expulsion of many Jews from Jerusalem as punishment, in addition to the half a million or so killed in the uprising.
Hadrian then renamed Jerusalem “Aelia Capitolina” (Aelius was his family name) and ordered the Roman province of Judaea to be called “Syria Palaestina,” a name derived from the Philistines, who had been enemies of the ancient Israelites.
While Jewish worship in the region was heavily restricted after Hadrian, a few surviving artifacts, such as the recently discovered oil lamp, indicate that Roman attempts to suppress the religion were not a complete victory.
This period will be one of the historical eras featured in Part 2 of the Israel Dilemma, a film which will cover the history of the Jewish people from Roman times until today. This production is waiting for more funding before moving ahead with editing and the other post-production tasks needed for completion. Donations are needed and greatly appreciated.
Mount of Olives Archaeological Site
The oil lamp was discovered just a few months ago during an archaeological dig on the Mount of Olives, named for the olive groves grown there. To this day, there is an olive tree over 2,000-years-old on the hillside. The Mount of Olives is a mountain range that is made up of three peaks located on the Eastern border of Jerusalem. The highest peak is 2,684 feet and offers a scenic view of Old Jerusalem.
The Mount of Olives is a sacred Biblical location, mentioned in both the Old and New Testaments. King David went to the Mount of Olives after fleeing from his son Absalom.
But David went up the ascent of the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went, barefoot and with his head covered. And all the people who were with him covered their heads, and they went up, weeping as they went. – 2 Sam. 15:30 (ESV)
Jesus taught on the Mount of Olives and often went there to pray (John 8:1). On this hill, Jesus was arrested and later ascended into heaven after his resurrection (Luke 22:39-54; Acts 1:9-12).
And Jesus came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him. – Luke 22:38-40) (ESV)
According to Zech. 14, the Mount of Olives is also where the second coming of Jesus will occur.
On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley, so that one half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half southward. – Zech. 14:4 (ESV)
Many Jewish people throughout history have requested to be buried on the Mount of Olives because they believe that is where the Messiah will come. To this day, many graves line the hillside.
Conclusion
Heritage Minister Rabbi Amichai Eliyahu emphasized how this unique artifact, the Mount Olives oil lamp, creates a tangible link between past and present, embodying the enduring connection between the Jewish people, their heritage, and the Temple’s legacy.
“Just as today, many of us hold objects of Jewish significance, so does the candle holder, some two hundred years after the destruction of the Temple,” said the researchers.
The lamp was first displayed during the past Hanukkah festival in December 2024 at a special exhibition hosted at the National Campus for the Archaeology of Israel in Jerusalem in honor of the heritage conference organized by the Ministry of Heritage.
Keep Thinking!
TOP PHOTO: Close-up of the ancient oil lamp unearthed in Jerusalem, decorated with a menorah, incense shovel and lulav. (credit: Emil Aladjem/IAA)
