Bryant G. Wood<\/b><\/p>\n
Ivory pomegranate bearing an 8th century BC Hebrew script. It is the only known object attributed to Solomon\u2019s Temple in Jerusalem<\/i><\/b>.<\/b><\/p>\n
Solomon\u2019s Temple (sometimes referred to as the \u201cFirst Temple\u201d) was Israel\u2019s central place of worship for about 380 years, from its construction in ca 970 BC until it was destroyed by the Babylonians in 587 BC. We know approximately where the remains are\u2014somewhere beneath the present-day platform upon which the Dome of the Rock and El-Aqsa mosques are located in the Old City of Jerusalem. Since the area is holy to Muslims, excavation is not permitted; thus it has not been possible to examine the remains of Solomon\u2019s temple firsthand. In spite of this limitation, it appears that now, for the first time, an object from Solomon\u2019s Temple has come to light.<\/p>\n
The artifact, a small ivory pomegranate, was first noticed in an antiquities shop in Jerusalem by French scholar Andre Lemaire in 1979. He published a scholarly description of his find in 1981 and a popular version in 1984 (see references). It was subsequently purchased and taken out of the country. But in 1988 the pomegranate was purchased by the Israel Museum, where it is now on display. This unique object is just under 1 3\/4 inches (43 mm) tall and a little over 3\/4 inch (21 mm) in diameter. It has a rounded body tapering toward a flat bottom pierced by a hole. The neck is narrow and tall and terminates in six petals, two of which are broken. Its shape is that of a pomegranate in its blossom stage of growth. A mature pomegranate, in contrast, is globular, with a crown of short petals.<\/p>\n
With its bright red color, sweet juicy fruit and multitudinous seeds, the <\/p>\n
BSP<\/i> 4:2 (Spring 1991) p. 37<\/p>\n
pomegranate was a common symbol of fertility in antiquity. It was widely used as a motif in the sacred and secular art of various cultures throughout the ancient Near East. A number of examples in round and representational art have been recovered in archaeological excavations. The pomegranate (rimmon<\/i> in Hebrew) is frequently mentioned in the Old Testament and is included among the seven fruits common in Israel (Dt 8:7\u20138).<\/p>\n
There are two specific references to pomegranates in connection with Solomon\u2019s Temple. First, the capitals of the two columns in front of the temple (named Jachin and Boaz) were decorated with a chain of hundreds of pomegranate-shaped links (1 Kgs 7:15\u201322, 41\u201342; 2 Chr 3:15\u201317; Jer 52:21\u201323). Secondly, the robe of the High Priest was embellished along its hem with blue, purple and red pomegranates, along with golden bells (Ex 28:33\u201334). It seems, then, that the pomegranate motif was in common use in Solomon\u2019s temple.<\/p>\n
An inscription on the shoulder of the newly-discovered pomegranate distinguishes it from similar objects. It is carefully carved in small clear letters. Based on the shape of the letters, epigraphers have dated the inscription to ca. 750 BC, sometime around the time of king Uzziah. Although a portion of the inscription is broken away, it can be reconstructed as follows: \u201cFor the house (temple) of Yahweh, holy to the priests.\u201d Yahweh, of course, was the unique name for God used only by the Israelites (see Bible and Spade<\/i>, Winter 1978, pp. 21-22). The part of the inscription broken away was, in fact, the divine name. It is quite possible that this was intentional rather than accidental.<\/p>\n
Although we can be fairly certain that the object came from the Jerusalem temple, determining how it was used is another matter. The findings of archaeology can perhaps give us some help <\/p>\n
Inscription on the shoulder of the pomegranate. The open letters were originally broken away and here have been restored. It reads \u201cFor the house (temple) of Yahweh, holy to the priests.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n
Actual-size cross-section of the ivory pomegranate. The hole in the bottom was probably for attaching it to a rod, thus forming a sceptor<\/i><\/b>.<\/b><\/p>\n
(article continued on page 39)<\/p>\n
BSP<\/i> 4:2 (Spring 1991) p. 38<\/p>\n
Pomegranate-headed scepters found in excavations. The two on the left, from a 13th-century BC temple at Lachish, are made of ivory. The two on the right, from a 13th-early 12th-century BC tomb at Tel Nami, are made of bronze<\/i><\/b>.<\/b><\/p>\n
BSP<\/i> 4:2 (Spring 1991) p. 39<\/p>\n
here. In the 1930s, a 13th-century BC Canaanite temple was excavated at Lachish.Among the finds were two ivory rods approximately 10 inches (25 cm) long, each with a pomegranate on the end. Probably our ivory pomegranate was originally attached to such a rod. How these rods functioned cannot be known for sure, but the best guess is that they were scepters. Undoubtedly they served some function in the temple service. Similar scepters have been found in a number of tombs in Cyprus and in two tombs in Israel.<\/p>\n
At Akhziv, north of Akko, three ivory pomegranates, two of them attached to reeds, were discovered in a Phoenician tomb dated to the eighth century BC. In another tomb, located at Tel Nami on the south coast of Haifa and dated to the 13th or early 12th-century BC, two pomegranate-headed scepters were found lying on the skeleton of the deceased. In this case, they were made of bronze and measure approximately 13 inches (33 cm) in length. A group of exquisite bronze incense vessels was found in the same tomb. It is believed that the person buried in the tomb was a priest and that the artifacts represent cultic implements used by him during his lifetime.<\/p>\n
Putting all this information together suggests that the inscribed ivory pomegranate was the head of a scepter which was used by priests in Solomon\u2019s temple. If so, this is the first known object to come from the temple at Jerusalem and represents one of the most important artifacts ever discovered in the Holy Land.<\/p>\n
References<\/b><\/p>\n
Michal Artzy, \u201cPomegranate Scepters and Incense Stand with Pomegranates Found in Priest\u2019s Grave,\u201d Biblical Archaeology Review<\/i> 16\/1 (1990), pp. 48-51.<\/p>\n
Nahman Avigad, \u201cThe Inscribed Pomegranate from the \u2018House of the Lord\u2019,\u201d Biblical Archaeologist<\/i> 53 (1990), pp. 157-66.<\/p>\n
Andre Lemaire, \u201cUne Inscription Paleohebraique sur Grenade en Ivoire,\u201d Revue Biblique<\/i> 88 (1981), pp. 236-39.<\/p>\n
Andre Lemaire, \u201cProbable Head of Priestly Scepter from Solomon\u2019s Temple Surfaces in Jerusalem,\u201d Biblical Archaeology Review<\/i> 10\/1 (1984), pp. 24-29.<\/p>\n
Hershel Shanks, \u201cPomegranate, Sole Relic from Solomon\u2019s Temple, Smuggled Out of Israel,\u201d Moment, the Magazine of Jewish Culture and Opinion<\/i> 13 (1988), pp. 36-43.<\/p>\n
Olga Tufnell, Charles H. Inge and Lancaster Harding, Lachish 2: The Fosse Temple<\/i>, London: Oxford University Press, 1940.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Bryant G. Wood Ivory pomegranate bearing an 8th century BC Hebrew script. It is the only known object attributed to Solomon\u2019s Temple in Jerusalem. Solomon\u2019s Temple (sometimes referred to as the \u201cFirst Temple\u201d) was Israel\u2019s central place of worship for about 380 years, from its construction in ca 970 BC until it was destroyed by … Continue reading “OBJECT
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