Steven Fine's The Menorah, From the Bible to Modern Israel, published by Harvard University Press in 2016, is a scholarly cultural history of the Temple menorah, tracing its depiction on the Arch of Titus commemorating Rome's looting of the object in 70 CE and following the long, disputed history of traditions about where the menorah went afterward. Fine is a historian of Judaism who directed technical imaging studies of the Arch of Titus relief itself as part of his research. Its strength is that it combines close study of the primary physical evidence, the Arch's own carving, with the full documentary trail of later legend about the menorah's fate. Its limit is that where the actual menorah ended up after 70 CE is genuinely unknown and has been for centuries, so Fine's book traces the history of claims about it rather than settling the object's true fate, and a claim about its final location should be presented as legend, not established fact.
Facts
Assessment
Reliability Tier1
Steven Fine's The Menorah, From the Bible to Modern Israel, published by Harvard University Press in 2016, is a peer reviewed scholarly cultural history combining close study of the Arch of Titus relief with the full documentary trail of later legend, treated at the top tier. NotesMonograph on the Temple menorah, its depiction on the Arch of Titus in Rome, its looting in 70 CE and the history of the traditions about its later fate.
Citation
AuthorSteven Fine
PublisherHarvard University Press
Publication Year2016
Source Typeacademic monograph
Cross-Tradition Connections
Associated With
This source names Israel directly: "The Menorah, From the Bible to Modern Israel, published by Harvard University Press in 2016, is a scholarly cultural history of the Temple menorah, tracing its depiction on the Arch of Titus..."
Claims Backed By This Source (20 claims)
This source backs 20 claims across the atlas. As facts: 13 well-attested, 1 scholarly debate. As cited relationships: 4 holds. Plus 2 entities citing it as a general reference with no single fact or relationship attached.
Disposition By Topic
- Artifacts & Relics, 9 claims: 4 well-attested, 1 scholarly debate, 3 holds, 1 general references.
- Sources, 8 claims: 7 well-attested, 1 holds.
- Articles, 2 claims: 2 well-attested.
- Historical Figures, 1 claims: 1 general references.
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