Apparently meant for Gentile and Jewish children, The Chronicle’s Kid Scoop (Saturday, Nov. 24, Classifieds, page 6) gave a contemporary version for the Jewish celebration of Hanukkah. It included pictures of a nine-branched Menorah.
The book of Exodus gives the description of the first Menorah, or golden candlestick, ever made. It was put in the first Jewish tabernacle overseen by Moses — a tent made of red-dyed ram’s skins covered with badger skins. However, it was a seven-branched Menorah.
After the first permanent Temple built by Solomon had been destroyed, and many years afterward in 70 A.D., the Roman Emperor Titus destroyed the second permanent Jewish Temple in Jerusalem, which was built by Hezekiah and Zerubbabel. Titus’ soldiers took that last Menorah to Rome as one of the spoils. And, at that time, a memorial arch was built showing this.
Contrary to The Chronicle’s representation, that earliest depiction of the Menorah still found on the Arch of Titus standing today in Rome has seven candlesticks or branches, with a bowl at its base, supposed to contain the oil for the lights that were to appear on the top of the seven branches or pipes.
So, if the Menorah had seven branches from the time of Moses till the time of Titus, where did this nine-branched Menorah come from?
The Old Testament book of Zechariah describes the Menorah — again, with seven branches.
Zechariah said, “I looked, and behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl on it, and seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top ...”
The most interesting part is that Zechariah adds, “And there were two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side ...”
If these two olive trees on either side of the oil-containment bowl represent just two more branches or lamp holders, then this seven-branched Menorah has, in effect, become a nine-branched Menorah as The Chronicle depicted.
So, what is the meaning behind this?
Zechariah then questioned, “What are these two olive trees upon the right side of the candlestick and upon the left side thereof? What be these two olive branches which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of themselves?”
He is answered: ‘’These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth.”
The book of Revelation calls these two men “my two witnesses,” saying, “These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.”
Who are these two that predict seven plagues of the wrath of God that will be levied against mankind by seven angels, each before they occur, of which six are caused from the coming of the star Wormwood, and the last is caused from the revisiting of that star that came from the east — the star of the “city of David” — the star of Bethlehem? Enoch and Elijah.
Vic Khvoroff
Randle
