Temple treasure of Jerusalem

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The silver money of the temple: pyxis with Tyrian shekels and coins from the Jewish War , found in Jerusalem ( Israel Museum )

The temple treasure of Jerusalem (Hebrew: קרבן korban , Aramaic: קרבנא korbana ; as a foreign word in Greek sources: κορβᾶν, κορβανᾶς or κορβωνᾶς) consisted of silver money and valuable objects that were deposited in the Jerusalem temple. The word korban actually means the consecration, but became the terminus technicus for the temple treasure.

Composition of the temple treasure

  • The basis of the temple treasure was silver money: the temple tax levied in the form of Tyrian shekels was a poll tax paid by Jews from across the diaspora to the Jerusalem temple. This temple income was relatively independent of local crises; thereby the temple accumulated much capital. (The fact that there was a lot of silver in Jerusalem at the turn of the century due to the pilgrimage at the temple was confirmed by an analysis of clay vessels from 38 excavation sites throughout Israel: the Jerusalem ceramic contained considerably more silver residues than the comparison samples. The silver had got into the ceramic via the groundwater .)
  • Sacrifices were also given to the temple from all over the Mediterranean.
  • Third, the temple treasure was also the repository of private treasures of wealthy Jerusalem families. According to Josephus, "large sums of money, large quantities of clothes and other valuables were stored there." ( Bellum 6,5,2)
  • The temple treasure in the broader sense finally included the cult objects made of precious metal, which were carried as booty on the triumphal procession of Titus and are depicted on the Arch of Titus : the golden menorah , the golden showbread table , the two silver temple trumpets .

The Jerusalem temple as an economic center

As a result of the cult centralization under Josiah , the temple in Jerusalem rose to become an economic center: "In this sense, it served as a treasury, bank, tax office and (from the Persian period) as a mint." Neh 10.39-40  LUT describes the different goods were stored in the treasury of the Second Temple during the Persian period. In the period that followed, the temple tax flowing to Jerusalem from all over the diaspora became the most important component of the temple treasures.

In Hellenistic times

For the time of the Seleucid reign one is dependent on the Maccabees , which, however, do not offer an objective representation of the conditions before the Maccabees uprising. It can be seen that the temple treasure was included as a resource in the power struggle between two Jerusalem families, the Oniads and the Tobiads.

Under Seleucus IV , a certain Simon was the financial administrator of the temple (προστάτης τοῦ ἱεροῦ). He suggested to the strategist of Koilesyria and Phenicia that surplus money, which is not necessary for the cult, be taken from the Jerusalem temple treasure and handed over to the king, since he would also take care of the cult ( 2 Makk 3,6  LUT ). The intention was to the high priest Onias III. to bring into distress; But this managed to convince the royal ambassador Heliodorus that the money deposited in the temple belonged to widows and orphans as well as Hyrcanus.

Menelaus, a member of the Jerusalem priestly aristocracy, made a promise to Antiochus IV in 172 BC. An increase in the tribute by 300 talents in return for the office of high priest. When Menelaus fell behind with these payments, he was initially able to defuse the situation by bribing the responsible officer Andronikos with temple inventory ( 2 Makk 4,32  LUT ). Andronikos fell from grace for other reasons and was executed. Antiochus now insisted on the reimbursement of the promised sum by Menelaus, and Menelaus neither wanted nor was able to pay the amount from his private assets, nor raise it through a levy from the Jerusalem upper class. So Lysimachus, the brother of Menelaus, with his knowledge, took a sum of money from the temple treasure.

In the kingdom of Herod

Since Herod himself did not come from a priestly family, it was of crucial importance to his rule to control the occupation of the high priesthood. Herod used the temple treasures to finance his new temple.

When the Mint of Tire in 19 BC BC stopped the production of silver shekels, Herod bought this city's right to mint and transferred it to the Jerusalem temple, where Tyrian shekels were minted from then on, the temple's currency. The Jerusalem mint can be identified (according to Yaakov Meshorer ) by the Greek letters ΚΡ (abbreviation of KΡΑΤΟΣ, “rule”) embossed on the coins.

In the Roman province of Judea

Control of the temple treasure

The temple supervision (ἐξουσία τοῦ ναοῦ) was always held by the highest ranking Herodian for life. This arrangement was introduced by Emperor Claudius . It was advantageous for the Roman central government because a possible area of ​​conflict was defused, also for the Jewish population, as it was a reminiscence of the country's former independence; but it limited the power of the Roman provincial governors. That contradicted, so that their self-image Pontius Pilate and Gessius Florus defied the regulation and withdrawals the temple treasury money, which in each case led to serious unrest.

Administration of the temple treasures

The temple captain (סגן sagan ) commanded guards who (in addition to other control tasks on the temple area) guarded the temple treasures. The treasurers (גזברים gizbarim ) were responsible for the sanctuary's finances ; the אמרכלין ammarkelin were probably employed in a subordinate position in the financial administration.

Storage of the temple treasure

In the Herodian Temple , the temple house was used to store the temple treasures. According to the Mishnah (Middot IV 3) there were a total of 38 cells on several floors on the north, south and west sides; on the east side was the large entrance portal. The Mishnah (Schekalim V 6) also mentions two chambers: one chamber functioned as a kind of social fund into which anonymous donors paid and from which impoverished members of noble families were supported. The other chamber was used to hold ritual devices that were dedicated to the temple by believers; the treasurers examined these gifts to see if they should be used in cult, otherwise they were sold and the proceeds donated to the temple treasury.

Use of the temple treasure

The most important task was to maintain the cult. In addition, there were a number of other uses that were considered legitimate by the Jewish population, but only if directed by the Temple Overseer:

  • Construction work on the temple;
  • City fortifications of Jerusalem;
  • Water supply to Jerusalem (the temple benefited from its high water consumption);
  • Road construction in Jerusalem.

Unauthorized Withdrawal of Money from the Temple Treasury (Overview)

  • Licinius Crassus , to finance the Parthian campaign (54/53 BC);
  • Quinctilius Varus on behalf of the procurator Sabinus (4 BC);
  • Pontius Pilate, for the construction of an aqueduct in Jerusalem;
  • Gessius Florus, to compensate for a tax deficit (spring 66 AD).

Jewish war

The Zealots used the silver of the temple treasure for their own coinage , which should replace the Tyrian shekel with their pagan symbolism.

With the conquest of Jerusalem in the year 70, Titus and Vespasian secured suitable objects for themselves, which were to play a role in their long-prepared triumphal procession. This included valuable ritual objects from the temple (menorah, showbread table, a Torah scroll ). The bulk of the captured temple treasure was stored in Caesarea in the winter of 70/71 and brought to Rome by sea.

With this money Vespasian financed several construction projects, above all the Amphitheater Flavium ( Coliseum ). According to the donor's inscription, reconstructed by Géza Alföldy , the “new amphitheater” was financed from the spoils of war ( manubiae ), and only the Jewish War is considered for this.

Many items of booty from Jerusalem, especially the ritual objects that were presented on the triumphal procession of Titus in Rome, were then deposited in the Temple of Peace . The Temple of Peace was built specifically to hold these loot, and probably also with the money that was stolen from the Jerusalem Temple.

Another imperial construction project paid for from the Jerusalem booty was likely the Daphne Theater .

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Walter Bauer: Greek-German dictionary on the writings of the New Testament and early Christian literature . Ed .: Kurt Aland, Barbara Aland. 6th edition. Walter de Gruyter, Berlin / New York 1988, ISBN 3-11-010647-7 , Sp. 902-903 .
  2. ↑ Gerd Theißen: Studies on the sociology of early Christianity . 3. Edition. Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen 1989, ISBN 3-16-145448-0 , p. 156 .
  3. ↑ Silver times in ancient Jerusalem. September 29, 2006, accessed May 8, 2018 .
  4. ↑ Julia Wilker: For Rome and Jerusalem . S. 235 .
  5. ↑ Yvonne Sophie Thöne: Treasure / Treasury. In: WiBiLex. German Bible Society, accessed on May 8, 2018 .
  6. ^ Peter Franz Mittag: Antiochus IV. Epiphanes . S. 234 .
  7. ↑ Peter Franz Mittag: Antiochus IV. Epiphanes . S. 247 .
  8. ↑ Peter Franz Mittag: Antiochus IV. Epiphanes . S. 249 .
  9. ↑ Julia Wilker: For Rome and Jerusalem . S. 474 .
  10. ↑ Julia Wilker: For Rome and Jerusalem . S. 474 .
  11. ↑ Julia Wilker: For Rome and Jerusalem . S. 233-234 .
  12. ↑ Julia Wilker: For Rome and Jerusalem . S. 236-237 .
  13. ↑ Julia Wilker: For Rome and Jerusalem . S. 104 .
  14. ↑ Christopher Weikert: From Jerusalem to Aelia Capitolina . S. 65 .
  15. ↑ Géza Alföldy: A building inscription from the Colosseum . S. 218 .
  16. ↑ Christopher Weikert: From Jerusalem to Aelia Capitolina . S. 71 .
  17. ↑ Géza Alföldy: A building inscription from the Colosseum . S. 210-213 .
  18. ↑ a b Christopher Weikert: From Jerusalem to Aelia Capitolina . S. 70 .
  19. ↑ Géza Alföldy: A building inscription from the Colosseum . S. 221 .