Library
Coin
No.1
Quarter Shekel Unique in the British Museum struck before 333 BCE. The
reverse
(or tail side) portrays a seated deity on a winged wheel with bearded
mask lower
right Described by Hill (1914) and others as the first Jewish coin
following
the description in Ezekiel 10:16 Barag (1991) suggests the deity as the
God of
Yehud ie. The God of Israel. Gitler & Tal (2006) suggest it is a
product of
the Philistian mint produced by Edomite Jews and one of the earliest
coins of
the Yehud series.
Coin
No.2 is
a Persian Empire gold daric struck in the time of Darius I to Xerxes II 485-420 BCE The obverse (or head side)
shows the Persian king kneeling with
spear and bow. The shekel is a weight when mentioned in the Bible but the daric is mentioned
in Chronicles I (29, 7); Ezra 2,69 and 8, 27,
Nehemiah 7, 70-72.Ezra 2,69 mentions in
the verse “one thousand darics of gold and 5000 pounds of silver ….
Coin
No.3 is
a Yehud silver half gerah (issued before 333 BCE).
With obverse a lily (symbol of Jerusalem) and
reverse a falcon with Hebrew “yhd “ script.
“YHD” is the Persian name for the
province of Judah.
Coin
No.4 a
bronze prutah of the Maccabean king John Hyrcanus I
(135-104 BCE) “ Yehohanan the High Priest and
the Council of the Jews”
Coin
No.5 a
bronze prutah of Alexander Jannaeus
(104-76 BCE). Obv. Palm, rev.
Lily, obv. Legend
reads “Yehonatan the king”.
Coin
Nos. 6 are bronze prutahs of Mattathias
Antigonus
(40-37 BCE) known as the menorah coin. This coin type is the most
valuable of
all ancient coins in copper, based on weight (1gm) and worth
>$100,000. Only
30 examples survive – its significance as an issue of the last king of
the
Maccabean dynasty and a desperate issue by Antigonus, backed by the
Parthians
but locked in battle with Herod I who
was proclaimed king of the Jews in 40 BCE consequently war resulted. He
violated Jewish law against using religious objects from the temple in
Jerusalem – it was a desperate propaganda tool to use the menorah and
showbread
table. The issue was designed for the Jews to fight and rally them
against
Herod. The seven branch menorah was central to the Jewish faith and
described
in the Old Testament Exodus 25, 31-40.. The menorah was a symbol of the
Jewish
temple (destroyed in 70 CE) and became the symbol of Jewish faith.
Coin
No.7 a
bronze 8 prutot of Herod I (40-4 BCE). Obv. Military helmet, rev.
tripod, year
3, and monogram. The monogram was curiously used in the mid late 4th
century CE a midpoint in the evolution of the “chi-rho” monogram and
the
Christian cross.
Coin
No.8 a
bronze 2 prutot of Herod Archelaus (4
BCE – 6 CE.). Son of Herod the Great and made Ethnarch of Judea. The
tyranny
and excesses of Archelaus were so offensive that in the 9th
year of
his reign, his subjects sent a delegation to Rome to complain to
Augustus. He
was thus banished to Vienna in Gaul.
“But when he heard that Archaelaus did reign in the room of his
father
Herod, he was afraid to go thither” (Matthew 2.22).
Coin
No.9 is
a bronze issue of Herod Antipas (4 BCE-37 CE). Issued in 29-30 CE, at
Tiberias
(year 33, LG). Rev. reads “Herod
Tetrarch” referred to by Jesus as “that
fox” Luke 13, 32. Herod is the man most often referred to in the New
Testament.
He ordered the execution of John the Baptist and Pontius Pilate sent
Jesus to
Antipas when he learned he was a Galilean.
Coin
No.10
is a bronze coin of Herod Philip (4 BCE-34 CE ) first husband of Salome
his
niece. Luke 3,1 states “now in the 15th
year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of
Judaea
and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee and his brother Philip tetrarch of
Ituraea
and the region of Trachonitis”
Coin
No.12 a
bronze prutah of Pontius Pilate (26-36 CE) issued in year 17 LIZ =
30-31 CE.
See Matthew 27, 2. Image No.13 is a stone with Pontius Pilate’s
inscription
found at Caesarea with Latin inscription that mentions the “Tiberium” a
building built by Pontius Pilate the prefect of Judaea (Israel Museum).
A
unique inscription with Pilate name recorded in an archaeological
context.
Coin
No.13
is an issue of Agrippa II (55/6-95/6 CE) struck in 75-6 CE at Caesarea
Paneas
(year 27 (KZ). Paul almost persuaded him to be a Christian. Acts 26,
27-28 “
King Agrippa, do you believe in prophets? I know that you do. And
Agrippa
replied to Paul, in a short time you will persuade me to become a
Christian”.
Coin
No.14 is a extremely rare (one of 2
known) silver shekel of the Jewish War (First revolt) (66-70 CE) an
issue of
year 1 “Shekel of Israel Year 1”
“Jerusalem the Holy”. This exceptional coin
recently sold in the US as a lot in the
Shoshana Collection for $1,105,375.
Coin
No.15
superb sestertius of Vespasian commemorating the victory in the Jewish
war. It
sold for $262, 900US from the collection noted above.
Coin
No.16 a
shekel of the Bar Kokhba Revolt (132-135 CE) issued in year 2 (133-4
CE)
(“Jerusalem” /“Year two of the freedom of Israel”) .
Coin
No.17
“The Tribute Penny” a denarius of the Emperor Tiberius Mark 12, 14-27
“..bring
me a penny.. whose image and superscription.. Caesars..and Jesus
answering,
said unto them, Render to Caesar the
things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.” obv.
(“Tiberius
Caesar Augustus, Son of the divine Augustus” Pontif Maxim (high
priest).
Coin
No.18 a
shekel of Tyre (known to be of pure silver and good weight). Every
Jewish male
(over 20) had a temple tax of half a shekel (coins were made of this
denomination) (Exodus 30, 11-16). The Talmud says that silver mentioned
refers
to Tyrian silver. This is the coin type that is known as the payment to
Judas
for thirty pieces of silver (Matthew 26, 14-15). The
letter KP on the reverse is believed to
indicate that this issue was made in Jerusalem. Also relates to
parables etc as
the large silver coin in the bible (Matthew 17, 24-27).
Coin
No.19 a
coin of Aelia Capitolina (Roman
Jerusalem) portraying Marcus Aurelius and Commodus, bust of Sarapis on
reverse (COL AEL CAP ]. Hadrian
re-founded Jerusalem and renamed it Colonia Aelia Capitolinus. He also
built a
temple on the site of the Jewish temple and dedicated it to Jupiter
Capitolinus. This city name as such
appears on all issues from 130-251 CE.
Coin
No.20
is an issue of what attempts to portray Noah and his wife once in the
ark and again
standing by the ark. It was Issued at the city of Apamea in Phrygia
(Asia
Minor) by Gordian III (238-244).. Note the dove or raven in hand above
with
laurel branch. The box (ark) is inscribed with Noah’s name. The Latin
arca
(ark) usually means a treasure chest. The story of the flood not only
recorded
in the Bible but is noted in the tale of Gilgamesh of Uruk (c.3000 BCE)
. The
issue was made probably as souvenir medallions for Christians and Jews
who in
the 3rd century thronged Asia. It is a type repeated by
several
emperors.