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HOME :
Jewish Coins :
Numismatic Masterpieces : Bronze Coin Minted Under the Roman Procurator of Judea Pontius Pilate
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Bronze Coin Minted Under the Roman Procurator of Judea Pontius Pilate - C.0729
Origin: Jerusalem, Israel
Circa: 30
AD
Collection: Numismatics
Medium: Bronze
Location: United States
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| Description |
Obverse: Three Bound Heads of Barley, the Outer Two Drooping,
Encircled by Inscription, “IUYLIA KAICAPOP” or “Empress Julia”
Reverse: Date “LIZ” (Year 17, or 30 A.D.) Surrounded by a Wreath
Pontius Pilate was the Roman Procurator of Judea from 26 until 36 A.D.
Though much literature, both ancient and modern, portrays him as
infamous and incompetent, the judge who sentenced Jesus to death;
however, it may be fairer to say he was a complex man beleaguered by
extraordinary circumstances in a difficult time. The world in which
Jesus lived was dominated by the Romans, although Rome did make
concessions to the sensibilities of other cultures. This powerful coin is
a case in point, showing three ears of barley bound together. Out of
respect for Jewish sensitivity regarding graven images, coins depicted
“still life” subjects such as palm branches, cornucopia, etc. The
poignant beauty of this coin matches the simple faith of the most
pious. It is a memorial to one of the most momentous eras in history,
when Roman paganism, Judaism, and the nascent faith of Christianity
all intermingled in the same land.
How many hands have touched a coin in your pocket or your purse?
What eras and lands have the coin traversed on its journey into our
possession? As we reach into our pockets to pull out some change, we
rarely hesitate to think of who touched the coin before us, or where
the coin will venture to after us. More than money, coins are a symbol
of the state that struck them, of a specific time and place, whether
contemporary currencies or artifacts of long forgotten empires. This
stunning hand-struck coin reveals an expertise of craftsmanship and
intricate sculptural details that are often lacking in contemporary
machine-made currencies. The coins of Pontius Pilate were circulated
in Ancient Israel for over thirty years. They knew the scent of spice-
stalls, heard the ranting or merchants, and smelled the sweat and dust
of daily works. They were alive to the sounds of Hebrew, Aramaic,
Greek and Latin voices haggling over prices in the marketplaces or
offering prayers to YHVH, Jesus, or Jupiter in temples. This coin,
dating from the year of Christ’s crucifixion, is a unique example
because it combines the obverse of earlier examples with the reverse
of the year 30 A.D. When we hold this coin in our hands, we are
transported back in history to one of the most fabled times words have
recorded, when the Jewish people struggled to be free from Roman
occupation and when the Lord Jesus Christ walk the earth, was tried,
and executed. We can still feel the power of these events resonate in
the energy of this ancient coin.
- (C.0729)
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