Obverse: Three Bound Heads of Barley, the Outer
Two Drooping, Encircled by Inscription, “IUYLIA
KAICAPOP” or “Empress Julia”
Reverse: Simpulum (a Libation Ladle) and Date
“LIS “ (Year 16 or 29 A.D.) Surrounded by
Inscription, “TIBEPIOY KAICAPOC” or “of Tiberius
Caesar”
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 of 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. Holding this
work 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.0707)
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