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Jewish Coins :
Roman Procurators : Bronze Prutah of the Procurator of Judea Pontius Pilate
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Bronze Prutah of the Procurator of Judea Pontius Pilate - C.0869
Origin: Jerusalem
Circa: 26
AD
to 36
AD
Collection: Jewish Coins
Medium: Bronze
$1,500.00
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: Three Bound Heads of Barley, the Outer
Two Drooping, Encircled by Inscription, “IUYLIA
KAICAPOP” or “Empress Julia”
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 is a
unique example because it has the same obverse
image repeated on the reverse, suggesting that
the minter made a mistake while striking out the
coins. 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.0869)
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