Herod the Great ruled Judea from 37-4 B.C. He
was a superb military leader who secured control
of the region under the graces of Rome. A
skilled builder, Herod completely remodeled the
Jerusalem Temple, designed Caesarea and other
cities, and built palaces at Jerusalem, Masada,
and other places. Although other rulers might
be remembered foremost for these building
ruins, Herod is most often associated with being
King during the time of Jesus Christ’s birth.
Jewish and Christian traditions portray Herod as
a tyrant, primarily for over-taxation and ordering
the Massacre of the Innocents. However, it is
unlikely that such an event ever took place
considering that such an order would have
required the explicit approval of Rome and that
Rome would not support an order likely to incite
rebellion and revolt. This prophetic myth instead
reflects Herod’s obsessive paranoia and fear of
conspirators that often afflicts those in
possession of great power.
How many hands have touched a coin in your
pocket or 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 might have touched the coin before us, or
where the coin will venture to after it leaves our
hands. More than money, coins are a symbol of
the state that struck them, of a specific time and
location, whether contemporary currencies or
artifacts of a long forgotten empire. This ancient
coin is a memorial to the great King Herod, King
of the Jews, passed from the hands of civilization
to civilization, from generation to generation that
still appears as vibrant today as the day it was
struck.
- (C.0867)
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