WEB171: PRUTAH WEB172: SOLD PRUTAH

WEB173: PRUTAH LEPTON LEPTON WEB174: $10 each. VERY GOOD - VERY FINE

WIDOW MITES, 103-40 BC (MARK 12:41-44) And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much. And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. and he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them,"Verily I say unto you,That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had..." These small ancient Jewish bronze coins were called "Leptons" and "Prutahs". They are much smaller than a dime and were worth a pittance in their time. Usually these mites were irregularly shapped and not real round. The majority are hard to read , worn and not that pretty. Most were minted under the Jewish King Alexander Jannaeus 103-76 BC and his son John Hyrcanus II 63-40 BC. The coins of Jannaeus are probably the most common of all ancient Jewish coins. they carry designs of anchors, stars, cornucopias, lily flowers, and in one instance, a palm branch. The inscriptions are in Greek, Aramaic, and Hebrew, the latter frequently containing errors. Archaeological evidence tells us they were circulated even after Jesus Christ's death and resurection. John Hyrcanus was succeeded by his son Aristobulus I, who died a year later. Another son, Alexander Jannaeus, then took the throne; he governed with great severity and headed the Sadducees in their strife with the Pharisees. Upon his death (78? B.C.) his widow, Salome Alexandra, who had also been married to Aristobulus, became queen. She favored the Pharisees and governed well. After her death, her son John Hyrcanus II, who had been high priest, acquired the temporal rule as well, but his more energetic brother, Aristobulus II, revolted. A civil war followed and resulted in Roman intervention and the taking of Jerusalem by Pompey (63 B.C.). Prutahs are around the size of a US Dime, put smaller, and Liptons are around 1/2 the size of a US Dime.

WEB50: SOLD TIBERIUS Silver denarius FINE +.About the size of a US penny. OBV: Laureate bust of Tiberius to RT; inscription, TI CAESAR DIVI AVG F AVGVSTVS REV: Female figure sits on a plain chair RT, she holds olive branch in her LT hand and long sceptre in her RT; inscription, PONTIF MAXIM AR denarius, $195.00 , VERY FINE

TRIBUTE PENNY, 14-37 AD (MARK 12:15-17) Shall we give, or shall we not give? But he, knowing their hypocrisy, said unto them, "Why tempt ye me? Bring me a penny, that I may see it." And they brought it. And he saith unto them, "Whose is this image and superscription?" And they said unto him, Caesar's. And Jesus answering said unto them, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." And they marvelled at him. The story of the Tribute Penny may be the best-known Biblical reference to a coin. Tiberius reigned during the ministry of Jesus and it is logical that his silver denarius was the coin used by Christ. TIBERIUS "Tribute Penny" 14-37 AD ROMAN EMPEROR. TIBERIUS CAESAR AUGUSTUS, OR TIBERIUS JULIUS CAESAR AUGUSTUS, original name TIBERIUS CLAUDIUS NERO second Roman emperor, adopted son of Augustus, whose imperial institutions and imperial boundaries he sought to preserve. Elder son of Claudius Nero and Livia, born November 16, 42 BC. Augustus became increasingly dependent on his step-son in military matters, and Tiberius spent much of his time compaigning on the frontiers of the Empire. He succeeded Augustus in 14 AD as Emperor. Tiberius proved himself a very able administrator, and the Empire generally prospered under his rule. In his last years he became a tyrannical recluse, inflicting a reign of terror against the major personages of Rome. In 26 AD he retired to Capreae and never returned to Rome. He died March 16, AD 37 at the age of 78, Capreae [Capri], near Naples. Jesus Christ's ministry, death and reserrection was during Tiberius's reign.

WEB221: PONTIUS PILATE, Dime size or a little smaller. OBV: Three bound ears of barley, the outer two ears droop, surrounded by Greek inscription IOYAIA KAICAPOC. REV: Libation ladle {simpulum} surrounded by Greek inscription TIBEPIOY KAICAPOC {of Tiberius Caesar} and date LIS {Year 16} Struck 29 c.e. H-114. AE 16mm, $29.00, FINE PLUS

WEB224: SOLD PONTIUS PILATE, Dime size or a little smaller. OBV: Littus surrounded by Greek inscription TIBEPIOY KAICAPOC. REV: Date within wreath LIZ [Year 17] Struck 30 c.e. H-114. AE 16mm, $29.00, FINE PLUS

PONTIUS PILATE 26-36 AD (MATTHEW 27:22) Pilate saith unto them, "What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ?" They all say unto him, "Let him be crucified". Died 39 AD. Roman prefect (governor) of Judaea (ad 26-36) under the emperor Tiberius; he presided at the trial of Jesus and gave the order for his crucifixion. According to the traditional account of his life, Pilate was a Roman equestrian (knight) of the Samnite clan of the Pontii (hence his name Pontius). He was appointed prefect of Judaea through the intervention of Sejanus, a favourite of the Roman emperor Tiberius. Protected by Sejanus, he incurred the enmity of the Jews by insulting their religious sensibilities, as when he hung worship images of the Emperor throughout Jerusalem and had coins bearing pagan religious symbols minted. After Sejanus' fall (ad 31), Pilate was exposed to sharper criticism from the Jews, who may have capitalized on his vulnerability by obtaining a legal death sentence on Jesus (John 19:12). The Samaritans reported him to Vitellius, legate of Syria, after he had attacked them on Mt. Gerizim (ad 36). He was then ordered back to Rome to stand trial for cruelty and oppression, particularly on the charge that he executed men without proper trial. According to an uncertain 4th-century tradition, Pilate killed himself on orders from Emperor Caligula in AD 39.

WEB222: SOLD HEROD I. About the size of US dime. AE Prutah, OBV: Anchor surrounded by Greek inscription REV: Double cornucopia with caduceus rising between, dots above, H-54. PRUTAH, $39.00, FINE +

WEB225: SOLD HEROD I. About the size of US dime. AE Prutah, OBV: Anchor surrounded by Greek inscription REV: Double cornucopia with caduceus rising between, dots above, H-54. PRUTAH, $39.00, FINE +

HEROD I (The Great) Judaea, 40 BC- 4 AD Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of judaea in the days of Herod the King, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,...Matthew 1:1 Herod was made King in 40 BC by declaration of the Roman Senate and approval of Augustus. In 37 BC, with help from the Romans, Herod finally besieged Jerusalem and captured it. He ordered 45 members of the Sanhedrn put to death who supported the Hasmoneans, reducing their power to little more than a religious court. He was a brutal man and later even had his wife Mariamne and his two sons by her murdered. Herod's pathologic suspicion caused him to build a string of mountain fortresies including Massada on the Dead Sea. With lavish living, building campaigns and taxes due to Rome, Herod taxed his people heavily. Herod's great offence was the "Slaughter of the Innocents" which he ordered the killing of all male babies in the area of Bethlehem because he heaard that a future "King of the Jews" (JESUS CHRIST) had been born. He died in 4 AD.

COINS Coins are symbolic of human greed and avarice. Shown thirty in number, usually with a purse, they are representative of Judas' betrayal of Jesus. Matt. 26:14 Then one of the Twelve - the one called Judas Iscariot - went to the chief priests 15 and asked, "What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?" So they counted out for him thirty silver coins. 16 From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over. (NIV) Season: Lent, Holy Week

WEB80: SOLD FULL SHEKEL OF TYRE, OBV: Laureate head of Melquarth RT, wearing lion skin knotted around neck. REV: Eagle standing LT with RT foot on prow of ship, grain ear behind, club before, letters; inscription, KAI AEVOY TYPOV IEPAE SILVER TETRADRACHM, [13.70g], shekel, $435.00, VERY FINE

JUDAS'S 30 PIECES OF SILVER, SHEKEL OF TYRE, PHOENCIA 126-18 BC Matt. 26:14-16 Then one of the Twelve - the one called Judas Iscariot - went to the chief priests and asked, "What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?" So they counted out for him thirty silver coins. From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over. Since the silver shekels minted in the Phoenecian coastal city of Tyre were the only currency acceptable at the the Jerusalem Temple, they attained a semi-official status. These wre probably the type of coins paid to Judas (thirty pieces of silver). These were also the coins used to pay the taxes during Jesus's time. This is a full shekel, about the size of a half dollar, but thicker.

WEB90: SOLD HALF SHEKEL OF TYRE, OBV: Laureate head of Melquarth RT, wearing lion skin knotted around neck. REV: Eagle standing LT with RT foot on prow of ship, grain ear behind, club before, letters; inscription, KAI AEVOY TYPOV IEPAE SILVER DRACHM, half shekel, $249.00, VERY FINE

SHEKEL OF TYRE, PHOENCIA (1/2 SHEKEL) 126-18 BC Since the silver shekels minted in the Phoenecian coastal city of Tyre were the only currency acceptable at the the Jerusalem Temple, they attained a semi-official status. These were the coins used to pay the taxes during Jesus's time. This is a half shekel and not a full one (thirty pieces of silver) used to pay Judas. About the size of a quarter but thicker.

WEB37: HEROD AGRIPPA I, Size of US dime. OBV: Umbrella or canopy with fringes; inscription around, BACIAEWC ATPIIIA REV: Three ears of barley growing between two leaves, flanked by date, LS [Year 6]. struck 42/43 ad AE 16mm, $29.00, FINE

WEB208: HEROD AGRIPPA I, Size of US dime. OBV: Umbrella or canopy with fringes; inscription around, BACIAEWC ATPIIIA REV: Three ears of barley growing between two leaves, flanked by date, LS [Year 6]. struck 42/43 ad AE 16mm, $29.00, FINE

HEROD AGRIPPA I, 37-44 AD (ACTS 12:1-2) Now about that time Herod [Agrippa] the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church. And he killed James the brother of John with the sword. Herod Agrippa I (10? BC-AD 44), last king of Judea (AD 41-44). A grandson of Herod the Great, Herod Agrippa spent his youth at the court of the Roman emperor Tiberius, where he was appointed companion to the emperor's grandson, Gaius Caesar (later Emperor Caligula). When Caligula acceded to the throne in AD 37, he made Agrippa tetrarch (ruler) of Batanea and Trachonitis, territories east of the Sea of Galilee, in what is now southern Syria. His possessions were later expanded, and in 41 Emperor Claudius I made him king of Judea. To preserve peace, Herod Agrippa adopted a pro-Jewish policy. His extreme personal piety and official support of Jewish interests endeared him to the people but earned him the strong disfavor of both the Roman civil population and the Roman troops in his domains. Microsoft® Encarta® Encyclopedia 2000.

WEB168: ANTONIUS FELIX. About the size of US dime. AE Prutah, OBV: Two oblong shields and two spears crossed surrounded by Greek inscription NEPW KAAV KAICAP REV: Six branched palm tree bearing two bunches of dates, Greek inscription above BPIT and below LIA/KAI {Year 14} Struck 54 c.e. H-117. FOLLIS, $29.00, FINE

ANTONIUS FELIX, Judaea, 52-59 AD And after certain days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, which was a Jewess, he sent for Paul, and heard him concerning the faith in Christ. ACTS24:24 Felix was appointed by Claudius and reconfirmed in his post by Nero. He is best known from Acts of the Apostles 24, in which he presides over the trial of the apostle Paul. He decides to keep Paul in prison for a short time, but postpones Paul's release because he didn't want to create an uprising with his subjects. The Bible reports that he was deeply affected by his many conversations with Paul about Jesus, because he was engaged in an adulterous marriage with the beautiful Jewess Drusilla. He had seen Drusilla from afar and been attracted to her, so he sent a friend of his, Atomus, to pretend to be a magician and convince her to break it off with her husband and marry Felix. It worked. She "transgress[ed] the ancestral laws" and married him.

WEB193: PORCIUS FESTUS. About the size of US dime. AE Prutah, OBV: Greek inscription within wreath tied at bottom with an X REV: Palm branch surrounded by Greek inscription and dae LE[year 5]. Struck 58 c.e. H-118. PRUTAH, $29.00, VERY FINE

WEB211: PORCIUS FESTUS. About the size of US dime. AE Prutah, OBV: Greek inscription within wreath tied at bottom with an X REV: Palm branch surrounded by Greek inscription and dae LE[year 5]. Struck 58 c.e. H-118. PRUTAH, $29.00, VERY FINE

PORCIUS FESTUS, Under Nero, Judaea 59-62 AD [ACTS 25:9] But Festus, willing to do the Jews a pleasure, answered Paul, and said, wilt thou go up to Jerusalm, and there be judged of these things before me? [ACTS 25:12] Then Festus, when he had conferred with the council, answered, hast thou appleaded unto Caesar? unto Caesar shalt thou go. Porcius Festus (r. c. A.D. 59 to 62) When Felix left office he left the problem of the Apostle Paul with Festus. In other words, he left Paul in jail for a few years, procrastinating as to what to do with the him. According to the Acts of the Apostles, one of the very first things Festus does as soon as he gets to Judaea is to deal with Paul's confinement. He goes to Jerusalem and hears the case against the apostle. After about nine days, Festus returns to the capital, Caesarea, to preside over the trial. In an effort to appease Paul's accusers, Festus asks Paul if he wouldn't mind going to Jerusalem to answer to the charges against him, but he wisely declines (perhaps because he would have been killed en route). Paul then excercises his right as a Roman citizen to appeal his trial to Nero Caesar. Festus replies, "You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you will go" (25:12). Festus, as is noted in Acts 26:31, believed that Paul was innocent, but he couldn't release him without causing riots, and possibly Paul's murder. It was the best result for all involved. Paul got out of jail, Festus didn't have to stain his hands with blood, while at the same time saving face with his other subjects, and Paul's antagonists got him out of their province. This governor also got into a little altercation with the leaders of Jerusalem's Jewish community, because of a dispute over a wall. First, King Agrippa, a nearby client king, built a room in which he could spy into the affiars of the Temple. So these "eminent men of Jerusalem" built a wall to block the line of vision (and coincidentally it blocked the view Roman troops had used to police the area). When Festus heard about this he was furious. He demanded that the wall be torn down, so the troops could keep order in the city. The Jewish leaders, though, asked if they could go directly to Nero for arbitration. Festus granted permission. Nero sided with the Jews (against his own governor!), partly because his wife Poppaea was a "Jewish-sympathizer." In 62 Festus died persumably because of natural causes, the only procurator to have died in office.

WEB194: VALERIUS GRATUS. The size of US DIME. AE PRUTAH OBV: Greek inscription, refers to Julia Livia, mother of Tiberius, within wreath. REV: Palm branch flanked by date LB [Year 2], struck 15 c.e. H-105. FOLLIS, $20.00, FINE PLUS

WEB207: VALERIUS GRATUS. The size of US DIME. AE PRUTAH OBV: Greek inscription, refers to Julia Livia, mother of Tiberius, within wreath. REV: Palm branch flanked by date LB [Year 2], struck 15 c.e. H-105. FOLLIS, $24.00, FINE PLUS

VALERIUS GRATUS, Under Tiberius, Judaea, 15-26 AD PROCURATOR of Judaea under ROME. Gratus restructured the Temple leadership, promoting and demoting people until he found someone he liked. He first deposed Annas (also called Ananus), who is known as one of Jesus' two chief antagonists, and later promoted Joseph Caiaphas, Jesus' other enemy within the Temple.

WEB175: ALEXANDER JANNACUS. Smaller than the size of US DIME. AE Prutah, WIDOW MITE, OBV: Anchor surrounded by Greek inscription, REV: Star with eight pellets instead of rays surrounded bu diadem. H-11. FOLLIS, $19.00, FINE PLUS

WEB206: ALEXANDER JANNACUS. Smaller than the size of US DIME. AE Prutah, WIDOW MITE, OBV: Anchor surrounded by Greek inscription, REV: Star with eight pellets instead of rays surrounded bu diadem. H-11. FOLLIS, $17.00, FINE PLUS

ALEXANDER JANNACUS [YEHONATAN] King of Judaea, 103-76 BC Jannai was declared king of Judaea by the widow of Aristobulus, but against the wishes of the Jewish religious community. It is possible that Jannai married the widow of Aristobulus, Alexandra. He spent his entire career fighting off invaders and expanding the nation of Judaea. Obedas I, the Nabatean king, stopped his expansion to the east. He did a remarkable service to his country against overwhelming odds. In spite of his success in managing the country, the Pharisee’s did not accept him, and kept the populace in turmoil. Jannai was a progressive, embracing the Hellenizing that was going on throughout the Near East. The Pharisee’s were an ultra-conservative group, excessive in their piety. Toward the end of his career, Jannai became cruel, executing many Jews in retribution for offenses, real and imaginary. Jannai designated the position of leader to his wife, Alexandra.

WEB200: SOLD AUGUSTUS, AS, bronze coin the size of a US HALF DOLLAR. OBV: DIVVS AVGVSTVS PATER Augustus head lt. REV: PROVIDENT, S C. Largealter AE 26, $39.OO, FINE

WEB201: AUGUSTUS, AE 21 , bronze coin the size of a US nickel. CORDUBA, SPAIN OBV: Augustus head LEFT REV: Sacrificial Implements[cap&litius]. AE 21, $24.OO, FINE PLUS

AUGUSTUS 27 BC-14 AD ST LUKE 2:1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Ceasar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. Augustus, Caesar, born Sept. 23, 63 BC, died Aug. 19, AD 14, Nola, near Naples, also called (until 27 BC) OCTAVIAN, original name GAIUS OCTAVIUS, adopted name GAIUS JULIUS CAESAR OCTAVIANUS first Roman emperor, following the republic, which had been finally destroyed by the dictatorship of Julius Caesar, his great-uncle and adoptive father. His autocratic regime is known as the principate because he was the princeps, the first citizen, at the head of that array of outwardly revived republican institutions that alone made his autocracy palatable. With unlimited patience, skill, and efficiency, he overhauled every aspect of Roman life and brought durable peace and prosperity to the Greco-Roman world. Gaius Octavius was born on September 23, 63 BC, of a prosperous family that had long been settled at Velitrae (Velletri), southeast of Rome. His father, who died in 59 BC, had been the first of the family to become a Roman senator and was elected to the high annual office of the praetorship, which ranked second in the political hierarchy to the consulship. Gaius Octavius' mother, Atia, was the daughter of Julia, the sister of Julius Caesar; and it was Caesar who launched the young Octavius in Roman public life. At the age of 12 he made his debut by delivering the funeral speech for his grandmother Julia. Three or four years later he received the coveted membership of the board of priests (pontifices). In 46 he accompanied Caesar, now dictator, in his triumphal procession after his victory in Africa over his opponents in the Civil War; and in the following year, in spite of ill health, he joined the dictator in Spain. He was at Apollonia (now in Albania), completing his academic and military studies when, in 44 BC, he learned that Julius Caesar had been murdered.