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Jewish Coins :
Roman Procurators : Bronze Prutah of the Procurator of Judea Antonius Felix
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Bronze Prutah of the Procurator of Judea Antonius Felix - C.0453
Origin: Mount Of Olives, Jerusalem
Circa: 52
AD
to 60
AD
Collection: Jewish Coins
Medium: Bronze
$350.00
Location: United States
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| Description |
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During the first half of the First Century A.D., following the exile of King
Herod Archelaus, Judea was ruled by a series of Procurators appointed
by the Rome. The lands of Ancient Israel were annexed to the Roman
province of Syria, with the administration centered in the city of
Caesarea. Some of the Procurators, such as Antonius Felix, struck their
own coins. Although these coins were technically minted under Roman
authority, they take into account the religious beliefs of the Jewish
population and display no graven images, lest the rebellious population
be offended. Felix ruled from 52-59 A.D., although he only minted
coins during two of those years. Today, Felix is perhaps best
remembered as the Procurator before who St. Paul was brought to trial.
"And after certain days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was
a Jewess, he sent for Paul, and heard him concerning the faith in Christ."
- Acts 24:27
The coins of Antonius Felix are intimate memorials of Ancient Israel.
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 memorial to one of the most fabled times words
have recorded, when the Jewish people struggled to be free from Roman
occupation and when the teachings of the Jesus Christ were spread by
the first Saints. We can still feel the power of these events resonate in
the energy of this ancient coin.
- (C.0453)
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