Hasmonean Coins of John Hyrcanus and Alexander Jannaeus
The bronze prutot of the Maccabean priest-kings, with 'Yehohanan the High Priest' and Jannaeus's anchor and star
Found 1864 — First systematically described by Frederic Madden (1864) and de Saulcy; thousands since found in excavations across Judea, the Galilee and at Masada, Jericho and Qumran
Where Jerusalem mint; finds throughout Israel (Israel)
Dates from c. 129–76 BCE · Hasmonean · Independent Judea after the Maccabees (1 Maccabees 13–16 and after)
Now at Israel Museum, Jerusalem; Israel Antiquities Authority; British Museum; American Numismatic Society and many collections
Names a biblical person John Hyrcanus (deuterocanonical (1 Macc 16); Jannaeus not biblical)
How Hasmonean Coins of John Hyrcanus and Alexander Jannaeus was found
Found in nearly every excavation of the period; the prutot of Alexander Jannaeus are the most common ancient coins in Israel, still turning up in Jerusalem sifting projects.
What it is
Small bronze coins. John Hyrcanus I's read in paleo-Hebrew 'Yehohanan the High Priest and the Council of the Jews' inside a wreath, with double cornucopiae and a pomegranate. Alexander Jannaeus's show an anchor with Greek 'of King Alexander' and a star with paleo-Hebrew 'Yehonatan the King', and later the 'lily and anchor' type.
Why it matters for the Bible
These are the first coins struck by a sovereign Jewish state and show the Hasmoneans' careful avoidance of human or animal images in obedience to the second commandment. The move from 'High Priest and Council' under Hyrcanus to 'King' under Jannaeus records the family's claim to both crowns, which Pharisees and the Qumran sect condemned. Jannaeus's prutot were still in circulation in the time of Yeshua (Jesus), and the 'widow's mite' of Mark 12:42 may well have been one.
The Hebrew word: CHEH-ver hah-ye-hoo-DEEM
חֶבֶר הַיְּהוּדִים
חֶבֶר הַיְּהוּדִים is pronounced CHEH-ver hah-ye-hoo-DEEM and means the Council (assembly) of the Jews, named on Hasmonean coins (Strong's H2267 + H3064).
People this discovery connects to
- John Hyrcanus — יְהוֹחָנָן (ye-ho-chah-NAHN) — YHVH is gracious
- Alexander Jannaeus — יְהוֹנָתָן (ye-ho-nah-TAHN) — YHVH has given
Places
- Jerusalem — יְרוּשָׁלַיִם (ye-roo-shah-LAH-yim) — foundation of peace (traditional)
Events
Hasmonean independence from the Seleucids · Union of high priesthood and kingship
Hasmonean Coins of John Hyrcanus and Alexander Jannaeus in Scripture
1 Maccabees 15:6 Antiochus VII grants Simon the right to 'mint your own coinage'; the Hasmonean bronzes are the result a generation later.
Daniel 11:32 'The people who know their God shall stand firm'; the Maccabean rise that these coins celebrate.
Mark 12:42 The widow's two lepta were very likely worn Hasmonean prutot still circulating in the 1st century.
Questions people ask
What is Hasmonean Coins of John Hyrcanus and Alexander Jannaeus?
Small bronze coins. John Hyrcanus I's read in paleo-Hebrew 'Yehohanan the High Priest and the Council of the Jews' inside a wreath, with double cornucopiae and a pomegranate. Alexander Jannaeus's show an anchor with Greek 'of King Alexander' and a star with paleo-Hebrew 'Yehonatan the King', and later the 'lily and anchor' type.
When was Hasmonean Coins of John Hyrcanus and Alexander Jannaeus discovered?
It was found in 1864 by First systematically described by Frederic Madden (1864) and de Saulcy; thousands since found in excavations across Judea, the Galilee and at Masada, Jericho and Qumran, at Jerusalem mint; finds throughout Israel.
Where is Hasmonean Coins of John Hyrcanus and Alexander Jannaeus today?
Israel Museum, Jerusalem; Israel Antiquities Authority; British Museum; American Numismatic Society and many collections.
Which Bible verses does Hasmonean Coins of John Hyrcanus and Alexander Jannaeus relate to?
1 Maccabees 15:6, Daniel 11:32, Mark 12:42.
Related discoveries
- מַטְבֵּעַCoins of Pontius PilateSmall bronzes with Roman priestly symbols, minted in Jerusalem under Pilate in 29–31 CE
- מִקְוֶהHasmonean Winter Palaces at JerichoRoyal estate with swimming pools and ritual baths where the Hasmonean kings wintered
- פְּרוּטָהThe Widow's Mite (Bronze Prutah / Lepton)The smallest coins in circulation — Hasmonean and Herodian bronze leptons
- אֱדוֹםMaresha Painted Tombs (Tomb of Apollophanes)Hellenistic Idumean tombs with painted animals and Greek epitaphs of the Sidonian colony at Marisa
- מְנוֹרָהMenorah Coin of Mattathias AntigonusThe last Hasmonean king's bronze coin, the earliest known picture of the Temple menorah
- קֶבֶרHorbat Ha-Gardi ('Tomb of the Maccabees')The monumental structure near Modi'in long claimed as the Maccabees' family tomb, re-excavated in 2015
Sources
- Meshorer, A Treasury of Jewish Coins (2001)
- Wikipedia: Hasmonean coinage
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