Archaeologists in Israel have found a 2,000-year-old coin that dates again to the century earlier than the delivery of Christ and bears the identify “Eleazor the Priest,” a biblical identify that consultants say almost definitely refers to a spiritual chief of the time. The uncommon coin was unearthed round a cave within the Mazuq Ha-he'teqim Nature Reserve in Israel and dates to the Bar Kokhba Revolt, which occurred in 132–135 BC and concerned a Jewish revolt towards Roman rule. Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA). The coin was discovered together with three different cash bearing the identify “Simeon”. These too date to the Bar Kokhba Revolt.
One aspect of the coin is engraved with a date palm with the Hebrew inscription “Eleazar the Priest”. The opposite aspect exhibits a bunch of grapes with the textual content “The First Yr of the Redemption of Israel”, once more in Hebrew. The Previous Testomony tells of Eleazar who was a priest and was the son of Aaron. However the Israel Antiquities Authority stated that the Eleazor featured on the coin might be a priest from the time of the rebellion. One chance is Rabbi Eleazar Hamod'ai, “a rabbi from the time of Rabbi Akiva, a disciple of Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakai”.
“Rabbi Eleazar Hamod'ai seems to have performed an necessary non secular position on the time of the Bar Kokhba rebellion and lived within the city of Beitar – the location of the rebellion's headquarters,” the IAA stated. “The Talmud states that he died at Bejtar, in all probability in the course of the revolt.” (Jerusalem Talmud Ta'anit 4:5).
The cash have been discovered throughout excavations by the Israel Antiquities Authority in collaboration with the Ministry of Heritage and the Judea and Samaria Army Administration Archeology Workplace “with the intention of recovering the traditional treasures earlier than they’re stolen by the robbers of antiquity”. based on a press launch.
Picture credit score: Israel Antiquities Authority
Michael Foust has lined the intersection of religion and information for 20 years. His tales have appeared within the Baptist Press, Christianity As we speak, Christian PoHoly, and Leaf chronicle, and Toronto Star and and Knoxville Information-Sentinel.
