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Judaea Palestine
Israel
WIDOW'S MITES!
BRONZE COIN JESUS CHRIST BIBLICAL TIME
Widow's Mites of Mark 12-41
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Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow put more into the treasury than all the others. For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on." (Mark 12:41)
An enduring symbol of faith and sacrifice, the legend of the Widow's Mite comes straight from the pages of the Bible. This authentic bronze coin actually circulated during the Biblical time of the New Testament, 100 B.C. - 60 A.D. The smallest of all Roman coins, its Biblical name comes from the story in Mark 12:41-44 when Jesus praised a poor widow for giving all she had - her last two coins - while rich townspeople gave only a small portion of their wealth.
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This coin is accompanied by a Certificate of
Authenticity!
Size: 10-15 mm; Materials: Bronze
Hasmonian Kings of
Judaea, Alexander Jannaeus (Yehonatan) AE Prutah. 103-76
BC.
Obv:
BAΣIΛEΩΣ AΛEXANΔΡOY around
Seleucid anchor
Rev: wheel
with 8 ray-like spokes, Hebrew inscription 'Yehonatan
the King', between.
Hendin
469, Meshorer 8.
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Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow put more into the treasury than all the others. For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on." |
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The
Judaean Widow's Mite bronze coin is one of
the most noteworthy and sought after of all
ancient coins. As the biblical parable goes,
a poor widow gives her entire wealth .. two
mites .. to the poor. Jesus proclaims that
since she gave all that she had, she is much
more generous than the rich man who gave
only a small fraction of his wealth. It is
from this story that the coin gained its
well-known name.
The Widow's Mite was the coin of the common
man. It was crudely struck, even by ancient
standards, and the designs are often off
center and difficult to discern.
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The story of the "Widow's Mite" tells how, in 30 CE, "Jesus sat over against the (temple) 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 ... And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them ... 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 did cast in all that she had, even all her living" (Mark 12:41-44). The most likely candidates for the "two mites" are the only small bronze Jewish coins that were available - the common prutahs issued by the Hasmoneans (c.130 - 40 BCE). Even though these were issued about 70 - 160 years before this event, it should be noted that coins often circulated for hundreds of years in ancient times.
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*** AUTHENTICITY GUARANTEED FOR LIFE ***
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