Coining Monotheism

The coin which is the ‘logo’ of our project website well illustrates the variety of factors involved in the emergence of Jewish monotheisms. This unique coin (catalogued as TC 242.5 in the British Museum) from Israel/Palestine bears traces of the Persian Empire in slow decline and of Greek and Phoenician trade. There is no published coin similar to TC 242.5 in diameter, weight, artistic quality and image. In spite of the uniqueness of the coin, its authenticity is beyond doubt. The depiction of a seated deity on the coin indicates something of the religion and iconic practice of the people designing, authorising, and using the coin. An artefact like this perplexes in a context often assumed to refrain from images, especially from anthropomorphic representations of God. It raises various questions including: is the coin inscribed YHW(H)? What deity would be anthropomorphically depicted? What does the various imagery mean? How does the imagery fit into the context of Jewish aniconism?

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