COPPER.
An entire copper shekel of the fourth year has been published by the Rev. H. C. Reichardt (Zeitschrz:ft der Deutsch. Ilforg. Gesellschaft, 1857, p. 555), and it has been suggested that it was struck in a time of extreme distress, though history makes no mention of this fact, unless the operations against Antiochus VII. Sidetes, caused a scarcity of money (Levy, gild. Miinzen, p. 45). This piece has the same types and legends as the silver shekel of the fourth year.
The half, quarter, and sixth of the shekel, in copper, are well known roV, Year four hal£' Two lulab (or bunches of thickly-leaved branches), be tween which an Ethrog (citron).
Rev. iviv rl$Ni9, The redemption of Zion.
A palm-tree between two baskets. "E 7.
2. va'IN Year four : Two lulab.
Rev. n'Y The redemption of Zion.' An Ethrog. "E. 6.
359• 3. j'fl The redemption of Zion.' A cup or chalice.
Rev. I11N nr), Year four.' A lulab be tween two Ethrogs. iE 5.
The weight of the so-called tetradrachm of the Ptolemaic talent exactly corresponds to the weight of the extant shekel, viz., 220 grains [WEIGHTS AND MEASURES]. It has been inferred by Col. Leake that as the word Slapaxaav is employed by the LXX. synonymously with alaos for the He brew word shekel, that the shekel and didrachmon were of the same weight,' and from the fact of the half-shekel of the Pentateuch being translated by the LXX. rb ijlitau To0 Stapdxflou, therefore the Attic and not the GrHco-Egyptian didrachm was intended by them ' (Num. Kell., App. ; Num. Chron., vol. xvii. p. 206). [For full statement of Co]. Leake's theory, see DIDRAcHm]. The didrachm was, however, the common term employed by the Jews for the coin which was equal in weight to the shekel-the Ptolemaic didrachm. The stater of silver was a tetradrachm, and the duty to the temple being a didrachm, a stater was found to pay for our Lord and Simon [DIDIsAcHSI]. The remark of Josephus, that the shekel was equal to four Attic drachms (Antiq. iii. 8. 2) is easily under stood, as Josephus is speaking of four Attic drachms of his own time, and the drachm and denarius were identical, the latter being also equal to the quarter of a Maccabtean shekel [DRACHM].
The two heaviest denominations of the copper coins, which bear respectively the names half' ('NT) and quarter' weigh from 219.2 grs. to 251.6 grs., and from 118.9 grs. to 145.2 grs. The smaller coin, which has no denomination, gives an average weight of 81.3 grs. This appears to be the third of the half. The following table shows that the copper half' and quarter' are half and quarter shekels.
Copper Coins. Silver Coins.
Average Supposed Average Supposed Weight. Weight. Weight. Weight.
Half - 235.4 250. Shekel - 220. 220.
Quarter 132.0 125. Half-shekel Ito. rro.
(Sixth) 81.8 83.3 [Third] - 73.3 These results have been obtained by Mr. Poole, and the whole question of the Jewish coin weights is fully gone into in his article WEIGHTS,' in Dr. Smith's Dict. of the Bible. Further inves• tigations must be reserved for another article. [WEIGHTS.] The character upon these shekels, and all other Hebrew coins, stands quite by itself, yet its great similarity to its parent, the Phoenician, affords con vincing proof of its origin. It existed during a period of 30o years, commencing in B.C. 139, and
from that date to B.C. 40 being in constant use. It was again adopted during the revolts, and ceases only with the death of Bar-cochab in A.D. 138. Gesenius (Geschichte der Heb. Spraehe fend Schrift., p. 156, sty.) accounts for its late use by instancing the case of the Cufic characters on Mohammedan coins met with long after the Nishki was employed for writing. It also bears great resemblance to the Samaritan (see Alphabet of the Stones from Nablous, in Levy, 9iid. Manzen, p. 137, and F. W. Madden, Hirt. of 7ewish Coinage, plate), and it is not therefore surprising that the coin character has been called Samaritan, though it is beyond all doubt that the Samaritans first acquired it from the Jews, but modified it after their separa tion (Levy, Yild. Miinzen, p. 141). The use of this character, as already shown by Mr. Poole (art. MONEY, Smith's Diet, of the Bible), does not offer any evidence as to age, and there is no palaeo graphic reason why these shekels and half-shekels should not be as early as the Persian period. By the discovery of De Vogiie of the coins of Eleazar the priest (see below), a new letter, Zain—which bears great resemblance to the Samaritan form of the same letter found in MSS.—has been added to the coin-alphabet. There are now only wanting Teth, Phe, and Samech.
The inscriptions upon these coins do not offer any particular peculiarities. The title of holy' appears to have been attached to Jerusalem at a very early time (Is. xlviii. 2 ; lii. I ; Dan. ix. 24 ; Neh. xi. a, 18 ; Joel iii. 17) ; and the decree of Demetrius expressly states that it should be holy and free' sal do-uXor eel eXeu00av, Joseph. Antig. xiii. 2. 3 ; cf. a Maccab. x. 31 ; xv. 7). In St. Matt. it is also called the holy city' IMatt. iv. 5 ; xxvii. 53 ; cf. Rev. xi. 2). It is probable that the inscriptions on the shekels of Simon were employed in the same sense as those we find on the coins of the coast-cities of the Mediter ranean, which had been exempted from taxes, and which adopted the titles of holy (lEpd), and inviolable (davXos). The mode of writing ri'VrM, instead of n9(y11s on the shekels from the year two, has been supposed by Cavedoni (Bill. Num., vol. i., p. 23) to allude to the taking of the fortress of Sion from the Syrians, and that this fortress constituted a second town, and therefore neces sitated the employment of a dual name. This theory has already been rejected by De Saulcy (Num. ,dud., p. 18, note).
The types of the silver shekels and half shekels have been supposed to refer to the pot of manna and Aaron's rod that budded (Exod. xvi. 33 ; Num. xvii. 8), though Cavedoni (Bill. Num., vol. i., p. 29) prefers considering the former as a cup or chalice belonging to the furniture of the temple, and the latter as a hyacinth or lily, accord ing to the words of Scripture, I will be as dew upon Israel, and he shall bloom like a lily' (Hos. xiv. 6 ; cf. Is. xxvii. 6 ; xxxv. I). The cup or chalice also occurs upon the sixth of the copper shekel of the fourth year. The types of the copper coins doubtless indicate the prosperity of the land (cf. 1 Maccab. xiv. 8, seq.)