EVERY year archaeologists are findingmore coins as they excavate the ruined

site of Bethsaida which is just a fewkilometres from the northern end of the

Sea of Galilee. (Figure 1 – map) This istruly amazing because Bethsaida wasno ordinary ancient town but the placewhere at least three of Jesus’ disciples

came from and where Jesus himselfwalked in the streets. Bethsaida is men-tioned several times in the New Testa-ment, and in the gospel of Mark anincident is described in which Jesus comesto Bethsaida and some people bring ablind man to him and beg him to healthe man. Jesus leads him outside thetown and restores his sight, but tells himnot to return to Bethsaida or speak toanyone. (Mark 8:22-26) In a wonderfuldrawing by Wilhelm Steinhausen we seethe isolated area where the healing ofthe blind man occurred. The Sea ofGalilee is in the background. (Figure 2)This incident is significant because itemphasizes that Jesus did not want toinfluence people just by performing mir-acles. People today who might be scepticalabout Jesus and his miraculous powersneed to understand that he would preferthat they, like the people of Bethsaida,were not aware of his miracles becausethey can be obstacles to faith and dis-tractions from the core issue, which ishis life, crucifixion and resurrection. SoBethsaida is important for Christians,and the ongoing excavations at the siteare of particular interest to them.In a previous article, ‘Finding Coins at

Bethsaida’ (CAB, Vol. 16, No. 10, Nov.2013) I described the Bethsaida Excav-ations Project and explained that in 2013thirty coins were found making a totalof 553 since 1987. Most of the coins werebronze and dated from the 3rd century BC

Ruins of Bethsaida (Image courtesy of Biblewalks.com).Overlay: Coin found at Bethsaida.

Figure 1 – Map showing position of Bethsaida. (Image courtesy of Biblehub.com)

to the 3rd century AD, although thenumber of Mamluk and Ottoman coinsindicates that the site was occupied atvarious times during the Islamic period.The commonest mint for the coins wasTyre followed by Jerusalem and Antioch.There is no evidence that there was evera mint at Bethsaida. Before 2014 six coinsof Herod the Great (37-4 BC) and five ofPhilip the tetrarch (4 BC to 34 AD) hadbeen found at Bethsaida.In this article I will not repeat the

information in the 2013 article but showthe latest totals (Table 1) and give anaccount of the 26 coins found at Beth-saida in 2014. Only the more interestingand better preserved coins will be illus-trated. I am grateful to the Rev. Dr GregJenks (Figure 3) for providing me withthis information. He is the AcademicDean at St Francis’ Theological College

in Brisbane, and as well as leading theAustralian team to excavate at Beth-saida each year he is the Curator of Coinsfor the Bethsaida Excavations Projectand responsible for the Bethsaida CoinDatabase. The coin images in this articlewere kindly provided by Dr Jenks andthe original coin photographs were bythe Israeli photographer, Hanan Shafir.

COIN 1 (Figure 4) is a small bronzecoin of King Herod the Great (37-4 BC).There is an anchor on the obverse and a

pair of cornucopias on the reverse witha caduceus between them. Herod was theking of Judaea when Jesus was born inBethlehem, and after a visit by the threemagi he ordered that all the male infantsin Bethlehem be killed. (Matthew 2:1-18) The anchor on his coin celebratesthe harbour cities on the coast of hiskingdom. The cornucopias are a symbolof abundance and had appeared previ-ously on Jewish coins, but the caduceusis a surprise. Previously a pomegranatehad appeared between the cornucopiasand it is not known why he changed it.The caduceus was the staff of the Greekgod, Hermes, who was known to the Rom-ans as Mercury. He was the messengerof the gods, but the caduceus might havehad a different meaning for the Jews,perhaps as a symbol of healing. Somescholars see the caduceus as referring tothe emperor Augustus who was promotedas the incarnation of Mercury. It is notsurprising that the coins of Herod theGreat are found at Bethsaida because hiskingdom was extensive and included theregion north of the Sea of Galilee. It isexciting to think that the first followersof Jesus might have handled this coin.

The next five coins are small bronzecoins of the Seleucid Empire. After thedeath of Alexander the Great in 323 BChis empire was divided between hisgenerals. Seleucus was one of these andhis vast empire extended over most ofthe Middle East except Egypt, whichwas taken by Ptolemy, another general.The whole subject of Seleucid coins hasbeen clarified by Arthur Houghton andCatharine Lorber in their book, Seleucid

Figure 3 – Greg Jenks on the site of the excavations at Bethsaida.

Figure 2 – Lithograph, ‘Heilung des Blind-geborenen’, by Wilhelm Steinhausen, 1915.(Wikimedia Commons)

Figure 4 – COIN 1. Herod the Great. Diameter15 mms. Reference: Hendin 1188.

Figure 5 – COIN 6. Antiochus III. Diameter12 mms. Reference: Houghton & Lorber 1096.

Coins: A Comprehensive Catalogue (ANS& CNG, 2002). COIN 2 has the head ofAntiochus III (223-187 BC), a descendantof Seleucus, on the obverse, and a palmtree laden with dates on the reverse.This was a symbol of fertility and pros-perity. The coin is listed in Houghton &Lorber as No. 1081. The mint is Tyre andthe coin is dated by them to the periodafter 198 BC when Tyre surrendered toAntiochus III. As Bethsaida was in theSeleucid Empire at this time Seleucidcoins will be found there. COIN 3 is inpoor condition. It seems to have the headof Apollo on the obverse and a standingfigure, perhaps Nike (Victory) on the rev-

erse. It is probably a Seleucid coin. COIN4 is also in poor condition but on thereverse the figure of Apollo can be seenresting his left hand on a grounded bow.This Seleucid coin is listed by Houghton& Lorber as No. 1096. It is attributed tothe port city of Ptolemais (Ake) and datedafter 198 BC. COIN 5 is similar, as isCOIN 6 (Figure 5).

COIN 7 (Figure 6) is a large bronzecoin. It has the head of Zeus on the ob-verse and an eagle standing on a thun-derbolt on the reverse. The eagle was thesymbol of Zeus. In the left field of thereverse there is a double cornucopia withfillets (ribbons). This symbol appears on

coins of Ptolemy II minted at Sidon. Agood Internet site for Ptolemaic bronzecoins is ptolemybronze.com, where a lotof coins are illustrated. Ptolemy II wasthe Pharaoh of Egypt from 285 to 246 BC,and his kingdom included Judaea andsurrounding areas. Judaea remainedunder Egyptian control until it was ann-exed by the Seleucid ruler, Antiochus III,in 200 BC. Sidon and Tyre would havebeen the main seaports for goods passingthrough Bethsaida and it is therefore nosurprise that this coin should be foundat Bethsaida.

COIN 8 is a small Seleucid bronzecoin with the head of Antiochus III on theobverse and a date palm on the reverse.It is similar to COIN 2. COIN 9 is a 20-para silver coin from the OttomanEmpire. It was minted at Constantinoplein the 19th century. It has a hole near theedge, which means that it was probablyworn as jewellery, perhaps as a necklaceor in a headdress. One can imagine aBedouin woman wearing such coins.Palestine was part of the Ottoman Empirefor centuries and the finding of numerousOttoman coins at Bethsaida indicatesthat the site was occupied at varioustimes during this period. COIN 10 (Fig-ure 7) is a bronze coin from Tyre. On theobverse there is the veiled and turretedhead of Tyche, the city goddess, and onthe reverse there is a clear image of aTyrian galley. Above it are the GreekFigure 7 – COIN 10. Tyre. Diameter 20 mms. Reference: Lindgren III 1463.

Figure 6 – COIN 7. Ptolemy II. Diameter 38 mms. Reference: Svoronos 759.

Figure 8 – COIN 11. Agrippa II. Diameter 16 mms. Reference: Hendin 1320.Figure 9 – COIN 17. Venice. Diameter 23mms. Reference: Thomsen Collection 1887.

letters IEPA� meaning ‘holy’. Below itare three Phoenician letters, meaning‘Tyre’. The coin is dated to the period,98/7 BC to 84/5 AD. During this periodTyre was a busy seaport under Romancontrol, and it is not surprising that thiscoin should be found at Bethsaida.

COIN 11 (Figure 8) is a bronze coin ofthe Jewish king, Agrippa II, who ruledterritories around Judaea from 48 AD toabout 100 AD. Although he gained thetitle of king he was never king of Judaea.His kingdom included what was formerlythe tetrarchy of Philip, and as Bethsaidawas in that tetrarchy it is not surpris-ing that one of Agrippa’s coins should befound there. He was a devout Jew and hisportrait never appears on his coins. Onthis coin the head of the Roman emperor,Domitian, appears on the obverse. Agri-ppa’s name appears on the reverse witha palm tree laden with dates. It wasprobably minted at Caesarea Maritima in84/5 AD. Agrippa II is the subject of myarticle in CAB,Vol. 10, No. 17, Nov. 2014.

COIN 12 is a small silver coin ofSelim III, who was ruler of the OttomanEmpire from 1789 to 1807. It was mintedin 1790. COIN 13 is unidentified. COIN14 is in poor condition and was listed asunidentified but Michael Bates, theEmeritus Curator of Islamic Coins forthe American Numismatic Society, con-siders it to be an Ottoman coin from thelate 18th or early 19th century, minted atConstantinople in the 9th year of thereign. COIN 15 is unidentified. COIN 16is a 20-para bronze coin of Mahmoud II,

Figure 11 – COIN 20. Amaury I. Diameter 20mms. Reference: Malloy 28.

Figure 10 – COIN 19. Leopold I. Diameter 27mms. Reference: Krause & Mishler 164.

Figure 12 – COIN 21. Ptolemy II. Diameter15 mms. Reference: Cf. Sear 7786.

TABLE 1.Category Total 2014 Autonomous* 33 0 Classical (but not identified further) 8 0 Hellenistic 3 0Ptolemaic 59 2Seleucid 130 7 Hasmonean 38 0Herodian 22 2Roman 88 1Byzantine 4 0Crusader 2 1Islamic (incl. 32 Mamluk & 78 Ottoman) 126 8European 8 2Other Modern 5 0Not identified / unidentifiable 53 3

579 26* Self-governing cities not part of larger empires at the time.

Figure 13 – COIN 22. Constantius II. Diameter 16 mms. Reference: Sear 4011.

who was ruler of the Ottoman Empirefrom 1808 to 1839. It was minted atConstantinople in his 30th year (1837).

COIN 17 (Figure 9) is a silver coinminted at Venice when the doge wasAntonio Vernier (1382-1400). On the ob-verse the doge receives a banner fromSaint Mark, and on the reverse Christsits enthroned holding a book of gospels.Mark’s body was taken from his tomb atAlexandria by Venetian merchants in 828and transported to Venice where a greatchurch, St Mark’s Basilica, was built inhis honour. Above the altar there is animage of Christ enthroned similar to thaton the reverse of this coin. It might seemsurprising that a Venetian coin shouldbe found at Bethsaida, but Venice in the14th and subsequent centuries was atrading centre for the whole of Europe.Its merchant vessels sailed all over theMediterranean but especially to ports inthe east where valuable goods such assilk from China and spices from Indiawere taken on board. What is amazingis that this coin, which shows Christenthroned in heaven, has lain in theground where Jesus had walked.

COIN 18 is an Ottoman coin mintedat Constantinople in the 19th century.

COIN 19 (Figure 10) is a silver 6-kraj-czar coin of Leopold I, who was the HolyRoman Emperor and king of Hungaryfrom 1657 to 1705. This coin was mintedat Kremnitz in Hungary and bears thedate 1671. On the obverse there is a bustof Leopold who has the protruding jaw ofthe Hapsburg dynasty and was rudelycalled “Leopold the Frogmouth”. On thereverse there is an image of the Madonnaand Child, which points to Leopold beinga devout Roman Catholic. It might seemunlikely that this coin would be atBethsaida, which was at this time inthe Ottoman Empire, but Hungary hadin large part been incorporated into theOttoman Empire. Many Hungarian Prot-estants preferred to be ruled by the moretolerant Muslims than by the intolerantLeopold, and they continued to trade withMuslims.

COIN 20 (Figure 11) is a billon denierof Amaury (Latin: Amalricus), who wasthe Crusader king of Jerusalem from1163 to 1174. It shows a cross on theobverse and the Church of the HolySepulchre on the reverse. Bethsaida wasin Amaury’s kingdom and his coinswould have circulated there. It is amaz-ing that this image of the place where

Jesus’ burial and resurrection tookplace was in the ground where Jesushad walked.

COIN 21 (Figure 12) is another bronzecoin of Ptolemy II (285-246 BC). It hasthe head of Zeus on the obverse and aneagle standing on a thunderbolt on thereverse with a club in the left field. It isthe club of Heracles (Hercules), who wasthe patron god of Tyre, and it indicatesthat the coin was minted at Tyre. It isinteresting that the two Ptolemaic coinsfound at Bethsaida were not minted atAlexandria, which was the main Egyptianmint, but at the busy ports of Tyre andSidon.

COIN 22 (Figure 13) is a bronze coinof the Roman emperor, Constantius II(337-361 AD). It has the bust of theemperor on the obverse and on the rev-erse he stands holding a spear and aglobe. Although Bethsaida was in theRoman Empire in the 4th century, onlyfive coins from this century had previ-ously been found there suggesting thatit was largely uninhabited during the 4th

century. COIN 23 is in poor conditionbut is a 9th century silver coin of theMuslim Abbasid dynasty which was basedat Baghdad. COIN 24 is unidentified.COIN 25 (Figure 14) is a 5-para nickelcoin of Mehmed V (1909-1918), ruler ofthe Ottoman Empire. It was minted in1913 and its discovery at Bethsaidasuggests that this ruined site was usedby Ottoman military forces in WorldWar I. COIN 26 is a small silver coin ofAhmed II (1703-1730), ruler of the Otto-man Empire. These 23 identified coinsall tell us something of the history ofBethsaida. The roots of Christianity arein places like Bethsaida, and just as thetree in Figure 15 has grown over theyears Christianity has grown into theworld’s major religion.

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Figure 15 – Tree at Bethsaida. (Wikimedia Commons: “Tel-bethsaida” by Mboesch)

Figure 14 – COIN 25. Mehmed V. Diameter 15 mms. Reference: Krause & Mishler 759.

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