Jerusalem – Ninth grade students on a hike in February in the fields alongside the Zippori stream in the Galilee chanced upon a 1,600-year-old rare coin minted by the Byzantine Emperor Theodosius II.
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The gold coin was minted in Constantinople around 420–423 CE. Similar coins are known from the Eastern Byzantine empire, but this is the first its type has been discovered in Israel.
One side depicts the image of the emperor and the other shows the image of the Goddess Victory holding the Staff of the Cross.
Theodosius II was one of the most influential emperors of the Byzantine Empire, compiling an Imperial Code of Laws known as the “Codex Theodosius.”
His edicts led to the abolishment of the post of the Nasi, the Head of the Sanhedrin, and of the Sanhedrin Council. He decreed that the Jews’ financial contributions to the Sanhedrin be transferred to the Imperial Treasury, and ultimately led to the large-scale emigration of Jews to the Diaspora.
The four students, Ido Kadosh, Ofir Sigal, Dotan Miller and Harel Grin, understood that their find was significant, and reported it to their geography and history teacher Zohar Porshyan, who contacted the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA).
Nir Distelfeld, the IAA anti-theft Inspector, collected the coin and was shown the spot at which the coin was found.
Distelfeld awarded the boys with a Certificate of Good Citizenship for transferring the coin to the State Treasuries, saying “it is uncommon to find single gold coins as they were very valuable, and people took care not to lose them. I commend the pupils and their teacher for their good citizenship.”
What’s the value of the coin? Do they get paid for it? Otherwise people may be reluctant to give it up….some people are good citizens naturally and some are not so much…
There are no “accidents” and everything is hashgacha Hashem. We are experiencing a significant rise in antisemitism all over the world and this coin is about an emperor that was exceptionally antisemitic.. When was the last time you heard about the discovery of a coin of an antisemitic ruler?
What they have also found recently is the bula of King Hezkiahu (who could have been Mashiach) and also the bula of Elyahu Hanavi (who will announce the coming of Maschiach). Hashem brings the medicine before the pain.
In order to interpret the situation positively, we note that the coin is made of gold and is in the hands of the Jewish people – representing that ultimately the wealth of antisemites will be passed to Israel.
May Mashiach come soon in our days.
כָּל שֶׁאָמַרְנוּ מִקְּבִיעַת רֹאשׁ הַחֹדֶשׁ עַל הָרְאִיָּה, וְעִבּוּר הַשָּׁנָה מִפְּנֵי הַזְּמָן אוֹ מִפְּנֵי הַצֹּרֶךְ, אֵין עוֹשִׂין אוֹתוֹ אֵלָא סַנְהֶדְּרִין שֶׁבְּאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל, אוֹ בֵּית דִּין הַסְּמוּכִים שֶׁבְּאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל שֶׁנָּתְנוּ לָהֶן הַסַּנְהֶדְּרִין רְשׁוּת: שֶׁכַּךְ נֶאֱמָר לְמֹשֶׁה וְאַהֲרוֹן “הַחֹדֶשׁ הַזֶּה לָכֶם, רֹאשׁ חֳדָשִׁים” (שמות יב,ב); וּמִפִּי הַשְּׁמוּעָה לָמְדוּ אִישׁ מֵאִישׁ מִמֹּשֶׁה רַבֵּנוּ, שֶׁכַּךְ הוּא פֵּרוּשׁ הַדָּבָר–עֵדוּת זוֹ תִּהְיֶה מְסוּרָה “לָכֶם”, וּלְכָל הָעוֹמֵד אַחֲרֵיהֶם בִּמְקוֹמָם. אֲבָל בִּזְמָן שְׁאֵין שָׁם סַנְהֶדְּרִין בְּאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל, אֵין קוֹבְעִין חֳדָשִׁים וְאֵין מְעַבְּרִין שָׁנִים, אֵלָא בְּחֶשְׁבּוֹן זֶה שֶׁאָנוּ מְחַשְּׁבִין בּוֹ הַיּוֹם.
ב וְדָבָר זֶה הֲלָכָה לְמֹשֶׁה מִסִּינַי הוּא–שֶׁבִּזְמָן שֶׁיֵּשׁ סַנְהֶדְּרִין, קוֹבְעִין עַל הָרְאִיָּה; וּבִזְמָן שְׁאֵין שָׁם סַנְהֶדְּרִין, קוֹבְעִין עַל חֶשְׁבּוֹן זֶה שֶׁאָנוּ מְחַשְּׁבִין בּוֹ הַיּוֹם. וְאֵין נִזְקָקִין לִרְאִיָּה, אֵלָא פְּעָמִים שֶׁיִּהְיֶה יוֹם שֶׁקּוֹבְעִין בּוֹ בְּחֶשְׁבּוֹן זֶה הוּא יוֹם הָרְאִיָּה, אוֹ קֹדֶם לוֹ בְּיוֹם, אוֹ אַחֲרָיו בְּיוֹם; וְזֶה שֶׁיִּהְיֶה אַחַר הָרְאִיָּה בְּיוֹם פֶּלֶא הוּא, וּבַאֲרָצוֹת שְׁהֶן לְמַעְרַב אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל.
ג וּמֵאֵימָתַי הִתְחִילוּ כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל לְחַשַּׁב בְּחֶשְׁבּוֹן זֶה, מִסּוֹף חַכְמֵי תַּלְמוּד בְּעֵת שֶׁחָרְבָה אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְלֹא נִשְׁאָר שָׁם בֵּית דִּין קָבוּעַ; אֲבָל בִּימֵי חַכְמֵי מִשְׁנָה, וְכֵן בִּימֵי חַכְמֵי תַּלְמוּד עַד יְמֵי אַבַּיֵי וְרַבָּא–עַל קְבִיעַת אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל הָיוּ סוֹמְכִין.