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During the first half of the First Century A.D., following the
exile of King Herod Archelaus, Judea was ruled by a series of
Procurators appointed by the Rome. The lands of Ancient
Israel were annexed to the Roman province of Syria, with the
administration centered in the city of Caesarea. Some of the
Procurators, such as Antonius Felix, struck their own coins.
Although these coins were technically minted under Roman
authority, they take into account the religious beliefs of the
Jewish population and display no graven images, lest the
rebellious population be offended. Felix ruled from 52-59
A.D., although he only minted coins during two of those
years. Today, Felix is perhaps best remembered as the
Procurator before who St. Paul was brought to trial. "And
after certain days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla,
who was a Jewess, he sent for Paul, and heard him
concerning the faith in Christ." - Acts 24:27
The coins of Antonius Felix are intimate memorials of
Ancient Israel. They knew the scent of spice-stalls, heard
the ranting or merchants, and smelled the sweat and dust of
daily works. They were alive to the sounds of Hebrew,
Aramaic, Greek and Latin voices haggling over prices in the
marketplaces or offering prayers to YHVH, Jesus, or Jupiter
in temples. This coin is a memorial to one of the most fabled
times words have recorded, when the Jewish people
struggled to be free from Roman occupation and when the
teachings of the Jesus Christ were spread by the first Saints.
We can still feel the power of these events resonate in the
energy of this ancient coin.
- (LC.426)
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