An ancient coin from the tail end of the Second Temple era has been discovered, just as Israel prepares to commemorate the destruction of the Temple on Tisha B’Av.
Saturday night is the beginning of Tisha B’Av, the ninth day of the Jewish month of Av, known the saddest date in the Jewish calendar. It marks the date on which both Temples were destroyed – the first burned by the Babylonians in 586 B.C., and the second by the Roman Empire in 70 A.D. Israel mourns, yet the yearning for redemption endures.
Now, the discovery of a coin carrying a message of that hope for redemption has been unveiled, dated to the year just before the destruction took place at the hands of the Romans.
In ancient Hebrew script, one side of the coin proclaims the stirring words, “For the Redemption of Zion” – a rallying cry for the Jews of Jerusalem under Roman oppression. It was found near the southwest corner of the Temple Mount in the Jerusalem Archaeological Garden.
Continue reading this article on allisraelnews.com
