These two came together off eBay, and were an unusual subject for me.  I might just have to hunt down the others in the series some day!

Solomon’s Judgment

The Second coin in the Series

King Solomon was known for his wisdom and justice. One of the most famous stories illustrating this was the story of the two mothers who appeared before Solomon, each claiming that the baby held in the arms of one of them was hers. King Solomon then ordered a knife towards the baby. One woman immediately cried out, Solomon found this woman to be the true mother. This scene is known as the “Judgement of Solomon”.

The image displayed on the second coin in the Biblical Art Series is based upon a 13th century work of art taken from the book “Miscellany”, written c. 1280 in France.

Miriam and the women

The Third coin in the Series

The Bible abounds with stories about Miriam, Moses and Aaron’s eldest sister. We learn about her heroism and her compassion, as well as her great intellectual knowledge and leadership abilities.

The book of Exodus, describing the Exodus from Egypt, offers a depictive description: “And Miriam, the Prophetess, Aaron’s sister, took the drum in her hand and all the women followed her with drums and dance” (Exodus 15:20). While others were complaining about the desert conditions, Miriam was giving thanks for the great and miraculous Redemption that had just occurred after the parting of the Red Sea.

The drawing chosen to represent the third coin in the “Biblical Art” Series, issued by the Bank of Israel, was chosen from “The Golden Haggadah” printed in Barcelona circa the year 1320. The pictures in this Haggadah, among the earliest and most spectacular of the Sephardic Haggadahs, portray the events and characters beginning with Adam in the Book of Genesis and ending with Miriam’s song in the Book of Exodus.