The Widow's Mite Story
The
Widow's Mite Story: that appears in Mark 12: 41-44, The
story of this woman’s spectacular offering is found in
the Bible, Mark 12:41-44. Though she might have
contributed any of a number of small copper coins
current at that time, a majority of experts choose the
copper prutah as the most prominent candidate for her
contribution.
This coin of the
Judaean King Alexander Jannaeus (B. C. 103-76) was
issued during the latter portion of his reign, circa B.
C. 78. Always crude, it has an anchor on the obverse and
a star on the reverse; it is so small it is called a
prutah.
Much confusion over the name of this coin has confounded
many. Older Bibles call it a “mite”. Sometimes it is
called a lepton, and its most modern name is a prutah.
All these names refer to the same coin.
Copper Prutahs were struck
in vast abundance. Without doubt, they were common coins
used for daily commerce during the life of Christ, and
as quoted from Mark 12: 41-44: “And Jesus sat over
against the treasury and beheld how the people cast
money into the treasury and many that were rich cast in
much. And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw
in two mites, which makes a quadrans. And he called unto
his disciples and said to them: “Amen I say to you that
this poor widow put in more than all those who have been
putting in the treasury. For they have put in abundance,
but she out of her want has put in all that she had”.
Alexander Jannaeus (also known as Alexander Jannai/Yannai),
king of Judea from (103 BCE to 76 BCE), son of John
Hyrcanus, inherited the throne from his brother
Aristobulus, and appears to have married his brother's
widow, Shlamtzion or Shlomtzion or "Shelomit", also
known as Salome Alexandra, according to the Biblical law
of Yibum ("levirate marriage"), although Josephus is
inexplicit on that point.
His likely full Hebrew name was Jonathan; he may have
been the High Priest Jonathan, rather than his
great-uncle of the same name, who established the Masada
fortress. Under the name King Yannai, he appears as a
wicked tyrant in the Talmud, reflecting his conflict
with the Pharisee party. He is among the more colorful
historical figures little known, however, outside
specialized
