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Bar Kokhba’s letters show him to be quite a micro-manager, as well as a self-focused leader. It seems un-
likely that he would share the leadership role by putting the names of low ranking officials on his coins.
4. INSCRIPTIONS.
The paleo Hebrew inscriptions on the Bar Kokhba coins are often jumbled or abbreviated. We are not
aware of all of the reasons for this. Illiteracy of the ancient script, not otherwise in use during the second
sentury CE, among designers and engravers and available space might have been among them. But the use
of the first three letters of Simon’s name, which are the same letters as the name of the essential Jewish
prayer, the “Shema” (or Sma on the coins) must not have been accidental. Ancient sources also that tell us
that early in the his revolt, Bar Kokhba recited the Shema as he rode into battle—as did generations of Jews
before him. But near the end of the war, with his successes against Hadrian’s army shattered, his revised
prayer before battle was for the Lord “neither help me nor hinder me….” This represents a gradual sepa-
ration of Bar Kokhba from the rabbis who originally supported him such as the great Rabbi Akiba. Once
the war was lost, Bar Kokhba was viewed as a false messiah.
5. MOTIFS
Virtually all of the motifs on the coins of Bar Kokhba are related directly to either a messianic view of the
Jerusalem Temple or the holiday of Sukkot, Feast of the Tabernacles (booths). It was possibly the most
popular Jewish holiday in ancient times and one of the three pilgrimage festivals in the time of the Second
Temple (the other two were Passover and Shavout [Pentecost]). Sukkot was referred to as “the festival of
the Lord” or simply “the festival”.
In Leviticus the Jews are commanded to “take you on the first day the fruit of goodly trees, branches of
palm trees and boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook, and ye shall rejoice….Ye shall dwell in
booths for seven days…” (Lev. 23: 39 – 43). These four species, including the citron, a lemon-like fruit,
myrtle twigs (hadasim); palm branch (lulav) and willows (aravot) made up the lulab and etrog shown on Bar
Kokhba’s sela’im. The musical instruments, palm and willow branches, trumpets, jugs, and even date palm
trees are all related to this holiday.
6. MINTING
Unlike previous Jewish rulers, Bar Kokhba inherited no infrastructure whatsoever, since Jerusalem and its
Temple had been destroyed more than 60 years earlier by the army of Vespasian and Titus. It was thus a
major convenience for Bar Kokhba’s tiny government to restrike the circulating bronze and silver coins,
rather than create a full mint with a smelting operation. Every known Bar Kokhba coin was struck upon a
previously circulating coin of silver or bronze. Sometimes the previous coin can be discerned, sometimes
the merest traces can be seen. It seems clear that this use of circulating coinage was much more a matter
of opportunity than the oft-repeated statement that the primary reason for over-striking the Roman coins
was to make a political statement.
Bar Kokhba’s overall minting operation, had quite good quality control, since other than being off center,
there are rarely double struck or other mis-struck coins that entered circulation.
Bar Kokhba’s government operated at least two different mints. In no case do the dies of “irregular” coins
combine with the dies of “regular” coins. To date, however, we have no real clues as to why the irregular
mint (or mints) existed.