Bacchius Iudaeus

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James M. Scott examines a visually intriguing denarius minted in Rome in 55 BCE, featuring a female figure with a turreted crown on the obverse and a kneeling male figure with a camel on the reverse, accompanied by the inscription BACCHIVS IVDAEVS. He explores the potential connection between Aristobulus’ gift of a golden vine from the Temple and this coin, suggesting it warrants further investigation. Scott begins by analyzing Pompey’s motives for minting the coin, noting that it coincided with the dedication of his grand theater-temple in Rome, linking these public displays to his Dionysian aspirations. He then scrutinizes the elements of the denarius to uncover the meaning of Bacchius Iudaeus, revealing that the Latin inscription primarily references the god Bacchus/Dionysus through an interpretatio Romana. Lastly, he considers the implications of his findings for the dating of Jerusalem's fall in 63 BCE. Scott’s study offers a deep dive into early Roman-era Judaism, using the coin to illuminate the complex interactions between Greco-Roman and Jewish religious and cultural institutions of the time.