138 



stampinnr of this medal, and shall first repeat the observation, that 

 we are not informed of such relics having been noticed by any of 

 the early fathers of the Church. 



The opinion of Wagenseil, against the antiquity or genuineness 

 of these medals, is given in very decisive terms ; but in terms also 

 which involve in them some weakness, and even contradiction. He 

 commences with condemning, as altogether spurious, the coins 

 which were imposed upon the public as being coins of Abraham, of 

 Moses,. and of David. He says, " Provocamus ad judicium univer- 

 " sorum qui veterem et genuinam pecuniam a nova, atque ad si- 

 " militudinem ejusefficta, valent distinguere; et multis evidentissi- 

 " misque sign is probatum dabunt, onmes scire siclos* sive nummos 

 " Judfeorum, opus recens et x«xs x6(ji,fi.ot.TOi esse." He then quotes 

 the coinciding opinion of Carolus PatinuSj-f- a well known autho- 

 rity upon the subject of coins ; and proceeds to relate, that the 

 pilgrims to Palestine were all possessed with an anxiety to bring 

 home sacred relics from the Holy Land ; and that, as those to Lo- 

 retto, to Rome, and to other places, were wont to return with 

 crosses and such like, so these pilgrims " conchis, crucibus, et sa- 



Waserus ut sup. Crinesius, p. 20. The period of the Jewish captivity seems to have been 

 the most probable time for the change from the Samaritan to the Hebrew character. Wase- 

 rus says, (p. 62,) " Rchquos Judaeos ob secessionera X tribuura, partim odio &c. eis, iion modo 

 " nullo sacroruni usu communicare, sed ne characterum formas &c. easdeni retinere voluisse ; 

 '■ sed formam quadratam excogitasse.'' Crinesius condemns this, and observes, " Existimo 

 " illam potius de apostatis Israehtis X tribuum esse prxsumendam, quara de Juda;is, specia- 

 liter sic dictis." 



♦ He does not seem to deny some shekels to be genuine, which even Pinkerlon admits, but 

 to speak only with reference to an antiquity so remote as the ages of Abraham, of Moses, and of 

 David. 

 -(■ See Pinkerton, Pref. p. vii. &c. ; he wrote his History of Medals in 1665. 



