HABAKKUK
"BABYLONIAN"
This
coin is 1.75 inches in diameter.
Not only is this an extrely limited edition, but the coin design has already
been retired. Exactly 293 Habakkuk coins were made and they will never be
reminted.
Some Habakkuk Editions features borosilicate glass on the side with the
heart and feather. Glass on metal (Cloisonné) is found only on geocoins
made by “Gregson Vaux Artifacts” and is the hardest and most durable
finish available. Glass cannot be scratched by even hardened steel and it is so
durable that Cloisonné jewelry still exists from ancient Egypt. If taken care
of, this coin will also retain its beauty for thousands of years.
The “Babylonian”
coins
were sent to the Kingdom of Babylon. The black resin and copper represent the
ebony and copper that tradition tells us were used when making Nimrod’s spears,
bows, and arrows.
In
the ancient world, when the Babylonian empire still held sway over much of the
land, a man by the name of Habakkuk began to dream dreams and prophesy. A
message of utmost importance was revealed to him. While most of the leaders and
men of power ignored his words or ridiculed him, a band of followers saw the
wisdom of his message. These dedicated individuals, at great cost to
themselves, set about the task of preserving his prophesy and delivering it to
individuals of knowledge and influence. The followers brought by barge the
finest frits from the golden city of Tanis and precious resins by caravan from
Lebanon. Copper and bronze were smelted then beaten into shape by strong arms.
Two hundred ninety-three coins were stamped, no more and no less, coins
designed to last for millennia. One hundred fifty-one coins were finished with
resin and one hundred forty-two coins were finished with glass fused upon the
metal in the hottest furnaces. They were sent out to the kingdoms of Edom,
Gilead, Ammon, Babylonia, and others. Two hundred ninety-three coins for two
hundred ninety-three people of influence.
Front
The word at the top is "Habakkuk" written in Hebrew. The building is
the Great Ziggurat and represents the Babylonian Empire. The background image
is a war horse and a chariot wheel representing the Babylonian war machine. The
text is from the first chapter of Habakkuk and is perhaps as relevant today as
it was when it was first written. The idea in Habakkuk is that the people of
Judea and Jerusalem had become unjust and cruel. The Babylonians were used by
God as a tool to bring an end to the corrupt Judean government.
Back
This side of the coin shows a heart and feather being weighed on a scale. This
imagery is well known from the Egyptian concept of judgement in which the heart
of a person is weighed against the feather of Math (truth). The balance shows
that the person (most likely an influential citizen of Jerusalem) is weighed
down with sin. The imagery also comes from the book of Daniel in which the king
is told "You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting." The
text at the bottom says "sun and moon stood still in the heavens."
The top of the scale shows the sun and the moon in an eclipse to give gravity
to God's judgement. The text in the background is from Habakkuk chapter 3.
The
ten editions are:
Ammonite - XLE 21 minted glass (Cloisonné)
Babylonian - LE
51 minted imitation hard enamel
Chaldean - LE 50 minted imitation hard enamel
Edomite – XLE 20 minted glass (Cloisonné)
Gileadite - XLE 20 minted glass (Cloisonné)
Israelite - XLE 20 minted glass (Cloisonné)
Judean - XLE 20 minted glass (Cloisonné)
Moabite (Mystery II) - XLE 21 minted
glass (Cloisonné)
Philistine (Mystery I) - XLE 20 minted glass
(Cloisonné)
Phoenician - LE 50 minted imitation hard enamel