Šeqel ha-qodeš of 20 gerahs, and the Absolute Dating of Selected Pentateuchal Texts: A Numismatic Approach

The article endeavours to elucidate the origins of the Biblical references concerning the so-called »Holy Sheqel« of 20 gerahs. It is posited that during the governance of Yeḥizqiyah, there was a reduction in the weight of the most commonly circulated coins. We propose the hypothesis that at that time, the older system of increasing temple dues by one-sixth was supplanted by a system that augmented these dues by one-fifth. This process allows for absolute dating, around 320 BCE, for a series of biblical passages, providing a rare instance of a robust chronological anchor for the texts of the Hebrew Bible.