Coins bearing Joseph's name and image found in Egypt

The news was first published in the Egyptian daily Al-Ahram newspaper and reported online by MEMRI (the Middle East Media Research Institute, which scrutinizes and reports events from media outlets in the Middle East).

From a secular historian's point of view, the find is exciting because it disproves a theory that coins were not used in Egypt at the time of the Pharaoh's (and therefore Joseph). There is a theory that the bartering system was the only currency of the time despite reports even in the Koran that coins were used.

From a Christian perspective, however, the find is even more exciting. It is yet more evidence the Bible can be confidently trusted as a record of history.

The newspaper report said,

Joseph's name appears twice on this coin, written in hieroglyphs: once the original name, Joseph, and once his Egyptian name, Saba Sabani, which was given to him by Pharaoh when he became treasurer. There is also an image of Joseph, who was part of the Egyptian administration at the time.

It went on to say,

The coins were scarab-shaped. What made the discovery possible was the fact that 500 of these coins were [recently] discovered in the Museum of Egypt, where they were [originally] classified as charms and stored carelessly in closed boxes.

It's only a small piece of evidence, but yet another support in the foundation of our faith. I wonder if we have subconsciously taken on board the world's view that the stories of the Bible are stories lacking any historical evidence.

Perhaps it's time we were even bolder in our public assertions that the Bible is the infallible, inspired word of God from Genesis 1:1.