In God We Trust

Throughout history, rulers have invoked divine authority to justify their power and actions. Toward the end of the sixteenth century, this long-standing practice gained new expression when rulers across Europe began minting coins and medals bearing the explicit Hebrew name of God – the Tetragrammaton, the holiest name in Jewish tradition.

The exhibition presents coins and medals from antiquity through the early twentieth century that feature representations of the divine name, embodying a compelling encounter between language, political power, and faith.

Medal depicting Moses receiving the Ten Commandments

Nuremberg (Germany), early 18th century, silver

Medal commemorating the coronation of Frederick III as King in Prussia

Prussia, 1701 CE, silver

Medal commemorating the millennium of the founding of Hamburg

Hamburg, 1803 CE, silver

Medal commemorating Jewish emancipation

Westphalia (Germany), 1808 CE, silver

Medal commemorating the new wing of Beth Israel Hospital

New York, 1928 CE, brass