Many detectorists have taken up the hobby via their love of angling. And that is why the anglers amongst you may find this story particularly interesting and thought-provoking.
The Israeli government has recently announced a ban on fishing, claiming that stocks have fallen to a dangerous low because nets with small holes have exceeded legal limits. The ban came into effect at the end of last year, thus ending a tradition that has continued virtually unchanged since Biblical times.
The Sea of Galilee – actually a freshwater lake – happens to be the site of several miracles described in the Bible, including the place where Jesus told his disciples that he would make them the ‘fishers of men’. The area has long been known for its plentiful stocks of fish and the most common catches are known as St Peter’s Fish, so named after the Bible passage in which Peter, one of the disciples, hooks a fish with a coin in its mouth. It was hailed as a miracle and enabled him to pay his temple tax. You can check out the story in the good book at Matthew 17: 24-2
Jesus said to Peter “But so that we may not cause offence, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours.” – Matthew 17:27
Continue reading “The Fish and the Shekel”