Aretas IV, the Nabataean ruler, has numerous connections with the New Testament.  It was his daughter who married Herod Antipas.  This is the marriage that Herod ended in order to marry Herodias. It was against this divorce and remarriage that John the Baptist preached and was eventually beheaded.  It was also Aretas IV who was trying to capture the Apostle Paul when he was at Damascus.  Paul escaped by being lowered from the city wall in a basket.  We could also consider Aretas IV as a candidate for being one of the Kings of the Magi story since his kingdom was nearby, he reigned during the needed dates and his lands are somewhat “to the East.”

Ruler: Aretas IV
Date: 9BC-40AD
Denomination: AE 18
Obverse: Aretas & Shuquilat
Reverse: Cornucopia “X”