Ancient Silver Biblical Tribute Penny Denarius Coin Set in 14K Gold Pendant

Total Weight: 4.4 Grams

Pendant Size: 2.8 Cm 1.1" Inches X 1.8 Cm 0.71" Inches

Obverse: Laureate Head of Tiberius, & the Legend Reads TI CAESAR DIVI AVG F AVGVSTVS: Tiberius Caesars, son of the Divine Augustus, Emperor.

Reverse: Pax (or Livia) seated right on the throne with plain legs, holding a scepter and branch & the Legend Reads: PONTIF MAXIM: The High Priest

In ancient Judea, the citizens were required to pay taxes, or “tribute,” to the Romans, who controlled the region, and the rulers of the Jewish religion. As is the case today, taxes were a hot topic in the first century AD. The phrase “Tribute Penny” comes about from a story in three New Testament Gospels where a Pharisee gives Jesus a contentious question as to whom Jesus believed that tax money should be paid. The Pharisees and their co-conspirators, the Herodians, hoped to catch Jesus in his words and put him at odds with the Romans.

The Tribute penny, shown to Jesus during his famous speech "Render unto Caesar..." serves as a reminder to approach difficult situations with a calm and thoughtful mind. When asked, "Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not?" (Mark 12:14), Jesus responded with gentle wisdom, "Bring me a penny, that I may see it" (Mark 12:15). Let's remember to take a moment to learn and understand before we make important decisions.

References to the Tribute Penny in the Bible

From the Gospel of Matthew, we learn the story of the Tribute Penny.

‘Tell us this, then, what is your opinion: Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?’ Knowing their malice, Jesus said, ‘Why are you testing me, you hypocrites? Show me the coin that pays the census tax.’ Then they handed him the Roman coin. He said to them, ‘Whose image is this and whose inscription?’ They replied, ‘Caesar’s.’ At that he said to them, ‘Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.’ When they heard this they were amazed, and leaving him they went away. (Matthew, 22:17-22)

The Gospel of Mark also records the incident but specifies the Roman coin as a specific denomination, a denarius. The record of Jesus’s encounter with the Pharisees and Herodians is very similar in the Gospel of Mark to that of the Gospel of Matthew “ ‘…Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not? Should we pay or should we not pay?’ Knowing their hypocrisy he said to them, ‘Why are you testing me? Bring me a denarius to look at’ ” (Mark, 12:14:15). The small silver denarius coin was the daily wage of a Roman soldier or a common laborer in the Holy Land (Matthew 20:2). In Chapter 20 of the Gospel of Luke, this story is also told. There the coin is translated as in Mark as a denarius.