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The
Famous "Tribute Penny" of the Bible in Silver
Obverse: TI
CAESAR DIVI AVG AVGVSTVS - His laureate head right.
Reverse: PONTIF MAXIM - Lavia, as Pax (representing Peace), seated
right holding olive branch and scepter.
The reference used for
this coin is roman Imperial Coinage (RIC) by Sydenham and Mattingly,
Volume 1, number 30.
The denarius of Tiberius with Pax reverse is commonly known as the
"Tribute Penny", the coin to which Jesus referred while he was
discussing paying taxes to the Romans and said: " Render to Caesar the
things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's (Mark
12:17).
Although there are two other reverse types of denarii
of Tiberius, they were only issued during the first two years of his
reign. The Pax reverse was employed throughout the remainder of
Tiberius' reign, making it the more suitable candidate for the coin
mentioned. The term "penny" comes from the 1611 King James
translation of the Bible, and was adopted since the penny was the
standard coin of the time. |
