Tribute penny

The tribute penny was the coin that was shown to Jesus when he made his famous speech "Render unto Caesar..." The phrase comes from the King James Version of the gospel account: Jesus is asked, "Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not?"

The Greek text uses the word dēnarion,[1] and it is usually thought by scholars that coin was a Roman denarius with the head of Tiberius.

[3] However, it has been suggested by some scholars that denarii were not in common circulation in Judaea during Jesus' lifetime and that the coin was more probably an Antiochan tetradrachm bearing the head of Tiberius, with Augustus on the reverse.

[4] Another suggestion often made is the denarius of Augustus with Gaius and Lucius on the reverse, while coins of Julius Caesar, Mark Antony and Germanicus are all considered possibilities.

[5] A similar episode occurs in the Gospel of Thomas (verse 100), but there the coin in question is gold.