| Description: |
TIBERIUS 14-37 AD. AR silver denarius "Tribute Penny" Lugdunum mint. TI CAESAR
DIVI AVG F AVGVSTVS, laureate head right / PONTIF MAXIM, Livia, as Pax, seated right,
holding olive-branch and long vertical sceptre; ornate legs to chair. there are a number
of scratches on the portrait of Tiberius that appear to be ancient graffito, perhaps a
damnatio?
The denarius of Tiberius with Livia as Pax on the reverse is commonly known as
the 'Tribute Penny,' the coin to which Jesus referred to when 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 on denarii of Tiberius, they were only issued during the first two years of his
reign, while the Pax reverse was employed throughout the remainder, making it the more
likely coin referred to. The term 'penny' is from the 1611 King James translation of the
Bible, and was adopted since the penny was the standard denomination of the time. |
