| Description: |
TIBERIUS 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.
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. |
