I know we have discussed this topic before, but I like this thoughtful review found in this older video about the possible coins that were candidates for the tribute penny of the Bible. Professor Kevin Butcher graduated from the University of Bristol in 1983, and subsequently went on to study for a Ph.D at the Institute of Archaeology, University College London, in the field of Roman numismatics. His first book, Roman Provincial Coins, was published in 1988; in the same year he joined the staff of the Department of Coins and Medals at the Fitzwilliam Museum, University of Cambridge. Prof. Butcher’s research interests include Greek and Roman coinage, particularly the civic and provincial coinages of the Roman empire; and the Hellenistic and Roman Near East, particularly coastal Syria and Lebanon.
Of course, there's no information that proves the Tribute Penny is any one type or another - one wishes that Jesus would also have asked, "Now tell me who is on the reverse of the coin!" But at 1:45, Butcher says that there is no evidence that the denarius of Tiberius circulated in Judaea. Being a lowly novice, I hate to argue with someone like Butcher, but how does he account for the Isfiya hoard discovered in northern Israel in 1960? Although the exact composition of the hoard is lost, Meir estimates that it contained 4,500 coins comprised of approximately 3,500 tetradrachms of Tyre, 1,000 didrachms of Tyre, and 160 early Imperial denarii of Augustus and Tiberius. Furthermore, it would not have been necessary for Imperial denarii to actually circulate in Judaea for them to exist in Judaea. Many provincial Roman monetary systems were closed, meaning that visitors from Rome had to exchange their coins for local issues - that's part of the reason money changers existed. Perhaps the reason we don't find imperial denarii sprinkled liberally over Israel is that they had to be turned in for shekels and prutoh.
I love the denarius of Tiberius so much I use it as my avatar. I call it a "tribute penny," too, but ... ... it's important to note that the pericope was written about 35 years after Jesus' crucifixion. It was written in Greek, in the gospel attributed to Mark, for a Greek-speaking audience, and then it was incorporated into Matthew and Luke when they wrote their gospels (using Mark as a source, often nearly word-for-word), also for Greek-speaking audiences. Where and to whom the author of Mark wrote his gospel is unknown. It's entirely possible--perhaps even quite likely--that the author of Mark used the word "denarius" because that was a silver coin known to his audience, just the way the translators of the King James version rendered the word "denarius" in their bible as "penny," which would have been understood by English readers in 1611 to be a small silver coin. It's worthy to note that in the Gospel of Thomas's version of the story, it's not a denarius, but a gold coin, that Jesus uses to teach his interlocutors. So, maybe it was a bronze provincial coin from Ascalon or other city in Judea, Syria, or Phoenicia. I don't think we'll ever know which coin Jesus held in his hand to advise his followers to "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."
I suspect Butcher and scientists like him would say a hoard of over 9000 silver coins of which only 160 were denarii is evidence that denarii were not a big part of the local economy. IMHO it is impossible to prove that anything does not exist. It is certainly possible to prove that I have not seen something but confusing the two is the worst kind of self serving egotism. I do not believe in space aliens but I can not prove none exist and am not willing to say I hope that if I am wrong one of them lands on my lawn tonight --- unless he is bringing gifts of ancient coins - then he is welcome. The study of ancient coins received a kick in the teeth when a hoard in the UK was broken down by the British Museum and found to contain the second ever seen coin of Domitian II. They then decided that it was time to apologize to the first known which had been declared a fake a hundred years earlier. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domitianus_II Anyone who really believes that they can prove anything about the coin shown to Jesus is misguided. That the event actually happened as opposed to being something of a parable is a matter of faith. Assuming that it did happen leaves the details open to study but also requires understanding the difference between proof and theory.
I quite agree. Whether or not the story as written was a real event or not is irrelevant as far as the numismatic question is is concerned. However, what coin 'Mark' had in mind is very relevant. The Gospel of Mark was written in highly polished Greek for a gentile Roman audience. 'Mark' likely lived in Rome during the reign of Nero and he would have been very familiar with the denarius. The traditional 'Tribute Penny' denarius is just as likely to be the coin Mark had in mind as any other denarius type struck in the first half of the First Century. Perhaps it was a denarius of Nero? We shall never know for certain.
