Literature.— In addition to the Commentaries and Lives of Christ, see Frazer, Golden Bough 2, iii. 186-198 ; A. Lang, Magic and lieligion, 70-201, 298-305 ; VoOmer, Jesus und das Sacce- enopter ; Reich, Der Konig mtt dcr Dornenkrone.
Arthur S. Peake.
MONEY. — We propose to treat first of money in general as referred to in the Gospels, and after- wards of the definite sums or coins Mhich are there named.
I. MOXEY IN GENERAL.~ln the AV six Greek -words are rendered 'money,' 'tribute money,' or ' piece of money.' In tM'o cases this Is a mistrans- lation, and is rectified by the RV. The words are as follows: 1. dp-yvpiov (Mt 25^*- ^ 28'2- 15 Mk 14" Lk 9^ 19'«- 23 225). ( jn three of the above passages it occurs in the plural without the sense being
altered ; thus, cf. Mt 25^* Avith 25'-'). This word uriginallj' means silver, hence silver money (also tr. ' pieces of silver,' Mt 27^- =• •*• » ; see below, under ' Stater ') ; finally, as silver was the chief medium of exchange in the ancient world, money in general (cf. Fr. argent). 2. x°-'^<o^ (^ik 6^ 12^'). This word originally means brass, hence coins of brass (or copper), and, as copper money cu'culated largely among the common people, money in general. 3. Ke'pjxa ( Jn 2'^) comes from a verb meaning to cut, and means originally change or small coins. It is appropriately used in this passage for the stock-in- trade of the money-changers, a part of who.se busi- ness it was to supply change for larger sums. 4. vo'|xi(r|xa (Mt 221") comes from a verb meaning to acknoidedge as customary or laxoful. It means, accordingly, monej' in the sense of lawful coin. The vufjuff^a ToO K-qvaov, or tribute money, was the currency in which the Roman tribute had to lie paid, that is, the denarius. 5. to. 8i8pax|J.a (]Mt IT'-'' AY ' tribute monej',' RV ' the half-shekel '). As is rightly indicated by the RV, this word is the name of a definite sum of money which was levied for the maintenance of the Temple (see below, under ' Didrachm '). 6. o-Tariip (31t 17-'^ AV ' piece of money,' RV 'shekel'). Here, too, the AV is at fault, the word meaning a definite coin (see below, under ' Stater ').
To the above words used for money in general (though under slightly diti'erent aspects) may be added the comprehensive description of money in ilt 10" in terms of the three metals used as specie — gold, silver, and brass (or copper). This %erse may be taken as evidence that gold as well as silver and cojjper coins circulated in Palestine in the time of our Lord, although no gold coin is mentioned in the Gospels. The current gold coin was doubtless the Roman aureus, frequently re- ferred to in the Mishna as a golden denarius. In silver there was more variety. The Roman denarius was, of course, largely in evidence, and was pro- bably the silver coin in most common use. But there were also coins of larger size, bearing Greek names. When Pompey made Syria a Roman ]jro- vince (B.C. 65), he found in circulation tetradrachms of two different kinds. There were those issued chiefly from Antioch by the Seleucid kings on the Attic standard, weighing 262 grains troy. There were also those issued by the semi -autonomous cities of Phoenicia on the Phoenician standard of 224 grains to the tetradrachm. Tetradrachms of both standards were recognized by Pompey as equiva- lent to four denarii (Mommsen, Gesch. des Rom. Miinzivesens, 36, 715). Both would still be la"wful coin in the time of our Lord, though, as Mommsen surmises (ib. 72), the heavier royal tetradrachms would tend to be driven out of circulation by the lighter Phoenician coins, which, besides, as corre- sponding exactly to the Hebrew shekel, were in special demand in Palestine for religious purposes (see below, under 'Didrachm'). The supply of sUver from the mints at Tyre and Sidon, which continued to issue tetradrachms and didrachms under the Emperors,* was reinforced from the time of Augustus onwards by the tetradrachms coined in large niuubers at Antioch for circulation in the province of Syria. These ranged in weight from 220 to 236 grains, and were no doubt reckoned for ordinary jjurposes as equal to four denarii, although, in accordance with tlie regular practice of the Romans of giving a preference to their own
* According to most numismatologists ; e.g., Head(S'tst. Num. 675) says : ' From B.C. 126 do^\Ti to the reign of Vespasian, we possess a plentiful series of Tj-rian tetradrachms and didrachms." On the other hand, Mommsen (op. cit. 36) holds that from the time of Pompey the Phoenician cities lost the power of issuing silver money, and points out that the extant Phoenician tetra- drachms never bear the names of Emperors or anv other indi- cation of Roman swav.
MOXKY
* _ _
silver, tliey were taritt'ed for purposes of taxation as only eqixal to three denarii.
A vexed question, which cannot be held to be yet decided, is whetlier prior to the time of the tirst Jewish revolt anj' siher coins had been produced in Palestine itself. Until lately it has been usual for numisniatolog^ists to assign to Simon Maccabajus certain silver shekels and half-shekels struck on the Phoenician standard, and bearing the inscription in Hebrew, 'Jerusalem the Koly' (Madden, Coitis of the Jews, 65-71; Head, Hist, ytnn. 6S1, 082). Strong historical reasons, however, have been brought by Sohiirer ' HJ P i. ii. 370-383) and others for dating these coins rather in the time of the revolt under Xero ; and the ojunion seems to be making headway that at the time of our Lord, and pre\ iously, the Jews were dependent for their silver money upon foreign sources. (For an able statement of the case, see Kenned}' in Hastings' DB, vol. iii. «. «. ' Money,' § 5).