Render Unto Caesar – Judaean Coins of the Augustan Procurators
This album features genuine bronze coins struck under the Roman procurators of Judaea during the reign of Emperor Augustus (27 BC – AD 14), the first emperor of Rome.
Historical Significance:
When Judaea came under Roman control, local coinage reflected both Roman authority and Jewish tradition. Augustus appointed procurators to govern the province, and their coins often bore neutral imagery—such as palm branches, ears of grain, or ritual vessels—avoiding portraits of emperors out of respect for Jewish religious sensitivities.
These were the very coins that circulated in the marketplaces, towns, and villages of Judaea during the early 1st century, forming the backdrop of life in the time leading up to the ministry of Jesus. The famous Gospel phrase “Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s” speaks directly to this world of Roman taxation, Jewish identity, and imperial rule.
Holding one of these coins is to hold a fragment of the complex relationship between Rome and Judaea—symbols of everyday commerce, but also of the political and religious tensions that shaped the history of the ancient Near East.
Render Unto Caesar – Judaean Coins of the Augustan Procurators
This album features genuine bronze coins struck under the Roman procurators of Judaea during the reign of Emperor Augustus (27 BC – AD 14), the first emperor of Rome.
Historical Significance:
When Judaea came under Roman control, local coinage reflected both Roman authority and Jewish tradition. Augustus appointed procurators to govern the province, and their coins often bore neutral imagery—such as palm branches, ears of grain, or ritual vessels—avoiding portraits of emperors out of respect for Jewish religious sensitivities.
These were the very coins that circulated in the marketplaces, towns, and villages of Judaea during the early 1st century, forming the backdrop of life in the time leading up to the ministry of Jesus. The famous Gospel phrase “Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s” speaks directly to this world of Roman taxation, Jewish identity, and imperial rule.
Holding one of these coins is to hold a fragment of the complex relationship between Rome and Judaea—symbols of everyday commerce, but also of the political and religious tensions that shaped the history of the ancient Near East.
