30 PIECES OF SILVER

30 pieces of silver – how much is a man worth?

Tyre, |Phoenicia|, 98 - 97 B.C.

Thirty pieces of silver was the price for which Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus, according to an account in the Gospel of Matthew 26:15. . The religious authorities were desperate to get rid of Jesus. They found an opportunity when one of His followers offered to betray Him.

There has been a lot of discussion about what coin was used. Suggestions include, tetradrachms of Rhodes, Jewish shekels of First Revolt, Jewish coins of 138 BC and Roman denarii. The most widely accepted one is the Tyrian shekel. It was well regarded because it had a high bullion content. Roman coinage was only about 80% silver, Tyrian shekels were required to pay the temple tax in Jerusalem. The money changers referred to in clearing the Temple story would have exchanged local currency for Tyrian shekels.

How much was 30 pieces of silver? Again there is some discussion. One writer in the 1980s said a shekel was worth about £4 to £5. If a shekel was four denarii then thirty shekels was a working's man wages for one hundred and twenty days. (Based on a story about hiring vineyard workers).

Another suggestion goes back an Old Testament use of the phrase 30 pieces of silver as the value of a slave. The prophet Zechariah asked what his advice was worth and he was told it was worth the price of a slave which was him told, then. The fact that Judas' cash was later used to buy a patch of ground that was only useful as a burial place for criminals shows it was not worth much.

Jacob, Kenneth, (1985) Coins and Christianity, London: B A Seaby Ltd second edition

Plant Rev Richard, (2007) A Numismatic Journey through the Bible, London: Rotographic

Image from this Forvm Ancient Coins page:
Tyre, |Phoenicia|, 98 - 97 B.C., Judas' 30 Pieces of Silver

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