Money

In the Old Testament, money primarily took the form of uncoined precious metals — silver and gold — weighed out in transactions rather than counted as stamped coinage. The earliest biblical references mention Abraham's wealth in silver (Gen. 13:2) and the purchase of the cave of Machpelah for four hundred shekels of silver weighed according to the merchant's standard (Gen. 23:16). The shekel was the principal unit of weight, with sixty gerahs to the shekel. Coined money was introduced into the Near East in the seventh century BC by the Lydians; Persian coins (darics and drachmas) appear in post-exilic texts (Ezra 2:69; Neh. 7:70). In the New Testament period, the monetary system was mixed: Roman denarii, Greek drachmas, and Jewish shekels and temple currency all circulated, requiring the services of money-changers. The love of money, rather than money itself, is identified by Paul as a root of all kinds of evil (1 Tim. 6:10).