Tribute Money

Two distinct tribute questions arise in the Gospels. The first concerns the half-shekel temple tax (didrachmon) required of every adult Jewish male annually for the upkeep of the sanctuary (Ex. 30:13). When questioned whether Jesus paid this tax, Peter affirmed he did; Jesus then directed Peter to find a stater (four-drachma coin) in a fish's mouth — exactly enough for two (Matt. 17:24–27). The second is the Roman poll tax (denarius Caesaris). The Pharisees and Herodians attempted to trap Jesus by asking whether it was lawful to pay tribute to Caesar; his answer — "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's" (Matt. 22:17–21) — both disarmed the trap and established the foundational Christian principle of dual obligation to civil and divine authority.