The Journey of a Coin
This is a Tyrian Shekel, one of the several currencies in circulation at the time of Jesus. Unique in that it was the only coin accepted by the Jewish authorities to pay the Temple Tax in the first century. God established the tax through Moses, who wrote in Exodus 30, Each one who is numbered in the census shall give this: half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary... -Exodus 30:13 The tax remained through both first and second temple periods (at varying times and rates), but where does the Tyrian Shekel come in? Why was it the official standard of the sanctuary at the time of Jesus? After all, it was minted in Tyre, a city whose relationship with Jerusalem was not the best... In the past, Hiram, King of Tyre, had provided the Cedars of Lebanon and gold for the construction of Solomon's Temple (in exchange for 20 cities around Galilee), but as time would unfold, the Lord would be against Tyre. Tyre's demise is prophesied by Ezekiel and we also find a very pe
