English
They showed Jesus a gold coin and said to him, ‘Caesar’s men extort taxes from us.’
He said to them, ‘Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s. Give to God what is God’s. And what is mine, give to me.’
Interpretation
The historical countries of Judah, Idumea (Edom), and Samaria were incorporated into the Roman Empire proper in 6 CE due to the instability of Rome’s client-rulers. The three regions were grouped together as Iudaea Province and placed under direct Roman authority, and a census of the population was carried out for taxation purposes. This actually contributed to further political unrest in the region. Judeans resented foreign rule and—as the saying shows—felt like they were being extorted. This situation festered for several decades before finally erupting into open revolt, becoming the Judean-Roman War of 66–73 CE. Mark (copied by Matt 22.15–22 and Luke 20.20–26) has Jesus challenged by his religious rivals with a ‘trap’: should Judeans pay imperial taxes or not? If Jesus simply says to pay these taxes, it would imply he supports foreign occupation. If he says not to pay the taxes, his enemies would have legitimate grounds for imploring the Roman governor to have him executed on charges of sedition. Jesus avoids the trap with his own riddlesome answer: give Caesar what belongs to him, and give God what belongs to God. This answer is traditionally interpreted as a clever non-answer, a third option outside the dilemma his opponents set up. However, his answer may instead be an affirmation that Judeans should pay the taxes without worry, because God is the one who put the Romans in charge (e.g. Jer 27.6; Mal 1.8; Dan 2.37). Small details in Mark’s version of the story have been interpreted by some readers that the author has modified the discussion to function as a response to the Fiscus Iudaicus, a specific tax law meant to punish Judeans for the war. The version in Thomas lacks all of these details, and even fails to identify who asked Jesus the question. Within Thomas, ‘they’ are probably the disciples, as in most dialogue passages. Instead of the question being a trap, it here appears to be a sincere complaint, which Jesus alleviates. The final sentence, in which Jesus elevates himself as a third authority to whom others must give offering, is an addition from the final stages of the book’s development.
Parallels
Mark
12.13–17 Then they sent to him some Pharisees and some Herodians to trap him in what he said. And they came and said to him, ‘Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and show deference to no one, for you do not regard people with partiality, but teach the way of God in accordance with truth. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? Should we pay them, or should we not?’ But knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, ‘Why are you putting me to the test? Bring me a denarius and let me see it.’ And they brought one. Then he said to them, ‘Whose head is this, and whose title?’ They answered, ‘Caesar’s.’ Jesus said to them, ‘Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’ And they were utterly amazed at him.
Matthew
22.15–22 Then the Pharisees went and plotted to entrap him in what he said. So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, ‘Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality. Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?’ But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, ‘Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin used for the tax.’ And they brought him a denarius. Then he said to them, ‘Whose head is this, and whose title?’ They answered, ‘Caesar’s.’ Then he said to them, ‘Give therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’ When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away.
Luke
20.20–26 So they watched him and sent spies who pretended to be honest, in order to trap him by what he said, so as to hand him over to the jurisdiction and authority of the governor. So they asked him, ‘Teacher, we know that you are right in what you say and teach, and you show deference to no one, but teach the way of God in accordance with truth. Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?’ But he perceived their craftiness and said to them, ‘Show me a denarius. Whose head and whose title does it bear?’ They said, ‘Caesar’s.’ He said to them, ‘Then give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’ And they were not able in the presence of the people to trap him by what he said; and being amazed by his answer, they became silent.