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[personal profile] fings
I just started read Lamb. Yesterday, as I read the first few chapters over lunch, a thought occurred to me regarding the 30 pieces of silver that Judas was paid. What was that worth?

A bit of net research turns up that in the 1st century A.D., a job paid between 10-20 Denari (silver coins) a month.

Assuming a "piece of silver" is the silver coin the Denari, 30 Denari was about two month's wages, around $4000-5000 in modern american purchasing power. Or, considering Palestine was a backwater province, maybe up to twice that.

Curiousity satisfied.

Date: 2004-02-04 04:48 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] auryn29a.livejournal.com
That book is on my Amazon wishlist. Let me know how you like it. And thanks for the info about the silver. I never thought about how much it was.

Re:

Date: 2004-02-05 04:28 pm (UTC)
yendi: (Default)
From: [personal profile] yendi
Dunno what [livejournal.com profile] fings thinks about it, but I loved it.

Date: 2004-02-06 09:41 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] fings.livejournal.com
So far, so good. I'm about half way through, and have enjoyed the story thus far.

interesting..

Date: 2004-02-04 08:01 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] paulisdead.livejournal.com
That's very interesting, based on the fact you can buy 30 pieces of 1st century silver in OK condition for about $400.

Although coins with the picture of Emperor Tiberius (the Emperor in the biblical crucifiction story) go for a premium.

On Ebay

BTW

Date: 2004-02-04 08:12 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] paulisdead.livejournal.com
In the old testament: Zechariah 11:12-14

"12 And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver. 13 And the LORD said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prised at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the LORD. "

Perhaps the author of Matthew was just trying to make some point with Judas and this old testament verse, and the Judas getting 30 pieces never really happened. Compate Matthew 27:3-7, the thirty pieces, and the potter's field.

"Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, ... 5 And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself. 6 And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood. 7 And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter's field, to bury strangers in"

I know you don't know me, but...

Date: 2004-09-12 09:28 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] http://users.livejournal.com/vintageromance-/
I loved that book. The author and I were actually in correspondance for a little while.

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