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How Much Were The Infamous 30 Pieces Of Silver Worth To Judas?
How much was Jesus sold out for?
Two thousand years ago, Judas Iscariot orchestrated the greatest betrayal in history. Judas, one of the original twelve disciples, pocketed 30 pieces of silver and betrayed his rabbi with a kiss. That rabbi was Jesus Christ, who was led away by an armed gaggle. His betrayal eventually led him to death on a cross outside the walls of Jerusalem. After the deed was done, Judas was filled with guilt and tried to give the money back to the Jewish officials who had bribed him in the first place. But the temple officials refused on the grounds that the coins were now blood money. Unable to return the money, Judas killed himself, ending one of the best known sequences of all time.
The Bible is very clear about the amount of money that Judas received. He was given exactly thirty pieces of silver to betray Jesus, but it doesn't tell us what the value of thirty pieces of silver was at the time. Contemporary readers would have had an idea of the value. But over time, the value of thirty pieces of silver has been lost to us.
So how much was thirty pieces of silver worth in first century Rome? Was it pocket change or a large sum? Was Jesus berayed for a respectable amount of money or a pittance?
