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{"id":7280,"date":"2023-10-17T07:52:01","date_gmt":"2023-10-17T11:52:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/socialjesus\/?p=7280"},"modified":"2023-10-18T07:47:07","modified_gmt":"2023-10-18T11:47:07","slug":"render-caesar-things-that-are-caesars-part1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/socialjesus\/2023\/10\/render-caesar-things-that-are-caesars-part1\/","title":{"rendered":"Render to Caesar the Things that Are Caesar\u2019s Part 1"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

$\"Render$ <\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Our reading this week is from the Gospel of Matthew:<\/p>\n

Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words. They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. \u201cTeacher,\u201d they said, \u201cwe know that you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren\u2019t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are. Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not?\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Welcome Readers! <\/i><\/b>Please subscribe to Social Jesus Here<\/i><\/b><\/a>.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, \u201cYou hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? Show me the coin used for paying the tax.\u201d They brought him a denarius, and he asked them, \u201cWhose image is this? And whose inscription?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCaesar\u2019s,\u201d they replied.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Then he said to them, \u201cSo give back to Caesar what is Caesar\u2019s, and to God what is God\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n

When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away. (Matthew 22:15-22)<\/p>\n

Jesus\u2019 saying in our reading this week appears in all three synoptic gospels and in the gospel of Thomas. It\u2019s one of the sayings of Jesus that\u2019s most misunderstood today, especially by the Christian Right.<\/p>\n

If we are going to arrive at a life-giving interpretation of this story, we\u2019re going to have to back up some and consider some historical context.<\/p>\n

Archeologists tell us that the most circulated coin in Jesus\u2019 day was a small coin with Tiberius Caesar\u2019s image on one side and a seated woman holding an olive branch and a scepter. On the side with Ceasar\u2019s image were the words, \u201cTI CAESAR DIVI AVG F AUGUSTUS\u201d: Tiberius is both Caesar Augustus (emperor), and the son of the Divine Augustus.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Augustus, Tiberius\u2019 father, had been declared divine by the Roman Senate in 14 C.E. upon his death. During his life, Augustus had circulated coins that referred to him as the son of God. After Julius Caesar\u2019s death, a star (really a comet), had appeared at the summer games dedicated to his honor. Many Romans interpreted this as a symbol of Julius Caesar\u2019s soul ascending to the heavens to dwell with the gods. A year and half later, the Roman Senate declared Julius divine and the star that appeared in the summer began being referred to as the \u201cJulian star.\u201d (I find it fascinating that when Jesus is born, Matthew\u2019s gospel describes a new star appearing in the heavens.)<\/p>\n

Because of this tradition, Augustus had coins minted and circulated that had his image with the words \u201cAugustus Ceasar\u201d on one side and, on the back, the Julian Star with the words \u201cDivine Julius,\u201d indicating that Augustus was the Son of God. Each succeeding Caesar after Julius and Augustus also described himself as the Divine Son of God (\u201cGod\u201d being the previous Caesar), all the way to Tiberius in Jesus\u2019 time.<\/p>\n

As we\u2019ve said, on the back of the coin most likely held up in our story this week was the image of a woman holding both a scepter and an olive branch to symbolize of both the rule and the peace of Rome (or Pax Romana). The woman is most often identified as Tiberius\u2019 mother Livia, the mother.<\/p>\n

This gives our story this week a bit more context and direction to how we might apply these words in our context today. We\u2019ll begin unpacking this, in Part 2<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"