Before You Bash Judas: How Much is 30 Pieces of Silver?
Posted: Saturday, October 11, 2008
by Mogama
http://www.mogama.info
The worst betrayal of innocent blood in human history took place during Passover week in A.D. 33, when Judas Iscariot, one of the 12 apostles of Jesus Christ, connived with the enemies to sell Jesus out.
As the treasurer of the group that travelled with Jesus of Nazareth, Judas was in tune with the value of money. On one occasion a female admirer of Jesus took a bottle of costly perfume and smeared Jesus with it from head to toe.
The extravagance got Judas so upset that he convinced the other disciples to rebuke Jesus and the woman for such a waste of costly perfume and precious currency.
Judas became so obsessed with money that he began to see "dollar signs" everywhere. As the moneyman, Judas realized that the religious establishment really wanted Jesus out of the way. "Wonder how much they'll pay for Jesus?" Judas might have thought. Judas reckoned that if the religious elite wanted Jesus dead badly enough, they would probably be willing to pay to get it done. But Judas also knew it would be nearly impossible for the high priest and his ilk to get a hold of Jesus without insider information. They needed an informant within the ranks of Jesus' close friends.
Aha, Judas saw his chance to strike it rich. In short order, he scheduled a secret meeting with the religious authorities, and he revealed to them the perfect plot to hand Jesus over with one kiss. Soon the religious leaders were all over Judas' plan, and they eagerly offered him 30 pieces (shekels) of silver on the spot. Judas had become their hit man. But how much money was 30 pieces (shekels) of silver? Was it that big a deal?
In Bible days, 30 shekels of silver was the price of a slave. The amount equaled 120 Roman denarii (plural). A denarius (singular) was one day's pay for a laborer. So 120 denarii equaled a worker's salary for 120 days or 4 months' pay.
But still, how much is 30 thirty pieces of silver in "dollars and cents"? Well, I checked some websites, including Gospel Mysteries, and here is what I found. If you convert 30 pieces of silver to dollar, it comes to about $950. According to the Professional Coin Grading Service, if you adjust the amount for inflation over the last 2,000 years, it becomes a whopping $250,000. "Such a sum likely would have purchased a small farm. Quite a bribe for the time"
So, what could you do with $250,000 cash in Kentucky, where I live? I can buy a brand new house cash down. With what's left, I can purchase one green vehicle (hybrid, electric or CNG) for cash. Next, I can put some money in a CD (certificate of deposit) or money market account to earn interest for months or years to come. (I wouldn't touch the stock market right now...may be later.)
Just like the bribe was attractive to Judas, it would be most sumptuously tempting to the typical follower of Jesus Christ today. And it doesn't have to be blood money either.
Look, how many Christians would not accept $250,000 to never set foot in a church again, to never read the Bible again, or to flat out say, "I'm no longer a follower of Christ"?
The offer would become even more attractive if it came from someone of a different religion, asking you to switch from Christianity to their religion, or from mainline Christian faith to a cult that claims to be Christian.
People jump religious ship all the time for far less than 30 pieces of silver, for amounts much smaller than $250,000. All it may take is a scholarship, a job offer, an opportunity to work for double overtime on Sunday instead of going to church. It may take as little as one month's utility bill to get some Christians to shack up and hook up, switch loyalty, or hop from one church to another!
Selling Jesus out is easier and more frequent than we may want to think.
So before we get down on Judas, let's check our own hearts to see how tempting a $250,000 bribe would be to us today. Many of us might do the same thing, if we knew we could take the money and sell Jesus out without paying any obvious price or without being caught.
Hey, hey, don't forget the rest of the story: Judas was caught. With a rope around his neck. He hanged himself.
Betrayal can be fatal.
As the treasurer of the group that travelled with Jesus of Nazareth, Judas was in tune with the value of money. On one occasion a female admirer of Jesus took a bottle of costly perfume and smeared Jesus with it from head to toe.
Judas became so obsessed with money that he began to see "dollar signs" everywhere. As the moneyman, Judas realized that the religious establishment really wanted Jesus out of the way. "Wonder how much they'll pay for Jesus?" Judas might have thought. Judas reckoned that if the religious elite wanted Jesus dead badly enough, they would probably be willing to pay to get it done. But Judas also knew it would be nearly impossible for the high priest and his ilk to get a hold of Jesus without insider information. They needed an informant within the ranks of Jesus' close friends.
Aha, Judas saw his chance to strike it rich. In short order, he scheduled a secret meeting with the religious authorities, and he revealed to them the perfect plot to hand Jesus over with one kiss. Soon the religious leaders were all over Judas' plan, and they eagerly offered him 30 pieces (shekels) of silver on the spot. Judas had become their hit man. But how much money was 30 pieces (shekels) of silver? Was it that big a deal?
In Bible days, 30 shekels of silver was the price of a slave. The amount equaled 120 Roman denarii (plural). A denarius (singular) was one day's pay for a laborer. So 120 denarii equaled a worker's salary for 120 days or 4 months' pay.
But still, how much is 30 thirty pieces of silver in "dollars and cents"? Well, I checked some websites, including Gospel Mysteries, and here is what I found. If you convert 30 pieces of silver to dollar, it comes to about $950. According to the Professional Coin Grading Service, if you adjust the amount for inflation over the last 2,000 years, it becomes a whopping $250,000. "Such a sum likely would have purchased a small farm. Quite a bribe for the time"
So, what could you do with $250,000 cash in Kentucky, where I live? I can buy a brand new house cash down. With what's left, I can purchase one green vehicle (hybrid, electric or CNG) for cash. Next, I can put some money in a CD (certificate of deposit) or money market account to earn interest for months or years to come. (I wouldn't touch the stock market right now...may be later.)
Just like the bribe was attractive to Judas, it would be most sumptuously tempting to the typical follower of Jesus Christ today. And it doesn't have to be blood money either.
Look, how many Christians would not accept $250,000 to never set foot in a church again, to never read the Bible again, or to flat out say, "I'm no longer a follower of Christ"?
The offer would become even more attractive if it came from someone of a different religion, asking you to switch from Christianity to their religion, or from mainline Christian faith to a cult that claims to be Christian.
People jump religious ship all the time for far less than 30 pieces of silver, for amounts much smaller than $250,000. All it may take is a scholarship, a job offer, an opportunity to work for double overtime on Sunday instead of going to church. It may take as little as one month's utility bill to get some Christians to shack up and hook up, switch loyalty, or hop from one church to another!
Selling Jesus out is easier and more frequent than we may want to think.
So before we get down on Judas, let's check our own hearts to see how tempting a $250,000 bribe would be to us today. Many of us might do the same thing, if we knew we could take the money and sell Jesus out without paying any obvious price or without being caught.
Hey, hey, don't forget the rest of the story: Judas was caught. With a rope around his neck. He hanged himself.
Betrayal can be fatal.
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Top-level comments on this article: (7 total)Great article.
I'm inclined to believe that the betrayal was carefully orchestrated, and directed by Jesus, himself. Judas throwing away the money and hanging himself seems out of character with the greedy, self-interested Shylock of later literary infamy. It is more likely that Jesus came to terms more than any other that his destiny required of him a self-sacrifice well beyond the comprehension of most men.That's one of five theories on why Judas betrayed Jesus. The problem with the Jesus-Judas scheme theory is that it makes Jesus a deceptive character, and that's a far cry from the honest Jesus that has won the hearts and minds of billions over the centuries. It is OK to sympathize with Judas to a point, but when we lay the blame for Judas' betrayal at Jesus' feet, then Jesus becomes "the bad guy" and Judas the saint. That's a line I don't want to cross. ~mogama~I see.
Early Christianity scholar April DeConick did a re-translation of the gnostic Gospel of Judas, which she claims supports the Judas indemnity, which is, of course, the "orthodox" view point. It was based on the interpretation of the Greek word "daimon." Many scholars said the Greeks used the word to mean any spirit, but DeConick said no, it was specifically used to mean an evil spirit, which is what she contends possessed Judas.
Anyway, you can read the article and make up your own mind on National Geographic's web site, just search on "April DeConick" and "Gospel of Judas".
What are the other theories of the Judas betrayal you mentioned?
The other 4 theories as to why Judas betrayed Jesus are (2) disillusionment, (3) self-preservation, (4) revolt, (5) divine sovereignty. To tell you the truth, I'm keeping the details for a book I'm writing on Suicide-Proof Living, which features Judas as one of 5 biblical case studies on suicide. Thanks for your insightful comments, Greg. ~mogama~
how many pieces of silver make one dollar
Excellent; exactly the information I was looking for, in a detailed and clear manner. Cheers!
250,000.00 is just crazy. The article said that it would be the pay for a laborer for 120 days so in today's money that would be at most $12,000.00 at $10 an hour for a 10 hour day. A pretty well paid laborer indeed. Or looked at another way, at today's prices $250,000 would be 18,982 troy ounces of silver.Thanks for reading and commenting. To get a comparable figure in today's currency, you need to adjust the first-century amount (30 pieces of silver) for inflation as stated in the article, over a period of 2000 years since the time of Jesus and Judas. For example, inflation runs about 4% per year in the United States, so $100 dollars in 1909 would be a much higher amount in 2009, when adjusted for inflation, which has the impact of the original amount earning interest over the years. ~mogama~Good article I think it is important to examine our own hearts, however I think your method of inflation is flawed, 4 months wages are usually about 4 months wages...it is an easy comparison. If 4 months wages of a laborer back in Jesus time would enable him to buy a small farm then you are correct....but realistically it is probably more in the range of $15 - $20k maximum (enough to buy a plot of land for a cemetery). You are taking 30 pieces of silver and appreciating it backwards through time and across cultures with very different natural resources. This method just does not work.Even with your argument, my main point stands: that 30 pieces of silver was no chunk change. If it's $15K to $20K max, as you argue, that would still be enough for many followers of Jesus to betray their Master in the 21st century. Thanks, Chris, for your intelligent comment. ~mogama~No attack on your argument intended, I like the thought process and the challenge to search my heart and to decide if I could be "bought". I think it is important to note that Judas was not just one of Jesus followers...Judas was one of the twelve. He probably spent just about every waking moment with Jesus for about three years. These guys were not friends they were great friends, they were close friends. If it can happen to Judas as close as he was to Jesus then how easily could it happen to us. Also, Judas was stealing a little bit here and a little bit there for a long time, we should also examine our lives and see if we are "betraying" him in the little things."...we should also examine our lives and see if we are 'betraying' him in the little things." Great point, Chris, and that's the crux of the matter. I've enjoyed your input. ~mogama~
Adjusting an amount for inflation over 2000 years makes no sense. Why do that?Adjusting for inflation over a long time period is done regularly by economists. If economists or currency experts can adjust for 20 years, they have the mathematical formula to adjust for 2000 years. There is nothing nonsensical about it, except for someone who is completely not interested in such things. ~mogama~How did you came up with $950? 250,000 for a laborer working for 4 months??
Feb. 26 2011 silver is at $33.34 per oz. So $950 would buy you atleast 28 oz. of silver. which is A LOT MORE than 30 pieces of silver.
An average laborer makes about $10 per hour. So to make $250,000 in 4 months. He would have to make $93 per hour and work 24 hours a day seven days a week for 4 months.
In todays money you could still buy enough land to make a small farm with 30 pieces of silver. Go to Motor City and there you can get a 50 x 50 house for $50. Unless of-course you want your small farm in Beverly Hills, then you should expect to pay just a little bit more.
I didn't manufacture the formula to calculate for inflation over 2000 years; expert economists do this, and they know what they are doing; that's their area of expertise. I'm not that smart. I'd rather trust the experts with these complicated calculations. Of course, you are free to do the math your way. ~mogama~
I agree with the spirit of what you wrote and am not taking issue with it. However, $250,000 is far too high a price to place on the thirty pieces of silver. Exodus 21:32 sets the price of a slave at thirty pieces of silver. A slave would hardly be worth an estate. When returned, the amount only bought a small piece of land where they buried anonymous people.
I like how you broke down everything from thirty pieces of silver to how much that is in wages for a laborer. But you did a mistake when accounting for inflation, I must say that PGCS only counts for America in our time frame. You got to understand that different countries and coulturs grow at a different pace, especially at modern trades of the twentieth century. And come on use your commen sense. If you make $250,000 in four months, that's $750,000 a year. Thats too much for a laborer to make, so if you were a carpenter the you'll make a billion dollars or whatever currency was used?Thanks, Radu, for shedding light on the topic. I appreciate being corrected.
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