Whose Image Do We Bear? - Catholic Herald

In 2008, due to the expansion of a hotel in Bath, England, archaeologists performed the routine duty of canvassing the area in search of any significant artifacts. They discovered what has become known as the “Beau Street Hoard.” Beneath the soil, just a few hundred feet from an ancient Roman bath, lay a stockpile of thousands of Roman coins. These coins lay hidden for around 1,700 years. In fact, they were buried beneath the earth so long that the pressure of the overhead terrain literally fused many of the coins together.

Some individual coins were able to be extracted. And taken together, these small pieces of metal help narrate the story of the Roman Empire from 36 B.C. through the beginning of the third century. While it could never be proven that Jesus held any of the coins found in the stash, he may have held coins similar to the ones found in the Beau Street Hoard.

A Roman coin was at the center of controversy between the Pharisees and Jesus in Sunday’s Gospel. At this point in St. Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus had entered Jerusalem for what would be his final time. The antagonism of the Pharisees was crescendoing and would soon culminate in their cries to have Jesus crucified.

But today, we find the Pharisees laying a trap for Jesus. They asked Jesus, “Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?” There are two horns of the dilemma that the Pharisees tried to pin Jesus down with.

If Jesus said “yes,” the Pharisees would have sufficient reason to convince the crowds to walk away from Jesus. After all, the Israelites had been waiting for the Messiah, and, by all accounts, the first order of business would be to throw off the Roman occupiers. If Jesus said that it was right to pay the census tax, he would have been shown to be nothing less than an ally of Rome and not the long-anticipated savior in many eyes.

If, on the other hand, Jesus said “no,” it would be very likely that the Romans would intervene and do what the Pharisees were hoping for. Anyone encouraging the Israelites to not pay taxes to Rome would clearly be an enemy of Caesar. And if Jesus had appeared to align himself strongly with that rebellious crowd, he would have invited the weight of the Roman Empire to crash down upon him.

The Pharisees laid what appeared to be a perfect trap. But that’s when Jesus asked to see a Roman coin; a coin that perhaps looked like one eventually stowed away beneath the soil in Bath. And in doing so, unfazed, he grabbed both horns of the dilemma and turned them back upon the Pharisees.

Pointing to the coin Jesus asked, “whose image is this and whose inscription?” They replied, “Caesar’s.” Jesus then unfolded their response into a double meaning. “Then repay to Caesar what is Caesar’s,” Jesus said, “and to God what belongs to God.”

The image Jesus pointed to unlocks the import of his words here. And the images found in the Beau Street Hoard can help us understand what Jesus was saying.

When historians analyze the images impressed upon the coins in the Beau Street Hoard, they can study evidence of shifts in power of the Roman Empire. Unlike today where our currency is stamped by past figures, in the Roman world the currency was stamped with the current emperor. Thus, rapid changes in the images found on the coins can corroborate other lines of evidence suggesting changes in power.

Roman Antoninianii of the third century AD, similar to types found in the Beau Street Hoard (wikipedia.org)

What’s more, by pointing to a coin bearing the image and inscription of Caesar, Jesus was only reminding the crowd what they already knew, if only begrudgingly. Caesar was the emperor. They lived within his domain. The currency with the images of emperors past and present had value because of Rome’s far-reaching influence.

This half of Jesus’ response is easy enough to understand. And the Pharisees could not overlook it. But by emphasizing the image on the coin, Jesus was hinting at another image. With the added injunction to “render to God what is God’s,” Jesus was hearkening to the divine image that every human person carries. (Gen 1:27)

If one must render to Caesar what is Caesar’s because of the image impressed upon metal, then how much more must one render unto God what is God’s thanks to the divine image impressed upon the soul?

Unlike the images of Caesar that changed over time, the divine image remains the same. God is the same “yesterday, today and forever.” (cf. Heb 13:8) And what’s more, while earthly kingdoms come and go, there is one dominion that endures — the Kingdom of God. (cf. Mt 16:18) Like the image on the Roman coin, the divine image reminds us to whom we ultimately belong.

The Beau Street Hoard was hidden for something like 1,700 years. While those coins had a lot to say about the Roman Empire, they were rendered silent by being stuffed away. We, on the other hand, are still in circulation. And what we spend of ourselves bears witness to the One in whose image we are made.