51 Money and Measures

Money and Measures

MONEY.

    The last-named is the common word for ‘silver’ and ‘money’, as l’argent in French. ‘Piece of silver’ is always ὰργύριον, except in Luke 15:8-9, where it is δραχμή, as above.

MEASURES OF CAPACITY.

DRY MEASURE.

LIQUID MEASURE.

It is judged that μόδιος and ξέστης are referred to simply as vessels independent of their capacity: such as "washing of vessels," &c. Some take the κόρος to be equal to the Cor, and ten times the capacity of the Bath: its capacity would then be about the same.

            LONG MEASURE.

The length of the cubit varies: if the long measure is taken, the fathom will be 7ft. 3.5in. The only weight mentioned is the pound, λίτρυ (John 12:3; John 19:39). Its weight is 12 ounces avoirdupois. The value of the words employed is at times meant to be instructive. For instance, in Matthew 18:24, a forcible point in the parable is the immensity of the debt forgiven by the lord, nearly two million pounds of our money (£1,937,500), in comparison with the few pounds owing by the fellow-servant. (£3 4s. 7d.)

Then as to the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:1-46), we are apt to regard the one talent as a small gift, whereas we find that it represents nearly £200, and money was of much more value then, for a man’s daily wages were but 7¾d.

Matthew 20:1-34 gives the wages for a full day’s work (apparently from 6 o’clock to 6 o’clock), as 7¾d. Was this fair wages for a day’s work? Tacitus (Annal 1: 17) says that a denarius was the pay of a Roman soldier in the time of Tiberius, a few years previous. Polybius (2: 15, 16) mentions that the charge for a day’s entertainment at the inns in Cisalpine Gaul was half an as, which equals one-twentieth of a denarius. This shows that a penny (denarius) a day was liberal pay, the country being fertile, and food cheap.

Revelation 6:6 names the same sum (7¾d.) as purchasing a measure (chœnix) of wheat, equaling one quart; or three quarts of barley for the same sum. Now as 7¾. was the wages for a day’s work, the above shows that great scarcity is alluded to. By comparing Matthew 17:24; Matthew 17:27 it will be seen by the tables given that the tribute to the temple was 1s. 3½d., and that the exact sum for the Lord and Peter was found in the fish’s mouth. It was a stater, worth 2s. 7d.

Matthew 26:15, The price paid for the betrayal of our Lord Jesus is stated as `thirty pieces of silver.’ These are supposed to be shekels of the sanctuary, and were heavier than ordinary shekels. Josephus puts them as equal to four Attic drachmas;* Jerome as 3⅓ drachmas. This latter agrees with some existing specimens, and would be about 2s. 6d. in value. Thirty of these would be £3 15s. 0d., the price of a man or maid-servant. (Exodus 21:32.) Alas! for the man that would betray his Lord ‒ and such a Lord ‒ for so paltry a sum!

(* Ant. Iii. 8, 2. The LXX has ἀργυροῦς in Zechariah 11:12-13.)

Acts 19:19. The books burned were valued at fifty thousand (pieces) of silver. There is no means of telling definitely what the value really was; but it is generally supposed that the coin drachma is alluded to (as in Luke 15:8). The Vulgate has denarius, which is the same value as the drachma. The total would then be about £1,615. When books were copied by hand their cost was great, and these magical books may have had an additional value set on them, being used to deceive the people for gain.