Today is Good Friday in Greece, a day of mourning for Greek Orthodox Christians as Holy Week reaches its climax. On this day they remember the betrayal of Judas in exchange for 30 silver coins.
On this day, Christians remember the betrayal of Judas Iscariot, who agreed with the high priests to hand over Jesus.
Silver coins of the 1st century AD who walked in Judea
According to the Gospel of Matthew, after Judas Iscariot negotiated with the high priests to hand over Jesus in exchange for 30 silver coins, the Son of God was arrested in Gethsemane.
Judas revealed the identity of Jesus to the soldiers by giving him a kiss.
But how much would that “kiss” cost today? Scholars disagree on the type of coins that might have been used, with two possibilities being suggested: they could have been tetradrachms of Tyre, commonly called Tyrian shekels (14 grams 94% silver), or staters from Antioch (15 grams 75% silver ), which showed the head of Augustus. They could also be Ptolemaic tetradrachms (13.5 ± 1 g of 25% silver). There are 31.1035 grams in one troy ounce.
At a spot valuation of $28 per ounce, in 2021, 30 “pieces of silver” were worth approximately $91 to $441 in present-day value (USD), depending on which coin was used, Wikipedia notes.
In contemporary Greek press and social media, the 30 silver coins are valued at €400–500 each, or €12,000–15,000 in total if Judas betrayed Jesus in exchange for Tyrian shekels.
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