Quote:
Originally Posted by bibleprotector
Weight is irrelevant because pennies have been various weights. Size is irrelevant because pennies have been various sizes. Buying power is irrelevant because pennies have had varying buying power.
The reality is that a penny is exactly what Jesus handled.
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I wish that this was the case, but the facts speak otherwise. First of all, the Denarius as a denomination ceased to exist in c. AD 306-7, while the first Penny was not struch in England until c. AD 760. That is a lapse of about 450 years. The Penny and the Denarius were issued by two different governments (in fact two different races of people) and the coins occupied different positions in their respective monetary systems. While it is true that the idea for the Penny can trace it's roots back to the Roman Denarius, it is not correct to call the Denarius and the Penny "the same thing." In the same way the idea for the US Dollar was based on the European Thaler and the Spanish Imperial Eight Real, but is is not correct to call the US Dollar either a Thaler or an Eight Real.
What the translators were doing was to use the closest contemporary coin denomination in place of the proper name for the ancient Roman coin in question. You often see the same principal in art of the period where Biblical figures are protrayed as knights in Renassiance style armor or kings in medieval style dress. In the case of the Penny this is not an outright error because the concept for the Penny was based on the Denarius (you could say that the English Penny was the great-grandson of the Roman Denarius), but it does unnecessarily confuse the issue for Bible readers not well versed in numismatic history.
The Greek word translated "Penny" in the AV is "denarion" which is simply a transliteration of the Latin "Denarius."
Quote:
Originally Posted by bibleprotector
As for the farthing, “And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing.” (Mark 12:42).
Notice the varying value:
Lu 12:6 Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?
Mt 10:29 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.
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This is a case where the Greek illuminates the English translation. The Greek word used in Mark 12:42 is "Kodrantes" while the Greel word used in Matthew 10:29 and Luke 12:6 is "Assarion," These are TWO DIFFERENT TYPES OF COINS, but the AV translators use the same word for both of them!
It should also be noted that Matthew 10:29 and Luke 12:6 are not examples of the varying value of a coin, rather it is an example of a voulme discount. Think of it in terms of going to your local store and seeing a sign that reads "Two Apples for a Dollar or Five Apples for two Dollars" you get an extra apple (or sparrow) for buying more. This also serves to illustrate a great lesson on God's love in that He cares even for the sparrow that has no monetary value.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bibleprotector
The word “farthing” means quarter. The reality is that a farthing is a quarter value coin! The coin in the Bible is exactly that. Therefore the word “farthing” is completely accurate and correct.
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The word "Farthing" is devived from an Old English word that means "a fourth of a thing." However, when used in relation to coinage it ALWAYS means a fourth of a Penny. In none of the four cases that I am aware of in the Bible where "Farthing" is used does it refer to a fourth of a Denarius. In two of the cases (Assarion) it is 1/16th of a Denarius and in the other two cases (Kodrantes) it is 1/64th of a Denarius.
When the AV translators selected the word "Farthing" they were doing just what the did when the used "Penny" that was to use a common contemporary word for a small bronze coin of little value in 1611 to discribe a two different small bronze coins of little value used in ancient times.