Coin in the fish's mouth
Encyclopedia
Coin in the fish's mouth is one of the miracles of Jesus in the Gospels (Matthew 17:24-27).

According to the Gospel, after Jesus and his disciples arrived in Capernaum
Capernaum
Capernaum was a fishing village in the time of the Hasmoneans. Located on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. It had a population of about 1,500. Archaeological excavations have revealed two ancient synagogues built one over the other...

, the collectors of the two-drachma
Greek drachma
Drachma, pl. drachmas or drachmae was the currency used in Greece during several periods in its history:...

 temple tax came to Apostle Peter and asked, "Doesn't your teacher pay the temple tax?" And Peter replied: "Yes, he does".

When Peter came into the house, Jesus was the first to speak and said:


"What do you think, Simon?" he asked. "From whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and taxes—from their own children or from others?"


"From others," Peter answered. "Then the children are exempt," Jesus said to him. Then Jesus said:

"But so that we may not cause offense, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin
Tetradrachm
The tetradrachm was an Ancient Greek silver coin equivalent to four drachmae. It was in wide circulation from 510 to 38 BC.-History:Many surviving tetradrachms were minted by the polis of Athens from around the middle of the 5th century BC onwards; the popular coin was widely used in transactions...

. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours."


The four-drachma coin would be exactly enough to pay the temple tax for two people.

The Bible does not name the fish, but Tilapia
Tilapia
Tilapia , is the common name for nearly a hundred species of cichlid fish from the tilapiine cichlid tribe. Tilapia inhabit a variety of fresh water habitats, including shallow streams, ponds, rivers and lakes. Historically, they have been of major importance in artisan fishing in Africa and the...

 is sometimes referred to as St. Peter's fish.

See also

  • Ministry of Jesus
    Ministry of Jesus
    In the Christian gospels, the Ministry of Jesus begins with his Baptism in the countryside of Judea, near the River Jordan and ends in Jerusalem, following the Last Supper with his disciples. The Gospel of Luke states that Jesus was "about 30 years of age" at the start of his ministry...

  • Miracles of Jesus
    Miracles of Jesus
    The miracles of Jesus are the supernatural deeds of Jesus, as recorded in Gospels, in the course of his ministry. According to the Gospel of John, only some of these were recorded. states that "Jesus did many other things as well...

  • Parables of Jesus
    Parables of Jesus
    The parables of Jesus can be found in all the Canonical gospels as well as in some of the non-canonical gospels but are located mainly within the three synoptic gospels. They represent a key part of the teachings of Jesus, forming approximately one third of his recorded teachings...

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