Das Leben Jesu
The Question about Paying Taxes to the Emperor
Spies try to trap Jesus with a question about whether it is lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, but he answers with the famous saying: Give to the emperor what belongs to the emperor, and to God what belongs to God.
Lukas 20,20-26
20So they watched him closely and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, hoping to catch him in something he said, so they could hand him over to the rule and authority of the governor.
Καὶ παρατηρήσαντες ἀπέστειλαν ἐγκαθέτους ὑποκρινομένους ἑαυτοὺς δικαίους εἶναι, ἵνα ἐπιλάβωνται αὐτοῦ λόγου, ⸀ὥστε παραδοῦναι αὐτὸν τῇ ἀρχῇ καὶ τῇ ἐξουσίᾳ τοῦ ἡγεμόνος.
21They questioned him: "Teacher, we know that you speak and teach rightly, and that you show no partiality, but teach the way of God truthfully.
καὶ ἐπηρώτησαν αὐτὸν λέγοντες· Διδάσκαλε, οἴδαμεν ὅτι ὀρθῶς λέγεις καὶ διδάσκεις καὶ οὐ λαμβάνεις πρόσωπον, ἀλλʼ ἐπʼ ἀληθείας τὴν ὁδὸν τοῦ θεοῦ διδάσκεις·
22Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?"
ἔξεστιν ⸀ἡμᾶς Καίσαρι φόρον δοῦναι ἢ οὔ;
23But he saw through their cunning and said to them,
κατανοήσας δὲ αὐτῶν τὴν πανουργίαν εἶπεν πρὸς ⸀αὐτούς·
24"Show me a denarius. Whose image and inscription does it bear?" "Caesar's," they answered.
⸀Δείξατέ μοι δηνάριον· τίνος ἔχει εἰκόνα καὶ ἐπιγραφήν; ⸀ἀποκριθέντες δὲ εἶπαν· Καίσαρος.
25He said to them, "Then give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God."
ὁ δὲ εἶπεν ⸂πρὸς αὐτούς· Τοίνυν ἀπόδοτε⸃ τὰ Καίσαρος Καίσαρι καὶ τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ τῷ θεῷ.
26They were unable to trap him in what he said in front of the people, and amazed at his answer, they fell silent.
καὶ οὐκ ἴσχυσαν ἐπιλαβέσθαι ⸀τοῦ ῥήματος ἐναντίον τοῦ λαοῦ, καὶ θαυμάσαντες ἐπὶ τῇ ἀποκρίσει αὐτοῦ ἐσίγησαν.