Temple of Moneta

Temple of Juno Moneta

Temple of Juno Moneta is considered to be another "pagan temple" but it was simply a place where coins were minted by the government. Most of these temples provided government services in one form or another.

According to Livy, during the Republic, the mint was on the Capitoline Hill, either in, or very near, the temple of Juno Moneta. Minting coins was under the dominion of the Senate but the one who was in charge was called the "Moneyers" who produced coins with generic images commemorating Roman achievements. Under the Empire, the emperors had direct control of coinage.

Concerning the question to Pay tribute: The coin Jesus held up was likely the Antiochan tetradrachm bearing the head of Tiberius, with Augustus Caesar on the reverse or the denarius featuring Tiberius with the inscription "Ti [berivs] Caesar Divi Aug[usti] F[ilius] Augustus", ("Caesar Augustus Tiberius, son of the Divine Augustus") with Pontif Maxim (Pontifex Maximus or High Priest) on the reverse. Of course for Christians Jesus was High priest and king and whatever was given to His Church, which had been 'appointed a kingdom', was considered paid in full.

• "And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? And they said unto him, Caesar’s."

On the coin was the graven image of the "son of the Divine Augustus" run through the temples of Rome. Octavian was called "Augustus Caesar, the savior of the whole world” by all the people who saw his exercising authority as a solution to the world's problems. He was also called the Father of Rome and the Son of God.

He was also called the Savior of the world of Rome in the minds of many people who believed that his power as Emperor was able to establish “Peace on earth,” with his "Pax Romana".

Evidently, the Pharisees had the coin in their possession. This was a violation of their own laws "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image" nor have "any other gods before the God" of heaven.

Octavius' title was not only the Divine Augustus and Patronus but he appointed of the gods of Rome. As one of the head "father on the earth" he could demand tribute from his people as a patrimonial right of Caesar.

The superscription or epigraphe was of Caesar who loaned money into circulation through the temples of Janice and Moneta and taxes were often required to be paid in kind. There were lots of benefits and free bread offered by Caesar's system of welfare but Jesus said it "made the word of God to none effects".

Tragan

Trajan (r. 98–117) seemed to have an additional mint based on some dedicatory inscriptions indicates there may have been the office of "Moneta Caesaris" on the Caelian Hill which survived into the third century and the remaining mint was closed by 476 AD.

The "Rationibus" held an Imperial office to determine the total output of coins. Under him was the "Procurator Monetae". The "Optio et Exactor auri argenti et aeris" was actually in charge of the operation of minting and overseeing quality control.

These gods decided what was good and what was evil and the other Weightier matters of society.