The Gospel of Matthew recounts how the Pharisees ask Jesus whether to pay taxes to the Roman Emperor. They try to trick Jesus into giving an answer that would lead to accusations by both the Roman authorities and the Jews, who resented the tax. Jesus points serenely to the emperor’s effigy on a coin and towards Heaven, saying that they must distinguish between material and spiritual matters: “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”