Learn English – What does “praise from Caesar” mean

The quote is "Render unto Caesar the things which are Ceasar's..." and comes from the Bible, Mark 12:17

Since this is a forum for discussion of language rather than exigesis, I will refrain from discussing the possible deeper contextual implications of the phrase, and instead clarify the semantic meaning.

Please be aware that the quote you have referenced comes from the King James Bible, a translation of biblical scripture that was carried out some centuries ago and therefore using language that can be mystifying to the modern reader. A more up-to-date translation in common use is the New International Version, which renders the quote thus:

"Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's."

This was in response to a question about whether Jews should pay taxes (or instead resist Roman authority.) Please refer to one of the many biblical study guides or websites for a scriptural analysis, or this Wikipedia article for a good primer (thanks J. M. and Scott Mitchell :-)

This particular biblical quote is used in different contexts to mean any one of a number of different things, but in my experience it is most commonly an exhortation to keep the affairs of religion and politics separate.

Various dictionaries have different things to say.

What price [fame/success/victory etc.]?

something that you say which means it is possible that the fame, success etc. that has been achieved was not worth all the suffering it has caused

What price victory when so many people have died to make it possible?

(Cambridge Idioms Dictionary, 2nd ed.)

price [...]

what price (something)? what are the chances of (something) happening now?

(Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged)

What price something?

What is the value of something?; What good is something? (Said when the value of the thing referred to is being diminished or ignored.)

Jane's best friend told us all about Jane's personal problems. What price friendship? Jack simply declared himself president of the political society. What price democracy?

(McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs)

what price ——? used to ask what has become of something or to suggest that something has or would become worthless : what price justice if he were allowed to go free?

(New Oxford American Dictionary 2nd edition, from OS X)

Apart from Collins's strange definition, it seems that the general meaning of "what price X?" is "what's the value of X?" (not "what's the price of X", in the modern sense of price).

As for how it came to be, my wild speculation of the day is that it could have been used grammatically in an anaphoric expression, eg What price is freedom to us if we tolerate this tyranny? What price justice? etc.