diff --git a/lib/helpers.js b/lib/helpers.js
index f685bf74..5c7ac2be 100644
--- a/lib/helpers.js
+++ b/lib/helpers.js
@@ -44,13 +44,33 @@ export function assertCredentialContext({context}) {
 }
 
 /**
- * Checks to see if a VC has a V1 context.
+ * Turns the first context in a VC into a numbered version.
  *
  * @param {object} options - Options.
  * @param {object} options.credential - A VC.
  *
- * @returns {boolean} If the VC has a V1 context.
+ * @returns {number} A number representing the version.
  */
-export function hasV1CredentialContext({credential}) {
-  return credential?.['@context']?.[0] === CREDENTIALS_CONTEXT_V1_URL;
+function getContextVersion({credential} = {}) {
+  const firstContext = credential?.['@context']?.[0];
+  if(firstContext === CREDENTIALS_CONTEXT_V1_URL) {
+    return 1.0;
+  }
+  if(firstContext === CREDENTIALS_CONTEXT_V2_URL) {
+    return 2.0;
+  }
+  return 0;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Checks if a VC is using a specific context version.
+ *
+ * @param {object} options - Options.
+ * @param {object} options.credential - A VC.
+ * @param {number} options.version - A VC Context version
+ *
+ * @returns {boolean} If the first context matches the version.
+ */
+export function checkContextVersion({credential, version}) {
+  return getContextVersion({credential}) === version;
 }
diff --git a/lib/index.js b/lib/index.js
index f3aec728..7d5c4d28 100644
--- a/lib/index.js
+++ b/lib/index.js
@@ -36,9 +36,9 @@
  */
 import {
   assertCredentialContext,
+  checkContextVersion,
   CREDENTIALS_CONTEXT_V1_URL,
   CREDENTIALS_CONTEXT_V2_URL,
-  hasV1CredentialContext
 } from './helpers.js';
 import {documentLoader as _documentLoader} from './documentLoader.js';
 import {CredentialIssuancePurpose} from './CredentialIssuancePurpose.js';
@@ -134,7 +134,10 @@ export async function issue({
   if(!credential) {
     throw new TypeError('"credential" parameter is required for issuing.');
   }
-  if(hasV1CredentialContext({credential}) && !credential.issuanceDate) {
+  if(checkContextVersion({
+    credential,
+    version: 1.0
+  }) && !credential.issuanceDate) {
     const now = (new Date()).toJSON();
     credential.issuanceDate = `${now.slice(0, now.length - 5)}Z`;
   }
@@ -604,7 +607,7 @@ export function _checkCredential({
   if(!credential.issuer) {
     throw new Error('"issuer" property is required.');
   }
-  if(hasV1CredentialContext({credential})) {
+  if(checkContextVersion({credential, version: 1.0})) {
     // check issued is a date
     if(!credential.issuanceDate) {
       throw new Error('"issuanceDate" property is required.');