[Heb. , ; Greek δεκάτη; lat. decima], in the ancient world and in the practice of Christ. The transfer of a 10th part of income (usually in kind) to the Church as a one-time or regular donation in favor of the authorities, clergy or religions. communities.
Old Testament
D. is first mentioned in the story of the patriarch Abraham, who handed over a 10th part of the spoils of war to Melchizedek, the king of Salem and the priest of the Most High God (Genesis 14:18-20; see Christological interpretation: Heb 7:4-9). Patriarch Jacob in Bethel promised to give God D. from everything he has, if He will keep him on the way and help him return home safely (Genesis 28: 20-22). Although these accounts seem to point to the earliest centers of offering D. (Jerusalem and Bethel), they cannot indicate that this practice was regular or obligatory in the historical period implied. The earliest evidence of regular D. is the words from the Book of the prophet Amos: “Bring your sacrifices every morning, even your tithes every three days” (Amos 4.4; VIII century BC).
In book. The Exodus contains a command to bring the firstfruits (Ex 23:16, 19; 34:26), but does not specify whether D. is part of them or a separate offering (cf.: Deut 26:1-14; Neh 12:44). According to the book. Numbers, Levites who do not have a plot of land receive D. for service (Numbers 18. 19-21). At the same time, they themselves must give D. to the priests from everything they receive, “tithes from tithes” (Numbers 18:26), “from all the best” (Numbers 18:29). According to the book. Leviticus, D. can be redeemed by adding "to the price of her fifth share" (Lev 27.31). When separating D., it is forbidden to select cattle according to quality or replace one animal with another, otherwise both animals are declared sacred and confiscated (Lev 27. 32-33).
The most detailed instructions about D. are contained in the book. Deuteronomy, according to which, should be separated and eaten annually “before the Lord,” that is, in the sanctuary, from bread, wine, oil, and the firstborn of large and small livestock (Deut. 12:17-18; 14:22-23). If the sanctuary is remote, it is allowed to sell crops and livestock, and with the proceeds to buy everything you need near the sanctuary and share a meal with your family (Deut. 14. 24-26). Every 3rd year, D. is not given to the temple, but to the Levites, strangers, orphans, and widows (Deut. 14:27-29). When separating D., a special prayer is read (Deut. 26. 13-15).
The main purpose of the D. offering is to learn to fear the Lord (Deut. 14:23). The main theological prerequisite for the separation of D. was, apparently, the conviction that the earth and its fruits belonged to God (Ps 23.1), who gave it to Israel as a possession (Deut. 26.10). Therefore, the prophets called non-payment D. "robbing God" (Mal 3. 8).
The First Book of Kings says that the Samuel warned the Jews who wished to choose a king that he would take D. for himself (1 Samuel 8. 15-17). At the same time, under King Hezekiah D., so much was collected for the benefit of the temple that special storehouses had to be built (2 Chronicles 31. 4-12). In the post-captive era, the collection of D. to maintain the temple was restored by Nehemiah (Nehemiah 10. 32-39; 12. 44-45; 13. 10-13). At the same time, it is reported that the Levites, together with the priests, went to the cities of Judea to collect D.
In scientific literature, there are several. theories of the origin and development of the D. Institute. Most researchers of the XIX-XX centuries. sought to harmonize the evidence of the OT by arranging them in some chronological order. According to J. Wellhausen, 3 stages can be distinguished in the history of biblical D. (Wellhausen. 1905). Initially, it was offered along with other sacrifices voluntarily and directly to God (i.e., without the mediation of priests and Levites) in tribal sanctuaries, where it was consumed by the sacrificers themselves during the sacred meal. At the next stage, D. began to be offered regularly (annually) in the main sanctuary in Jerusalem, and the Levites also took part in the sacred meals. In addition, part of the D. (every 3rd year) was left in place to support the Levites and the poor. At the 3rd stage, D. began to be collected and consumed by the Levites in Jerusalem. At this stage, D. from herds was added to the D. from agricultural products. Wellhausen considered the payment of D. to the priests and the king to be a later development of the concept. D. Y. Kaufman and his followers proposed another theory, according to which D. was originally brought to the priests of local sanctuaries, at the initial stage - voluntarily, as a votive gift. And only after. it began to meet centrally and regularly (Kaufmann 1960). According to J. Milgrom, the testimonies of the Pentateuch about D. do not contradict, but complement each other (Milgrom. 1976). The voluntariness of offering D. at an early stage can only be assumed, since all reports testify to the annual and fixed D. The main goal of D. has always been the maintenance of the Levites and priests who served in the sanctuaries. Under Nehemiah, the system changed: the Levites collected D. in cities throughout Judea, and then separated the 10th part to the priests in Jerusalem. A number of modern scientists prove that, despite the later interpretations of the regulations on D., the Pentateuch always refers to the same offering, only the way it is distributed changes (Averbeck . 1997. P. 1047-1050).
Hellenistic and Roman periods
The distinction between different types of D. is more distinct. The Book of Tobit tells how Tobiah went to Jerusalem for the annual feasts and brought one D. to the Levites, sold the others and spent them in Jerusalem, and “gave the third to those who should” (Tov 1. 6-8, according to the text Vatican code). The Book of Jubilees speaks of D., which is separated to the Levites, and of the 2nd D., which should be eaten every year in Jerusalem, and it is specifically prescribed to give D. from the cattle to the priests (Jub 32. 8-15); the list of products taxed by D. is expanding (D. “from everything”, “from people to livestock, from gold to vessels and clothes” - Yub 32. 2; cf.: Tobit according to the text of the Codex Sinaiticus).
Flavius Josephus claims that Moses prescribed to separate 2 D. each year, and the 3rd - in the 3rd and 6th years of the 7-year cycle (Ios . Flav . Antiq. IV 8. 22. 240; cf .: Tobit 1. 6-8 according to the text of the Codex Sinaiticus). Thus, during the 7-year cycle, a total of 14 acres were separated. How far this picture reflects actual practice is impossible to determine, but the burden that such a system placed on the farmers must have been very heavy. The Book of Wisdom of Jesus, the son of Sirach, contains a moral instruction about D.: “With every gift, have a cheerful face and dedicate tithing in joy” (Sir 35. 8). According to the testimony of Josephus Flavius, priests gathered directly on the ground during the Second Temple period, for many of them it was the only source of existence (Ios . Flav . Antiq. XX 8. 8. 181, 9. 2. 206; Idem . Vita. 63, 80). Philo of Alexandria notes that the priests took everything they needed from the storehouses at the temple no longer as gifts from the people, but as what was given to them by God (Philo. De spec. leg. I 152).
Among the Qumran. finds D. is mentioned only 5 times in the so-called. Temple scroll, which speaks of D. from military booty, which is given to the king (11 QT 58. 12-13), and that D., relying on priests, should be separated from D., donated to the common people (Ibid 37. 8-10).
Hellenistic rulers, and later. and Rome. the authorities left the system of collecting D. in favor of the temple and the priesthood unchanged (1 Mack 10.31; 11.35; Ios. Flav. Antiq. XIV 10.6.203). There is evidence that the Hasmoneans tried to make some changes in the practice of D. (mSota 9. 10; mMa "aser Sheni 5. 15). Despite the fact that the content of the reforms is not known exactly, apparently, their main reason was the need maintain an army, since the Hasmoneans waged numerous wars, and this was not provided for in the Law of Moses.In addition, Judea, in the post-captive era, almost constantly in foreign policy dependence, like many states of this region, lived under a system of double taxation - along with traditions. payments for the maintenance of the temple, there were taxes in favor of the rulers (probably, some of them also levied D.-Sanders. 1992).
New Testament
The commandment to separate D. is not directly repealed, but it is not prescribed either. The Lord denounces the scribes and Pharisees, who give D. "from mint, anise and cumin", because, fulfilling the smallest prescriptions of the Law of Moses, they left the most important thing in it - "judgment, mercy and faith" (according to the Evangelist Luke - “the judgment and love of God”), saying that “this was to be done and not to be left behind” (Mt 23:23; Lk 11:42). It is characteristic that the separation of D. is what the Pharisee from the parable is proud of (Lk 18:12).
In the Epistles of St. Paul there are no direct references to the church D. However, ap. Paul repeatedly wrote about the possibility and necessity of providing material support for the servants of the Church (1 Cor 9:13-14) and about the obligation to care for the poor and help poor communities (1 Cor 16:1; Gal 2:10). Without setting any standards, an. Paul urged Christians to give voluntarily, “according to the disposition of the heart” (2 Cor 9:7), as much as “the condition will permit” (1 Cor 16:2).
Early Church
Many people report about regular offerings for the benefit of the needy and ministers. early christ. authors (Didache. 4.6-8; 13.1-7, where they mention not only the fruits of the earth, but also money; Iust. Martyr. I Apol. 67; Orig. In Ios. 17.3). However, for a long time D. was regarded as a Jewish custom (Iren . Adv. haer. 4. 18. 2), surpassed by Christianity and left in the past (Orig. In Num. 11. 2). Therefore, there is reason to believe that at least until the beginning. 3rd century there was no regular practice of separating D. in the Church. But already in Ser. 3rd century St. the fathers expressed their regret that, due to the impoverishment of faith, Christians do not want to give even a 10th of their property to the Church for distribution to the poor (Cypr. Carth. De unit. Eccl. 1.26).
For the first time, the need to separate D. in favor of the Church and the clergy is mentioned in the Didascalia of the Apostles. This practice is explained by the reasoning that "decade" means the name of God, since the name Jesus begins with Heb. the letter "iodine" (or Greek "iota"), which has the numerical value "10" (Didasc. Apost. IX; cf.: "the tithe of salvation, the beginning of the name of Jesus" in Const. Ap. II 26. 2). An additional argument is the symbolic identification of Christ. clergy with the Old Testament temple priesthood. Apostolic decrees prescribe to separate D. to the bishop and other clergy (Const. Ap. II 26. 1, 34. 5, 35. 3), as well as orphans, widows, beggars and wanderers (Ibid. VII 29; cf. voluntary offerings in : Ibid. II 25.2, 27.6; III 4.2). In the same monument, there is an indication that bishops, priests, and deacons are entitled to the firstfruits, while D. should go to feed the lower clergy, virgins, widows, and beggars (Ibid. VIII 30). About the need to separate D. in favor of the priests says blzh. Jerome (Hieron. In Malach. 3. 7). Rev. John Cassian the Roman mentions the pious custom of the Egyptians. peasants annually bring D. to mon-ri (Ioan. Cassian. Collat. 21. 1-8). At the same time, St. John Chrysostom notes that for his contemporaries the custom of D.'s separation in favor of the Church was surprising (Ioan. Chrysost. In Eph. 4. 4). According to blj. Augustine, D. - this is the minimum that every Christian must separate in order to surpass the scribes and Pharisees (Aug. Serm. 9. 12. 19; 85. 4. 5).
A. A. Tkachenko
Middle Ages
The institutionalization of D. begins no earlier than the 4th-5th centuries. To con. 4th century in app. part of the Roman Empire, the contribution of a 10th part of the income for church and charitable needs was perceived as a moral obligation for every Christian (Viard. 1909. P. 42-44). However, despite this, the legal registration of D. occurs no earlier than the 6th century. In the 5th century legal norms regulating the donation of donations have not yet been developed; In Gaul, at the Council of Tours in 567 and Macon in 585, D. receives registration as a tax in favor of the Church, regulated by church law and used for strictly defined needs. D. was introduced into Britain in the 7th century.
In the East, D. did not receive such distribution as in the West. Known, in particular, the constitution of the emperors Leo and Anthemius, in which the clergy were forbidden to force believers to make payments in favor of the Church under the threat of various bans. Although the term decima is not used in the constitution, it refers to the first fruits and, apparently, payments similar to D., which, according to the emperors, believers should make voluntarily, without any coercion (CJ. I 3. 38 (39 ).2-6).
E. V. Silvestrova
Russian church
In Russia, church tax was not collected regularly. The first mention of it is contained in the oldest known Russian legal act - the Charter of Prince. Vladimir. The charter contains a list of persons and cases subject to the Metropolitan's court. The list is preceded by a message about the grant of D. from all princely income for the maintenance of the stone cathedral, which in this regard received the name "Tithing Church", and the entire metropolis (Russian legislation of the X-XX centuries: In 9 vols. M., 1984. Vol. 1 : Legislation of Ancient Russia, p. 40).
In the specific era, D. was introduced in individual principalities. The fundamental difference between D., which existed in Russia, and the Western one was that it was not levied from the entire population, but only from princely incomes on the basis of an award, and therefore was many times less than in the West. In order to collect donations, the position of tithes was established at episcopal sees.
Subsequently, tithes in Russia began to be called the districts into which the diocese was divided. In accordance with this, tithes, or tithes, began to be called officials (nobles and boyar children) who were appointed by bishops to command in such districts. Endowed with administrative and judicial powers, they were also in charge of collecting tribute from monasteries and parishes in favor of the bishop's house - a kind of D., the amount of which, however, did not necessarily amount to a 10th part of income.
After the Stoglavy Council of 1551, in addition to the tithes, priestly elders and tenth priests began to be supplied as their assistants. Priestly elders and tenth priests began to predominantly perform judicial functions in relation to the clergy. In the XVII - 1st floor. 18th century priests, who were appointed to manage the districts within the diocese, were also called archpriests and customers. Subsequently, the common name for such a position becomes "dean". For the first time this word was used in relation to the priestly elders in the "Instruction to the priestly elders" in 1698 by Patriarch Adrian.
After the abolition of the position of priestly elders in 1764, the priests managing parts of the diocese began to be called exclusively deans. Accordingly, these parts of the diocese themselves are henceforth called deanery districts or deaneries.
Prot. Vladislav Tsypin
Lit .: Lyubimov G . M., Rev. Historical review of the ways of keeping Christ. clergy from the time of the apostles to the XVII-XVIII centuries. SPb., 1851; Uhlhorn G. Die christliche Liebesthatigkeit in der alten Kirche. Stuttg., 18822; Wellhausen J. Prolegomena zur Geschichte Israels. B., 19056; Landsell H. The Sacred Tenth, or Studies in the Tithe-Giving, Ancient and Modern. L.; N. Y., 1906. Grand Rapids, 19552. 2 vol.; Viard P. Histoire de la dîme ecclésiastique, principalement en France, jusqu "au décret de Gratien. Dijon, 1909; Lesne E. Histoire de la propriété ecclésiastique en France. Lille; P., 1910-1943. 6 vol.; Babbs A. The Law of the Tithe As Set Forth in the Old Testament, NY, 1912; Leclercq H. Dîme // DACL. 1920. V. 4. Col. 995-1003; Boyd C. E. The Beginnings of the Ecclesiastical Tithe in Italy // Speculum 1946 Vol 21 N 2 P 158-172 eadem Tithes and Parishes in Medieval Italy Ithaca 1952 Kaufmann Y The Religion of Israel Chicago 1960 Dandamaev M A Temple tithe in late Babylonia // VDI, 1965. No. 2, pp. 14-34, aka Taxes and Duties in Western Asia in the 7th-4th centuries BC (626-330) // Taxes and Duties in the Ancient East : Collection of articles / Editor-in-chief: M. A. Dandamaev, St. Petersburg, 1999, pp. 64-81; Vischer L. Tithing in the Early Church / Transl. RC Shulz. Phil., 1966; Weinfeld M . Tithe // EJud. 1972. Vol. 15. P. 1156-1162 Salonen E. Über den Zehnten im alten Mesop otamien: Ein Beitr. z. Geschichte d. besteuerung. Helsinki, 1972. (Studia Orientalia; 43/4); Heltzer M. The Rural Community in Ancient Ugarit. Wiesbaden, 1976; Milgrom J. Cult and Conscience: the Asham and the Priestly Doctrine of Repentance. Leiden, 1976; Hawthorne G. F. Tithe // NIDNTT. 1978 Vol. 3. P. 851-855; Jagersma H. The Tithes in the Old Testament // Remembering All the Way / Ed. B. Albrektson. Leiden, 1981, pp. 116-128. (Oudtestamentische Studien; 21); Jaffee M. The Mishnah's Theology of Tithing: A Study of Tractate Maaserot. Chico, 1981; Baumgarten J. M. On the Non-literal Use of /δεκάτη // JBL. 1984. Vol. 103. P. 245-251; Sanders E P. Jewish Law from Jesus to the Mishnah: Five Studies, L.; Phil., 1990; idem. Judaism: Practice and Belief (63 BCE-66 CE), L.; Phil., 1992; Herman M. Tithe as Gift: The Institution in the Pentateuch and in Light of Mauss's Prestation Theory: Diss. San Francisco, 1991; Averbeck R. E. // NIDOTTE. 1997 Vol. 2. P. 1035-1055; Lebedev A . P . Clergy of the Ancient Ecumenical Church from Apostolic Times to the 10th Century. SPb., 2006.
The history of church tithes goes back to the Old Testament. She was told about in the Book of Books long before the appearance of Moses.
In contact with
History of tithing in the Bible
Tithing, that is, a tenth of the total income, had to be given to the priests and Levites.
This is described in detail in the Old Testament (Lev.27:30-32). According to the detailed narration, a tenth of seeds, fruits, livestock, etc. belongs to the Lord. At the same time, one should not divide the crop into good or bad, and livestock into thin or healthy.
Why did it become necessary to give a tenth of all good things to the priests and Levites? The thing is that when the people of Israel after long torments entered the promised land, the Lord divided it between the tribes of Israel. There were only 12 such tribes, but only 11 received the land. The Lord appointed one tribe to serve the Lord. This tribe was called the Levites (sons of Levi). His descendants were not to be burdened by any worries about their daily bread and any labors other than serving God.
This charter was carried out by the Jewish people unquestioningly. It was the Law that no one dared to break in the Old Testament.
Tithing in the New Testament
The New Testament lacks such specific details about tithing. Therefore, many people, including deeply believing Christians, question this prescription.
But, although there are no details of this law in Holy Scripture, there are words that we must wisely manage all the gifts that the Lord has given us and be faithful to the Lord.
After all, we ourselves are the creations of the Lord, we belong to him. And all that we have is also given to us by the Lord. Accordingly, every Orthodox Christian must donate part of their income, which they received thanks to God, to give to the needs of the church.
In the New Testament, the Lord also calls us to love our neighbor as ourselves and to take special care of our brothers and sisters who are in need.
And if one person has everything in full, and another lacks, then the one who is richer should help the one who needs it so that the divine harmony is not disturbed.
Maintaining the temple of God is just as essential as maintaining the priests. After all, according to the Divine Charter, clergy must devote themselves entirely to the service of the Lord, conduct missionary activities, and guide parishioners on the true path. And like any living person, the priest must also somehow exist and support his family. And if he is in need and somehow tries to earn money, then, accordingly, he will no longer devote himself entirely to the service of God and people.
On the other hand, the New Testament does not specifically specify tithing, which may be due to the fact that the standard of living for everyone is completely different. And if someone can afford to donate more than a tithe absolutely calmly and without prejudice to himself. And another person's income is too meager and more than a tithe he can not master. Therefore, the issue of donations should be decided by each Christian individually, but it should not go against conscience and the Lord's charter. After all, for the Lord it is not the amount that we are ready to give that is important, but the heartfelt disposition with which we do it. The main thing is not to force yourself and regret it, but to sacrifice with a pure heart and an open soul.
Church tithing is required or optional
Thus, referring to the interpretation of tithe in the Holy Scriptures, for true Orthodox Christians, tithe is a mandatory donation.
Helping the needy, supporting priests and donating to the temples of the Lord is the sacred duty of every Christian, because it is on such a divine balance that the world is kept.
What Jesus Said About Giving
Our Lord Jesus Christ repeatedly spoke about the need to sacrifice from your good to your neighbor, and for the needs of the temple.
And although he does not specifically mention tithing, but in Matthew 5:17 he says: “Do not think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets: I did not come to destroy, but to fulfill.”
With this phrase, Jesus emphasized the need to keep the Law, including at the moment of tithing.
Therefore, today, as in the distant times of the Old Testament, Christians must take care of the temples of the Lord, the priests who perform the service, and their brothers and sisters who need something.
As the experience of the Orthodox testifies, when a person sincerely and from the bottom of his heart donates to God from his income, then the merciful Lord repays a hundredfold, because the hand of the giver really will not be impoverished. And the world around us really rests on mutual assistance and mutual assistance.
Video: archpriest about church tithing
“Ten years ago it was financially difficult for everyone, including me,” says Vera Drobinskaya, a doctor from Astrakhan. - My sister lived with me with her husband and a small child, my husband was seriously ill, my sister did not work, and my salary was delayed for months. We were half hungry. But despite this, more and more often in the Bible I came across words about tithing: “Can a man rob God? And you are robbing me. You will say: “How do we rob you?” Tithes and offerings” (Mal. 3:8). Further on, it was written that the Lord offers to check whether He will open His storehouses and shower blessings after the due tithes are brought to the temple.
It was impossible not to respond to such a call. Having once received an advance payment of 50 rubles, I carried 5 rubles to the nearest temple. She stood in front of the donation box, trying not to think - “what are you doing? who needs all this? - and prayed: “Lord, this is so little, I am all in debt to You. Accept this small sacrifice with mercy.” As soon as I put the money in the box, peace filled my heart. I won’t say that we have more money, but from that day on it began to suffice. Someone much more powerful took care of my finances.
But my sister's husband was against us giving our tithe to the church, because he did not believe the priests, and then my sister and I began to donate to orphans - to help in the children's hospital, where the refuseniks lay, and this alms became our tithe. That's how it all started. And since then, as soon as I forget about the tithing, the money immediately ceases to be enough, but as soon as I remember and give it away, everything levels out. An amazing thing!”
To the temple or to the poor?
The history of Vera Drobinsky testifies that alms can replace a sacrifice with a temple, but some modern priests still do not share this opinion. For example, Priest Tigriy Khachatryan, head of the missionary department of the Kursk diocese, thinks this: “Almsgiving is a voluntary act, act according to your conscience. A sacrifice to the temple - implies the obligation of a parishioner in relation to his parish, community. A parishioner who makes some voluntary alms will not be so indifferent to the needs of the parish.
How was it arranged in the days of the Old Testament? The tithe included fruits, vegetables, grains, wine and animals, which were also considered the product of the earth. Years were divided into seven, as were the days of the week. For six consecutive years, tithes were paid, and every seventh year was considered a Sabbath year: the earth rested and the tithes were not separated.
The Old Testament tithe consisted of three parts and was not 10%, as everyone used to think, but 19%. The first part was always (except for the seventh year) given to the Levites and priests - 10 out of 100% (see Deut. 12:19; 14:27). The other part was given for the holidays and accounted for 10 of the remaining 90% (it was collected for the 1st, 2nd, 4th and 5th years). The third part was given to the poor and set aside only for the 3rd and 6th years, instead of the festive one (see Deut. 14:22-29; 26:12-15; Am. 4:4-5).
So, it turns out that almsgiving (part for the poor) was included in the concept of “tithe” and was an obligatory commandment: “After three years, separate all the tithes of your products in that year, and put them in your dwellings ... and the stranger, and the orphan, and widow... let them eat and be satisfied, that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands that you do” (Deut. 14:28-29). It is not surprising, after such a promise, that although the Law does not say what punishment follows for non-payment of tithing, every Israelite considered it his duty to support this institution and give everything due.
The New Testament - a call to perfection
The sacrificial death of Christ and His resurrection put an end to the Jewish Law with its ceremonial commandments, "abolishing ... the law of commandments by doctrine." Now every Christian himself can determine how much he is ready to donate to the temple, and how much to the poor; each must act as he has "decided in his heart." But at the same time, the apostle Paul clearly writes in one of his epistles: and whoever sows bountifully, he will also reap bountifully... But God is able to enrich you with all grace, so that you, always having all contentment in everything, may be rich for every good work... for all bounty, which through us produces thanksgiving to God" (2 Cor. 9:6, 8, 11).
“The New Testament has no limit,” explains the rector of the church of St. blgv. Tsarevich Dimitry at City Clinical Hospital No. 1, Archpriest Arkady Shatov, Chairman of the Moscow Commission for Church Social Activities. - The commandments of the New Testament call for perfection, so that not only money, but your whole body, soul, heart, mind - give everything to God and neighbor! The Lord says: “...If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor; and you will have treasure in heaven; and come and follow me” (Matthew 19:21). In New Testament times, we can't limit ourselves to tithing in any way - it's just another level, lower, decrepit! The Lord calls us to give more and more, whoever has time to grow up to this will be blessed. We need to live in such a way that the heart is calm. So that conscience does not rebuke. Everyone should give as much as he can: someone can give everything away, someone serves the poor, someone gives tithes.
Donations in the early Christian Church were accepted “depending on who has what, and not on what he does not have. It is not required that others should be relieved, and you should be burdened, but that there should be evenness” (2 Cor. 8:12-13). The apostle Paul did not encourage giving to the detriment of "household" (1 Tim. 5:8).
Unwise giving
Saint John of the Ladder (VI century) tells the story of a girl whose parents died and left her a large estate. And one day she saw a man wanting to hang himself in her garden. She approached and asked why he was doing this, and he replied that he had a huge debt and thus he wanted to save his family from him. The girl asked exactly how much, and it turned out exactly as much as her estate was worth. She sold the estate and helped this man repay the debt, and she herself became a harlot because she had nothing to live on. She spent many years in fornication. This girl did not know anything about Christ then, and when she found out and wanted to be baptized, everyone refused to become her guarantors, because they knew about her life (at that time, in order to be baptized, a guarantor was definitely needed). And one day she was found dead, lying on the ocean. In a christening shirt. She was baptized by angels. The Lord, remembering her deed, saved her at the end of her life. John of the Ladder writes that sometimes even an unreasonable gift, but made out of the ardor of the heart, the Lord accepts and rewards.
And the following story, from which it is clear that the Lord, in His mercy, rewards even the “sower” with reluctance, was told by one of the volunteers of the Orthodox service “Mercy”: “I received a small inheritance - 100 thousand rubles. It happened just at the height of our action, when I, as a volunteer, preached around the need to become a friend of mercy and give one percent of the income to good works. It turned out that I myself needed to give one percent of the inheritance! At first I even wanted to do so, but then I suddenly felt sorry for my money. My salary is small. But my conscience continued to denounce me, and I went to the confessor, I think now he will tell me: why are you going to spend your money on charity - leave it to yourself, you are already a volunteer - and my conscience will calm down.
But it was not there. In confession, in front of the cross and the Gospel, the priest told me, as if nothing had happened, that it was necessary not only to give one percent to charity, but also ten percent to the Church. Well, I think, why did I go to ask! I had to give ten percent too - and this is ten thousand. I grieved, grieved, but what to do, I myself got involved. A week has not passed - the head of work calls me and says: “Do you want to do one more job and get an additional ten thousand for it every month?” It turned out that I, even sincerely resisting, gave the tithe, God immediately returned it to me, and not once, as I did, but monthly!
"Do not tempt the Lord thy God"
Hearing about miracles like those described above, there are people who try to calculate in advance their “profit” from a sacrifice to a temple or alms: “When we once came to the famous elder Tavrion (Batozsky), he lived near Riga,” says Father Arkady Shatov, - one person, my friend, knowing that Father Tavrion gives money to everyone who leaves, took and on the way distributed everything that he had accumulated for the road to the poor. But Father Tavrion did not give him anything. I had to ask friends for money to get home.”
Once St. John the Merciful, Patriarch of Alexandria, while still a boy, saw in a dream in the form of a beautiful maiden Mercy: “I am the eldest daughter of the Great Tsar,” she told him. “If you make me your friend, then I will send you great grace from the King, for no one has such strength and boldness with Him as I do.” From her words, St. John understood that if someone wants to find mercy from God, he himself must be merciful to his neighbor, but he decided to check it all the same.
On the way to the church, the saint met a naked beggar, shivering from the cold, and gave him his outer garment. Before St. John had time to reach the church, a man in white robes approached him, held out a bag with silver coins and disappeared - it was an angel. “From that time, if I gave something to the poor, I wanted to test whether God would reward me for it, as He said, a hundredfold. And, having repeatedly tested, I was convinced that this is indeed the case. Finally I said to myself: “Stop, my soul, tempt the Lord your God!”
Tithing in the Old Testament
The Old Testament tithe included fruits, vegetables, grains, wine, and animals, which were also considered the product of the earth.
seven year cycle
| tithe | Levites (%) | Festive (%) | Poor (%) | Total (%) |
| 1st year | 10 out of 100 | 10 out of 90 | Not | 19 |
Responsibility for income
In modern Germany, there is a church tax levied in favor of certain communities - Catholic, Jewish, Evangelical (not all Evangelical Churches in Germany use this right, some believe that it violates the principle of separation of Church and state), etc. Atheists and believers of all other religious communities, including Orthodox (belonging to a confession is indicated in the tax return), are not subject to this tax.
Church tax is the main part (about 70%) of the income of the German religious communities. Its size directly depends on the accrued income tax, and since in Germany income tax is charged only on income exceeding a certain level, such linking of church tax to income automatically takes into account the believer's solvency. As a result, only 35% of believers are required to pay church tax, the rest include children, low-income adults and retirees.
Tithing as a form of providing for the Church was also found in Russia. Thus, Saint Prince Vladimir built the Church of the Tithes with a tenth of his income and maintained it. In Russia, they collected tithes, as in ancient Israel, in kind, for the benefit of the temple and its servants. There was even the position of a "ten man", and after the Stoglavy Cathedral - a "priest of ten", who was in charge of collecting tithes. But in the XVIII century, these positions were abolished.
“When I served in the village,” says Archpriest Arkady Shatov, “there were plates in the church to collect money, and even in my youth I struggled with this, it seemed to me that it was like selling grace for money. And now I urge all our parishioners to donate to the temple - because they must participate in the life of the community. Many now think: “What to take from me - I am already poor!” But although the forms of participation may be different, everyone should participate in the life of the parish, including its material side. Everyone should be responsible for their own coming. Previously, people always brought something with them to the liturgy (“prosphora” after all means “offering”): someone - bread, someone - wine. According to one of the ancient rites of the liturgy, even children who had nothing had to bring water to the temple so as not to come empty-handed!”
Church tithe in the Bible. Do Christians need to pay tithing?
- QUESTION FROM GEVORG
Greetings. There is a serious question about tithing. The Old Testament tithe has nothing to do with the New Testament. And even if you pay it, then it would have to be given with animals and fruits, as it is written in the Bible, for example, in Lev.27:30,32.
Today, a number of Christian churches deny the need to return tithes to God. There are at least two reasons for this:
- The law of God is abolished and therefore the commandment of tithing is also abolished.
- Today in the New Testament there is no longer a temple, there is no Levitical priesthood, and therefore there is no one to pay tithes now.
Let's look at the arguments and counterarguments on this issue.
Item 1 It is difficult to speak briefly about the allegedly repealed law. The issue of the relevance of God's law is considered in my other materials, for example, as well as in my book “Returning to the Origins of Christian Doctrine” in the section. It is strange that people consider God's law to be abolished, relying on a few controversial sayings of the apostle Paul taken out of context, but ignoring a lot of his other sayings where he praised the law.
Think, in order to cancel the commandments of God, engraved by Him personally on the Stone, and dictated to Moses for writing in the Law, something more substantial is needed than a few controversial statements of one of the apostles. In order to abolish the commandments that God's people have kept for many centuries ... commandments, in violation of which the people were accused by all the prophets, something more is needed than a couple of controversial phrases of the Apostle Paul, about whom in the Bible 2 Peter 3:16 is directly written, that he writes in his epistles "something unintelligible", which many misunderstand to their own destruction.
If the law were to be abolished by God's command, then Jesus would have to constantly teach about it. But, on the contrary, Jesus taught the correct observance of the law and said that the “lawless” would perish (Matt. 7:23; Matt. 13:41,42; Rev. 22:14,15). The abolition of the law should have been taught diligently by all the apostles, but all the apostles, including Paul himself, quoted the commandments many times and spoke of their importance to Christians. The apostles directly write that it is the observance of the commandments of God that shows our love for God and people, and will also be taken into account when inheriting the Kingdom of Heaven (2 Pet. 2:9; 1 John 2:4; 1 John 5:3; James 2 :8-10; Rom. 3:31; Rom. 7.12,14,16,22; Rom. 8:7; 1 Cor. 7:19; 1 Cor. 6:9,10; 1 Cor. 9:9, 10:20,21; Gal. 5:19-21; Eph. 5:3-5; Rev. 12:17; Rev. 14:12).
It is also strange that Christians who claim that God's law has been repealed are scrupulously trying to fulfill many of its commandments (for example, fornication, adultery, homosexuality, lying, idolatry, magic, etc., etc.). In some communities, believers who violate these commandments are even expelled from the church ... But at the same time, while observing some of God's commandments, these Christians turn a blind eye to some of the other commandments of the Lord, in particular about the Sabbath and tithing.
So, we cannot say that God's law is completely repealed and no longer relevant.
According to point 2. Of course, not all the commandments from the law of Moses remained relevant for Christians, because now there really is no temple and the Levitical priesthood, which means that the ritual commandments that were related to the temple ministry, focused on cleansing people from sins, were fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
The Lord Jesus Himself gave a clear explanation of the relevance of God's commandments in the Sermon on the Mount:
“Do not think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets: I did not come to destroy, but to fulfill (perform, observe). For truly I say to you: until heaven and earth pass away (this world ends), not one jot or one tittle (signs and letters) will pass away (will not be abolished) out of law until will be fulfilled all (each letter and sign). So who will break one from the commandments the least (simple) and teach people so, he will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven; but whoever does (does) and teaches, he will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 5:17-19)
What have we read? Jesus clearly explained here that in the Kingdom of Heaven those who break the commandments will be called meager believers, and that any commandment will not be canceled (will not pass away) until this world ends or until will be fulfilled her purpose.
We understand that the ceremonial commandments of the law of God were types of the ministry of Jesus Christ to cleanse people from sins. That is, the ritual commandments were fulfilled in Jesus Christ, that is, they are no longer relevant. But has the commandment of tithing been fulfilled?
Of course, today there is no temple and the Old Testament priesthood, and the tithe was given specifically to the Old Testament priests and Levites. It turns out now that there is no one to give the tithe to, and therefore it is not necessary?
Let's analyze the texts of the Bible, where tithing is established and its intended use is mentioned.
When did believers begin to return tithes to God?
For the first time we read about the return of tithes to God in the first book of the Bible, Genesis. Abraham returned the tithe to God's priest Melchizedek.
"Melchizedek ... was a priest of the Most High God, ... [Abram] gave him a tenth of everything" (Gen. 14:18-20).
“And Jacob made a vow, saying: if God be with me ... and the Lord be my God, ... of everything that You, [God], give me, I will give You a tenth” (Gen.28:20-22).
Note that Abraham, like his grandson Jacob (Israel), both patriarchs of the faith, gave God a tenth, not a fifth, nor a twelfth or fifteenth. At the same time, the Bible says that Abraham knew and fulfilled God's law (see Gen. 26:5). Also in the book of Genesis we see the names of sacrifices and five types of sacrificial animals (calves, rams, goats, doves, turtledoves), which are repeated exactly in the law of Moses. Is it by chance? And also in the law of Moses the tithe is repeated. Is this just a coincidence? How many animals are there in the world, how many variants of religious collection percentages, how many variants of the names of the victims? Great amount! But God's instructions from the book of Genesis are clearly repeated in the law of Moses! What percentage of random coincidence according to probability theory? An insignificant minuscule close to zero! Of course, there is no chance and cannot be, because God is immutable. There is plenty of evidence that God's law existed long before Sinai. Some of them are discussed in the materials on victims and.
Abraham lived by God's law long before the law was written down! Before the Sinai revelation, God's laws were handed down by word of mouth. That is why the patriarchs separated exactly 10%! Abraham gave the tithe to Melchesedek. And to whom did Jacob give the tithe? We do not know for sure, but apparently also Melchesedek, or his successors. The picture is completed by the fact that in Salem, where Melchizedek was a priest, there was God's habitation: "And his habitation was in Salem" (Ps. 75:3).
The Lord instructed Moses to accurately write down all of His law in the form of commandments - instructions. The law speaks of tithing as an obligatory commandment:
“And every tithe on the earth, from the seeds of the earth and from the fruits of the tree, belongs to the Lord: this is the holiness of the Lord” (Leviticus 27:30)
This text teaches that the tithe of everything on earth is holy and belongs to the Lord. This commandment not only points out the need to return tithing, but also explains why this should be done: tithe is sacred! Holiness is what is set apart, sacred, belonging to the Lord.
There are many texts in the Bible that directly say that everything on Earth is God's property:
“For all the beasts of the forest are Mine, and the cattle of a thousand mountains” (Ps. 49:10; see also Deut. 10:14; Hagg. 2:8)
The Lord is the Creator and Lord of all. And so that man would not forget this, God established the tithe as His sanctuary. Because of this commandment, believers always feel their dependence on God and thank him for blessings, see Deut. 8:10-18.
What was the purpose of the tithe?
Now let's look at what purposes the tithing was used for:
out of everything that is with Israel, for their service, because they perform services in the tabernacle of the congregation” (Num. 18:21,csee also Num. 18:24)
This text explains that the Levites - the Israelites from the tribe of Levi, had to ensure the functioning of the temple - the tabernacle, and in order not to have to earn their own living, all the other 11 tribes of Israel had to support them at the expense of the sacred tax - tithes.
At the same time, the Levites had to separate their own tithes from the received tithes to the priests from the family of Aaron. The clan of Aaron was also part of the tribe of Levi, but only he was entrusted with the sacred work inside the temple.
“Announce to the Levites and say to them: when you take from the children of Israel the tithe that I gave you from them for your inheritance, then offer from it an offering to the Lord, a tithe from a tithe, ... and from them you will give the Lord’s offering to Aaron the priest” (Num.18:26-28)
The fact that the Levites also had to return the tithe speaks of its special holiness and educational function, that is, the tithe should always in practice demonstrate reverence for the Creator and strengthen the believers' trust in Him. Remember what the book of Malachi says:
“Bring all the tithes .., and although in this test me, says the Lord of Hosts: Shall I not open for you the openings of heaven, and pour out on you blessings to the exuberance? (Mal. 3:10)
From the texts cited above, it can be seen that the holy tithe went to the maintenance of the temple and ministers. But let's list in more detail for what purposes the tithing was used.
According to the Bible, tithing used to have the following purposes:
- Maintaining the functioning of the temple. People came to the temple to offer sacrifices (for sins and thanksgiving), to pray to the Lord, to sing hymns of praise to Him. Also at the temple, meetings of believers were held for studying God's law;
- Maintenance of all God's servants - Levites and priests (with their families). They taught the people the law of God(see 2 Chr. 17:7-9), bring people closer to God, ensured the functioning of the temple and directly served in the temple;
- Educational goal.
In the New Testament there is no temple, priests and Levites, but there are:
- Prayer houses where meetings dedicated to God are held, prayers and singing of thanksgiving to the Lord, and the study of the Bible;
- God's servants who, just like in the Old Testament, dedicate their lives to teach the people the will of God and bring people closer to the Lord;
- educational goal - strengthening faith and trust in God.
Even with such a superficial comparison, it is clear that despite the absence of a temple and priesthood in the New Testament, their roles were partially transferred to other religious buildings and ministers.
What does the New Testament say about tithing?
Moreover, in the New Testament there is even an indication of a direct connection between the Old Testament priests and the New Testament ministers, after which it is concluded that believers, just as they previously supported priests, must support ministers today.
“Don’t you know that the priests are fed from the sanctuary? … So also the Lord commanded those who preach the gospel to live from the gospel” (1 Cor. 9:13,14)
And what did the clergy live on? Exclusively for tithes and offerings!
That is, the Apostle draws parallels between God's servants of the Old and New Testaments, and hence the size of the content is included in this parallel.
There is another example where the Apostle directly mentions tithing in relation to New Testament times.
In Hebrews 7, the apostle recalls that Abraham paid the tithe before there were any Levite priests. (Gen. 14:18-20). And he paid it to the priest Melchesedek. In Hebrews, Jesus is repeatedly compared to the priest Melchesedek. Melchesedek was a type of Jesus based on Psalm 110:4. The apostle, using the example of tithe, proves that the High Priest Jesus is higher than the priests of the Levites. Here is his logical chain, set out in chapter 7. Abraham paid tithes to Melchesedek. And Levi - the founder of the priestly family at that time was inside Abraham, since he is a descendant of Abraham. It turns out that Levi himself, through Abraham, gave tithes to Melchesedek. And Melchesedek is a type of Jesus. That is, the conclusion: Jesus is a higher priest than the priesthood of Levi.
So the priesthood of the New Testament is the priesthood of Jesus according to the order of Melchizedek. Tithing is naturally present in this "rank", as in the "rank" of Melchizedek and in the "rank" of Levi. The funding principle is the same.
Let us read another statement of the apostle from the letter to the Hebrews on this subject:
“And here tithes are taken by mortal men, and there he who has a testimony of himself, that he lives” (Heb. 7:8).
Where is "here? On the ground. What kind of people take tithing on earth - ordinary, mortal, that is, dying. And where is there? First, let's define - we are talking about Melchesedek or Jesus? If we are talking about Melchesedek, then he lived on earth in the city of Salem, and if Jesus, then He is in heaven. But, look carefully, this text compares mortals with immortals. Compared to mortals he lives, that is, it does not die. Melchesedek, was a mortal man, although it was not known about his birth and death, he was great, but only a type of Jesus. The one who lives forever is only Jesus.
"This (Jesus), as one who abides forever, and has an everlasting priesthood" (Heb.7:24)
Elsewhere in Scripture it is confirmed that only God has immortality:
"Lord... the only one who has immortality » (1 Tim. 6:15,16)
That is, in Heb. 7:8 we read that Jesus takes tithes. How does he take them? How should tithes be given to the High Priest Jesus now? The answer is in the Bible. According to Scripture, Jesus is the Head of the Church, and His body is the Church on earth.
“He (Jesus) is the head of the body of the Church; … His Body, which is the Church”(Col. 1:18,24, see also 1 Cor. 12:12-27).
So, according to the text of the New Testament, there is a change of priesthood today. We have Jesus as the High Priest. Let's repeat the New Testament arguments about tithing:
- The apostle in the epistle to the Hebrews builds the proof of the superiority of the priestly ministry of Jesus over the Levitical priesthood precisely on tithing. That is, Jesus, the Head of the church, takes tithes from us, as mentioned in Heb 7.
- In 1 Cor. 9:13,14 the ministers of Christ's church are compared to the priests of the Old Testament, where they are directly instructed to provide for them in the same way that the people previously provided for the ministry of the priesthood.
- And of course the fact of the immutability of God and His law. Jesus explained that a commandment can only be revoked when its God-given purpose is fulfilled.
What more evidence is needed, especially considering that God is unchanging. Really before God's servants had to support the people on a tithe, and now God will say that instead of a tithe, 3% or 1% will be enough for them, or in general, who will give how much? Has God changed His attitude towards His servants?
History shows that in different churches for many centuries, one way or another, the collection of tithes from the people for the construction of churches and the maintenance of Christian ministers was practiced. I wrote about this in my book in the chapter on.
What is included in tithe?
Today, some Christians recognize the need to pay tithing, but apply this commandment only to the produce of the land and animal husbandry. Like, the commandments say about the harvest and livestock. Yes, of course, there are such texts. For instance,
“And every tithe on the earth, from the seeds of the earth and from the fruits of the tree, belongs to the Lord: it is the holiness of the Lord ...And every tithe of cattle and flocks, of everything that passes under the rod, the tenth, should be dedicated to the Lord"(Leviticus 27:30,32)
It turns out that if we take into account only these two texts, then indeed today urban residents need to return tithes only from the harvest from summer cottages, if any. But the inhabitants of the countryside are the losers - they must return the tithe from the entire crop in the garden, in the field and from livestock.
Do you think this interpretation of the Bible is fair? The Bible does not teach that only Israeli farmers were required to pay back tithes. And the Israelis are not artisans. Let's figure it out.
First, God's law should not be perceived as the law of the letter, because it is the law of the spirit. According to the law of the letter, if the commandment on tithing says about crops and livestock, then you need to pay tithing only from this. But according to the law of the spirit, the principle, the essence, that is, the purpose of the commandment, is understood.
Theologians know that God's law does not always provide a closed list, but often provides a principle. For instance:
“If you find the ox of your enemy, or his donkey that has gone astray, bring him to him; if you see the donkey of your enemy fallen under your burden, then do not leave him; unpack with him” (Exodus 23:4,5)
This commandment teaches about the return of what is found and about helping even enemies. But the commandment does not say about a horse or a camel, about a wallet, and even more so about a car ... It turns out that it is not necessary to return a found wallet with a business card, or help a person with a horse?! understand that a commandment gives a principle. And there are many such commandments, for example, the commandment of an eye for an eye. She does not talk about the eyes, but gives the principle of full compensation for damage to the victim from the tortfeasor.
Here's another example.
“Do not kindle fire in all your dwellings on the Sabbath day” (Ex. 35:3)
If we understand the commandment literally (according to the law of the letter), then we should not use lamps on the Sabbath and heat food. But after all, given the context, here we are talking about cooking, which in the desert took a lot of time and effort, so that the woman had no time for Sabbath rest and growth in God ...
So it is with tithes. In those days, Israel was an agricultural country, meaning agriculture and animal husbandry were more common, so when God taught about tithing, He mentioned what was common. Please note that God did not give a commandment about tithing with a full transfer, they say, as a tithe, you must return this and that with a transfer. There is no such commandment. In mentioning tithes, God gives examples of the gifts of the land and livestock. It's just a principle.
Let's talk about justice. Is it fair if only farmers and livestock breeders paid tithe, and the rest of the people, including the prosperous (artisans, merchants, jewelers ...), would be exempt from tithe, they say, because the commandment does not list income from another craft.
Is not our God a God of justice?
Let's move on to Biblical examples of tithing.
Consider the story of Abraham. Did he only have cattle and the fruits of the earth in trophies after the war? We read that Abraham gave Melchesedek a tithe OF EVERYTHING. Now about Jacob. He ran away from home. He did not yet know what business he would be engaged in. Maybe in a foreign land he would have to take up agricultural business, or animal husbandry, or maybe trade or furriery or carpentry. But he promised God that he would give tithe again FROM EVERYTHING.
Now let's see what the people of Israel had to return to the Levites in the form of tithes. We know that God did not give the Levites land. It turns out that the Levites could not engage in agriculture and animal husbandry. Why didn't God give them land? The goal is clear - for the Levites to be responsible for the spiritual state of the Israelites. Their role included, as we noted above, maintaining the work of the sanctuary, teaching people the law of God, the priests also participated in judicial processes, the Levites maintained cities of refuge for unintentional murderers, the Levites rewrote the Holy Scriptures. You need to understand that for one copy of the Torah, more than 40 animal skins had to be used ... And ink was also needed, etc. And the rewriting itself took months. As you can see, the Levites were very busy. Did God command the Israelites to give tithes to the Levites only from cattle and the produce of the earth? And the finished products in the form of butter and honey, the Israelites were not supposed to give to the Levites, since they are not described in the commandments of the Torah? And for example, carpenters, tailors, tanners, wine makers, mead makers, blacksmiths… weren’t they supposed to give anything to the Levites too? That is, did God really want the Levites themselves to press oil, make furniture and knives, and axes ..? How did they find time to learn this craft, and at the same time find time to fulfill their direct duties?
Of course, God wanted to free the Levites from the problems of maintaining a family, so God directly in the commandment indicated that the Levites should be given tithes from everything that the Israeli people have.
“But to the sons of Levi, behold, I gave a portion of tithes FROM EVERYTHING what Israel has, for their service, for the fact that they send services to the tabernacle of the meeting ”(Numbers 18:21).
Remember the same phrase "FROM EVERYTHING" we met in the words of Abraham and Jacob. So nothing has changed. Here's another example:
“And he (King Hezekiah) commanded the people living in Jerusalem to give certain maintenance to the priests and Levites, so that they were zealous in the law of the Lord…. the children of Israel brought forth many firstfruits of bread, wine, and butter and honey, and any works of the field; and (the conjunction "and" is not in the original, that is, this text lists the goods of tithing) tithes FROM EVERYTHING inflicted a lot ”(2 Chron.31:4,5)
Look, we see handicraft products here, because oil and honey are not products of the earth, but a product of handicraft, that is, a person needs to have certain knowledge, technical devices and work hard to get this product. And then again we meet the phrase already familiar to us "Tithing FROM EVERYTHING"
And here is a phrase from the New Testament about tithing FROM EVERYTHING. The Pharisee considered himself righteous because he gave "a tenth of EVERYTHING I have acquired" (Luke 18:12)
And here is a controversial text that is sometimes cited by supporters of agrarian tithes:
“They, the Levites, will take tithes in all the cities where we have agriculture” (Nehemiah 10:37).
However, the original says “Where is our agriculture?” but words are worth “where we work”. Here the translation was not carried out verbatim, apparently the translator took into account the agrarian orientation of Israel.
Tithing from inheritance and gifts
On the income account, it is obvious that according to the Bible, tithe is returned out of everything. But there are questions about inheritance and gifts ... It is debatable, since there are no direct references to this in the Bible. But let's remember the principle of the commandment of tithing. In my opinion, the essence of tithing is returning to God 10% of His blessings. Remember the words of Jacob from all that you give me» . And if we are talking about inheritance, then how can the death of a parent be called a blessing? Imagine that a mother and daughter lived in a Moscow apartment - both of retirement age. The mother died, and the daughter inherited half the apartment. She has a huge market value, that is, the tithing for the rest of her life will not be paid. Is such an inheritance a blessing? Such a tithing can become a heavy burden. Or take a gift. For example, a case from life. An unbelieving husband gives a believing wife a car. How can she get her tithe back? Sell the car, return the tithe and buy another car cheaper? But the husband will be angry for such an act of his wife. Here wisdom is needed, which must be asked from God. If you received a gift but can't get your tithing back, serve God with that gift... or in some other way. God is not a formalist. Remember the words of Hosea and Jesus: "I have mercy, not victims»
Now for the second and third tithes
The Bible mentions two more tithes. One went to God's feasts (see Deut. 14:22-26). The Israelites had to come to the temple three times a year on Easter, Pentecost and Tabernacle from all over the world. At the temple (sanctuary, tabernacle), the people sometimes lived for several days, and on the Feast of Tabernacles for more than a week. All this time, people should not feel a lack of food, but rejoice and glorify the Creator. That is, the second tithe went to the road to the temple and back, which was sometimes long and costly, and directly to the celebration - food and drink - for themselves and the poor fellow believers who came to the holiday.
The third tithe is referred to as religious and social assistance. Every third year, the Israelites were to set aside a tenth of the harvest in their dwellings, so that then the poor Levites, orphans, widows, and even strangers from abroad, could come to the house of an Israelite and eat and be satisfied (see Deut. 14:27-29; Deut. 26:12).
The second and third tithes are not described in detail in the Bible. Moreover, physically these tithes are now at least difficult and even impossible to fulfill. The second tithe cannot be fulfilled, since there is no longer God's temple and, accordingly, temple holidays. And it is difficult to fulfill the third tithe directly, since few people are engaged in agriculture and have the opportunity to store a tenth of the harvest somewhere in order to help the poor who have come from it.
Therefore, if we want to return to God and spend for good purposes as much as the Israelites spent, then we can commit ourselves, in addition to the holy tithe, to spend another tenth, or rather a thirteenth, or even more for social and missionary purposes.
Valery Tatarkin
Buy a new cottage in Tyumen
Email: [email protected]
church tithe
| This page is proposed to be renamed.
Explanation of reasons and discussion - on the page Wikipedia:To rename / March 29, 2012. Do not remove the flag for renaming until the end of the discussion. |
This term has other meanings, see Tithing (meanings).
tithe(Hebrew maaser; Greek δεκάτη; Latin decima) - a ten percent donation to a religious community in Judaism, Christianity and other religious traditions. The tithe goes back to the time of Abraham and is later framed in the religious canon in the Torah (Deut 12:17-18; 14:22-23).
Tithing in Judaism
According to the Tanakh, the tithe was known to the Jews long before the time of Moses and goes back to Abraham, who gave the high priest Melchizedek a tenth of all the spoils he received from the four defeated kings. The tithe consisted of a tenth of the products of the earth, herds, etc., and went in favor of the Levites, who did not have their own land, and served as a means of subsistence for them. A tenth of the tithe, the Levites, in turn, deducted for the maintenance of the high priest. Tithing in kind was allowed to be replaced by money.
Tithing in Western Europe
Story
In the west of Europe, tithing was originally a simple voluntary offering to the church of a tenth of the proceeds; but little by little the Church made tithing obligatory: the Council of Tours in 567 invited the faithful to pay tithes, the Council of Macon in 585 already ordered the payment of tithes under pain of excommunication. Charlemagne in 779 turned it into a duty, which was imposed on everyone by virtue of state law under pain of criminal punishment (for the Saxons - directly the death penalty).
At the same time, Charlemagne ordered that the tithe be divided into three parts:
- to build and decorate churches;
- on the poor, wanderers and pilgrims and
- for the maintenance of the clergy.
The clergy more and more increased the burden of this tax, which initially fell only on income from agriculture: tithes began to be demanded from all profitable occupations, even if they were immoral (especially from the 12th century, under Pope Alexander III). At the same time, the church increasingly shied away from giving tithe its proper purpose. Needing protection and seeking it in the feudal estate, bishops and abbots often gave tithes to flax (infeoded, where did dîme inféodée come from) to neighboring lords, which is one of the curious aspects of feudalism in the church. With the strengthening of the power of the kings, the clergy had to share the tithe with the latter. Finally, the popes also began to demand a part of the tithe in their favor. Due to the fact that the tithe was a very large income of the church, which placed a heavy burden on secular society, and that the papacy, royalty and feudal lords claimed part of this income of the clergy, the tithe was often the subject of very sharp clashes between individual elements of medieval society (such for example, the age-old struggle over tithes in Poland between the nobility and the clergy, about which, by the way, see Lubowitz's book "History of the Reformation in Poland").
In the era of the Reformation, the Catholic Church in most Protestant countries was deprived of all its worldly possessions and incomes, which became the property of secular power and nobility (see Secularization), which dealt a blow to church tithe. In England, tithe, however, survived, and an attempt to abolish it, made in era of the first revolution of the XVII century, was not successful, because in the English church the tithe went to the maintenance of the clergy, and, canceling it, it was necessary to find another source of income instead of it. In Catholic states, the tithe continued to exist as before, and, for example, in France, often before the revolution, the clergy received about 125 million livres of the tithe, which for the most part remained in the hands of the higher clergy. Since 1789, the era of the abolition of tithes began, an example of which was set by France, where the revolution gratuitously destroyed tithes, accepting the maintenance of the clergy at the expense of the state, as a result of which the value of all landed property in France, freed from this church tax, rose by one tenth. In Switzerland and some states of Germany, tithe, as in France, was abolished without any remuneration for those institutions in whose favor it was levied, but most of the German states (Nassau, Bavaria, both Hesses, Baden, Württemberg, Hanover, Saxony, Austria, Prussia etc.) resorted to a ransom system.
In the 19th century, the tithe was retained in England, where in 1836, under the Tithe Commutation Act, significant changes were made in the distribution and methods of levying this tax. In rural tithes (prediales), payment in kind was replaced by a fixed amount called tithe rent charge. The quantity of grain, barley and oats was established once and for all (the average of 7 years was taken as the norm), and its value, annually officially determined at market prices, is paid in money. In addition, tithes from fishing, mining, etc. have been abolished.
Tithing in Russia
Tithing in the sense of tax existed in Russia as well. Initially, the tithe was introduced in individual principalities, where it was a tax only on princely incomes (and not on the entire population, as in the West, and therefore was many times less). Later, tithes began to be called the districts into which the diocese was divided (now they are called deaneries). Officials appointed by bishops to command in such districts were called tithes. His duties included, incl. collection of tribute from parishes and monasteries in favor of the bishop's house. In addition to the tenth table, after the Stoglavy Cathedral, tenth priests appeared, who performed part of the duties of the tenth table; in Moscow they were chosen back in the 18th century. They were also called archpriests and customers, and later the common name for them was "dean".
Literature
- Albright, W. F. and Mann, C. S. Matthew, The Anchor Bible, Vol. 26 Garden City, New York, 1971
- The Assyrian Dictionary of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, Vol. 4 "E." Chicago, 1958.
- Fitzmyer, Joseph A. The Gospel According to Luke, X-XXIV, The Anchor Bible, Vol. 28A. New York, 1985.
Literature
- Tithing // Orthodox Encyclopedia. T. 14, S. 450-452.
- // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: In 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - St. Petersburg. , 1890-1907.
Links
- priest Konstantin Parkhomenko. Tithing (12/15/2010)
- Theologian Russell Kelly on tithing
- Tithing in the Open Directory Project (dmoz) links directory. (English)
- Tithe A biblical study why Christians need not tithe. (English)
Notes
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010 .
Glossary of business terms- (tithe, from Old English tenth), the obligatory deduction of a tenth of the income of believers in favor of the church. Introduced for the first time in ancient times. Jews, spread in Europe after the Tours (567) and Macon (585) synods, in England received the force of law in 10 ... ... The World History
Church tenth of the harvest and other income collected by the church during the period of early feudalism Raizberg B.A., Lozovsky L.Sh., Starodubtseva E.B. Modern economic dictionary. 2nd ed., rev. M .: INFRA M. 479 s .. 1999 ... Economic dictionary
1) church D. a tenth of the income collected by the church from the population. In Russia, the book was established. Vladimir the Holy shortly after the Baptism of Russia and was originally intended for the Kiev Church of the Tithes, and then acquired the character of ... ... Legal Encyclopedia
- [heb. , ; Greek δεκάτη; lat. decima], in the ancient world and in the practice of Christ. The transfer of the 10th part of income (usually in kind) to the Church as a one-time or regular donation in favor of the authorities, clergy or religions. communities. Old Testament O D ... Orthodox Encyclopedia
Clergy (Greek κλήρος lot) in Christianity, the clergy as a special class of the Church, distinct from the laity. In the synodal era in Russia, “clergy” was often understood as clerks, that is, clergymen of a given parish. Contents ... Wikipedia
- (Latin décima, French décime, dîme, German Zehnt, English tithe) 1) D. church tenth of the income collected by the church from the population in cf. century in the West. Europe. In ancient times, it existed among a number of Semitic. peoples, in particular among the Jews, passed from them ... ... Soviet historical encyclopedia
Deductions in favor of the ministers of the church a tenth of the income of believers. It existed in ancient times among many peoples. Mentioned in the Bible. Preserved in feudal Europe, as well as in Russia. Currently, there is among Adventists ... encyclopedic Dictionary
Loading...