Temples, Tithes, and Taxes

Temples, Tithes, and Taxes
Author: Marty E. Stevens
Publisher: Baker Books
Total Pages: 221
Release: 2006-11-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1441242074

The temple in Jerusalem was both the center of ancient Israel's religious life and also an economic center for the nation. In this groundbreaking study of the economic functions of the Jerusalem temple, Marty E. Stevens, who worked for fifteen years as a certified public accountant prior to getting a PhD in Old Testament, demonstrates that the temple acted as the central bank, internal revenue collector, source of loans, and even debt collector for ancient Israel. Applying a broad knowledge of temple-systems throughout the ancient Near East, Stevens sheds light on the roles played by various officials mentioned in Scripture and their tasks within the temple complex. Neither "Big Brother" nor "big business," the temple still served government and commerce in the course of conducting its religious functions. This fascinating book opens new avenues for understanding the Jerusalem temple and its impact on Israelite society.

Temples, Tithes, and Taxes

Temples, Tithes, and Taxes
Author: Marty E. Stevens
Publisher: Baker Academic
Total Pages: 221
Release: 2006-11
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0801047773

Introductory matters -- Temple construction -- Temple personnel -- Temple income -- Temple expenses -- Temple as "bank" -- Concluding matters.

Temples, Tithes, and Taxes

Temples, Tithes, and Taxes
Author: Marty E. Stevens
Publisher: Hendrickson Pub
Total Pages: 209
Release: 2006
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9781565639348

In this study of the economic functions of the Jerusalem temple, Marty Stevens demonstrates that the temple acted as the central bank, internal revenue collector, source of loans, and even debt collector for ancient Israel. Applying a broad knowledge of temple systems throughout the ancient Near East, Stevens sheds light on the roles played by various officials mentioned in Scripture and their tasks within the temple complex. Neither "Big Brother" nor "big business," the temple still served government and commerce in the course of conducting its religious functions.

Disputed Temple

Disputed Temple
Author: John Robert Barker
Publisher: Fortress Press
Total Pages: 313
Release: 2017-11-15
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1506438423

John Robert Barker uses rhetorical criticism of Haggai to tease out the probable attitudes and anxieties among the Yehudite community that saw rebuilding as both undesirable and unfeasible. While some in the community accepted the prophet‘s claim that YHWH wanted the temple built, others feared that adverse agricultural and economic conditions, as well as the lack of a royal builder, were clear signs that YHWH did not approve or authorize the effort. Haggai‘s counterarguments are combined with his vilification of opponents as unclean and non-Israelite.

Taxation, Economy, and Revolt in Ancient Rome, Galilee, and Egypt

Taxation, Economy, and Revolt in Ancient Rome, Galilee, and Egypt
Author: Thomas R. Blanton IV
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 207
Release: 2022-06-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 1000598438

This volume introduces new perspectives on taxation policies in the Roman Empire, the Galilee, and Egypt, with unique insights into the economic effects of imperial pacification on local and regional microlevel economies in the Galilee both before and after the First Jewish Revolt against Rome. Through examining tax documents and other ancient texts in detail, this book offers innovative perspectives on the mechanisms, ideological justifications, and politically hierarchizing functions of taxation and tribute, particularly in the Roman Empire. Moreover, leading archaeologists present important information about the economic effects of the First Jewish Revolt on local economies in the Galilee, based on findings from recent archaeological excavations. Taxation, Economy, and Revolt in Ancient Rome, Galilee, and Egypt is of interest to students and scholars in Classical, Biblical, and Jewish Studies, as well as economic history and Mediterranean archaeology.

The Temple Administration and the Levites in Chronicles

The Temple Administration and the Levites in Chronicles
Author: Yeong Seon Kim
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Total Pages: 240
Release: 2023-07-21
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1666787361

The author explored sections on gatekeepers, treasures and tax collectors from the book of Chronicles in order to examine whether the selected passages can be used as a source to reconstruct the temple administration in the post-exilic period. The author concludes that the Chronicler's description of the temple administration, especially his incorporation of non-priestly cultic personnel among the Levites, must be considered to comprise an argument of an ideal temple administration. The Chronicler's ideal was grounded in his creative exegetical approaches to Pentateuchal traditions and his responses to the contemporary debate about the legitimate priesthood among different priestly circles.

The Jerusalem Temple and Early Christian Identity

The Jerusalem Temple and Early Christian Identity
Author: Timothy Wardle
Publisher: Mohr Siebeck
Total Pages: 316
Release: 2010
Genre: History
ISBN: 9783161505683

Slightly revised and expanded version of the author's thesis (Ph.D.)--Duke University, Durham, 2008.

Land and Temple

Land and Temple
Author: Benjamin D. Gordon
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
Total Pages: 298
Release: 2020-04-06
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 311042102X

This exploration of the Judean priesthood’s role in agricultural cultivation demonstrates that the institutional reach of Second Temple Judaism (516 BCE–70 CE) went far beyond the confines of its houses of worship, while exposing an unfamiliar aspect of sacred place-making in the ancient Jewish experience. Temples of the ancient world regularly held assets in land, often naming a patron deity as landowner and affording the land sanctity protections. Such arrangements can provide essential background to the Hebrew Bible’s assertion that God is the owner of the land of Israel. They can also shed light on references in early Jewish literature to the sacred landholdings of the priesthood or the temple.

Ezekiel's Visionary Temple in Babylonian Context

Ezekiel's Visionary Temple in Babylonian Context
Author: Tova Ganzel
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
Total Pages: 191
Release: 2021-09-07
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 3110740842

In der Reihe Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft (BZAW) erscheinen Arbeiten zu sämtlichen Gebieten der alttestamentlichen Wissenschaft. Im Zentrum steht die Hebräische Bibel, ihr Vor- und Nachleben im antiken Judentum sowie ihre vielfache Verzweigung in die benachbarten Kulturen der altorientalischen und hellenistisch-römischen Welt. Die BZAW akzeptiert Manuskriptvorschläge, die einen innovativen und signifikanten Beitrag zu Erforschung des Alten Testaments und seiner Umwelt leisten, sich intensiv mit der bestehenden Forschungsliteratur auseinandersetzen, stringent aufgebaut und flüssig geschrieben sind.