health and technology

IconTop Stories

The History Of Taxation And Money As Regarded In The Biblical Text

By Andrew Tailor Smith


The history of taxation and money is a long one. The Bible mentions quite a few scenarios about money and taxes. These are stories of survival and conquest. They help to provide an idea of what it was like during that time, whether the stories are historical or not. Here is a glimpse at what these stories reveal.

During the days of Abraham, one was not only rich because he had cattle. A person was rich if they had gold and silver as well. These were used to buy land and other goods from people in local areas and in other lands. There were other items that were used to purchase goods, but gold and silver are mentioned quite a few times.

The story of Joseph mentions a tax system that came into place when there was a famine in the land. The people were to give the king one-fifths of the harvests of the land. However, this did not apply to the priests whose land did not belong to the Pharaoh. Joseph made it law over all of the land of Egypt that this should be practiced.

King Solomon of Israel had much material wealth. He was also rich in gold, which came to him from different lands. However, this came to him at a cost as most of the goods he received were not found in his kingdom. So he taxed his people a great deal, to pay for what he received from other nations.

There is another king mentioned in the Bible, who taxed the land, but for another king. King Jehoiakim of Judah, reigned during the time of Pharaoh Necho. This Pharaoh commanded the king to pay taxes and this was done with gold and silver. This was done because Pharaoh Necho had conquered the nation in battle and the king was required to pay taxes to the victor.

Jesus also had to deal with tax collectors in his day. A group of his disciples and others, asked him if they needed to pay taxes to Caesar. He asked for the tax money that was used to pay the tax to illustrate that if it belongs to Caesar, then it should be given to him.

These and other stories can be compared with historical facts to understand the history of taxation and money in the Bible. Taxes and money have been on the planet for thousands of years for different reasons and in different forms. The Biblical text is just another way to do some research on the subject.




About the Author:



 
 
 

Post a Comment