Tax breaks & the early growth of Roman Christianity? - Politics Forum.org | PoFo

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Rome, Greece, Egypt & other ancient history (c 4000 BCE - 476 CE) and pre-history.
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#14362242
I joined this forum primarily because of this history sub forum. I no longer have easy access to a public library. My ability to borrow semi-popular University press books on the various historical topics that interest me is no longer a realistic option! I am hoping to find people with good historical reference material. Wikipedia is my only friend at the present time.
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EXAMPLE:Fiscus Judaicus Reference Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiscus_Judaicus

(1) The tax was initially imposed by Roman Emperor Vespasian as one of the measures against Jews as a result of the First Roman-Jewish War of 66–73 AD
(2) Domitian, who ruled between 81 and 96 AD, expanded the fiscus Iudaicus to include not only born Jews and converts to Judaism, but also on those who concealed the fact that they were Jews or observed Jewish customs.
(3) In 96 AD, Emperor Nerva officially relaxed the rules of collection, limiting the tax to just those who openly practiced Judaism. A coin issued by Nerva reads fisci Judaici calumnia sublata, "abolition of malicious prosecution in connection with the Jewish tax
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I would love to get more information about a number of subjects.

1 Percentage of Jews living in the eastern Empire during the 1st century? I have heard 10 percent!
2. Was it mostly Jews who became Christians post 70 AD?
3. Original Temple tax: Apparently this a voluntary tax for Jews living in the Eastern Empire and Babylon. My experience is that people don't pay taxes voluntarily. Did Empire Jews get some reward such as disaster relief? I vaguely remember reading that most Galileans did not pay the temple tax. I think this was under Herod, but I don't really remember.

Jack
#14364542
stewjack wrote:1 Percentage of Jews living in the eastern Empire during the 1st century? I have heard 10 percent! :?:


Same here.

2. Was it mostly Jews who became Christians post 70 AD?


No, probably Greeks, like Justin and most of his followers. Later more Latins, etc. Note that the last canonical gospel, John c 95 CE, is most hostile to jews, probably because they wouldn't convert in significant numbers, and ostracized the john community.
#14364743
"... hostile to Jews, probably because they wouldn't convert in significant numbers."

I don't think that Jews converted in significant numbers either - if we can both accept a 10% Eastern Empire population of Jews. However, a small population of Christians could have been "significantly" augmented by relatively a "insignificant" number of Jews. Emperor Nerva officially relaxed the rules of collection in 96 AD, if a Jew hadn't switched religious allegiances due to a tax break by say 136 AD (2 generations later) they would be very, very, unlikely to change after that IMO. I certainly accept that the vast majority of "conversions" would have happened much earlier.

The tax break was just one (minor) economic motivation for an upper middle class Jew.

1. Jews could not eat with the majority of their economic equals In principle they would be defiled. Christians did not care if you ate Kosher as long as you were in communion with those who didn't follow the food laws. Given that many Jewish families had been living in the Roman Empire for many many generations I wouldn't be surprised if principle was sometimes ignored prior to 70 AD with a wink and a nod. Not to mention an increased donation to the Rabbi. That seems to be the way it works in many Protestant churches. Some things never change.

2. Circumcision banished a Jew from the Olympic games. Jews missed all those wonderful tailgate parties and drunken orgies. I guess it was sorta like a business man not being allowed to play golf. Once again, to the best of my knowledge, Christianity didn't care if you were or were not circumcised as long as you could be in Christian communion with both.

Here is one more indication that early Christianity was not primarily influenced by pagans.

Can anyone guess the original name for the full Easter festival?
In many languages, the words for "Easter" and "_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _" are identical or at least very similar.
Try to guess the second word.
Hint: The word has the same letters as the word OVERPASS. Also it has something to do with a Lamb & and either smearing or drinking blood.
Reference:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter

Benefits from paying original Temple Tax?
That is in addition to wondering what benefits a Jew received from a tax to fund a temple outside of the Empire. It certainly wasn't encouraged by the Romans.

"The first Roman attempt to halt payments of the tax was made long before the Jewish War on account of customs controls. The Senate had forbidden the export of gold and silver but the Jews of Italy continued to pay the Temple tax. In AD62 L. Valerius Flaccus, governor of the province of Asia, issued an edict forbidding the Jews of his province from sending the tax to Jerusalem."

Ref.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_tax#After_the_destruction_of_the_Temple

One opposing assumption to my own argument.
There is at least one opposing assumption I would love to learn more about. If we accept that both Christians and Jews refused to worship the Emperor as a God. I wonder if Jews paying the Fiscus Judica may have made the Jewish religion "legal"? Not paying the tax would obviously then have at least have some disadvantage for a future Christian.

Benefits from paying original Temple Tax?
That is in addition to wondering what benefits a Jew received from a tax to fund a temple outside of the Empire. It certainly wasn't encouraged by the Romans.

"The first Roman attempt to halt payments of the tax was made long before the Jewish War on account of customs controls. The Senate had forbidden the export of gold and silver but the Jews of Italy continued to pay the Temple tax. In AD62 L. Valerius Flaccus, governor of the province of Asia, issued an edict forbidding the Jews of his province from sending the tax to Jerusalem."

Ref.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_tax#After_the_destruction_of_the_Temple

Jack
#14693489
The best source of early Christian history is Eusebius in his "History Of The Church".

He tells the story that while Christianity was popular in Judea and Galilee around 35 to 40 AD, due to diminishment of their orthodox Jewish congregations the Jewish leadership tried to exterminate Christianity. This was what the bribing of Nero Caesar in 60 AD to kill both St. Peter and St. Paul was driven by.

So after the expulsion of the Christians by the Jews, the Christians settled in Antioch and Ephesus. From there Peter took Christianity to Rome (big mistake for himself) and Paul took it to Greece (good move -- he should have stayed in Greece too). Christianity then thrived in Antioch, Ephesus, Greece, and Rome.

Within 70 years of the birth of Christianity, Rome destroys Jerusalem and much of Judea as well. Eusebius comments that God spared them for 70 years only.

Pretty soon most Christians were Greeks or Romans, not Jews.

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