Tithing was a measure of a piece of land having the shape of a rectangular parallelogram with two variants of its sides:
- 80 and 30 fathoms - "thirty";
- 60 and 40 fathoms - “forty”.
She was given the name "state tithe" and made the main Russian measure of the land.
Interpretation of this concept
Tith is a Russian unit of measurement in ancient times in relation to land area, which was equated to 2400 square sazhens (about 1.09 hectares) and was used in Russia before the introduction of a special metric system.
It is also worth defining the term "sazhen" - a Russian measure of length, which is determined by the average size of a person's body. So, for example, a small fathom is from the shoulder to the floor, and an oblique one is from the inside of the foot of the left leg to the top point of the fingers of the raised right hand.
Facts from history regarding this concept
It is known that at the end of the 15th century the land area was usually measured in two quarters. The tithe of land was such a geometric figure as a square with sides equal to 1/10 of a verst (2,500 sq. sazhens). In accordance with the boundary instruction, dated 1753, its size was equated to 2400 square sazhens (1.0925 ha).
Typology of the old Russian land measure
In the period of the late XVIII - early XX centuries. tithe was also used, the area of \u200b\u200bwhich was represented by such varieties as:
- Slanting - 80 by 40 fathoms (3200 squares).
- Round - 60 by 60 fathoms (3600 squares).
- Hundreds - 100 to 100 fathoms (10,000 squares).
- Melons and gourds - 80 per 10 fathoms (800 squares), etc.
Then, at the end of the October Revolution, due to the transition to the metric system, according to the decree of the Council of People's Commissars of the RSFSR, dated September 14, 1918, the tithe measure was limited in use, and from September 1, 1927 it was prohibited altogether.
Together with it, other units of measurement common at that time remained in the past:
- vershok (0.045 m);
- arshin (0.71 m);
- verst (1.06 km);
- sazhen (2, 13 m).
It is worth recalling once again that the tithe of the land was equal to 1.09 hectares in terms of our units.
Another aspect of the use of the concept in question
Tithing in Ancient Russia is also a kind of tax levied in favor of the clergy, the authorities or the religious community. In order to collect itbishops' chairs even had a special official - the tens.
In that era, tithes were also districts of small sizes in the dioceses, which were administered by the above officials, and then by the priestly elders. In addition to them, in these districts, after the Stoglavy Cathedral, tenth priests arise, exercising some of the duties of the above-mentioned official. They were chosen in Moscow at the beginning of the 18th century.
Origin of the term in question
It is not superfluous to remind once again that tithing in Ancient Russia is a tribute paid by Russians to the horde in the era of the Tatar-Mongol yoke. The management system in those days was represented by such positions as ten's manager, centurion, thousand's manager, prince. And in this form, it lasted for more than one hundred years. As it has already become clear, in this system there is a single-root word - foreman. This is not a random moment.
This word means an elective position, that is, one candidate is selected from ten well-known to each other, for example, peasants. This person was busy resolving various kinds of issues within this community and represented its interests within the village, hundreds, etc. He was assisted by the rest of the community members - peasants.
This support was both physical in nature - working out additional time on the foreman's farm, and a kind of material - the transfer of part of his crop. Thus, 1 tithe equaled 10% of either labor time or harvested crops. This was the so-calledthe contribution that each member of the community, except for the foreman himself, contributed to the common cause.
The material form of tithing
It could be fruits, and grain, and vegetables, and wine, and later animals, which were regarded as a product of the earth. The tribute in question never acted as money, since it is written in the law of Moses that it belongs to the Lord from all the products of the earth. The money was used exclusively to buy it in the city and never acted as a substitute equivalent.
Tithing was a tribute in the form of animals and gifts of the earth. Nowhere in the scriptures is it indicated that these can be bills or bank checks that must be placed on the church tray every week, as is the case in modern church institutions at their respective cathedrals.
Tithing: How Much
It is known that according to biblical texts, Israel was commanded to sacrifice tithes for seven years. It was divided into three types. According to the Old Testament, the first tithe was given to the priests and Levites in the amount of 10 - 100% of the total production of the earth for the first six-year cycle.
The second - was given on holidays and made up 10 - 90% of the rest after the transfer of tithes to the Levites. She ate before the face of the Lord. This tithe was set aside only for the first, second, fourth, and fifth years. The third - was given to the poor in the amount of 10 - 90%. The type of tribute in question was postponed exclusively for the third and sixth year. None of her species was transferred to the seventh (Saturday)year.
Answer the question: "A tithe is how much?" - in the modern aspect, even the church ministers themselves find it difficult.
History of tithing in Christianity
For the first time, this concept was heard from the Old Testament. This mention was made in the context of the fact that all the gifts of the Earth belong to the Lord, and the retention of even the smallest part of it was regarded as an act of stealing from God. Not a single believer has even thought of not paying tithing.
In the Old Testament era, there was no temple or church, so Noah, Abel and other believers made donations to tithes directly under the open sky. It was allowed, if desired, for each person to erect a personal altar, where one could bring tribute to God.
However, after some time, the Lord chose the people and specific people to carry out worship services and the procedure for collecting tithes. Everyone, without exception, brought it during the wanderings of Moses three times during the year.
Thus, tithing is a kind of help to the temple, which consists in maintaining its activities and ministry, which acted as a salary for priests, as well as their assistants, preaching both in houses and in the temple.
Such rituals were carried out before the coming of Jesus Christ and his crucifixion at Calvary. This kind of sacrifice was followed by the destruction of the temple in Kalvaria, and some Christians interpreted this as the abolition of the tithe. However, in the New Testament you can see that no one has canceled it. Even in the absence of temples, tithes are stillcontinued to give, because it was a necessary means for the worldly existence of both the clergy and religion in general. It has become not so much a means of life support as a kind of symbol of faith and obedience.
Tithing was collected for priests and apostles who broadcast their sermons both in Jerusalem and around the world. To confirm the words of Jesus regarding the continued existence of the laws on its collection contained in the texts of the Old Testament, adherents of Christianity give an example from his speech: “I did not come to destroy, but to fulfill.”
The meaning of the number 10 in Christianity
It expresses a kind of perfection in relation to the divine order and is the third number in the sacred chain - 3, 7, 10. The number "ten" indicates the absence of lack, that the full cycle is completed. And the tribute in question expresses exactly as much as necessary.
The following points in the sacred history, marked by the number 10, can be emphasized, namely:
1. The completion of the era of antiquity by Noah occurred in the X century (Gen.5).
2. Ten Fundamental Sacred Commandments in Christianity.
3. The Lord's Prayer consists of ten main points.
4. In the role of tithing, what a person should give to God was presented.
5. The redemption of the soul was expressed in 10 ger. (0.5 shekels).
6. The ten plagues represented the cycle of God's judgment on Egypt (Ex. 9:14).
7. The power of Antichrist meant 10 kingdoms, expressed by ten horns of the fourth beast and tenthe toes of the idol of Nebuchadnezzar. There were ten nations that Abraham would have to possess according to the promise.
8. 10 curtains covered the tabernacle (Ex. 26:1).
9. Fire descended from heaven exactly 10 times.
10. The ten virgins express the fullness of those called: faithful and unfaithful.
Thus, this number was not chosen by the Lord by chance, since, once again, it is worth recalling that this is the third number associated with perfection.
Afterword
Summing up all of the above, there are three main definitions of the term in question, in particular:
1. The tithe of the church was the tenth of the total income, which was levied by church institutions from the population. In Ancient Russia, it was established by Prince Vladimir the Holy after the great Baptism of Russia and was intended for the Kyiv Tithe Church, and later acquired the color of a widespread tax levied by the relevant religious organizations, except for monasteries.
2. The tithe served as a church district in Russia, a certain part of the diocese until the beginning of the 18th century. At the head was a man holding a special position - a foreman. From the beginning of 1551, its functions partially migrated to tenth priests and priestly elders.
3. A tithe of land is an old Russian measure of the area of a land plot. From the end of the 15th century, it was originally calculated in two quarters and looked like a square, the sides of which were equal to 0.1 versts (2500 sq. sazhens). Subsequently, according to the survey instruction dated 1753, the considered measure of land was equated to2400 square fathoms (1.0925 ha).
As for the modern perception of this biblical law regarding tithing, each believer decides for himself whether he should pay the above tribute or not and in what amount.
