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"Honor the [[Lord ]] with your substance, and with the firstfruits of all your produce" ([[Proverbs]] 3:9).
In ancient [[Israel]], the [[Church]] of the [[Old Testament]], the [[Mosaic Law|Law of Moses]] instituted the "[[tithe]]",
also called the offering of the firstfruits. "Tithe" is merely the Old English word for "tenth". Israel's tithe was an assessment of one-tenth of all produce for the maintenance of the Temple, the support of the [[priesthoodpriest]]hood, and the sustenance of the poor ([[Numbers|Num]]. 18:24; [[Deuteronomy|Deut]]. 12:11 and 26:12). Usually this portion was rendered from the first harvested of the crop, hence the title "firstfruits".
These activities are still necessary parts of Church life. [[Parish]]es need suitable places for
Our Lord criticized the way in which his opponents tithed, but in so doing, He confirmed
the tithe itself: "Woe to you, scribes and [[Pharisee|Pharisees]], hypocrites! For you tithe your mint, dill, and cumin, but have omitted the weightier matters of the law judgment, mercy, and faith. These you ought to have done, without omitting the others" ([[Gospel of Matthew|Matthew]] 23:23).
Likewise, one of the earliest witnesses to [[Holy Tradition]], The Teaching of the Twelve
[[Category:Asceticism]]
[[Category:Contributed Articles]]
[[Category:Sermons and Treatises]]
[[Category:Stewardship]]
