Temple tax

The Temple tax (מחצית השקל, lit.'half shekel') was a tax paid by Israelites and Levites which went towards the upkeep of the Jewish Temple, as reported in the New Testament.[1] Traditionally, Kohanim (Jewish priests) were exempt from the tax.

  1. ^ Matthew 11–28; William Barclay (2001), The Temple Tax, p. 196; Matthew 17:24–27: "When they came to Capernaum, those who received the half-shekel Temple tax ... the basis of Exodus 30:13, it was laid down that every male Jew over twenty years of age must pay an annual Temple tax of ..."