John's first preaching and the Baptism of Jesus. Besides, in that case, how are we to
account for the eight or nine months between the Baptism and the Passover? So far as I
know, the only reason for this strange hypothesis is St. John ii. 20, which will be
explained in its p roper place.
17. 780 a.u.c. or 27 a.d.
18. St. John xi. 55.
But to return. This Temple-tribute had to be paid in exact half-shekels of the Sanctuary,
or ordinary Galilean shekels. When it is remembered that, besides strictly Palestinian
silver and especially copper coin,19 Persian, Tyrian, Syrian, Egyptian, Grecian, and
Roman money circulated in the country, it will be understood what work these 'money-
changers' must have had. From the 15th to the 25th Adar they had stalls in every country-
town. On the latter date, which must therefore be considered as marking the first arrivals
of festive pilgrims in the city, the stalls in the country were closed, and the money-
changers henceforth sat within the precincts of the Temple. All who refused to pay the
Temple-tribute (except priests) were liable to distraint of their goods. The 'money-
changers' made a statutory fixed charge of a Maah, or from 1 ½ d . to 2d.20 (or, according
to others, of half a maah) on every half-shekel. This was called qolbon. But if a person
tendered a Sela (a four -denar piece, in value two half-shekels of the Sanctuary, or two
Galilean shekels), he had to pay double qolbon; one for his half-shekel of tribute-money,
the other for his change. Although not only priests, but all other non-obligatory officers,
and those who paid for their poorer brethren, were exempted from the charge of qolbon,
it must have brought in an immense revenue, since not only many native Palestinians
might come without the statutory coin, but a vast number of foreign Jews presented
themselves on such occasions in the Temple. Indeed, if we compute the annual Temple-
tribute at about 75,000l., the bankers' profits may have amounted to from 8,000l. to
9,000l., an immense sum in the circumstances of the country. 21
19. Simo n Maccabee had copper money coined; the so-called copper shekel, a little more
than a penny, and also half and quarter shekels (about a half-penny, and a farthing). His
successors coined even smaller copper money. During the whole period from the death of
Simon to the last Jewish war no Jewish silver coins issued from the Palestinian mint, but
only copper coins. Herzfeld (Handelsgesch. pp. 178, 179) suggests that there was
sufficient foreign silver coinage circulating in the country, while naturally only a very
small amount of foreign copper coin would be brought to Palestine.
20. It is extremely difficult to fix the exact equivalent. Cassel computes it at one-fifth,
Herzfeld at one-sixth, Zunz at one-third, and Winer at one-fourth of a denar.
21. Comp. Winer's Real-Wörterb. I have taken a low estimate, so as to be well within
bounds. All the regulations about the Tribute and Qolbon are enumerated in Sheqal. i. I
have not given references for each of the statements advanced, not because they are not to
hand in regard to almost every detail, but to avoid needless quotations.
But even this does not represent all the facts of the case. We have already seen, that the
'money-changers' in the Temple gave change, when larger amounts than were equivalent
to the Temple-tribute were proffered. It is a reasonable, nay, an almost necessary
inference, that many of the foreign Jews arriving in Jerusalem would take the opportunity
of changing at these tables their foreign money, and for this, of course, fresh charges