Jesus pays the half shekel of the Sanctuary

Peculiar to St Matthew

24. they that received i. e. "the collectors of." After the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple the Jews were obliged to pay the two drachmæ into the Roman treasury. Joseph. B. J. vii. 6. 6.

tribute money Literally, the two drachmæ. This was not a tribute levied by Cæsar or by Herod, but the half-shekel (Exodus 30:13) paid annually by every Jew into the Temple treasury. The "sacred tax" was collected from Jews in all parts of the world. Josephus (Ant.xvi. 6) has preserved some interesting letters from Roman proconsuls and from Augustus himself, to Cyrene, Ephesus, and other communities, directing that the Jews should be allowed to forward their contributions to the Temple without hindrance.

It would be interesting to know whether the Jewish Christians continued to pay the Temple-tax in accordance with this precedent.

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