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Keep or Break: The Biblical Basis for Tithing in Medieval Europe
- 1 Zhejiang University
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Abstract
The biblical teaching is that, on a practical level, tithing embodies an ideal division of labor with distinct responsibilities. By tithing to the Church, Christians provide the clergy with the necessities of life, enabling them to concentrate on the sacraments without having to worry about worldly matters, and at the same time, offer material support for the holy ministries of the Church, helping to improve the financial situation of the Church. On the level of faith, tithing is an expression of faith in God. The voluntary and full payment of the tithe is a great manifestation of one's faith in God. It maintains the harmonious relationship between God and man, which brings God's abundant blessings to man. The Church in Medieval Europe collected tithes based on the clear and strong scriptural basis of the Bible. However, in practice, the Church abused the tithe to enrich itself and ignored the poor lives of the people, which was destructive to God's good intention in the establishment of the tithe and was not in accordance with the teachings of the Bible.
Keywords
Tithing, Bible, Medieval Europe, Church, Corruption
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Cite this article
Liu,S. (2024). Keep or Break: The Biblical Basis for Tithing in Medieval Europe. Lecture Notes in Education Psychology and Public Media,60,48-54.
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