The Tradition of Church-Financial Relations: Biblical Origins and Contemporary Realities #
In the world around us today, unfortunately, much is determined by money or at least heavily influenced by it. Awareness of this fact prompts various church figures to seek out explanations for the current order of things—sometimes quite extravagant or even cynical (I refer to the statements of Protodeacon Andrei Kuraev of the Russian Orthodox Church [Moscow Patriarchate] and others), explanations that can be difficult to accept.
The brief historical and canonical study presented here was initiated by a desire to understand the original tradition of church-financial relations, and to clarify what the relationship between the Church and each Christian should be in material and financial matters, so that it brings spiritual benefit to those involved.
God and Money… At first glance, what connection can there be between them? Could the omnipresent and almighty God truly have any need of our earthly offerings? Could He, the incorporeal and eternal One, require anything material or temporal?
We know that even in the early times of the Old Testament, people were commanded to dedicate a tithe (a tenth) of all their fruits and possessions acquired through labor to God. This commandment was later codified by Moses: “And all the tithe of the land… is the Lord’s: it is holy unto the Lord” (Leviticus 27:30). Yet the Biblical text does not offer a clear explanation of the deeper meaning of this ancient commandment. One explanation of its true significance appears later, in the 2nd century AD, in the writings of St. Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons:
“We do not offer to Him as if He were in need, but in thanksgiving for His lordship and in sanctification of creation. For just as He has no need of anything from us, so we have a need to offer something to God… The God who needs nothing accepts our good actions in order to reward us with His blessings…”
Thus, it is not God who needs material offerings—we ourselves, humans, are the ones in need, so that we might thereby express our gratitude to our Creator.
How was the commandment of the tithe carried out? From each tribe of Israel—except the tribe of Levi—a tithe was given for the benefit of the Temple’s ministers: the priests and the Levites. The Levites, in turn, contributed a tenth of their own tithe to the support of the high priest. The priests’ income was somewhat greater: in addition to the tithes, they received a designated portion from the many sacrifices brought by the Jews to the altar of the Jerusalem Temple. However, it is important that the amount of the people’s offerings that came into the hands of the priests and Levites in no way depended on the will (or, so to speak, the desires and “appetites”) of the priests themselves. It was regulated solely by the Mosaic Law, which allowed the offerer to choose the scale of his sacrifice. For example, a burnt offering could be a young bull, or a young lamb, or a turtledove or pigeon. Clearly, the material cost of such differently sized offerings varied, and it was up to each person to decide which offering he wished to present to the Lord.
In this way, the priests and Levites were fully dependent on the economic condition and the degree of “spiritual mobilization” of their people: in years of plenty and times of peace, the priests lived in relative abundance; in years of famine or hardship, they could suffer hunger along with the rest of the nation.
But how much did people actually give in these Old Testament sacrifices and offerings? It turns out that the Mosaic Law prescribed not just one tithe, but several types of similar contributions.
The first tithe was dedicated to God—for the temple, the Levites, and the priests.
From the remaining nine parts, yet another tithe was taken; this second tithe was directed toward acts of charity and mercy. From this tithe, an annual feast was prepared in the court of the sanctuary or in another designated place, at which the Jews would host their families, friends, and the Levites. It is from this practice, it turns out, that the custom of Christian communal meals originates — the ancient apostolic agape feasts and the modern church meals on feast days and other celebrations, where Christians contribute food from home and offer their own labor for the event’s preparation!
But even this was not all: in every third year, the Jews were also required to give a third tithe — similar to the second, but shared specifically with the poor and the Levites…
Wondering what portion of their possessions the faithful Jews of the Old Testament spent on tithes and other offerings, St. John Chrysostom calculated: “They gave a tithe of all their possessions, and then another tithe, and on top of that yet a third — so that they gave away nearly a third of their estate, for three tithes make nearly one-third of all possessions. In addition, they offered the firstborn of their animals and many other sacrifices — for sin, for purification, sacrifices offered at feasts, during jubilees, at the release of debts, the freeing of slaves, and interest-free loans. …Taken together with the tithes, these offerings amounted to half” of each Jew’s property.
From this we can better understand the somewhat self-satisfied tone of the Pharisee in Christ’s well-known Parable of the Publican and the Pharisee, where He recounts: The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself: God, I thank Thee, that I am not as other men are… or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess…. Recalculating the figures required by the Old Testament law, we see that diligently fulfilling the law of tithing practically meant a financial burden of 22.7% (the total of three tithes3) — plus voluntary offerings; and so, the overall portion of wealth given in offerings could range from 30% to 40% or even more. By modern standards, that is nearly a feat of asceticism!
When the Old Testament gave way to the New, and the bloody sacrifices of cattle and birds were abolished, the multitude of minute and scrupulous requirements of the Mosaic law was replaced by the law of all-embracing love — love for God and for one’s neighbor, the love of Christ. It was then, in answer to a young man’s question about the path to salvation, that Christ first proclaimed a commandment unthinkable in the Old Testament: If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven. In essence, this was a call to voluntarily part not with just 30–40% of one’s income, as in the Old Testament, but with all one’s possessions!
Isn’t that too much? — some among our brethren may ask.
But in the New Testament, when the hope of inheriting the Kingdom of God had drawn nearer than ever before, this call from the lips of Christ to decisively renounce the acquisition of earthly goods — to embrace asceticism on an unprecedented scale — did not seem to Christians excessive or unreasonable. As witnesses (and participants) of the many wondrous miracles of Christ, they felt no pressing need to care for themselves in any special way. The Acts of the Holy Apostles describes the spirit of the first Christians in these words: And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common. And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all. Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, and laid them down at the apostles’ feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.
Thus, we see: in the New Testament Church, there are also material (and financial) offerings — but these are now made not out of obligation (as was the tithe in the Old Testament), but from sincere love for the Lord and for all those who have followed His saving teaching.
The essential difference between New Testament offerings and Old Testament sacrifices is explained by the same St. Irenaeus of Lyons in this way: “It is not offerings in general that have been abolished… only their form has changed, for the offering is now made not by slaves, but by the free… for the Lord is the same; but the nature of a slave’s offering and that of the free are different, so that through the offerings themselves the mark of freedom might be revealed… Therefore, they (the Jews, as slaves) offered Him tithes of their possessions, while these (Christians, who have received freedom) dedicate all their property to the Lord’s purposes, joyfully and freely giving no less, in hope of receiving even more…” This same idea is expressed even more vividly by St. John Chrysostom: “Not only neglect of any one virtue shuts heaven against us, but even if we fulfill it, yet not with due care and fervor, it has the same effect. ‘Unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees,’ says Christ, ‘you shall not enter the Kingdom of Heaven’. I myself wish to speak of this now — not to move those who give nothing to begin giving, but to protect those who do give from arrogance and to urge them to give even more. For if you give alms, but no more than what they gave, you will not enter the Kingdom. But what great alms, someone may ask, did they give? — Up to half of their income! — So if the one who gives half does nothing great, what will be said of one who does not even give a tenth? It is just, therefore, that the Lord said: ‘Not many will be saved.’”
As we can see, even in the New Testament — abounding with the grace of God — the custom of dedicating the fruits of human labor to God has remained; this custom still serves as an expression of human gratitude to God for His mercy and care for each of us. But New Testament offerings are made solely by free will, from the sincere desire of each person — and this voluntariness of offerings made to God stores up incorruptible treasure in the heavenly treasury of the giver.
Apart from the obligatory tithes, all offerings and sacrifices in the Old Testament were of a voluntary nature. This same requirement — with even greater strictness — is upheld in the Church of the New Testament. Thus, when sending His disciples out to preach, Christ instructed them: “As ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give. Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses, nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat”. Here, as we see, Christ calls upon the disciples not to concern themselves with bodily needs, instilling in them the hope that all necessary things would be provided through the care of those to whom they would come to preach the Word of God. It is clear from this that the command to “give freely” does not mean that Christ’s laborers (the apostles) were forbidden to accept any gifts or alms in return — but rather that such gifts must be wholly voluntary.
The apostles themselves, as far as we can judge, made every effort to live with the bare minimum and not burden anyone with material expectations. The Apostle Paul stands as a high example of disinterest in material gain. Although he was fully aware of Christ’s words that permitted ministers to accept care and support from those to whom they preached, when it came to himself, he was uneasy even with this lawful right and tried in every way not to use it, not wishing to burden those whom he instructed in the Gospel and in the faith of Christ. It seems he acted so out of concern that even the faintest shadow of material obligation might disturb those being enlightened — and he strove to do everything without compensation.
Thus, when Paul was preaching the Gospel in Corinth, he received support for his needs from Christians in Macedonia — among whom he had previously preached, and who, now strengthened in faith, out of sincere love for their enlightener and teacher, voluntarily helped him in his apostolic labors. Paul himself testified to this in the Second Epistle to the Corinthians: “I robbed other churches, taking wages of them, to do you service. And when I was present with you, and wanted, I was chargeable to no man…”.
But even more than this: whenever he had the opportunity, Paul strove through his own manual labor to provide not only for his own needs but also for those of his companions, as he declared in his farewell speech to the presbyters of Ephesus: “I have coveted no man’s silver, or gold, or apparel. Yea, ye yourselves know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me. I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
This high example of apostolic disinterest in material gain gave some the idea that all pastors of Christ’s Church were likewise obligated to act in the same way — but upon learning this, the Apostle Paul himself hastened to refute that unfounded opinion: If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things? Do ye not know that they which minister about holy things live of the things of the temple? and they which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar? Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel . In this same spirit, the Apostle Paul instructed his disciple Timothy: Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine. For the scripture saith… The labourer is worthy of his reward. However, this by no means deprives pastors of the right — following the words of Christ, It is more blessed to give than to receive — to voluntarily diminish their material “reward,” for example, by sharing what they have received with those in need among the brethren, or by devoting it to other charitable causes.
In later times, Blessed Jerome of Stridon (4th–5th century) explained this special diligence of the Apostle Paul in the following way: “Can you really say,” he rebukes the heretic Jovinian, who taught that all church pastors were to be entirely disinterested in money, “that those who live by the Gospel and receive a portion from the sacrifices sin thereby? Certainly not, for the Lord has ordained that those who preach the Gospel should live by the Gospel; and the Apostle [Paul], who does not make use of this permission but works with his own hands so as not to burden anyone, who labors day and night and serves those with him — surely does so in order that, by greater labor, he may receive a greater reward”.
As we have seen from the above examples, from the earliest centuries of Christianity the Church has safeguarded the voluntary nature of all offerings and gifts made by individuals. To prevent pastors from being tempted to impose any material burdens or obligations on the laity, this central principle of the Christian faith was, in later times, reinforced by specific canonical decrees issued at the Ecumenical Councils. Thus, Canon 23 of the Sixth Ecumenical Council (Constantinople, 680) states: “Let no bishop, presbyter, or deacon, when giving the most pure Communion, require money or anything else from the communicant. For grace is not for sale: and we do not give the sanctification of the Spirit for money, but must distribute it sincerely to those worthy of this gift.” Though the canon specifically refers to Holy Communion — the gifts of the Mystery of the Holy Eucharist — authoritative interpreters of the canons such as John Zonaras and Theodore Balsamon each in their own way express the opinion that this requirement applies equally to all sacraments and sacred rites of the Church of Christ.
Commenting on this same principle, Niketas, Metropolitan of Thessalonica (12th century), in his Canonical Answers, adds: “But if any of the communicants brings something to the priest of his own free will, to help his poverty, or out of respect, or as a sign of friendship, then accepting what is offered and praying for the giver is not forbidden.” A similar ruling is found in Canon 4 of the Seventh Ecumenical Council (Nicaea, 787), which prohibits a bishop from demanding money for himself from his clergy or parish. Of course, this requirement applies to all clergy.
In the Holy Gospel, we find yet another example of charitable giving that is deeply important for us. Two of the evangelists recount how Christ, being in the temple court, saw the rich casting their gifts into the treasury; He also saw a poor widow who placed in it two mites, and He said: Verily I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all: for all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had. In this Gospel account, it is especially important to grasp the fact that the widow gave more than anyone else — not, of course, in terms of the visible contents of the temple treasury, where her tiny offering might easily have disappeared among the costlier gifts — no! She gave more in the heavenly treasury of her soul, since most of the donors gave only a small portion of their abundance, whereas she gave all that she had — the last money she possessed for her own sustenance! It is for this reason that Christ noted her offering, and from this point of view the widow’s mites proved far more precious than all the other wealthy contributions! This presents us with a certain paradox. If we approach that treasury with ordinary accounting methods, the widow’s mites will seem an insignificant part of the total. But if we come to the same treasury with the measure of spiritual significance, it is entirely possible that the widow’s mites alone will be the only truly worthy offering in the entire treasury.
So then, let us emphasize once more — it is essential that every gift to God, every offering or alms given “for the sake of Christ,” proceed from the depth of the human heart and be truly voluntary. It is precisely the voluntary gift, and not the coerced offering, that opens up for a person the abundance of God’s mercy — as testified by King Solomon in his Proverbs: God loves a cheerful giver, and will make up for the lack in his deeds. Better to give less, but from a pure heart, than to give more with resentment and bitterness — this seems to be an intuitive rule when it comes to benevolence and charity.
Another telling example, underscoring the special importance of voluntariness in all spiritual endeavors, is found in the Life of St. Pachomius the Great (4th century):
Once, when St. Pachomius returned to his monastery after a time away, he learned to his surprise that during his absence, the monastery kitchen had ceased preparing cooked food. Questioning the head cook, Pachomius heard the following reply: “I saw,” said the cook, “that all the brethren were diligently refraining from cooked meals, and so I decided that it was a waste of effort and provisions; I now serve the brethren greens with vinegar, and I, along with the other cooks, have been weaving mats for sale — we’ve already woven five hundred…”
Pachomius was deeply grieved and began to rebuke the cook: “How could you act in such a way? You have deprived the brethren of their reward! For when they abstained voluntarily from the food offered to them, they received reward from God; but now, abstaining out of necessity, being forced by you — will this be reckoned to them as merit?” After delivering this reproof, Pachomius built a fire and began to burn the mats woven by the cooks, and the cooks themselves, in repentance, joined him in burning them…
For this reason, throughout all ages the Church has never permitted any haggling over the size of offerings, but has demanded voluntariness in every sacrificial gift. Even if someone does good deeds, but not voluntarily — rather from some external compulsion — that fact alone greatly diminishes the reward he might have received… For good will, in any Christian labor, proceeds from faith in the Lord, and this is considered the foremost condition for pleasing God.
The examples cited here testify in harmony that the Christian tradition — even in matters of a material nature — sees above all the spiritual benefit for the donors, and indeed for all Christians.
Perhaps that is precisely why the godless Soviet regime in its day so vigorously insisted on the introduction of all kinds of “price lists” for church “services”? Perhaps it made the Church easier to control? Or perhaps the communist analysts shrewdly foresaw that by establishing market-based monetary relationships within Church life itself, the Christian faith could be most effectively extinguished in people’s souls? For it is no coincidence that even today the majority of accusations and grievances voiced by society toward both Church institutions and clergy concern material matters above all.
In the history of the Old Believer Church, which has always subsisted on the donations of the faithful, the principle of voluntariness in gifts and offerings has been strictly upheld. However, during the years of Soviet atheism — when the authorities repeatedly attempted to force the Church onto the path of market-based commercial relations and to introduce “price lists” — the Holy Councils convened in Moscow, in order to more firmly defend the principle of voluntary offerings and better protect local pastors from governmental pressure, repeatedly issued warnings against the inadmissibility of such price lists. As an example, let me cite a resolution from fifty years ago — the Holy Council of November 1966: “§7. On fixed fees for performing services. It is forbidden to establish fixed fees for the performance of church services (treby), as this contradicts the Church Canons. Such fees are uncanonical and therefore completely unacceptable; otherwise, those guilty will be subject to ecclesiastical discipline.”
As we see, in this significant matter, the Old Believer Church of Christ remains faithful to Christian tradition — and yet today we still encounter demonic temptations to violate the voluntariness of offerings and sacrifices. That is why it is so important to continually remind both pastors and all Christians of the importance of observing the principle of voluntariness. Let our modest means — or even our honest poverty — serve as a testimony to the sincerity and authenticity of that preaching of God’s Truth which the Church of Christ must unwaveringly bring into the world.