What Were the Moneychangers at the Temple Changing Money for?

[Secret Alias]

Hendin

Most importantly, they were required to pay the annual half-shekel tribute to the temple. The currency they had would be of their native land or acquired in trade along their way.

Money changers performed a key service when they converted the varieties of local coinage into the required tribute of silver shekels or half-shekels of Tyre (Tosefta Ketubbot 13:20, Exod 30:11-16). Many writers have suggested that the Tyre currency was preferred because it did not defy the Decalogue by depicting the graven image of a foreign king, and that is true. But the Tyre coins portray a pagan god of Tyre, Melqarth-Herakles—which was certainly even more offensive!

Images on coins, however, do not contaminate them even for payment to the temple. The Mishnah explains that money is unclean only if it is used for another purpose, such as for jewelry (Mishnah Kelim 12:7). The law stated that the temple must not be shortchanged in any way, so the silver coins of Tyre were most likely mandated because they were of good silver and true weight at a time when many coins were debased or lightweight.

Was Matthew/Levi this sort of tax gatherer?

[Secret Alias]

Some more observations:

1. many of the earliest Christian groups (the Marcionites, Stephen from Acts, the Clementine literature etc) presented a Christianity which was opposed to aspects of Jewish temple service.
2. one must imagine that as we go further back in time - to the earliest period of Christianity (whatever that was) - we would necessarily uncover a stronger anti-temple message.
3. the core of message here is that Judaism was idolatry, demon worship, centered around money - things which were deemed unworthy of a religion devoted to the highest God

Given that the temple worship was to a large degree financed by two payments yearly - one associated with Sukkot the other Passover - the understanding that money was needed to gain 'redemption' would necessarily have been a sore point for the proto-Christians. The strong anti-materialist bent of the gospel (Mark 10:17 - 31 and parallel passages) would align the movement with the hope that the temple and this emphasis on money would be eradicated. In short: you can't expect a community which encouraged its members to give up all their possessions to be able to pay for the half-shekel tax.

As such, it would stand to reason that the appearance of 'tax gatherers' and money changers throughout the gospel are necessarily linked to the question of the redemption tax for the sustenance of the temple. I don't believe there was any other religious demand for money.

This understanding gets rid of the 'historical' argument that connects the early Christians with the Jewish revolutionaries who refused to pay Roman taxes. This was Jewish misinformation to sow mistrust of Christianity among the Roman rulers. The Christians originally developed from forms of Israelite traditions which opposed venerating god in permanent physical structures like the Samaritan sect of the Dositheans. Instead of being obligated to give a half-shekel twice a year, the initiate gave up all his money to the 'Church' and then continued to live as a stranger on the earth not obliged to pay taxes. It is worth noting that in a period where most of the converts to Christian came from proselytes there may have been some question whether Christian converts were still liable to paying the money. Thus making the gospel narrative 'real' for every day Christians.

At the same time the situation allows for a wholly mythical narrative - i.e. a star Man who comes to earth to 'redeem' those who are obliged to pay tributes to demonic beings - in the pre-70 CE period. Just like today, those living after 70 CE would necessarily wonder - why do we have to continue to pay the half-shekel in an age where there are no longer sacrificial services or even a priesthood? In due course the Jewish religion reconstituted itself without these things. Yet given that (a) people like money and (b) generally don't like to be told to pay taxes Mark's new religion might have gotten off the ground based on a post-70 CE tax revolt.

[Secret Alias]

On the relative value of shekels in antiquity:

As with many ancient units, the shekel had a variety of values depending on the era, government and region; weights between 7[6] and 17 grams and values of 11,[7] 14, and 17 grams are common. When used to pay laborers, recorded wages in the ancient world range widely. The Code of Hammurabi (circa 1800 BC) sets the value of unskilled labor at approximately ten shekels per year of work.[8] Later, records within the Persian Empire (539–333 BC) give ranges from a minimum of two shekels per month for unskilled labor, to as high as seven to ten shekels per month in some records.[9] A survival wage for an urban household during the Persian period would require at least 22 shekels of income per year.

This might suggest that a yearly payment of a shekel would be a similar tax rate to minimum to the United States:

10% $0 to $9,700 $0 to $19,400
12% $9,701 to $39,475 $19,401 to $78,950
22% $39,476 to $84,200 $78,951 to $168,400

The Republicans use even the lower middle class voter's reluctance to pay a 12 - 22% tax rate as means of 'voting against their interests.' In other words, It is possible to imagine that 'apostasy' could have been encouraged post-70 CE based on a tax savings.

[Secret Alias]

According to Num. 1:1 Moses received the command to conduct that census on the first day of the second month of the second year of the Exodus, while Ex. 38:25–28 relates that the money from those numbered was used to build the sanctuary which had already been completed on the first day of the first month (Ex. 40:17). Seems to be some confusion in the Pentateuch account.

Neh. 10:33–34 reads: “Also we made ordinances for us, to charge ourselves yearly with the third part of a shekel for the service of the house of our God; for the showbread, and for the continual meal-offering, and for the continual burnt offering, of the sabbaths, of the new moons, for the appointed seasons, and for the holy things, and for the sin-offerings to make atonement for Israel and for all the work of the house of our God.” P. T. Shekalim 2:46d expounded the verse in Neh. as referring to the requirement to pay the half-shekel three times yearly (P.T. ibid.), or even as referring to charity for the poor (B. T. Baba Bathra 9a).

Shekalim 2:1

The money-changers collected the half-shekel as follows: in every city, they placed two chests in front of them. The chests had wide bottoms but the tops were narrow like the opening of a shofar so that money could be dropped into them and not easily removed. One of the two chests was to deposit the half-shekel of the current year, while the other was for the half-shekel of the previous year because they would demand unpaid donations from those who had neglected to pay the previous year.

Shekalim may be exchanged for darkonoth because of the burden of the way. [The men of the city, who collected their shekalim, may exchange them for darkonoth, gold coin, viz. (Ezra 2:69): "gold darkemonim," to lighten the burden of the way (to Jerusalem)]. Just as there were shofroth in the Temple, [("shofroth":) chests, whose mouths were narrow on top, like a shofar, whose mouth is narrow on top, and which "broadens out" (this, so that nothing could be taken from them), viz. (II Kings 12:10): "And Yehoyada the priest took a chest and bored a hole in its lid, etc." They stood in the azarah and they would all bring their shekalim and deposit them there], so there were shofroth in the medinah [Jerusalem. (According to Rambam, the other cities of Israel)]. If the men of the city sent their shekalim[with a messenger to take them to the lishkah (the Temple treasury)] and they were stolen or lost — if the contribution had already been taken [(It was the practice to contribute from the (money) chests for the offerings. They would contribute from what had been collected and on account of what would be collected, so that even those who had not yet given their shekalim would have a portion in the offerings.)], they [the messengers] would swear to the (Temple) treasurers. [For since the contribution had been made on account of these monies before they had been lost, it is as if they had been in the possession of the treasurers from the time the contribution had been made — so that when they were stolen or lost, it is from the possession of the treasurers that they were stolen or lost, for which reason the messengers swear (that they were not remiss) and they exempt themselves. And even though oaths are not administered for hekdeshoth (Temple dedications), this oath was instituted by the sages so that hekdeshoth not be treated lightly.] And if not [i.e., If at the time they were lost, the contribution had not yet been made and monies had not been taken from the chests on account of what would be collected, then they had gone lost from the possession of the owners (and not from the Temple treasurers). Therefore,] they [the messengers] swear to the men of the city [and exempt themselves]. And the men of the city give [other] shekalim in their stead, [for the first shekalim that were lost are not accredited them.] If they were found or the thieves returned them, both are shekalim and they are not accredited them for the following year.

[Secret Alias]

Shekalim 1:1 makes clear when the presence of the moneychangers arrived:

On the first of Adar, proclamations are made for shekalim (the head-tax for the Temple). [Beth-din send throughout the cities of Israel and proclaim that they must bring their shekalim. For on the first of Nissan communal offerings must be brought from the new levy, viz. (Numbers 28:14): "This is the burnt-offering of the month in its month for the months of the year" — Renew the bringing of offerings from the new (half-shekel) levy (the root of "month" and "new" being the same in Hebrew). And "the months of the year" here (as referring to Nissan) is derived from (Exodus 12:2): "It (Nissan) is first for you of the months of the year." Therefore, the proclamation for the bringing of shekalim is advanced thirty days to the first of Adar.] and (proclamations are made) for kilayim (interdicted mixed sowing) [i.e., They proclaim that the other variety must be diminished until there not remain of it a rova of a kav to a sa'ah, as stated (Kilayim 2:1): Every sa'ah which contains a rova of a kav of a different variety must be diminished. Our rabbis explained that after the seeds are already grown even one in a thousand must be uprooted. For any two varieties, each of which by itself is permitted, but which are interdicted in admixture, do not lend themselves to bitul ("canceling out"). It is only when they are intermixed in sowing that diminution suffices, bitul obtaining with one in two by Torah law, so that it is not called a sowing of kilayim, and (the prescribed) diminution is required only because of "appearances" (marith ayin). But after they have grown, bitul does not obtain and everything must be uprooted so that only one of the varieties remains.] On the fifteenth (of Adar) the Megillah is read in the towns [surrounded by a wall from the days of Yehoshua the son of Nun. Because of the teaching (1:3): "On the fifteenth of Adar money-changers sat in the province," everything else that they did on that day was included.], and repairs are made on roads, streets [and marketplaces that were damaged by rains in the wintertime. They are repaired for the festival pilgrims. Some explain (that they are repaired) for the benefit of those who slew unwittingly, so that they can flee the blood avenger, as it is written (Deuteronomy 19:3): "Prepare the way for yourself."], and (repairs are made on) ritual baths. [If sediment accumulated in them, they are cleaned, and if the mikveh fell below the required amount, they would add drawn water to it and bring it up to that amount (the majority of the required forty sa'ah being kasher)], and all community needs are attended to [such as monetary litigations, capital cases, cases of stripes, the redemption of assessments, devotions, and dedications, the administration of the sotah's draught, the burning of the red heifer, the boring of (the ear of) the Hebrew bondsman, and the cleansing of the leper. And they would send (messengers) to open cisterns of stored water, so that the people could drink from them in the summertime, all these being community needs.] And graves are marked [so that Cohanim and bearers of taharoth (consecrated foods) not "tent" over them. They "marked" by crumbling lime and spilling it around the grave. In the rainy season the lime would dissolve so that it was necessary to repeat the process.] And they [deputies of beth-din] would also go out for (i.e., to root out) kilayim. [Even though they had already made proclamation in this regard on the first of Adar (see above), they did not rely upon it, fearing that the owners might not have uprooted it, and they went out and did so themselves.]

[Secret Alias]

Another translation:

On the fifteenth of this month (Adar) the money-changers outside of Jerusalem seated themselves at their tables. c1 In the city of Jerusalem, however, they did not do this until the twenty-fifth of the month. As soon as the money-changers seated themselves also in the city, the taking of pledges from the tardy ones commenced.

This is an alternative tradition that the same was set up before Sukkot. The fifteenth of Adar is Purim for the Jews.