One single word: Roman tax - κῆνσος

Discussion about the New Testament, apocrypha, gnostics, church fathers, Christian origins, historical Jesus or otherwise, etc.
Post Reply
User avatar
mlinssen
Posts: 3431
Joined: Tue Aug 06, 2019 11:01 am
Location: The Netherlands
Contact:

One single word: Roman tax - κῆνσος

Post by mlinssen »

Related to the fact that Luke uses the general word for tax, phoros, in his Paying Taxes to Caesar, whereas both Mark and Matthew use the extraordinarily unique Latin loanword kensos, which doesn't exist at all - it's very much like Zizanion in that way

1. https://www.documentacatholicaomnia.eu/ ... tml#[1191A]

Dei census. Census proprie non est proventus annuus, sed aestimatio bonorum cujuslibet, in tabulas publicas relata, secundum quam, observata certa proportione, tributa imponebantur. Postea vero [1191A] etiam vox haec ad ipsa illa tributa pendenda translata fuerat. Unde apud Matth., XVII, 23, illud Christi est: Reges terrae a quo accipiunt ( τελη η κηνσον ) tributum vel censum? Similiter ubi, Luc., XX, 22, Pharisaei Christum tentantes interrogant: Licet nobis φορον, Matthaei, XXII, 17, et Marc., tributum, dare Caesari, an non? loco φορον, 14, κηνσον ( censum ) habetur, pariterque a Vulgato nostro per tributum redditur. Aliter quoque sensus significat ipsam censionem, seu recensionem bonorum cujuslibet, in qua quilibet profitebatur nomen atque bona sua, ut apud Luc., II, 1, dicitur: Exiit edictum a Caesare Augusto, ut describeretur (censeretur, seu in tabulas censorias referretur) universus orbis. Et mox, v. 3: Ibant omnes ut profiterentur singuli, in suam civitatem. Et quoniam ex illo censu, seu recensione, oriebatur tributorum proportionata impositio, hinc census etiam a nostro in lib. Apol., c. 7, pro ortu aut origine vel professione accipitur: Census istius disciplina a Tiberio est. Et in lib. I adv. Marc., c. 21, similiter: Nullam autem [1191B] apostolici census Ecclesiam invenias, quae in Creatore christianizet. Vide etiam lib. de Praescript., cap. 32. Itemque in lib. IV adv. Marc., cap. 40, de tribu Juda loquens ait: Ex cujus tribu carnis census Christi processurus, etc. Rursusque Apol., c. 10, inquit: Ab illo (Saturno) census totius, vel potioris, vel notioris divinitatis. Aliquando etiam pro numero, qui recensione determinari solebat, accipi constat; quo sensu in lib. de Veland. Virg., c. 4, ait: Omnis census elementorum, etc. Tandem vero pro substantia vel facultatibus, seu bonis alicui propriis, accipitur, ut in lib. de Carne Christi, c. 25, ait: Ita utriusque substantiae census hominem et Deum exhibuit; sequitur enim mox postea: Quae proprietas conditionum, divinae et humanae, aequae utique naturae veritate cujusque dispuncta est. Et hoc utique censu commodo intelligi potest noster, cum Baptismum Dei censum, tanquam inter bona Dei propria numerandum, vocat. Dicatum. Episcopi proprium, eique peculiariter attributum, [1191C] ac a Deo ipso sanctificatum.

Fun one. Tertullian argues for how and why he translates the two different Greek words for tax into yet another different one in Latin. The words don't even matter much, the fact in itself that a lousy word, used only three times throughout the entire NT (Matthew17:25 has it as well), merits attention... says more than enough

2. If you're in the TL;DR mood, just Google for κῆνσος and you'll end up with a dozen pages or so, all of them in a biblical context. This word just doesn't exist

3. What does LSJ say?

http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/tex ... Dkh%3Dnsos

κῆνσος , ὁ, = Lat.
A.census, Ev.Matt.22.19, IGRom.4.1213 (Thyatira), 3.41 (Nicaea), PAmh.2.83.2 (iii/iv A.D.).
II. poll-tax, Ev. Matt.17.25

Inscriptiones graecae ad res romanas pertinentes Volume 4, 1213 (Thyatira)
Screenshot_20210723-112523_ReadEra_1.jpg
Screenshot_20210723-112523_ReadEra_1.jpg (572.88 KiB) Viewed 410 times
Line 15-16 has the word.
I can't make much out of it really. Where does this come from, what date is it, etc. The footnote 8 doesn't help much either to clarify the sentence in particular

Inscriptiones graecae ad res romanas pertinentes Volume 3, 41 (Nicaea)
Screenshot_20210723-160018_Chrome_1.jpg
Screenshot_20210723-160018_Chrome_1.jpg (195.64 KiB) Viewed 379 times
Volume 3, same result really: line 5. Odd how the same Seb pops up right in the vicinity of this awkward kensos, isn't it


PAmh stands for Amherst Papyri by Grenfell and Hunt
Screenshot_20210723-164933_ReadEra_1.jpg
Screenshot_20210723-164933_ReadEra_1.jpg (508.12 KiB) Viewed 374 times
THE AMHERST PAPYRI Volume 2

3rd / 4th CE, the first date to all this.
The Sabeinos resembles the two prior Seb's, I must say. The text also contains phoros, and what looks like a comparative of kensos. It will take some time to translate precisely.
But the conclusion remains the same: kensos is a very brutal and crude "translation" of the Latin census. Find the word, and we have the author of Matthew

By the bye, phoros isn't any good either, there were dozens of names for particular tax types. I have asked around, they're are quite a few people interested in taxes and taxation!
It would seem that all of this was just a half-hearted attempt to throw a bone to the Jews - all of the NT is permeated with great carelessness in so many ways...
Last edited by mlinssen on Fri Jul 23, 2021 6:58 am, edited 5 times in total.
User avatar
mlinssen
Posts: 3431
Joined: Tue Aug 06, 2019 11:01 am
Location: The Netherlands
Contact:

Re: One single word: Roman tax - κῆνσος

Post by mlinssen »

Sweet Jus doesn't have it, he has phoros / census:
Screenshot_20210723-122320_ReadEra_1.jpg
Screenshot_20210723-122320_ReadEra_1.jpg (471.41 KiB) Viewed 405 times
First Apology, chapter 17

CHAPTER XVII -- CHRIST TAUGHT CIVIL OBEDIENCE.

And everywhere we, more readily than all men, endeavour to pay to those appointed by you the taxes both ordinary and extraordinary, as we have been taught by Him; for at that time some came to Him and asked Him, if one ought to pay tribute to Caesar; and He answered, "Tell Me, whose image does the coin bear?" And they said, "Caesar's." And again He answered them, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." Whence to God alone we render worship, but in other things we gladly serve you, acknowledging you as kings and rulers of men, and praying that with your kingly power you be found to possess also sound judgment. But if you pay no regard to our prayers and frank explanations, we shall suffer no loss, since we believe (or rather, indeed, are persuaded) that every man will suffer punishment in eternal fire according to the merit of his deed, and will render account according to the power he has received from God, as Christ intimated when He said, "To whom God has given more, of him shall more be required "

And once again, over and over, the question poses itself: who the hell is Justin quoting here? The word phoros exists only in Luke

Matthew 17:24 Ἐλθόντων (Having come) δὲ (now) αὐτῶν (they) εἰς (to) Καφαρναοὺμ (Capernaum), προσῆλθον (came) οἱ (those) τὰ (the) δίδραχμα (didrachmas) λαμβάνοντες (collecting) τῷ (-) Πέτρῳ (to Peter) καὶ (and) εἶπαν (said), “Ὁ (The) διδάσκαλος (Teacher) ὑμῶν (of you) οὐ (not) τελεῖ (does he pay) ‹τὰ› (the) δίδραχμα (didrachmas)?”
25 Λέγει (He says), “Ναί (Yes).” Καὶ (And) ἐλθόντα (he having entered) εἰς (into) τὴν (the) οἰκίαν (house), προέφθασεν (anticipated) αὐτὸν (him) ὁ (-) Ἰησοῦς (Jesus), λέγων (saying), “Τί (What) σοι (you) δοκεῖ (do think), Σίμων (Simon)? οἱ (The) βασιλεῖς (kings) τῆς (of the) γῆς (earth), ἀπὸ (from) τίνων (whom) λαμβάνουσιν (do they receive) τέλη (custom) ἢ (or) κῆνσον (tribute)? ἀπὸ (From) τῶν (the) υἱῶν (sons) αὐτῶν (of them), ἢ (or) ἀπὸ (from) τῶν (-) ἀλλοτρίων (strangers)?”

Matthew 22:17 εἰπὸν (Tell) οὖν (therefore) ἡμῖν (us) τί (what) σοι (You) δοκεῖ (think)? ἔξεστιν (Is it lawful) δοῦναι (to give) κῆνσον (tribute) Καίσαρι (to Caesar), ἢ (or) οὔ (not)?”
18 Γνοὺς (Having known) δὲ (however) ὁ (-) Ἰησοῦς (Jesus) τὴν (the) πονηρίαν (malice) αὐτῶν (of them), εἶπεν (He said), “Τί (Why) με (Me) πειράζετε (do you test), ὑποκριταί (hypocrites)?
19 ἐπιδείξατέ (Show) μοι (Me) τὸ (the) νόμισμα (coin) τοῦ (of the) κήνσου (tribute).” Οἱ (-) δὲ (And) προσήνεγκαν (they presented) αὐτῷ (to Him) δηνάριον (a denarius).a
20 Καὶ (And) λέγει (He says) αὐτοῖς (to them), “Τίνος (Whose is) ἡ (the) εἰκὼν (likeness) αὕτη (this)? καὶ (And) ἡ (whose) ἐπιγραφή (inscription)?”
21 Λέγουσιν (They say) ‹αὐτῷ› (to Him) “Καίσαρος (Caesar’s).” Τότε (Then) λέγει (He says) αὐτοῖς (to them), “Ἀπόδοτε (Give back) οὖν (therefore) τὰ (the things) Καίσαρος (of Caesar) Καίσαρι (to Caesar), καὶ (and) τὰ (the things) τοῦ (-) Θεοῦ (of God) τῷ (-) Θεῷ (to God).”

Mark 12:14
...
καὶ (And) ἐλθόντες (having come), λέγουσιν (they say) αὐτῷ (to Him), “Διδάσκαλε (Teacher), οἴδαμεν (we know) ὅτι (that) ἀληθὴς (true) εἶ (You are), καὶ (and) οὐ (not) μέλει (there is care) σοι (to You) περὶ (about) οὐδενός (no one); οὐ (not) γὰρ (for) βλέπεις (You look) εἰς (on the) πρόσωπον (appearance) ἀνθρώπων (of men), ἀλλ’ (but) ἐπ’ (on the basis of) ἀληθείας (the truth) τὴν (the) ὁδὸν (way) τοῦ (-) Θεοῦ (of God) διδάσκεις (teach). ἔξεστιν (Is it lawful) δοῦναι (to give) κῆνσον (tribute) Καίσαρι (to Caesar) ἢ (or) οὔ (not)? δῶμεν (Should we pay) ἢ (or) μὴ (not) δῶμεν (pay)?”
15 Ὁ (-) δὲ (And) εἰδὼς (knowing) αὐτῶν (of them) τὴν (the) ὑπόκρισιν (hypocrisy), εἶπεν (He said) αὐτοῖς (to them), “Τί (Why) με (Me) πειράζετε (do you test)? φέρετέ (Bring) μοι (Me) δηνάριον (a denarius),b ἵνα (that) ἴδω (I might see it).”
16 οἱ (-) δὲ (And) ἤνεγκαν (they brought it). καὶ (And) λέγει (He says) αὐτοῖς (to them), “Τίνος (Whose is) ἡ (the) εἰκὼν (likeness) αὕτη (this), καὶ (and) ἡ (the) ἐπιγραφή (inscription)?” Οἱ (-) δὲ (And) εἶπαν (they said) αὐτῷ (to Him), “Καίσαρος (Caesar’s).”
17 Ὁ (-) δὲ (And) Ἰησοῦς (Jesus) εἶπεν (said) αὐτοῖς (to them), “Τὰ (The things) Καίσαρος (of Caesar), ἀπόδοτε (give back) Καίσαρι (to Caesar), καὶ (and) τὰ (the things) τοῦ (-) Θεοῦ (of God), τῷ (-) Θεῷ (to God).”

Luke 20:22 ἔξεστιν (Is it lawful) ἡμᾶς (for us) Καίσαρι (to Caesar) φόρον (tribute) δοῦναι (to give), ἢ (or) οὔ (not)?”
23 Κατανοήσας (Having perceived) δὲ (however) αὐτῶν (of them) τὴν (the) πανουργίαν (craftiness), εἶπεν (He said) πρὸς (to) αὐτούς (them),
24 “Δείξατέ (Show) μοι (Me) δηνάριον (a denarius).b τίνος (Of whom) ἔχει (has it) εἰκόνα (the image) καὶ (and) ἐπιγραφήν (inscription)?” Οἱ (-) δὲ (And) εἶπαν (they said), “Καίσαρος (Caesar’s).”
25 Ὁ (-) δὲ (And) εἶπεν (He said) πρὸς (to) αὐτούς (them), “Τοίνυν (Therefore) ἀπόδοτε (give back) τὰ (the things) Καίσαρος (of Caesar) Καίσαρι (to Caesar), καὶ (and) τὰ (the things) τοῦ (-) Θεοῦ (of God) τῷ (-) Θεῷ (to God).”

Matthew has a 100% perfect verbatim match, whereas Mark and Luke shuffle the words and add / drop some.
This is highly peculiar of Martyr, that he manages to combine verbatim quotes from more than one gospel writer - or is it?

He does it more than once, or even a few times: viewtopic.php?p=119376#p119376 - the follow up posts contain more examples besides the OP itself
Post Reply