Template:Treasury

The temples of ancient cultures often included the treasury of those governments. Even the golden calf of Israel was the reserve fund of the treasury of a government they were trying to create to bind the people together. People fear the unknown and nothing is more unknown than the future.

Israel was not to bind itself together with Contracts, Covenants and Constitutions like the governments of other nations nor was the Church to bind the people like the governments of the the Gentiles.

This is why the Church is defined as "one form of government". Centralized governments become governments that exercise the power of choice over the people. Once you create office of power rather than titular offices of responsibility and service people who seek power seek office. Power corrupts and people of power seldom relinquish that power but generally seek more and more power.

All the power of government comes to governments from the people by way of some form of consent. The more the people depend upon the government to use its power to provide the benefits of society the weaker the people become as a community.

The first and most common form of government was voluntary systems of self governance which depended upon the good will of the people. We see such free governments in Republics like Israel which was supported by a tithe which was freely given by ten families. If more funds were needed the individuals chose to freely give through the same network of ministers to support local or even national projects from emergency relief to military defense.

Government forms where that right to choose was vested in an elected leaders that could rule over the people was a rejection of God according to 1 Samuel 8 where they will take and take and take etc.. Such leaders almost always fall prey to what might be called the Saul Syndrome and the people become prey to their greed for power.

Real Money is power which is why governments what that power in the hands of the state rather than the people from Lycurgus to Hitler it has been assumed that "Gold in the hands of the people is an enemy of the state."

Moses believed the opposite for he came to free the people not give power to the Nimrods, Pharaohs and Caesars of the world.

Temples like the "Aerarium Stabulum" or treasure-house was the public treasury in Rome just as other Temples like Herod's temple was a treasury of the government.

Jesus watched how the people would put money in the treasury within the stone temple of Herod the Great.

Mark 12:41 ¶ And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much. 42 And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. 43 And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: 44 For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.

The same word for treasury is seen in Luke and in John:

John 8:20 “These words spake Jesus in the treasury, as he taught in the temple: and no man laid hands on him; for his hour was not yet come.”

Jesus had been hailed as King by the people, gave instruction in the royal treasury, issued orders in the government temple, and fired personnel. In 78 BC, the Pharisees had an ordinance passed into law requiring the temple tax be paid, or the matter was handed over to the appointed civil magistrates of Judea for enforcement. The Greek word for “moneychangers” was kollubistes,which was a word for a small coin or “clipped amount”. Kollubistes had to do with the commission charged by the holders of these lucrative offices of the government.

These commissioned moneychangers were likely to bring in an amount in excess of 7,600,000 denarii in that one month. They were allowed to charge a silver meah, or about one-fourth of a denar. Their cut on this one event could be 950,000 denarii, worth more than $9,000,000 today. “Thus the immense offerings … to the Temple passed through the hands of the moneychangers.”

Only the king could fire these gatekeepers of the temple treasury, and that is exactly what Jesus was doing with His string whip, turning over those tables. Understanding who the money-changers were as government officials, and what it meant to be fired from their lucrative commissioned position in the national treasury, brings the motivation of crucifying Jesus into a new and revealing light.

Luke 21:1 And he looked up, and saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury <1049>. 2 And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites.

3 And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all: 4 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. 5 ¶ And as some spake of the temple, how it was adorned with goodly stones and gifts, he said, 6 As for these things which ye behold, the days will come, in the which there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

Stone upon a stone

The stone upon a stone had a double meaning. He prophesied the destruction of the temple but also the end to the domination of a hierarchy that exercised authority one over the other. There was a hierarchy within the Church but it was not system where men rule over one another but where "that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve."

So it should be clear who Christ appointed and that they were to be benefactors of the people but they were to do so without exercising authority, forcing contributions or ruling over the people. Certainly the early apostles were moving funds around and sending relief to the people.

There is more than one word that is translated treasury in the New Testament. The most common is the word gazophulakion It is composed of two words γάζα gaza treasure which was the "the royal treasury" and φυλακή phulake meaning guard, watch.

The other word translated treasury is ορβᾶν or korban. Corban was around in most all countries of the world and even in history. It was provided in two ways. Corban was a sacrifice or offering used to take care of the needs of the people. It was part of systems of welfare of which there have always been two types.

What treasury

So where is the treasury of the kingdom? The flow of funds and supplies would be important to take care of the Daily ministration of a nation.

Jesus has some strong advise about treasuries that include central depositories and vaults:

Matthew 6:19 "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:"

Central treasuries are often robbed from the inside or the outside thief breaking in to rob it.

Israel and the Church both depended upon a network of volunteers that constantly flowed aid through a network of ministers who gathered in Pure Religion through a system of charity rather than force. The treasury was in the pockets and purses of every-man and his family but the "union and discipline" of the network to provide on a moments notice. There was a constant flow of charity and when there was a greater need the contributions would begin to flow through the Free Assemblies of the people, for the people and by the people out of their love for one another.

This is what it meant to come in the name of Christ, to love one another