Jesus Remembered: Christianity in the Making, vol. 1

§13.5 For Whom Did Jesus Intend His Message?
cord teaching of Jesus which speaks favourably of toll-collectors. 210 One of his
close disciples was a telönes (Matthew/Levi). 211 As is now generally agreed, in
Palestine the term denoted collectors of indirect taxes, especially those levied on
the transport of goods. 212 The title could be used both of supervisory officials
like Zacchaeus and their employees who collected the taxes at toll booths or tax
offices (telönion), such as Matthew/Levi (Mark 2.14 pars.). 213
Presumably toll-collectors are associated with 'sinners' in the Jesus tradition
because they were regarded as typical 'sinners'. This partly reflects the general
disapprobation of the tax-farmer in the ancient world. 214 Partly also the fact
that such revenues would have been used to finance Herod Antipas's architectural
ambitions or to reward his favourites or to contribute to the tribute owed to
Rome (cf. Mark 12.14 pars.). A more important cause would be the widespread
perception that tax-farmers used the opportunity to enrich themselves dishonestly
at the cost of the tax-payers. Luke, alert to such aspects, indicates clearly
both the suspicions (Luke 3.12-13; 18.11) and the reality (19.8). The more distinctively
Jewish dismissal of unacceptable practice is reflected in two rather astonishing
sayings recorded by Matthew: toll-collectors in effect put themselves
alongside Gentiles, that is, outside the covenant people (Matt. 5.46-47; 18.17). 215
Whatever the fuller facts of the matter, the situation recalled in the Jesus
tradition is clear enough. Jesus in his dealings with toll-collectors laid himself
open to the jibe 'a friend of toll-collectors and sinners' (Matt. 11.19/Luke
7.34). 216 Even they should not be regarded as 'beyond the pale': however unacceptable
their means of livelihood might have been, they themselves were as
210. Matt. 21.31-32; Luke 18.10-14.
211. Mark 2.14 pars.; Matt. 10.3.
212. Hence some of Capernaum's importance (see above, §9.9d).
213. See especially J. R. Donahue, 'Tax Collectors and Sinners: An Attempt at Identification',
CBQ 33 (1971) 39-61; also 'Tax Collector', ABD 6.337-38; Schottroff and Stegemann,
Hope of the Poor 7-9; F. Herrenbruck, 'Wer waren die "Zöllner"?', ZNW 72 (1981) 178-94;
also Jesus und die Zöllner (WUNT 2.41; Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 1990) 22-37.
214. O. Michel, 'telönes', TDiVT 8.99-101; Schottroff and Stegemann, Hope of the Poor
10-13; Herrenbruck, Jesus und die Zöllner 89-94.
215. Luke 6.32-33 reads 'sinners' both times where Matt. 5.46-47 has 'toll-collectors'
and 'Gentiles'. Matt. 18.17 ('let [the recalcitrant errant brother] be to you as a Gentile and a
toll-collector') is without parallel. Possibly the earlier form of the first saying reflected the
widespread dismissive attitude towards 'sinners' at the time of Jesus, while the performance
tradition of Matthew's communities continued to express a Jewish attitude dismissive of
Gentiles.
216. Horsley's attempt to rebut the evidence on this point is disappointingly tendentious
(Jesus 212-23). Becker points out that relations with tax-collectors were neither of interest nor
a problem for the post-Easter church (Jesus 163), so there are no grounds for postulating a later
origin for the tradition.
533