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Sunday, December 19, 2010

Church Father Justin Martyr On Tithing

Who was Justin Martyr?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justin_Martyr

Did Justin Martyr record incidents of early Christians tithing?

Justin Martyr – First Apology
http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf01.viii.ii.lxvii.html
    Chapter LXVII.—Weekly worship of the Christians.
And we afterwards continually remind each other of these things. And the wealthy among us help the needy; and we always keep together; and for all things wherewith we are supplied, we bless the Maker of all through His Son Jesus Christ, and through the Holy Ghost. And on the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together to one place, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as time permits; then, when the reader has ceased, the president verbally instructs, and exhorts to the imitation of these good things. Then we all rise together and pray, and, as we before said, when our prayer is ended, bread and wine and water are brought, and the president in like manner offers prayers and thanksgivings, according to his ability, and the people assent, saying Amen; and there is a distribution to each, and a participation of that over which thanks have been given, and to those who are absent a portion is sent by the deacons. And they who are well to do, and willing, give what each thinks fit; and what is collected is deposited with the president, who succors the orphans and widows and those who, through sickness or any other cause, are in want, and those who are in bonds and the strangers sojourning among us, and in a word takes care of all who are in need.

In chapter 67 of his book first apology Justin Martyr explains how the early Church collected money.
…And the wealthy among us help the needy

- Tithe collection was not mentioned and obviously no one gave “seed offering”.
…and what is collected is deposited with the president, who succor the orphans and widows and those who, through sickness or any other cause, are in want, and those who are in bonds and the strangers sojourning among us, and in a word takes care of all who are in need.

- No mention about the collection of “His” tithes!!! 

There is no proof of early Christians following the “eternal moral principle” of tithing in Justin Martyr’s writings.
Church father Justin Martyr never advocated tithing and the early Christian Church never practiced tithing as we see in today’s Churches.

Justin Martyr – Second Apology
There is no mention about Christians tithing in Justin’s 2nd apology either!
Dialogue with Trypho, the Jew – Justin Martyr

http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf01.viii.iv.xi.html

Chapter XI – The law abrogated; the New Testament promised and given by God
But we do not trust through Moses or through the law; for then we would do the same as yourselves.
Now, law placed against law has abrogated that which is before it, and a covenant which comes after in like manner has put an end to the previous one; and an eternal and final law—namely, Christ —has been given to us, and the covenant is trustworthy, after which there shall be no law, no commandment, no ordinance.
These were the statements made by Justin Martyr to Trypho, the Jew which obviously indicate that Justin did not follow the law of Moses!

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