Caesarius of Arles and the Development of the Ecclesiastical Tithe: From a Theology of Almsgiving to Practical Obligations
Eric Shuler
Few taxes have been as enduring and evocative of identity the Christian ecclesiastical tithe, arguably “the most important tax in economic development western Europe.” The secular enforcement 779 tithe's collection by church clearly marked a decisive moment its evolution, but earlier origins religious law much more elusive. Scholarship over past five decades has made clear that mandatory tithing to was not custom early Christianity rather something developed late antiquity, with our first unambiguous evidence theory tithe coming from sixth-century Gaul. key figure providing Caesarius Arles (ca. 469–542).
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