Tithing

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A tithe is a tax amounting to one-tenth of a person's income from his land or labor. Tithes were payable before the Christian era, but in the Christian Church tithes were first given by the faithful as spontaneous offerings in kind, e.g. wool, corn, or other agricultural or farm produce.

Among some ancient peoples the tithe was offered as a religious sacrifice or in tribute to a king. The ancient Hebrews paid a tenth of all agricultural produce to support their priestly class and to aid the poor.

Under Christianity the tithe was at first paid to the bishops but later went to parish priests for their personal needs, church maintenance, and charity. Originally there were several kinds of tithes. The great, or praedial, tithe was paid out of the products of the land, such as fruit or grain. The small, or mixed, tithe was paid from livestock and animal products, such as wool or cheese. The personal tithe was levied on the products of a person's labor, such as woven cloth.

Before the Lateran Council (1215), it was a common practice to pay tithe payment to the parsons of parishes. In consequence most tithes belonged as of common right to the parish incumbents, though some