ORIGIN-OF-CUSTOMS.pdf

The practice of charging taxes (called tariffs) on people on how to live their lives, so they often goods brought into a country to generate money included things that were important or familiar to for the government is a very old tradition. It has people. The fact that customs are m...

The practice of charging taxes (called tariffs) on people on how to live their lives, so they often goods brought into a country to generate money included things that were important or familiar to for the government is a very old tradition. It has people. The fact that customs are mentioned been around for so long that its exact beginnings shows that these taxes were not just a are not clearly known or recorded. This means government thing but were also seen as a that the origins of using tariffs to collect revenue regular part of life by everyone. are ancient and somewhat mysterious, as they Ingrained in Society: The idea of customs was go back to times long before detailed records so deeply rooted in society that it became part were kept. of the culture and traditions. It wasn’t something Historical Background: new or strange—it was something people had known about and dealt with for a very long time. 1. Ancient Times: By being included in religious texts, it also o Early Origins: The practice of became part of the moral and social framework collecting customs duties is that guided people’s behavior. ancient, dating back even before Thousands of Years Ago: This practice wasn’t written records. It was a common just a recent development; it had been around way for rulers to raise money. The for thousands of years. The fact that people Old Testament references were already talking about customs in ancient customs duties, which suggests religious texts shows just how old and that this practice was already well- established the practice was. established in ancient civilizations. The origins of customs duties date back to the earliest civilizations, where they were used as a 2. Biblical Reference: vital source of revenue for rulers and o Matthew the Tax Collector: In governments. Long before the development of the New Testament, Matthew is complex trade policies and regulatory systems, described as a tax collector, customs duties were imposed on traders as they someone who collected customs crossed territorial boundaries or entered cities duties at the Sea of Galilee. This with goods. These duties were essentially taxes shows that customs were not just that helped rulers maintain control over their a political or economic issue but territories and finance their governments, also a part of daily life during the armies, and public projects. time of Jesus. Matthew the Tax Collector: o Customs in Religious Texts: In  Who Was Matthew? In the New religious texts like the Bible, Testament of the Bible, Matthew was one customs are mentioned as a part of Jesus's disciples, but before he of everyday life. This highlights followed Jesus, he worked as a tax how ingrained the concept of collector. Tax collectors were people customs was in society, even whose job was to collect money from thousands of years ago. others, specifically customs duties, which Significance of Mentioning in Religious were taxes on goods being traded. Texts: Religious texts were written to guide   Where Did He Work? Matthew collected lords and barons the exclusive these taxes at the Sea of Galilee, a busy right to collect customs on specific area where a lot of trade took place. goods. For example, one lord Traders and merchants would pass might be able to tax the sale of through this region, and it was Matthew’s salt, while another could tax job to collect the taxes they owed on the different goods. This system was goods they were transporting. based on favoritism and loyalty to the king.  Significance of His Role: Being a tax collector was not just about handling o Supporting the King: These money. It shows that customs duties customs duties provided the lords were a significant part of everyday life at with significant income, which they the time. People had to pay these taxes used to maintain their armies and regularly, which means customs were estates. In return, they were woven into the fabric of society— expected to support the king in affecting everyone from traders to times of war, creating a system of common citizens. mutual benefit.  Customs as a Part of Daily Life: The 2. Meaning of "Customs": fact that Matthew, a future disciple of o Tribute to the Lord: Originally, Jesus, was a tax collector emphasizes the term "customs" referred to the that customs duties were not just a matter payments made to these lords. of government or politics. They were Over time, the meaning expanded something that people dealt with in their to refer to any tax or duty imposed daily routines. Everyone knew about on goods, particularly those customs duties, just as we today know related to trade. about paying taxes or buying goods. Tribute to the Lord:  Cultural and Social Context: Tax collectors like Matthew were often  Original Meaning: In the early days, the viewed negatively because they were word "customs" specifically referred to seen as working for the ruling powers, payments made to local lords or rulers. and sometimes they were accused of These lords were granted land and being corrupt. This further highlights how power by the king, and in return, they central customs and taxes were to daily were allowed to collect money from the life and society's interactions. people living on or passing through their lands. This money, called a "tribute," was a kind of fee paid by traders or farmers to the lords for the right to use their land or sell goods.  Purpose of Tribute: The tribute was Feudal Customs: originally intended as a way to support 1. Feudal Lords' Privileges: the lord, who in turn provided protection, maintained order, and sometimes o Exclusive Rights: During the improved local infrastructure like roads or feudal era, kings granted certain markets. Essentially, paying customs  was like paying rent or a service fee for the benefits provided by the lord. o Evolution of the Term: As the practice of collecting these tributes became more widespread, the term "customs" became synonymous with taxes in general, especially those related to imports and exports. As time passed and the practice of collecting tributes became more common, the term "customs" started to change. It no longer referred just to the payments made to lords but began to include any kind of tax or duty imposed on goods. This was especially true for taxes related to trade, such as fees on goods being imported into or exported out of a region. Eventually, "customs" became almost synonymous with taxes on goods being traded. When people talked about customs, they were usually referring to the taxes that had to be paid when goods crossed borders or were sold in markets. Customs = Taxes: As these practices became more common, the word "customs" became closely linked with the idea of taxes in general. Whenever people talked about "customs," they were referring to the taxes that were charged on goods, particularly those coming into a country.