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The term "tax collector" or "tax gatherer" is from the Greek word "telones"
and the King James Version of the Bible translates the word "publican," although
the Greek word telones were really NOT the publicans. Publicans were wealthy men, usually
non-Jewish, who contracted with the Roman government to be responsible for the taxes of a
particular district of the imperial Roman state.
The Publican collected income tax for Rome. Sometime around 200 B.C. the Roman
Senate found it fitting to farm the vectigalia (direct taxes) and the portoria (customs) to capitalists, who agreed to pay a substantial sum into the
publicum (treasury) and so received the name of publicani.
The Roman class who handled the contracts and financial arrangements were
called equites. They often went further in their dealings with the publicani and formed a
joint-stock societas (company) partnership with them or one of their agents magister (manager). This manager usually resided at Rome and conducted business and
paying profits to all partners through the submagistri (officer) who lived among the provinces. Directly under their authority were
the portitores (customhouse officers) who would examine all goods, whether imported or
exported, assess the value, wrote out a ticket and enforced payment. They would live
within the province where they were stationed and come into contact with all
classes of the population. It was these portitores who were referred to as the Tax Gatherers (telones) in the New Testament.