Anonymous
Tithing is an Old Testament practice. Land owners would build monasteries and chapels on their land and would pay for their on-going operations. Like many Catholic things, this did not happen top down.
The Bishop was given a plot of land with farms and serfs to produce an income for him. The original benefactor was a King or a landowner. Recall that it was ordinary for the king to appoint Bishops, unlike today. The Pope was less powerful then.
Peasants did not have money. They would give live food to those religious who were not self-sufficient as most were.
imacatholic2
None.
The Catholic Church does not teach giving 10% to the Church. Tithing is the part of the Mosaic Law that covers temple worship.
Jesus fulfilled the Law of Moses.
Christians are not held to the ceremonial parts of the Mosaic Law concerning of dietary purity and temple worship.
Christians are held to the moral law of God, some of which is expressed in the Ten Commandments.
However Jesus took the Ten Commandments to the next step summarizing them into the two Great Commandments:
• You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.
• You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
And teaching things like
• Everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
• Everyone is our neighbor including our enemies.
Therefore we have to go much farther than the original recipients of the Ten Commandments ever dreamed.
Catholics need to examine their personal finances, determine what part of their God-given time, talent, and treasure they can freely choose to give back.
For more information, see the Catechism of the Catholic Church, part 3, section 2.
For an interesting discussion of tithing and bankruptcy, see: http://www.catholic.org/national/national_story.php?id=22650
With love in Christ.
PaulCyp
The apostles did, as clearly described in the Bible. So the Pope who would have been involved would have been Simon Peter. However, they simply continued the practice they had been raised with as Jews. They didn't institute anything new.
Ghost Of Christmas Past
It's far older than the Catholic Church. It was common practice among Jews and Christianity continued it.
Anonymous
Christianity is a copy of Judaism and many Greek Roman Egyptian and Pagan mythology so nothing is original in Christianity!