Antipas, the payment was made to those authori- ties. Even seprirate cities were allowed to collect their o^^-n taxes. An inscrijrtion in Greek and Aramaic at Palmyra, giving the custom taritiof a number of articles in the time of Hadrian, shows that the town had a certain authority in deter- niinin" the details of its own taxation (Schiirer, 11 J F 1. ii. 61 a.).
The publican leased the customs of a particular district for a fixed annual sum, gaining what the revenue yielded in excess of that amount, ami being required to make good any deficiency. In earlier times even direct taxes nad been farmed (Jos. Ant. XII. iv. 1, 3, 4, 5). But this was no longer the case in NT days. The publicans of whom we read in the Gospels were engaged in collecting the custom dues on exports (Marquardt, Roniische Staatsverwaltung, ii. p. 2618'.). Pliny mentions that merchants from Aralna paid custom dues at Gaza (HN xii. 6.3-65). In Jericho there was an dpxireXii^Tjs, possibly himself the fanner of the customs of that important trade centre. Most of the NT publicans could only have been tax- collectors, subordinate to the official who more strictly bore the name 'publicanus.' Publicans formed themselves into companies (societates publi- canomm), each member taking a quarter, or a lesser share, of the collecting and its profits or losses, according to the amount of capital invested. In the time of the Csesars the contract was for five years.
It is evident that such a system as this would be liable to abuse, especially in a neglected and ill-governed province. It is expressly stated in the Palmyra inscription that the authorities should prevent the lessee of the customs from exacting anything bejond what was required by the law. Ditt'erences having arisen, a fixed t.aritf for a number of articles appears on the inscription to prevent misunderstandings and undue exactions. The unpopularity of the publican was partly due to his being a servant of tne hated Roman govern- ment. 'This would be the case especially in Judaea under the procurators. The case of Galilee under Herod Antipas was somewhat ditlerent ; and yet the Herods were dependent on and subser\'ient to Rome. For a Jew to engage in collecting the revenues that went to support the foreign domina- tion, was regarded as peculiarly mean and un- patriotic. If he grew rich it was on the spoils \vrun" from his brethren by the oppressor. Conse- quently men who had a due regard for their own food name would shrink from accepting the ortice. his would lead to its falling into the hands of persons of doubtful reputation. Then the fann- ing of the customs was a direct incentive to dis- honesty. In Rabbinical literature the tax-gatherer is commonly treated as a robber. In NT publicans and sinners are commonlj' coupled as forming but one class. It would not be lair to accept the popular judOTient on this matter as an unprejudiced assertion of the truth. .Still, our Lord's ^Tacious treatment of the publicans is no indication that He wished to clear their char.icter from calumny, for He was equally gracious to persons of notori- ously bad character when He saw signs of amend- ment. Levi had been a publican, but he left his Srevious occupation on becoming a disciple of esus (I.k 5'-''-^). ZacclL-Pus declared that he had mendeil his ways, and was in the practice of making ample recompense for his previous extortions at the time when he met with .Jesus (Lk 19"). Out Lord's ministry was peculiarly acceptable to publicans (Lk 15'). We nave no reference to any men of this class in the apostolic period. Acts and the Epistles never name the publicans.
LlTEBATURB.— Schiirer, EJP l. ii. 17 ; Marquardt. Romischt Staatfoerualtung, U. 201-270, 289-293 ; Pauly, Real-Encyc, art
rUBLIUS
rURClIASE
173
' Piililii'an ' ; Leyrer in Ilerzop's Rfnt-Euiifc,, art. ' Toll ' ; Hcrz- fet'l. fJandi'lj^jeschiL'hte tier Jud'-n^ etc. 159 ff. ; Naquet, * Dea iniput^ iiidireoUcliczlcs Koiuaiii8,'etc.(BuiTian'8i/a/irc«^tfnc/i<«^, xix. 400 ff.) ; Ca^nat, * ^tude tii^lortijue bur )es imp6U indirect^ KoiiKiins,' etc. \ib. xxvi. 245 fT.); Vigi6. Etiidi^ sur le*- impAU indirecU liomaiTU; Ederabeim, Je^ru the Mesxlafi, i. Sl.Sff.
W. K. Ade.vky.
PUBLIUS, or more correctly Poplins (IlirXios), the leailin;,' man iu Malta when St. Paul was cast on the i.slaiul by shi|>\vreck. He was both rich and hospitable, and his father was among tlio.se who were healed by the apostle (Ac 28'-*). He is described as 6 rpwro! (rendered ' the chief man ' in AV and UV), a title wliich seems to have been jjeculiar to Malta, but which has been proved from inscripticms to have had a technical signilicance there. These inscriptions, however, leave it doubt- ful whether the title indicates the chief maj^istrate of the island or one with an honorary rank. He inav have been the delej,'ate of tlie pru'tor of Sicily, to whose jurisdiction Malta belonged. The naiiie Poplius is the Gr. form of the pncnomen Publius, but in this instance it may be the Gr. rendering of the nomen Po|)ilias. Tradition says that he was tlie lirsl bishop of Malta, and that aftei wards he became bishop of Athens.
W. MUIR.
PUDENS (UooSrit, but a few cursives give SiroiiOTjs ; Fuclenx). — A Christian at Konie in the time of St. Paul's last imprisonment there, wlio sends greeting from him to '1 imotliy (2 Ti 4-'). This is all tliat is certainly known of him, but conjecture has been rife in attempting to identify him with others of the same name. The name is Roman, often borne by Romans of good family, and common in the early Christian centuries. Ibus we tind — (1) Aulus Pudens, a .soldier, the friend of Martial, and hu.sband of a British huly, Claudia (Mart. Epifff. iv. 13 ; xi. 53). (li) Titu.s Claudius Pudens, husband of Claudia Quintilla, wlio.se inscription to a lost child lias been found between Rome and Ostia (CIL vi. 15,000). (3) Pudens, a son of Pudentinus, a Roman who gave the site for a temple which the British king Cogidubnus erected to Neptune {CIL vii. 17). (4) Mievius Pudens, employed by Othu to conupt Galba's friends (Tac. Hist. 1. 24). (5) Pudens, a Roman knight, killed at the siege of Jerusalem (Jo.s. BJ VI. ii. 10). (0) Pudens, a Roman .senator, said by Roman tradition to have been tlie host of St. Peter at Rome (Baronius, Ann. Eed. ad A.D. 44, Martyr, lioin. ad May 19 ; Lipsius, Apomjph. Apostel-leg. ii. 1. 207, 418). (7) Pudens, father of Pudentiana and Praxedes, c. A.D. 100.