"I Fast Twice in the Week."—Orientals, and oriental Christians especially, perpetuate the principle that fasting is a means of grace or an instrument of merit-making. Eastern Christians fast twice a week, Wednesday and Friday; some of them add a third, Saturday. The ritual pronounces a curse on whomsoever fails in this duty.
"I Give Tithes of All that I Get."—The non-Moslem population of Syria and other parts of the Ottoman Empire are twice taxed. (1) The tax which they levy on themselves, or which is required of them by the regulations of their respective churches, and which they pay willingly for the services of their own religion, and which, let me add, corresponds with the tax of "a tenth of all I get," which this Pharisee paid, and evidently was proud and glad to pay. This taxing is, moreover, referred to in Matthew 23 : 23. (2) "Il Aashur" ("the tenths"), which are collected for purely government purposes. This part of the taxes is paid unwillingly, and fault-finding with tenth-farming and tenth-collectors is common everywhere. It is this taxing and manner of collecting it which forcibly reminds us every day of the dislike which the Jews felt toward publicans, who were the tax-collectors in the interest of the officials of Rome, whom the Jews regarded as intruders and usurpers.