τελώνης

telwvnh" telwvnh",
telwnou,
oJ (from
tevlo" ((which see 2)) tax, and
wjnevomai to buy; cf.
dhmosiwvnh",
ojywvnh",
dekatwnh"), from Aristophanes, Aeschines, Aristotle, Polybius down;1. a renter or farmer of taxes (Latin publicanus); among the Romans usually a man of equestrian rank.2. a tax-gatherer, collector of taxes or tolls (Vulgate publicanus incorrectly: (so A. V. publican)), one employed by a publican or farmer-general in collecting the taxes. The tax-collectors were, as a class, detested not only by the Jews but by other nations also, both on account of their employment and of the harshness, greed, and deception, with which they prosecuted it; (hence, they are classed by Artemidorus Daldianus, oneir. 1, 23; 4, 57, with
kaphloi"
kaiv
toi'"
metav
ajnaideia"
zw'si
kaiv
lh/stai'"
kaiv
zugokroustai"
kaiv
paralogistai"
ajnqrwvpoi"; Lucian, necyom. c. 11 puts together
moicoiv,
pornoboskoi
kaiv
telw'nai
kaiv
kolake"
kaiv
sukofantai (Theophrastus, charact. 6 (
periv
ajponoiva")
pandoceusai,
kaiv
pornoboskhsai,
kaiv
telwnhsai)): , Rec.;; ; ,; ; ,,; the plural is joined with
aJmartwloiv, f; (11:19); f; ; ; ; with
povrnai, f;
oJ
ejqnikov"
kaiv
oJ
telwvnh", . Cf. Winer's RWB, under the words, Zoll, Z?llner; (BB. DD., under the word Publican; Wetstein on ; Edersheim, Jesus the Messiah, i. 515ff).*