PRESENTS. 90 



priests fees/ and &quot; all that served the gods were main 

 tained by the sacrifices and other holy offerings.&quot; ~Nor was 

 it otherwise with the Hebrews. In Leviticus ii. 10, we read 

 -&quot; And that which is left of the meat offering shall be 

 Aaron s and his sons &quot; (the appointed priests) ; while other 

 passages entitle the priest to the skin of the offering, and 

 to the whole of the baked and fried offering. Neither does 

 the history of early Christianity fail to exhibit the like 

 development. &quot; In the first ages of the Church, those 

 deposited pietatis which are mentioned by Tertullian were 

 all voluntary oblations.&quot; Afterwards &quot; a more fixed main 

 tenance was necessary for the clergy; but still oblations 

 were made by the people. . . . These oblations [defined as 

 i whatever religious Christians offered to God and the 

 Church ], which were at first voluntary, became after 

 wards, by continual payment, due by custom.&quot; In medi 

 aeval times a further stage in the transition is shown us: 

 &quot; Besides what was necessary for the communion of priests 

 and laymen, and that which was intended for eulogies, it 

 was at first the usage to offer all sorts of presents, which at a 

 later date were taken to the bishop s house and ceased to be 

 brought to the church.&quot; And then by continuation and 

 enlargement of such donations, growing into bequests, nom 

 inally to God and practically to the Church, there grew 

 up ecclesiastical revenues. 



375. The foregoing statements represent all presents 

 as made by inferiors to propitiate superiors; ignoring the 

 presents made by superiors to inferiors. The contrast be 

 tween the two in meaning, is well recognized where pres 

 ent-making is much elaborated, as in China. &quot; At or after 

 the customary visits between superiors and inferiors, an 

 interchange of presents takes place; but those from the 

 former are bestowed as donations, while the latter are 

 received as offerings : these being the Chinese terms for 

 such presents as pass between the emperor and foreign 



