3. One of seven princely counselors of King Ahasuerus who considered the case of rebellious Queen Vashti.—Esther 1:12-15.

TARSUS

(Tarʹsus).

The principal city and capital of the Roman province of Cilicia; birthplace of the apostle Paul. (Acts 9:11; 22:3) The town was situated about ten miles (16 kilometers) from the mouth of the Cydnus River, which empties into the eastern Mediterranean less than eighty miles (129 kilometers) N of the eastern tip of Cyprus.

No one knows when Tarsus was first settled or by whom, for it is a city of great antiquity. First mentioned in secular history as being captured by the Assyrians (it was never a strongly fortified city), Tarsus was thereafter in servitude and paid tribute much of the time to the successive powers of Assyria, Persia, Greece, then to the Seleucid kings, and finally to Rome.

Tarsus was situated in a fertile coastal area where flax was raised, and this, in turn, supported flourishing industries such as the weaving of linens and the making of tents. Fabrics woven of goat’s hair and called cilicium also found special use in the making of tents. A more important factor, however, contributing to Tarsus’ fame and wealth was its excellent harbor strategically located along a prime E-W overland trade route. Running eastward, it led to Syria and Babylon; leading to the northern and western sections of Asia Minor, this route threaded itself through the Cilician Gates, a narrow gorge in the Taurus mountains just thirty miles (48 kilometers) to the N of the city.

During its history a number of noted personalities visited Tarsus, including Julius Caesar, Mark Antony and Cleopatra, as well as several emperors. Cicero was the city’s governor from 51 to 50 B.C.E. Tarsus was also famous as a seat of learning in the first century C.E., and, according to the Greek geographer Strabo, as such it outranked even Athens and Alexandria.

So, for these several reasons, Paul could well describe Tarsus as “no obscure city.” He said this when informing a military commander that he was a citizen of Tarsus, not an Egyptian.—Acts 21:37-39.

From time to time in the course of his ministry Paul returned to his hometown of Tarsus (Acts 9:29, 30; 11:25, 26), and no doubt he passed through there on some of his missionary journeys.—Acts 15:23, 41; 18:22, 23.

TARTAK

(Tarʹtak).

A deity worshiped by the Avvites, whom the king of Assyria settled in the territory of Samaria after his taking the Israelites of the ten-tribe kingdom into exile. (2 Ki. 17:31) Aside from the brief reference to Tartak in the Scriptures, nothing can be stated with any certainty concerning the nature of this deity. According to the Talmud, Tartak had the form of an ass. Based on the conclusion that the name “Tartak” may be comparable to the Pahlavi (Persian) word Tar-thakh (intense darkness, hero of darkness), it has been suggested that Tartak may have been a demon of the lower regions.

TARTAN

(Tarʹtan) [possibly, commander-in-chief].

Assyrian eponym lists have been discovered where the title tartanu is mentioned. Concerning the order of the titles in these lists, James B. Pritchard, editor of Ancient Near Eastern Texts (2d ed., 1955), comments: “Later on, the position of the official within the hierarchy was decisive for the sequence, the highest official (tartanu) following the king immediately, while important palace officers and the governors of the foremost provinces took their turn in well-established order.”—See, however, CHRONOLOGY (Eponym [limmu] lists), pages 325, 326.

An inscription by Assyrian King Ashurbanipal, now in the British Museum, reads, in part: “I became very angry on account of these happenings, my soul was aflame. I called the turtan-official, the governors, and also their assistants and gave immediately the order.” These Assyrian writings indicate that the title Tartan applied to an officier of high rank, probably second only to the king.

King Sennacherib sent the Tartan along with other officials, including the Rabshakeh, the king’s chief cupbearer, who acted as spokesman, to deliver an ultimatum of capitulation to Jerusalem. The Tartan is listed first, possibly because his was the superior position. (2 Ki. 18:17, 28-35) A Tartan was sent by King Sargon II of Assyria to besiege the city of Ashdod, in the days of Isaiah the prophet.—Isa. 20:1.

TARTARUS

(Tarʹta·rus).

This word is found but once in the inspired Scriptures, at 2 Peter 2:4. The apostle writes: “Certainly if God did not hold back from punishing the angels that sinned, but, by throwing them into Tartarus, delivered them to pits of dense darkness to be reserved for judgment . . . ” The expression “throwing them into Tartarus” is from the Greek verb tar·ta·roʹo and so includes within itself the word Tartarus.

The Syriac Philoxenian Harkleian version of 2 Peter 2:4 translates Tartarus as simply “the lowest places.”

A parallel text is found at Jude 6: “And the angels that did not keep their original position but forsook their own proper dwelling place he has reserved with eternal bonds under dense darkness for the judgment of the great day.” Showing when it was that these angels “forsook their own proper dwelling place,” Peter speaks of the “spirits in prison, who had once been disobedient when the patience of God was waiting in Noah’s days, while the ark was being constructed.” (1 Pet. 3:19, 20) This directly links the matter to the account at Genesis 6:1-4 concerning the “sons of the true God” who abandoned their heavenly abode to cohabit with women in pre-Flood times and produced children by them, such offspring being designated as Nephilim.—See NEPHILIM, SON(S) OF GOD.

From these texts it is evident that the word Tartarus refers to or represents a prisonlike, abased condition into which God cast such disobedient angels. It must mean a condition rather than a particular location inasmuch as Peter, on the one hand, speaks of these disobedient spirits as being in “pits of dense darkness,” while Paul speaks of them as being in “heavenly places” from where they exercise a rule of darkness as wicked spirit forces. (2 Pet. 2:4; Eph. 6:10-12) The dense darkness similarly is not literally a lack of light but results from their being cut off from illumination by God as renegades and outcasts from his family with only a dark outlook as to their eternal destiny.

Tartarus is, therefore, not the same as the Hebrew Sheol nor the Greek Hades, both of which refer to the common earthly grave of all mankind. This is evident from the fact that, while the apostle Peter shows that Jesus Christ preached to these “spirits in prison,” he also shows that Jesus did so, not during the three days while buried in Hades (Sheol), but after his resurrection out of Hades.—1 Pet. 3:18-20.

Likewise the abased condition represented by Tartarus should not be confused with the “abyss” into which Satan and his demons are eventually to be cast at the “judgment of the great day.” (Rev. 20:1-3; Jude 6) Apparently the disobedient angels were cast into Tartarus in “Noah’s days” (1 Pet. 3:20), but some two thousand years later we find them entreating Jesus “not to order them to go away into the abyss.”—Luke 8:26-31; see ABYSS.

The word Tartarus also is used in pre-Christian heathen mythologies. In Homer’s Iliad this mythological Tartarus is represented as an underground prison ‘as far below Hades as earth is below heaven.’ In it were imprisoned the lesser gods, Cronus and the other Titan spirits. As we have seen, the Tartarus of the Bible is not a place but a condition and, therefore, is not the same as this Tartarus of Greek mythology. However, it is worth noting that the mythological Tartarus was not presented as a place for humans but for superhuman creatures. So, in that regard there is a similarity, since the Scriptural Tartarus is clearly not for the detention of human souls (compare Matthew 11:23) but only for wicked superhuman spirits who are rebels against God.

The condition of utter debasement represented by Tartarus is a precursor of the abyssing that Satan and his demons are to experience prior to the start of the thousand-year reign of Christ. This, in turn, is to be followed after the end of the thousand years by their utter destruction in the “second death.”—Matt. 25:41; Rev. 20:1-3, 7-10, 14.

TATTENAI

(Tatʹte·nai).

The governor of the Persian province “beyond the River” during the reign of Darius I (Hystaspis). When the Jews again started to rebuild the temple in Darius’ second year (520/519 B.C.E.), Tattenai and his colleagues came to Jerusalem to conduct an inquiry. The Jews appealed to Cyrus’ original decree; so Tattenai wrote to Darius asking if such a decree had been issued, as the Jews contended. The answer received confirmed Cyrus’ decree and the validity of the temple work, and warned Tattenai not to interfere, but to render material assistance to the Jews. This Tattenai proceeded to do.—Ezra 4:24–6:13.

TATTOO

A permanent mark or design on the skin made by cutting the skin to produce scars or by inserting coloring matter under the skin. The Israelites were forbidden to engage in this practice, one that was doubtless common among other ancient peoples. (Lev. 19:28) For example, there were times when the Egyptians tattooed the names or symbols of their deities on their breast or arms. By complying with Jehovah’s law not to disfigure their bodies, the Israelites would have stood out as different from other nations. (Deut. 14:1, 2) The prohibition would also have impressed upon them a proper respect for the human body as God’s creation, to be used in honoring him.—Ps. 100:3; 139:13-16; Rom. 12:1.

TAU

[Τ, τ].

The nineteenth letter of the Greek alphabet, from which the English “t” originates.

Tau is derived from the Hebrew taw. When accented (τ΄), its numerical value is 300, and, with the subscript (,τ), 300,000.

TAW

[ת].

The twenty-second and last letter of the Hebrew alphabet; later, outside the Hebrew Scriptures, used also as a number to denote four hundred. The name of the letter literally means “mark.”

The corresponding Greek letter is called tau and through it comes our English “t.” The Hebrew taw, having the point (dagesh lene) in it, has a sound similar to our English “t” but, when it does not have this point, it is pronounced as “th.” In the Hebrew, it is the initial letter in each of the eight verses of Psalm 119:169-176.

TAXATION

Forms of taxation have long been employed to support the services of government, public officials and also of priests. The taxes that were imposed anciently included the tithe, tribute, toll, head or poll tax, and tax on consumer items, exports, imports and goods taken through a country by merchants.

TAXES FOR MAINTAINING JEHOVAH’S SANCTUARY

The service of the sanctuary was maintained through taxation. Obligatory tithing provided the major source of maintenance for the Aaronic priests and Levites and, on at least one occasion, they received a share of the war booty in accordance with a tax stipulated by Jehovah. (Num. 18:26-29; 31:26-47; see TITHE.) Jehovah also instructed Moses that, on taking a census, each person registered was to give a half shekel as “Jehovah’s contribution,” it serving in behalf of the tent of meeting. (Ex. 30:12-16) It appears that it became customary for the Jews to give a fixed amount every year, even though a census was not taken annually. Jehoash, for example, called for the “sacred tax ordered by Moses.” (2 Chron. 24:6, 9) The Jews of Nehemiah’s time obligated themselves to pay a third of a shekel yearly for the service of the temple. (Neh. 10:32) And, in the time of Jesus’ earthly ministry, the Jews paid two drachmas to the temple. When asked whether Jesus complied with this taxation, Peter replied in the affirmative. Later, in discussing the matter, Jesus pointed out that kings do not tax their sons, the sons being part of the royal household for whom tax is collected. However, though being the only-begotten Son of the One worshiped at the temple, Jesus, to avoid giving occasion for stumbling others, saw to it that the tax was paid.—Matt. 17:24-27.

TAXES IMPOSED BY RULERS

With the establishment of kingship in Israel, taxes, including a tenth of the flock and of the produce, were imposed to support the king, his household and the various governmental officials and servants. (1 Sam. 8:11-17; 1 Ki. 4:6-19) By the end of the reign of Solomon, conscription for forced labor and the support of the government had become so burdensome to the people that they requested Solomon’s son and successor, Rehoboam, to lighten the ‘hard service and the heavy yoke.’ Rehoboam’s refusal to do so prompted ten tribes to revolt.—1 Ki. 12:3-19; see COMPULSORY SERVICE; FORCED LABOR.

Upon coming under foreign domination, the Israelites had to submit to still other forms of taxation. For instance, when Pharaoh Nechoh made Jehoiakim his vassal and imposed a heavy fine or tribute on Judah, Jehoiakim raised the necessary funds by having his subjects pay a certain sum “according to each one’s individual tax rate.”—2 Ki. 23:31-35; see TRIBUTE.

During the Persian period, the Jews (with the exception of the priests and others serving at the sanctuary, who were exempted by Artaxerxes Longimanus) had to pay tax (mid·dahʹ or min·dahʹ), tribute (b^elohʹ) and toll (halakhʹ). (Ezra 4:13, 20; 7:24) Mid·dahʹ is thought to designate personal tax on individuals; b^elohʹ, a tax on consumer items, excise; and halakhʹ, toll paid by travelers at road stations or river fords. The mid·dahʹ (translated “tribute” in AS, AV, NW at Nehemiah 5:4) must have been quite high, for many of the Jews had to borrow money to pay it. Besides having to care for the taxes levied by the Persians, the Jews normally also had to pay for the support of the governor.—Neh. 5:14, 15.

In the first century C.E., the Jews very much resented the payment of taxes, not only on account of the corruption prevalent among tax collectors, but also because this forced them to acknowledge their subjection to Rome. (See TAX COLLECTOR.) However, both Jesus Christ and the apostle Paul showed that it was proper to pay taxes to “Caesar” or to the “superior authorities.” (Matt. 22:17-21; Rom. 13:1, 7; see CAESAR [God and Caesar].) Among the various kinds of taxes mentioned in the Christian Greek Scriptures is teʹlos (an indirect tax, duty or tribute; Matt. 17:25; Rom. 13:7). Also referred to is the kenʹsos (a head or poll tax; Matt. 17:25; 22:17, 19; Mark 12:14) and phoʹros (a broader term thought to designate a tax levied upon houses, lands and persons; Luke 20:22; 23:2).

TAX COLLECTOR

In the Roman Empire, poll and land taxes were collected by imperial officers as part of their official function. But the authority to collect taxes on exports, imports and goods taken through a country by merchants was purchased at public auction. Thus the right to collect such taxes went to the highest bidders. When they collected taxes, they made a profit from tax receipts that exceeded the amount of their bid. These men, known as publicani, farmed out to