There was a man named
Zacchaeus who was the chief tax collector
(in charge of the tax collectors for the Roman tax authorities), and he was rich.
[Zacchaeus is a Hebrew name that means "pure" and "righteous." He was therefore a jew who worked for the Roman state and was therefore considered a traitor among his own people. Jericho was an important trading city that produced balsam, which generated large tax revenues for the region. As head of the tax office, Zacchaeus was very wealthy.]
