In 26 or 27 AD, Pontius Pilate became the fifth governor of the Roman province of Judaea, serving under Emperor Tiberius. His reign lasted until 36 or 37 AD.  It's likely that Pontius Pilate took over the privilege of collecting the temple tax, and that he shared some of it with the high priests. A good deal of money was stored at the temple, where it could be loaned by the wealthy to the poor who were in danger of losing their land to debt. The high priests establishment co-operated with the aristocracy in the exploitation of the poor.  I assume that Pontius Pilate probably was paid a tax of the income from the money lending business. 4/13

The Jewish people each year celebrates the Passover, also called Pesach, which lasts for seven days. It's a major Jewish holiday that celebrates the biblical story of the Israelites' escape from slavery in Egypt. Many Jewish traditionally travel to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover, where they in the time of Jesus had to pay the tax - a half shekel per person - when they visited the temple. 5/13