The Greek compound noun architelōnēs combines archē (chief, first) and telōnēs (tax collector), meaning 'chief tax collector' or 'superintendent of tax collectors.' It appears only once in the New Testament, in Luke 19:2, identifying Zacchaeus of Jericho.
Zacchaeus is one of the New Testament's most vivid portraits of radical grace. As the architelōnēs — the superintendent over the system of tax farming in the wealthy region around Jericho — he was likely the most despised man in the city, both for his profession (collaboration with Rome) and his position (profiting from the tax collectors under him). Yet it was Zacchaeus whom Jesus singled out, calling him by name and inviting Himself to his house. The result was immediate and total transformation: Zacchaeus gave half his possessions to the poor and repaid fourfold anyone he had cheated. The 'chief sinner' became the supreme example of what salvation looks like — 'Today salvation has come to this house' (Luke 19:9).