Neither Poverty Nor Riches

by Blomberg, Craig L.

• ISBN13: 9780830826070
• ISBN10: 0830826076
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-03-01
• Publisher: Ivp Academic

Summary

Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread.(Proverbs 30:8)One of the most difficult questions facing Christians today is that of the proper attitude toward possessions. In wealthy nations such as Britain and the USA, individuals accumulate much and yet are daily exposed to the plight of the poor, whether the homeless on their own city streets or starving children on their TV screens. What action should we take on behalf of the poor? What should we do with our own possessions?InNeither Poverty nor RichesCraig Blomberg asks what the Bible has to say about these issues. Avoiding easy answers, he instead seeks a comprehensive biblical theology of possessions. And so he begins with the groundwork laid by the Old Testament and the ideas developed in the intertestamental period, then draws out what the whole New Testament has to say on the subject, and finally offers conclusions and applications relevant to our contemporary world.Neither Poverty Nor Richesis one book that all should read who are concerned with issues of poverty and wealth.

Table of Contents

Series preface	9	(2)
Author's preface	11	(4)
Abbreviations	15	(2)
Introductory considerations	17	(238)
A sampling of statistics	17	(4)
Christian response	21	(12)
The Old Testament and material possessions: the historical books	33	(24)
From Eden to Sinai	33	(6)
From Sinai to Canaan: the Law of Moses	39	(11)
In the Promised Land: cycles of obedience and disobedience	50	(5)
Summary and conclusions	55	(2)
The Old Testament wisdom and prophetic literature	57	(30)
Poetry and wisdom literature	57	(12)
The Prophets	69	(13)
Summary and conclusions	82	(1)
Conclusions concerning the entire Old Testament and material possessions	82	(5)
Additional historical background: between the Testaments	87	(24)
Socio-political developments	87	(4)
The literature of the Jews	91	(10)
Other ideological developments prior to the New Testament	101	(4)
Information from the Gospels bearing on the socio-economic status of the main characters	105	(4)
Conclusions	109	(2)
The teaching of Jesus in the Synoptic Gospels	111	(36)
The parables of Jesus	112	(15)
The remaining teachings of Jesus	127	(18)
Conclusions	145	(2)
Earliest Christianity	147	(30)
The epistle of James	148	(12)
The book of Acts	160	(17)
The life and teaching of Paul	177	(36)
Galatians	178	(1)
1 and 2 Thessalonians	179	(3)
1 Corinthians	182	(8)
2 Corinthians	190	(9)
Romans	199	(3)
The Prison Epistles	202	(4)
The Pastoral Epistles	206	(5)
Summary and conclusions	211	(2)
The rest of the New Testament	213	(28)
The synoptic evangelists	213	(15)
The rest of the New Testament	228	(11)
Summary and conclusions	239	(2)
Summary, conclusions and applications	241	(14)
Summary	241	(2)
Additional conclusions	243	(4)
Applications	247	(8)
Bibliography	255	(38)
Index of authors	293