Wealth And Poverty In Early Church And Society

by Holman, Susan R.

• ISBN13: 9780801035494
• ISBN10: 080103549X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-06-01
• Publisher: Baker Academic

Summary

Wealth and poverty are issues of perennial importance in the life and thought of the church. This volume brings patristic thought to bear on these vital issues. The contributors offer explanations of poverty in the New Testament period, explore developments among Christians in Egypt and Asia Minor and in early Byzantium, and connect patristic theology with contemporary public policy and religious dialogue. This volume inaugurates Holy Cross Studies in Patristic Theology and History, a partnership between Baker Academic and the Stephen and Catherine Pappas Patristic Institute of Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, Massachusetts. The series is a deliberate outreach by the Orthodox community to Protestant and Catholic seminarians, pastors, and theologians. These multiauthor books include contributors from all traditions but focus on the patristic (especially Greek patristic) heritage. Series Editorial Board Robert J. Daly, SJ, Boston College Bruce N. Beck, The Stephen and Catherine Pappas Patristic Institute Fran??ois Bovon, Harvard Divinity School Demetrios S. Katos, Hellenic College Susan R. Holman, PovertyStudies.org Aristotle Papanikolaou, Fordham University James Skedros, Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology

Author Biography

Susan R. Holman (PhD, Brown University) is the author of The Hungry Are Dying: Beggars and Bishops in Roman Cappadocia, a member of the board of the Pappas Patristic Institute of Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, and the creator of PovertyStudies.org.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. 7
Preface	p. 9
The New Testament Period
Injustice or God's Will? Early Christian Explanations of Poverty	p. 17
"Be not one who stretches out hands to receive but shuts them when it comes to giving": Envisioning Christian Charity When Both Donors and Recipients Are Poor	p. 37
James 2:2-7 in Early Christian Thought	p. 48
Wealth, Poverty, and the Value of the Person: Some Notes on the Hymn of the Pearl and Its Early Christian Context	p. 56
Egypt in Late Antiquity
Widening the Eye of the Needle: Wealth and Poverty in the Works of Clement of Alexandria	p. 67
Care for the Poor, Fear of Poverty, and Love of Money: Evagrius Ponticus on the Monk's Economic Vulnerability	p. 76
Wine for Widows: Papyrological Evidence for Christian Charity in Late Antique Egypt	p. 88
Rich and Poor in Sophronius of Jerusalem's Miracles of Saints Cyrus and John	p. 103
John Chrysostom, the Cappadocians, and Friends
This Sweetest Passage: Matthew 25:31-46 and Assistance to the Poor in the Homilies of John Chrysostom	p. 127
Poverty and Generosity toward the Poor in the Time of John Chrysostom	p. 140
Poverty and Wealth as Theater: John Chrysostom's Homilies on Lazarus and the Rich Man	p. 159
Wealthy and Impoverished Widows in the Writings of St. John Chrysostom	p. 176
The Hellenic Background and Nature of Patristic Philanthropy in the Early Byzantine Era	p. 187
Wealth, Trade, and Profit in Early Byzantium
Gilding the Lily: A Patristic Defense of Liturgical Splendor	p. 211
Wealth, Stewardship, and Charitable "Blessings" in Early Byzantine Monasticism	p. 221
Trade, Profit, and Salvation in the Late Patristic and the Byzantine Period	p. 243
Patristic Studies for Today
St. Basil's Philanthropic Program and Modern Microlending Strategies for Economic Self-Actualization	p. 267
The Use of Patristic Socioethical Texts in Catholic Social Thought	p. 287
Abbreviations	p. 295
Select Bibliography	p. 297
List of Contributors	p. 300
Subject Index	p. 302
Modern Authors Index	p. 311
Ancient Sources Index	p. 316
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