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26 - Wealth, Almsgiving, and Poverty

from Part VI - Contested Bodies

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 August 2023

By
Helen Rhee
Edited by
Bruce W. Longenecker  and
David E. Wilhite
Bruce W. Longenecker
Affiliation:
Baylor University, Texas
David E. Wilhite
Affiliation:
Baylor University, Texas
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Summary

The study of wealth, poverty, and almsgiving in early Christianity has been burgeoning for the last two decades, and it has made significant strides in our knowledge of Christian identity formation in interaction with the Roman imperial society in the first three centuries of the Principate.1 This chapter examines the indispensable role and comprehensive impact of wealth and poverty on the journey of salvation through the lens of patristic authors, seeking to treat the topic’s salient issues and provide brief surveys of the status quaestionis for the noted topic when relevant.

Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge History of Ancient Christianity , pp. 613 - 632
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

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