A portrait of history’s first complex Christian society as seen through the lens of Christian philanthropy and gift giving
As the Roman Empire broke down in western Europe, its prosperity moved decisively eastward, to what is now known as the Byzantine Empire. Here was born history’s first truly affluent, multifaceted Christian society. One of the ideals used to unite the diverse millions of people living in this vast realm was the Christianized ideal of philanthrōpia. In this sweeping cultural and social history, Daniel Caner shows how philanthropy required living up to Jesus’s injunction to “Give to all who ask of you,” by offering mercy and/or material aid to every human being, regardless of their origin or status.
Caner shows how Christian philanthropy became articulated through distinct religious ideals of giving that helped define proper social relations among the rich, the poor, and “the pure” (Christian holy people), resulting in new and enduring social expectations. In tracking the evolution of Christian giving over three centuries, he brings to the fore the concerns of the peoples of Early Byzantium, from the countryside to the lower levels of urban society to the imperial elites, as well as the hierarchical relationships that arose among them. The Rich and the Pure offers nothing less than a portrait of the whole of early Byzantine society.
By:
Daniel Caner
Imprint: California Uni Pr Trade
Country of Publication: United States
Volume: 62
Dimensions:
Height: 229mm,
Width: 152mm,
Spine: 41mm
Weight: 771g
ISBN: 9780520381582
ISBN 10: 0520381580
Series: Transformation of the Classical Heritage
Pages: 440
Publication Date: 07 September 2021
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
"Acknowledgments Prologue: What Is a Christian Gift? Map Timeline Introduction Surviving Sources and Historical Discourses Philanthropy and Asceticism as Complementary Virtues 1. The Present-Giving World of Early Byzantium Christian Gifts in the Late Roman Holy Land Secular Gifts and the Late Roman Imperial Order Providential Order and the Rise of a Religious Aristocracy The Christian Ideal of Stewardship 2. ""Give to All Who Ask of You"": The Challenge of Early Byzantine Philanthropy The Classical Roots of Christian Philanthrōpia Christian Philanthropy before Constantine Constantine and the Extension of Christian Philanthropy Preaching Philanthropy in Christian Cappadocia ""To Each According to Need"": Philanthropic Priorities in Church Institutions ""To Each According to Rank"": Philanthropic Priorities in Sixth-Century Monasteries 3. “Bend Your Heart to Mercy”: Almsgiving and the Christian Advocacy of Social Compassion Preaching Direct Almsgiving in Christian Antioch The Monastic Middle Way of Communal Ministrations Monastic Mediation between the Rich, the Clergy, and the Poor 4. ""Give It with Your Whole Soul"": From Alms to Charity in Early Byzantine Monasticism Defining Charity in Egyptian Desert Tradition Gifts of Charity in the Seridos Monastery Sins of Excess and Redemptive Almsgiving Almsgiving as Purification in Eastern Hagiography ""Give as Your Alms from the Things Within"": Alms, Charity, and Christian Altruism 5. “What God Has Put in Your Heart to Give”: Divine Patronage, Sacred Wealth, and Material Blessings The Pauline Concept of a Christian Blessing The Institutional and Lay Provision of Material Blessings Human Avarice and Divine Patronage Converting Lay Offerings into Blessings Ascetic Stewardship and the Multiplication of Monastic Blessings Gifts of a Sacred Order Sacred Wealth and Monastic Culture 6. ""You Are the Firstfruits of the World"": Monasticism, Fruitbearings, and Prosperity in the Countryside Agrarian and Monastic Expansion on the Rural Margins A Syrian Village Perspective: The Letter of Cosmas of Panîr Agriculture and Religious Science in the Roman Near East The Intercessory Powers of Symeon Stylites the Elder Ascetic Penance and Lay Prosperity in the Lives of Barsauma and Theodore Fruitbearings, Gratitude, and Sacred Vessels 7. ""Imperishable Remembrance in Heaven and Earth"": Liturgical Offerings and the Rise of Patronal Monasteries Lay Offerings and Church Commemorations Church Apologetics for Commemorative Rites Jacob of Serug's On the Loaf for the Departed Patronal Praise and the Proliferation of Private Monasteries Monks, Freedmen, and the Perennial Quest for Perpetual Commemoration Memory, Salvation, and the Economics of Monastic Patronage Epilogue: When Holy Men Walked the Earth Notes Bibliography Index"
Daniel Caner is Associate Professor at Indiana University, Bloomington. His previous books include Wandering Begging Monks: Spiritual Authority and the Promotion of Monasticism in Late Antiquity and History and Hagiography from the Late Antique Sinai.
Reviews for The Rich and the Pure: Philanthropy and the Making of Christian Society in Early Byzantium
Caner furthers our understanding of how religious and laypeople negotiated relationships with one another and how they defined themselves in relation to their wealth. His book is an outstanding contribution not only to gift-giving practices in early Byzantine Christianity, but also to the establishment of monastic self-identity in this period. * Journal of Early Christian Studies * Caner deftly exhibits the difficulty of implementation inherent in each mode of giving. . . . It is a gift to the scholarship of its subject. * Journal of Interdisciplinary History *
