"It will delight teachers of early Christian history that Fortress is updating its oft-used volumes in the Ad Fontes series. Helen Rhee’s update to the volume on ethics is excellent and will complement the series superbly. Rhee’s introduction provides readers with a thorough review of the historical context for early Christian social ethics that accounts for the advances in scholarship over the past three decades. Most helpful, Rhee has selected texts for the volume that explore divergent lines of thought in early Christian social ethics. Students and scholars alike will find this a uniquely helpful text for starting their own study of this neglected subject."
Wealth and Poverty in Early Christianity
Wealth and Poverty in Early Christianity is part of Ad Fontes: Early Christian Sources, a series designed to present ancient Christian texts essential to an understanding of Christian theology, ecclesiology, and practice. This volume is designed to introduce the reader to the broad range of texts that reflect early Christian thoughts and practices on the topic of wealth and poverty.
Developed in light of recent patristic scholarship, the volumes will provide a representative sampling of theological contributions from both East and West. The series aims to provide volumes that are relevant for a variety of courses: from introduction to theology to classes on doctrine and the development of Christian thought. The goal of each volume is not to be exhaustive, but rather representative enough to denote for a non-specialist audience the multivalent character of early Christian thought, allowing readers to see how and why early Christian doctrine and practice developed the way it did.
- Publisher Fortress Press
- Format Paperback
- ISBN 9781451496413
- eBook ISBN 9781506425597
- Dimensions 5.5 x 8.5
- Pages 184
- Publication Date May 1, 2017
Contents
Series Foreword
Introduction
1. Shepherd of Hermas
2. Clement of Alexandria
3. The Acts of Thomas
4. Tertullian
5. Cyprian of Carthage
6. Lactantius
7. Basil the Great
8. Gregory of Nyssa
9. Gregory of Nazianzus
10. John Chrysostom
11. Ambrose of Milan
12. Augustine
13 Leo the Great
14. Rabbula of Edessa
Bibliography
Index
Reviews
Reviewed in New Testament Abstracts 61.2 (2017)
Endorsements
Students and scholars alike will find this a uniquely helpful text for starting their own study of early Christian social ethics.
Brian Matz | Fontbonne University
A much-needed treasure chest sampling early Christian voices on the ethics of wealth and poverty
“Helen Rhee's welcome new sourcebook is the first of its kind in over 30 years. A much-needed treasure chest sampling early Christian voices on the ethics of wealth and poverty, it speaks to why religion and history matter across time in the face of need, inequity and justice, economic development, and the social determinants of health.”
Susan R. Holman | Author of "Beholden: Religion, Global Health, and Human Rights"
This thoughtful volume will be a significant resource for years to come
“With characteristic thoroughness, Helen Rhee has compiled a tremendous resource in this volume of early church texts related to wealth and poverty. Questions about how the Christian faith intersects with matters of money, property, and power are of enduring relevance, so this volume is a true gift as it offers a window into how Christians from the early centuries conceptualized and practiced their faith in concrete social and material ways. At the same time, the contexts in which early Christians navigated issues related to wealth and poverty were very different from our own; Rhee’s introduction clearly and engagingly invites readers into the specific contours in which this early Christian thought was forged. This thoughtful volume will be a significant resource for years to come.”
Kristen Deede Johnson | Western Theological Seminary
An invaluable resource to anyone interested in the social and economic concerns of ancient Christians
“Helen Rhee has emerged as one of the world’s leading experts on wealth and poverty in early Christianity. In this volume, she has provided an invaluable resource to anyone interested in the social and economic concerns of ancient Christians.”
David Wilhite | Truett Theological Seminary, Baylor University