Subsistence, Swapping, and Paul's Rhetoric of Generosity
Although there is broad consensus that the majority of the early Christ followers were poor, descriptions of the economic practices of their assemblies have focused on the contributions of a surplus-possessing minority. This article employs ethnographic accounts of the economic activities of the poo...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
[2018]
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| In: |
Journal of Biblical literature
Year: 2018, Volume: 137, Issue: 1, Pages: 215-234 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Pauline letters
/ Church congregation
/ Alms
/ Generosity
/ Affluence (motif)
/ Economic situation
|
| IxTheo Classification: | HC New Testament |
| Further subjects: | B
Generosity
B Poverty B Bible. Corinthians B Catholic Church B Christianity |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | Although there is broad consensus that the majority of the early Christ followers were poor, descriptions of the economic practices of their assemblies have focused on the contributions of a surplus-possessing minority. This article employs ethnographic accounts of the economic activities of the poor to challenge the assumption that Paul's injunctions to generosity were targeted primarily at wealthier members. Since there is ample evidence from numerous societies of sharing among the poor, one cannot deduce from the fact that Paul commends generosity that he is addressing those with surplus resources. Moreover, the moral rhetoric employed by Paul addresses just such concerns as commonly arise when the poor participate in networks of reciprocal exchange. Paul envisions and seeks to nurture local networks of Christ followers who utilize their mostly subsistence-level resources for their mutual benefit. |
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| ISSN: | 1934-3876 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal of Biblical literature
|
| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.15699/jbl.1371.2018.292365 |
