Wohltätigkeit im antiken und spätantiken Christentum

Edited by A. Muller

Book cover: Wohltätigkeit im antiken und spätantiken Christentum

Extent: 166 pages

Publisher: Peeters Publishers

Subjects: Classical Studies, Religious Studies

Series: Patristic Studies

Series volume number: 16

Language: German

Paperback (Published)

(September 2021)

ISBN: 9789042944299

Price: $75.00

Out of stock

PDF (Published)

(September 2021)

ISBN: 9789042944305

Price: $75.00

Charity is considered one of the most important features of ancient and late antique Christianity. Often referred to ahistorically as diakonia in Protestant settings, as caritas in Roman Catholic settings, and usually simply as philanthropy in Orthodox settings, charitable action contributed significantly to the popularity of Christianity in Late Antiquity. That is why the Patristic Study Group approached this topic in January 2019 in an interdisciplinary approach documented here. Recent aspects of research and history of religion are taken into account, as well as ancient historical, Byzantine, and hagiographic perspectives on a central phenomenon of early Christianity.


Wohltatigkeit gilt als eines der wichtigsten Merkmale des antiken und spatantiken Christentums. Im evangelischen Umfeld oft ahistorisch als Diakonie, im romisch-katholischen als Caritas und im orthodoxen meist einfach nur als Philanthropie bezeichnet, hat wohltatiges Handeln wesentlich zur Popularitat des Christentums in der Spatantike beitragen. Deswegen hat sich die Patristische Arbeitsgemeinschaft im Januar 2019 in einem hier dokumentierten interdisziplinaren Zugang diesem Thema angenahert. Neueste forschungs- und religionsgeschichtlichen Aspekte werden dabei ebenso berucksichtigt wie althistorische, byzantinistische und hagiographische Perspektiven auf ein zentrales Phanomen der fruhen Christenheit.

  • Edited by A. Muller

"This edited volume on aspects of charity and the understanding of charitable behaviors in early and late antique Christianity presents a multidisciplinary approach to the topic, representative of the creative scholarly work undertaken by the Patristic Working Group in their most recent biennial conference. The reader is treated to the spectrum of work, the range of understanding about this important virtue in early Christian life, and the methods by which scholars seek to uncover an understanding of the past. . . Taken together, the volume is ecumenical in its content, with distinctions in the understanding and interpretation of charity (caritas, diaconia, or philanthropia) fully represented in the various essays." Ihssen, Brenda Llewellyn, Church History, July 28, 2023