Poverty and Leadership in the Later Roman Empire

Poverty and Leadership in the Later Roman Empire

Author: Peter Brown

Publisher: UPNE

Published: 2002

Total Pages: 178

ISBN-13: 9781584651468

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A preeminent classical scholar on the emergence of one of our most familiar social divisions.


Book Synopsis Poverty and Leadership in the Later Roman Empire by : Peter Brown

Download or read book Poverty and Leadership in the Later Roman Empire written by Peter Brown and published by UPNE. This book was released on 2002 with total page 178 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A preeminent classical scholar on the emergence of one of our most familiar social divisions.


Preaching Poverty in Late Antiquity

Preaching Poverty in Late Antiquity

Author: Pauline Allen

Publisher: Evangelische Verlagsanstalt

Published: 2009

Total Pages: 253

ISBN-13: 3374027288

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In 2002 the influential scholar of Late Antiquity, Peter Brown, published a series of lectures as a monograph titled Poverty and Leadership in the Later Roman Empire. Brown set out to explain a trend in the late Roman world observed in the 1970s by French social and economic historians, especially Paul Veyne and Evelyn Patlagean, namely that prior to the fourth century and the rise in dominance of Christianity, the poor in society went unrecognized as an economic category. This corresponded with the Greco-Roman understanding of patronage, whereby the state and private donors concentrated their largesse upon the citizen body. Non-citizens, for instance, were excluded from the dole system, in which grain was distributed to citizens of a city regardless of their economic status. By the end of the sixth century, rich and poor were not only recognized economic categories, but the largesse of private citizens was now focused on the poor. Brown proposed that the Christian bishop lay at the heart of this change. The authors set out to test Brown's thesis amid growing interest in the poor and their role in early Christianity and in Late Antique society. They find that the development and its causes were more subtle and complex than Brown proposed and that his account is inadequate on a number of crucial points including rhetorical distortion of the realities of poverty in episcopal letters, homilies and hagiography, the episcopal emphasis on discriminate giving and self-interested giving, and the degree to which existing civic patronage structures adhered in the Later Roman Empire of the fourth and fifth centuries.


Book Synopsis Preaching Poverty in Late Antiquity by : Pauline Allen

Download or read book Preaching Poverty in Late Antiquity written by Pauline Allen and published by Evangelische Verlagsanstalt. This book was released on 2009 with total page 253 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 2002 the influential scholar of Late Antiquity, Peter Brown, published a series of lectures as a monograph titled Poverty and Leadership in the Later Roman Empire. Brown set out to explain a trend in the late Roman world observed in the 1970s by French social and economic historians, especially Paul Veyne and Evelyn Patlagean, namely that prior to the fourth century and the rise in dominance of Christianity, the poor in society went unrecognized as an economic category. This corresponded with the Greco-Roman understanding of patronage, whereby the state and private donors concentrated their largesse upon the citizen body. Non-citizens, for instance, were excluded from the dole system, in which grain was distributed to citizens of a city regardless of their economic status. By the end of the sixth century, rich and poor were not only recognized economic categories, but the largesse of private citizens was now focused on the poor. Brown proposed that the Christian bishop lay at the heart of this change. The authors set out to test Brown's thesis amid growing interest in the poor and their role in early Christianity and in Late Antique society. They find that the development and its causes were more subtle and complex than Brown proposed and that his account is inadequate on a number of crucial points including rhetorical distortion of the realities of poverty in episcopal letters, homilies and hagiography, the episcopal emphasis on discriminate giving and self-interested giving, and the degree to which existing civic patronage structures adhered in the Later Roman Empire of the fourth and fifth centuries.


Poverty in the Roman World

Poverty in the Roman World

Author: Margaret Atkins

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2006-10-09

Total Pages: 17

ISBN-13: 1139458825

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If poor individuals have always been with us, societies have not always seen the poor as a distinct social group. But within the Roman world, from at least the Late Republic onwards, the poor were an important force in social and political life and how to treat the poor was a topic of philosophical as well as political discussion. This book explains what poverty meant in antiquity, and why the poor came to be an important group in the Roman world, and it explores the issues which poverty and the poor raised for Roman society and for Roman writers. In essays which range widely in space and time across the whole Roman Empire, the contributors address both the reality and the representation of poverty, and examine the impact which Christianity had upon attitudes towards and treatment of the poor.


Book Synopsis Poverty in the Roman World by : Margaret Atkins

Download or read book Poverty in the Roman World written by Margaret Atkins and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2006-10-09 with total page 17 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: If poor individuals have always been with us, societies have not always seen the poor as a distinct social group. But within the Roman world, from at least the Late Republic onwards, the poor were an important force in social and political life and how to treat the poor was a topic of philosophical as well as political discussion. This book explains what poverty meant in antiquity, and why the poor came to be an important group in the Roman world, and it explores the issues which poverty and the poor raised for Roman society and for Roman writers. In essays which range widely in space and time across the whole Roman Empire, the contributors address both the reality and the representation of poverty, and examine the impact which Christianity had upon attitudes towards and treatment of the poor.


Through the Eye of a Needle

Through the Eye of a Needle

Author: Peter Brown

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2013-09-02

Total Pages: 806

ISBN-13: 1400844533

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A sweeping intellectual history of the role of wealth in the church in the last days of the Roman Empire Jesus taught his followers that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter heaven. Yet by the fall of Rome, the church was becoming rich beyond measure. Through the Eye of a Needle is a sweeping intellectual and social history of the vexing problem of wealth in Christianity in the waning days of the Roman Empire, written by the world's foremost scholar of late antiquity. Peter Brown examines the rise of the church through the lens of money and the challenges it posed to an institution that espoused the virtue of poverty and called avarice the root of all evil. Drawing on the writings of major Christian thinkers such as Augustine, Ambrose, and Jerome, Brown examines the controversies and changing attitudes toward money caused by the influx of new wealth into church coffers, and describes the spectacular acts of divestment by rich donors and their growing influence in an empire beset with crisis. He shows how the use of wealth for the care of the poor competed with older forms of philanthropy deeply rooted in the Roman world, and sheds light on the ordinary people who gave away their money in hopes of treasure in heaven. Through the Eye of a Needle challenges the widely held notion that Christianity's growing wealth sapped Rome of its ability to resist the barbarian invasions, and offers a fresh perspective on the social history of the church in late antiquity.


Book Synopsis Through the Eye of a Needle by : Peter Brown

Download or read book Through the Eye of a Needle written by Peter Brown and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2013-09-02 with total page 806 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A sweeping intellectual history of the role of wealth in the church in the last days of the Roman Empire Jesus taught his followers that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter heaven. Yet by the fall of Rome, the church was becoming rich beyond measure. Through the Eye of a Needle is a sweeping intellectual and social history of the vexing problem of wealth in Christianity in the waning days of the Roman Empire, written by the world's foremost scholar of late antiquity. Peter Brown examines the rise of the church through the lens of money and the challenges it posed to an institution that espoused the virtue of poverty and called avarice the root of all evil. Drawing on the writings of major Christian thinkers such as Augustine, Ambrose, and Jerome, Brown examines the controversies and changing attitudes toward money caused by the influx of new wealth into church coffers, and describes the spectacular acts of divestment by rich donors and their growing influence in an empire beset with crisis. He shows how the use of wealth for the care of the poor competed with older forms of philanthropy deeply rooted in the Roman world, and sheds light on the ordinary people who gave away their money in hopes of treasure in heaven. Through the Eye of a Needle challenges the widely held notion that Christianity's growing wealth sapped Rome of its ability to resist the barbarian invasions, and offers a fresh perspective on the social history of the church in late antiquity.


Holy Bishops in Late Antiquity

Holy Bishops in Late Antiquity

Author: Claudia Rapp

Publisher: Univ of California Press

Published: 2013-05-01

Total Pages: 363

ISBN-13: 0520931416

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Between 300 and 600, Christianity experienced a momentous change from persecuted cult to state religion. One of the consequences of this shift was the evolution of the role of the bishop—as the highest Church official in his city—from model Christian to model citizen. Claudia Rapp's exceptionally learned, innovative, and groundbreaking work traces this transition with a twofold aim: to deemphasize the reign of the emperor Constantine, which has traditionally been regarded as a watershed in the development of the Church as an institution, and to bring to the fore the continued importance of the religious underpinnings of the bishop's role as civic leader. Rapp rejects Max Weber’s categories of "charismatic" versus "institutional" authority that have traditionally been used to distinguish the nature of episcopal authority from that of the ascetic and holy man. Instead she proposes a model of spiritual authority, ascetic authority and pragmatic authority, in which a bishop’s visible asceticism is taken as evidence of his spiritual powers and at the same time provides the justification for his public role. In clear and graceful prose, Rapp provides a wholly fresh analysis of the changing dynamics of social mobility as played out in episcopal appointments.


Book Synopsis Holy Bishops in Late Antiquity by : Claudia Rapp

Download or read book Holy Bishops in Late Antiquity written by Claudia Rapp and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 2013-05-01 with total page 363 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Between 300 and 600, Christianity experienced a momentous change from persecuted cult to state religion. One of the consequences of this shift was the evolution of the role of the bishop—as the highest Church official in his city—from model Christian to model citizen. Claudia Rapp's exceptionally learned, innovative, and groundbreaking work traces this transition with a twofold aim: to deemphasize the reign of the emperor Constantine, which has traditionally been regarded as a watershed in the development of the Church as an institution, and to bring to the fore the continued importance of the religious underpinnings of the bishop's role as civic leader. Rapp rejects Max Weber’s categories of "charismatic" versus "institutional" authority that have traditionally been used to distinguish the nature of episcopal authority from that of the ascetic and holy man. Instead she proposes a model of spiritual authority, ascetic authority and pragmatic authority, in which a bishop’s visible asceticism is taken as evidence of his spiritual powers and at the same time provides the justification for his public role. In clear and graceful prose, Rapp provides a wholly fresh analysis of the changing dynamics of social mobility as played out in episcopal appointments.


Visions and Faces of the Tragic

Visions and Faces of the Tragic

Author: Paul M. Blowers

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2020-06-11

Total Pages: 320

ISBN-13: 0192595938

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Despite the pervasive early Christian repudiation of pagan theatrical art, especially prior to Constantine, this monograph demonstrates the increasing attention of late-ancient Christian authors to the genre of tragedy as a basis to explore the complexities of human finitude, suffering, and mortality in relation to the wisdom, justice, and providence of God. The book argues that various Christian writers, particularly in the post-Constantinian era, were keenly devoted to the mimesis, or imaginative re-presentation, of the tragic dimension of creaturely existence more than with simply mimicking the poetics of the classical Greek and Roman tragedians. It analyses a whole array of hermeneutical, literary, and rhetorical manifestations of “tragical mimesis” in early Christian writing, which, capitalizing on the elements of tragedy already perceptible in biblical revelation, aspired to deepen and edify Christian engagement with multiform evil and with the extreme vicissitudes of historical existence. Early Christian tragical mimetics included not only interpreting (and often amplifying) the Bible's own tragedies for contemporary audiences, but also developing models of the Christian self as a tragic self, revamping the Christian moral conscience as a tragical conscience, and cultivating a distinctively Christian tragical pathos. The study culminates in an extended consideration of the theological intelligence and accountability of “tragical vision” and tragical mimesis in early Christian literary culture, and the unique role of the theological virtue of hope in its repertoire of tragical emotions.


Book Synopsis Visions and Faces of the Tragic by : Paul M. Blowers

Download or read book Visions and Faces of the Tragic written by Paul M. Blowers and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2020-06-11 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Despite the pervasive early Christian repudiation of pagan theatrical art, especially prior to Constantine, this monograph demonstrates the increasing attention of late-ancient Christian authors to the genre of tragedy as a basis to explore the complexities of human finitude, suffering, and mortality in relation to the wisdom, justice, and providence of God. The book argues that various Christian writers, particularly in the post-Constantinian era, were keenly devoted to the mimesis, or imaginative re-presentation, of the tragic dimension of creaturely existence more than with simply mimicking the poetics of the classical Greek and Roman tragedians. It analyses a whole array of hermeneutical, literary, and rhetorical manifestations of “tragical mimesis” in early Christian writing, which, capitalizing on the elements of tragedy already perceptible in biblical revelation, aspired to deepen and edify Christian engagement with multiform evil and with the extreme vicissitudes of historical existence. Early Christian tragical mimetics included not only interpreting (and often amplifying) the Bible's own tragedies for contemporary audiences, but also developing models of the Christian self as a tragic self, revamping the Christian moral conscience as a tragical conscience, and cultivating a distinctively Christian tragical pathos. The study culminates in an extended consideration of the theological intelligence and accountability of “tragical vision” and tragical mimesis in early Christian literary culture, and the unique role of the theological virtue of hope in its repertoire of tragical emotions.


Journeys of the Mind

Journeys of the Mind

Author: Peter Brown

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2023-06-06

Total Pages: 736

ISBN-13: 0691242283

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"An intellectual autobiography by Peter Brown, one of the most eminent historians of the last 50 years, who is credited with having created the field of study know as Late Antiquity, the period during which Rome fell, the three major monotheistic religions took shape, and Christianity spread across Europe situating it in the major developments in historiography and the study of the religion in the 20th century and the minds behind them"--


Book Synopsis Journeys of the Mind by : Peter Brown

Download or read book Journeys of the Mind written by Peter Brown and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2023-06-06 with total page 736 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "An intellectual autobiography by Peter Brown, one of the most eminent historians of the last 50 years, who is credited with having created the field of study know as Late Antiquity, the period during which Rome fell, the three major monotheistic religions took shape, and Christianity spread across Europe situating it in the major developments in historiography and the study of the religion in the 20th century and the minds behind them"--


Harbor for the Poor

Harbor for the Poor

Author: Eric Costanzo

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2013-03-20

Total Pages: 196

ISBN-13: 172524781X

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Urban poverty in the developed world is an ever-present problem, and Christian approaches to poverty throughout history have much to teach us. The practice of almsgiving, which is the consistent practice of giving and sharing resources to meet the needs of the poor, is a sadly neglected part of this Christian heritage. This book explores the Christian lifestyle of almsgiving through the study of John Chrysostom. The sermons and writings of John Chrysostom (c.347-407 CE), pastor in Antioch and archbishop of Constantinople, contain perhaps the greatest concentration of teaching on almsgiving in all of Christian literature. John's teaching on almsgiving was both biblical and practical, and his ministry helped strengthen care for the poor throughout the Roman Empire of late antiquity. John preached his sermons to congregations filled with people who lived very comfortable lives. From his perspective, the churches of Antioch and Constantinople had grown complacent regarding poverty, when in fact God had called them to become a harbor for the poor.


Book Synopsis Harbor for the Poor by : Eric Costanzo

Download or read book Harbor for the Poor written by Eric Costanzo and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2013-03-20 with total page 196 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Urban poverty in the developed world is an ever-present problem, and Christian approaches to poverty throughout history have much to teach us. The practice of almsgiving, which is the consistent practice of giving and sharing resources to meet the needs of the poor, is a sadly neglected part of this Christian heritage. This book explores the Christian lifestyle of almsgiving through the study of John Chrysostom. The sermons and writings of John Chrysostom (c.347-407 CE), pastor in Antioch and archbishop of Constantinople, contain perhaps the greatest concentration of teaching on almsgiving in all of Christian literature. John's teaching on almsgiving was both biblical and practical, and his ministry helped strengthen care for the poor throughout the Roman Empire of late antiquity. John preached his sermons to congregations filled with people who lived very comfortable lives. From his perspective, the churches of Antioch and Constantinople had grown complacent regarding poverty, when in fact God had called them to become a harbor for the poor.


Basileia

Basileia

Author: Geoffrey Nathan

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2011-01-01

Total Pages: 288

ISBN-13: 9004344896

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Basileia brings together 18 essays on the topic of Imperium and Culture in the Byzantine Empire, from the fourth to the fifteenth centuries. The volume is dedicated to Elizabeth and Michael Jeffreys, who number among the founding members of the Australian Association for Byzantine Studies and whose contribution to the field is internationally recognised. Each of the honorands has contributed a chapter; other contributors include Roger Scott, Pauline Allen, Brian Croke, Ann Mullett, Geoffrey Nathan, Lynda Garland, Bronwen Neil, Andrew Gillett, Amelia Brown, Andrew Stone, Nigel Westbrook and Erika Gielen. This collection will have a broad appeal to those interested in the complex relationship between imperial rule and culture in Byzantium. The volume includes 50 colour and black-and-white images.


Book Synopsis Basileia by : Geoffrey Nathan

Download or read book Basileia written by Geoffrey Nathan and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2011-01-01 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Basileia brings together 18 essays on the topic of Imperium and Culture in the Byzantine Empire, from the fourth to the fifteenth centuries. The volume is dedicated to Elizabeth and Michael Jeffreys, who number among the founding members of the Australian Association for Byzantine Studies and whose contribution to the field is internationally recognised. Each of the honorands has contributed a chapter; other contributors include Roger Scott, Pauline Allen, Brian Croke, Ann Mullett, Geoffrey Nathan, Lynda Garland, Bronwen Neil, Andrew Gillett, Amelia Brown, Andrew Stone, Nigel Westbrook and Erika Gielen. This collection will have a broad appeal to those interested in the complex relationship between imperial rule and culture in Byzantium. The volume includes 50 colour and black-and-white images.


Sinners and Saints

Sinners and Saints

Author: Derek Cooper

Publisher: Kregel Academic

Published: 2018

Total Pages: 176

ISBN-13: 0825444071

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Where most books dance around the distasteful details of the church's past, this one puts a spotlight on the negative and positive alike. With one ear attuned to the early church and another to contemporary culture, this book addresses the growing concerns both Christians and non-Christians have about how transparent the church has been about its roots. This book offers a forthright depiction of early Christianity, beginning with the apostles and ending after the time of Augustine. Sinners and Saints is the first of a four-volume series that humanizes the history of Christianity by honestly examining the actions, doctrines, decisions, groups, movements, and practices of past Christians. This book's assessment helps the reader accurately understand Christianity's background and recognize how it continues to shape the present.


Book Synopsis Sinners and Saints by : Derek Cooper

Download or read book Sinners and Saints written by Derek Cooper and published by Kregel Academic. This book was released on 2018 with total page 176 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Where most books dance around the distasteful details of the church's past, this one puts a spotlight on the negative and positive alike. With one ear attuned to the early church and another to contemporary culture, this book addresses the growing concerns both Christians and non-Christians have about how transparent the church has been about its roots. This book offers a forthright depiction of early Christianity, beginning with the apostles and ending after the time of Augustine. Sinners and Saints is the first of a four-volume series that humanizes the history of Christianity by honestly examining the actions, doctrines, decisions, groups, movements, and practices of past Christians. This book's assessment helps the reader accurately understand Christianity's background and recognize how it continues to shape the present.