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.
Müller's introductory essay (1–28) provides both a historiographical analysis of scholarship on the topic and an effective summary of potential research; it serves as a welcoming foyer to a volume that offers evidence of academia's continued and creative engagement with the important relationship between theology, economic activity, and ethical behaviors within a religious administration. The contents traverse the range of the field, with additional attention to the historiography of caritas and diakoniegeschichtes-schreibung (Schneider, 109–131), exegetical and comparative analysis of the vocabulary (Koet, 29–45; Leppin, 47–65), theological anthropology (Volp, 67–92), eastern Christian/Byzantine attitudes and practices regarding charity (Caner, 93–107; Heimlicher, 133–141; Lemhaus, 143–150), and the role charity plays in hagiography (Seeliger, 151–158). 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.
