Paul, Poverty, and the Greco-Roman World
Bruce W. Longenecker
William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company
Grand Rapids, Michigan / Cambridge, U.K.
All rights reserved
Published 2010 by
Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
2140 Oak Industrial Drive N.E., Grand Rapids, Michigan 49505 /
P.O. Box 163, Cambridge CB3 9PU U.K.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Longenecker, Bruce W.
Remember the poor: Paul, poverty, and the Greco-Roman world /
Bruce W. Longenecker.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 978-0-8028-6373-7 (pbk.: alk. paper)
1. Church work with the poor. 2. Poverty—Religious aspects—Christianity.
3. Poverty—Biblical teaching. 4. Church history—Primitive and early church,
ca. 30-600. 5. Bible. N.T. Epistles of Paul—Criticism, interpretation, etc. I. Title.
BV639.P6L66 2010
261.8′32509015—dc22
2010023293
May your life continue to be marked out
by spirited generosity.
1. “I am not ashamed of the gospel”
Paul’s Alleged Disregard for the Poor
THE POOR IN THEIR ANCIENT PLACES
2. “You have dishonored the poor man”
Advanced Agrarianism and Elite Acquisitiveness
Scaling Poverty in the Greco-Roman World
4. “When did we see you hungry?”
Charitable Initiatives in the Greco-Roman World
Judeo-Christian Theological Traditions
Care for the Poor in Paul’s Communities
Interpretive Paradigms in Conflict
The Poor in the Mission of the Early Jesus-movement
9. “Fulfill the law of Christ”
The Poor in the Rhetoric of Galatians
10. “Not many of you were of noble birth”
Economic Profiles within Paul’s Communities
11. “You would have plucked out your eyes”
The Economic Attractions of Paul’s Communities
Care for the Poor in Paul’s Theology
13. “Content with whatever I have”
appendix 1. An Early Critique of Steven J. Freisen’s 2004 Poverty Scale
appendix 2. Non-Pauline Configurations of Generosity and the Mosaic Law
appendix 3. Dating the Origin of Paul’s Collection
“Thank God it’s them instead of you.” These words from the British seasonal song “Do They Know It’s Christmas Time” (1984) cynically express a prevalent (yet seldom articulated) sentiment of the affluent western world: thank God that desperate poverty engulfs others elsewhere in the world, not me, and not us.1 But the song also expressed an optimism that the human spirit could move beyond self-interest to initiate practical projects on behalf of those in need—not least in the holiday season when friends and family are remembered with generous gifts. Might it be that the poor might also be included within our practical remembrances?
“Remembering” the poor in tangible ways forms a central focus of this book. The ...
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About Remember the Poor: Paul, Poverty, and the Greco-Roman WorldMany scholars engaged in exploring the economic dimensions of early Christianity simply don’t bother with Paul, mistakenly believing that he had little regard for the poor and that his theological deliberations therefore have little relevance to studies of wealth and poverty in the Greco-Roman world. In Remember the Poor, Bruce Longenecker counters this view, arguing persuasively that care for the impoverished was integral to Paul’s teaching and standard practice in the Jesus-groups that he founded. Longenecker sets out a robust “economy scale” for urban Greco-Roman society, using his in-depth analysis of poverty in the first century as the backdrop for a compelling presentation which integrates economics, history, exegesis, and theology. Questioning a number of established interpretive paradigms, Longenecker offers a fresh vision in which Paul’s convictions regarding care for the poor are shown to be historically significant and theologically challenging. |
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