The early Christian origins of voluntary poor relief

Benedikt Koehler

Economic Affairs, 2022, vol. 42, issue 3, 505-514

Abstract: Poor relief funded by voluntary contributions originated in early Christianity. Roman paganism did not practise poor relief; post‐exilic Judaism practised poor relief funded by mandatory contributions; early Christianity introduced poor relief on a voluntary basis. Jesus, Peter, and Paul were formative for early Christian poor relief. Jesus set examples of dispensing alms and respecting private property. Peter and Paul agreed on the duty to fund poor relief but did not agree whether funding of poor relief was mandatory or voluntary. The variant approaches of Peter and Paul to how to reconcile poor relief with property rights opened a fault line that has persisted throughout Christian history.

Date: 2022
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