Early Egyptian-Christian Wealth Ethics: Diverse Christian Moralities from the Apostolic Fathers to the Rise of Constantine
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https://www.isdistribution.com/BookDetail.aspx?aId=40960Date
2014Metadatas
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Este ensayo se centra en el tema de la ética de la riqueza en el Egipto preconstaniano, ya que encuentra una diversidad ideológica asombrosa entre los primeros cristianos en esta época. La figura más discutida de este período es, por supuesto, Clemente de Alejandría; La prominencia de Clemente, sin embargo, opaca una otras figuras y puntos de vista. En consecuencia, este trabajo se centrará en una secuencia de figuras y textos menos estudiados. Comienza con las enseñanzas en la Epístola de Bernabé. A continuación, se presta una breve atención al rigorista Sentences of Sextus y Testimony of Truth, dos textos de Nag Hammadi en los que se elabora un escepticismo cristiano compartido sobre la riqueza de maneras bastante diferentes.
Finalmente, el artículo aborda tres figuras distintivas de principios del siglo IV:
1) Pedro, obispo de Alejandría, quien hizo docenas de fuertes exhortaciones sobre la generosidad; 2) Phileas, mártir y obispo de Thmuis, cuya beneficencia era tan grande que incluso su juez quería perdonarle la vida; y 3) Antonio el Grande, cuyo bien conocido ascetismo no le impidió atender a los pobres. El ensayo ilustra la diversidad en las prácticas cristianas, que van de la generosidad al comunalismo del ascetismo al euergetismo; por lo tanto, la investigación ayuda a remediar una laguna en la investigación moderna sobre la ética cristiana primitiva.
Abstract
As the academy has come to appreciate the heterogeneity of early Christianities, it has become increasingly clear that the diversity of Christian theologies was matched by the great variety in Christian ethics. While any number of moral topics warrant attention, this essay focuses on the subject of wealth ethics in pre-Constantian Egypt, since one encounters staggering ideological diversity amongst early Christians in that time and place.
The most-discussed figure from this period is of course Clement of Alexandria; Clement’s prominence, however, has obscured a variety of other figures and views. Consequently, this ‘whistle-stop tour’ will focus on a sequence of less-studied figures and texts. It begins with the rather tame teachings in the EpistleofBarnabas, and moves through the (allegedly) libertine/communal Carpocratians. It then gives brief attention to the rigorist SentencesofSextus and TestimonyofTruth, two Nag Hammadi texts in which a shared Christian skepticism about wealth is worked out in quite different ways.
Finally, the article addresses three distinctive figures from the early fourth century:
1) Peter, bishop of Alexandria, who made dozens of strong exhortations to generosity;
2) Phileas, martyr and bishop of Thmuis, whose beneficence was so great that even his judge wanted to spare his life; and 3) Antony the Great, whose well-known asceticism did not prevent him from earnest care for the poor. The essay illustrates the diversity in Christian practices, which ranged from generosity to communalism to asceticism to euergetism; thus the investigation helps remedy a lacuna in modern research on early Christian ethics.