Early Egyptian-Christian Wealth Ethics: Diverse Christian Moralities from the Apostolic Fathers to the Rise of Constantine

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.