Almsgiving and care for the poor in the early church

Giving to the poor and the church's care for widows, orphans, and the needy. Part of Wealth and poverty.

Didache 1.5Anonymous · ca. 50–150 (often ca. 100) · Give freely; those who receive without need will answer for it.
Didache 1.6Anonymous · ca. 50–150 (often ca. 100) · Give with care, knowing to whom you give.
Didache 4.5Anonymous · ca. 50–150 (often ca. 100) · Do not be eager to take but slow to give.
Didache 4.6Anonymous · ca. 50–150 (often ca. 100) · Give from your earnings as a ransom for your sins.
Didache 4.7Anonymous · ca. 50–150 (often ca. 100) · Give without hesitation or grumbling; God will repay.
Didache 4.8Anonymous · ca. 50–150 (often ca. 100) · Share everything with fellow believers, as you share in immortal things.
Didache 13.4Anonymous · ca. 50–150 (often ca. 100) · Without a prophet, give the firstfruits to the poor.
Shepherd of Hermas, Mandate 2.4 (27.4)Hermas · ca. 100–150 · Give to everyone in need without hesitation.
Shepherd of Hermas, Mandate 2.5 (27.5)Hermas · ca. 100–150 · Receivers answer to God for why they took.
Shepherd of Hermas, Mandate 2.6 (27.6)Hermas · ca. 100–150 · The giver who gives simply is innocent and will live.
Shepherd of Hermas, Mandate 8.10 (38.10)Hermas · ca. 100–150 · Works of mercy: care for widows and orphans, hospitality, patience, restoring the fallen.
Shepherd of Hermas, Similitude 1.8 (50.8)Hermas · ca. 100–150 · Instead of fields, buy afflicted souls; care for widows and orphans.
Shepherd of Hermas, Similitude 1.9 (50.9)Hermas · ca. 100–150 · God made you rich to serve the needy; such property awaits you in heaven.
Shepherd of Hermas, Similitude 1.10 (50.10)Hermas · ca. 100–150 · Generosity is the good extravagance.
Shepherd of Hermas, Similitude 5.3.7 (56.7)Hermas · ca. 100–150 · On a fast day eat only bread and water, and give the money saved to widows, orphans, or the needy.
Shepherd of Hermas, Similitude 9.24.2 (101.2)Hermas · ca. 100–150 · The simple and generous who share with all without hesitation.
Shepherd of Hermas, Similitude 9.26.2 (103.2)Hermas · ca. 100–150 · Spotted stones are deacons who embezzled from widows and orphans.
Shepherd of Hermas, Similitude 10.4.2 (114.2)Hermas · ca. 100–150 · Everyone should be rescued from hardship.
Shepherd of Hermas, Similitude 10.4.3 (114.3)Hermas · ca. 100–150 · Failing to rescue the desperate makes one guilty of their blood.
Shepherd of Hermas, Vision 3.9.2 (17.2)Hermas · ca. 100–150 · Share food with the needy; do not consume in excess alone.
Shepherd of Hermas, Vision 3.9.4 (17.4)Hermas · ca. 100–150 · Not sharing harms those who have.
Shepherd of Hermas, Vision 3.9.5 (17.5)Hermas · ca. 100–150 · Help the hungry now, before it is too late.
2 Clement 16.4Anonymous · ca. 100–150 · Almsgiving, fasting, prayer, and love: almsgiving lightens sin.
5 Ezra 2.20Anonymous · 2nd–3rd century
To the Smyrnaeans 6.2Ignatius of Antioch · ca. 110 (range ca. 105–135) · The false teachers show no love or care for those in need.
To the Philippians 10.2Polycarp of Smyrna · ca. 110–135 · Do good without delay, since almsgiving delivers from death, and live blamelessly so that the Lord is not blasphemed.
To Diognetus 10.6Anonymous · ca. 150–200 (disputed) · Whoever carries others' burdens and gives to the needy imitates God.
First Apology 67Justin Martyr · ca. 150–155 · Justin describes Sunday worship: Scripture reading, sermon, prayer, the Eucharist, and a collection for the needy, held on the day of creation and of the resurrection.
Sibylline Oracles 8.401ff.Anonymous · 2nd-3rd cent. · God teaches that man is his image, and that the true sacrifice is a bloodless table: feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and helping the afflicted.
Sentences of Sextus 52Anonymous · 2nd-early 3rd cent. · If you are kind to the needy, you will be great before God.
Sentences of Sextus 217Anonymous · 2nd-early 3rd cent. · God does not hear the prayer of a man who does not hear the needy.
Sentences of Sextus 266Anonymous · 2nd-early 3rd cent. · Share with every man.
Sentences of Sextus 267Anonymous · 2nd-early 3rd cent. · To fast for the sake of refreshing a poor man is also good.
Sentences of Sextus 330Anonymous · 2nd-early 3rd cent. · He uses his means best who gives gladly to the needy.
Sentences of Sextus 339Anonymous · 2nd-early 3rd cent. · He who gives something and reckons it up has given an insult rather than a kindness.
Sentences of Sextus 340Anonymous · 2nd-early 3rd cent. · He who protects orphans will be the father of many children according to God.
Sentences of Sextus 342Anonymous · 2nd-early 3rd cent. · If you give anything in such a way that it becomes known to men, you have given it not to a man but to your own desire.
Sentences of Sextus 377Anonymous · 2nd-early 3rd cent. · It is better to have nothing than, having much, to share with no one.
Sentences of Sextus 378Anonymous · 2nd-early 3rd cent. · If you do not give to the needy when you can, you do not receive from God when you ask.
Sentences of Sextus 379Anonymous · 2nd-early 3rd cent. · He who gives food to the needy from the heart gives little indeed, but a great reward of good will shall be his.
Sentences of Sextus 382Anonymous · 2nd-early 3rd cent. · God indeed needs nothing, but he rejoices over those who give to the needy.
Sentence 47 (Greek)Anonymous · 2nd-early 3rd cent. · The only sacrifice to God, and an acceptable one, is doing good to human beings for God's sake.
Sentence 52 (Greek)Anonymous · 2nd-early 3rd cent. · Being kind to those in need, you would be great before God.
Sentence 217 (Greek)Anonymous · 2nd-early 3rd cent. · God does not hear the prayer of one who does not hear people in need.
Sentence 266 (Greek)Anonymous · 2nd-early 3rd cent. · Share your food with everyone.
Sentence 267 (Greek)Anonymous · 2nd-early 3rd cent. · It is good even to fast so that a poor man may be fed.
Sentence 329 (Greek)Anonymous · 2nd-early 3rd cent. · Of whatever you give at once when asked, judge nothing worth more than the one who receives it.
Sentence 330 (Greek)Anonymous · 2nd-early 3rd cent. · You will use your wealth best by sharing it readily with those in need.
Sentence 340 (Greek)Anonymous · 2nd-early 3rd cent. · By caring for orphans you will be a father of many children, dear to God.
Sentence 378 (Greek)Anonymous · 2nd-early 3rd cent. · If you do not give to those in need when you are able, you will not receive from God when you are in need.
Sentence 379 (Greek)Anonymous · 2nd-early 3rd cent. · When one shares food with someone in need with his whole soul, the gift is something small, but the eagerness is great before God.
Diatessaron, section 43Tatian · ca. 160-180
To Autolycus 3.12Theophilus of Antioch · ca. 180–185 · The prophets, speaking by the one Spirit, agree with the law in teaching justice, mercy, and care for the poor, the orphan, and the widow.
Martyrdom of Peter (Greek Acts of Peter) 1Anonymous · ca. 180–200 · Peter accepts a large gift from a woman of bad reputation, saying she gives it as a debtor to Christ for his servants.
Acts of Peter (Vercelli) 8Anonymous · ca. 180–200 · The brothers tell Peter how Simon has turned the generous senator Marcellus against the Christians, and Peter denounces the devil.
Acts of Peter (Vercelli) 17Anonymous · ca. 180–200 · Peter tells how in Judea he exposed Simon's theft of the rich widow Eubula's gold, which led to Eubula's conversion and Simon's flight.
Fragment 7Clement of Alexandria · late 2nd–early 3rd century · Three fragments: alms should be given with discernment to the worthy; the gospel word is like a mustard seed whose growth, the Church, shelters angels and souls; and Christ, born of the Virgin, is like a pearl, light shining through a body.
Fragment 53 (Uncertain origin; Anastasius of Sinai, Question 14, on almsgiving (Stromata 4))Clement of Alexandria · late 2nd-early 3rd century · Alms should be given with discernment to the devout, as a farmer sows good soil.
The Instructor 2.12.120Clement of Alexandria · ca. 190–200 · God gives necessities openly and hides luxuries; all things are made for sharing, and the loving person says “Why should I not share?”; spending on people is better than on jewels.
The Instructor 3.4.30Clement of Alexandria · ca. 190–200 · Rich women keep pets, dwarfs, and freaks, yet neglect widows, the old, and orphans, exposing their own babies while raising birds; Christ counts what is done for the least as done for him.
Against Heresies 4.12.5Irenaeus of Lyons · ca. 180–190 · Christ set the commandments of the law before the rich young man as steps into life and called him to give to the poor and follow him, as Zacchaeus did.
Against Heresies 4.17.3Irenaeus of Lyons · ca. 180–190 · Jeremiah, Isaiah, Zechariah, and David show that God wanted obedience, mercy, and justice rather than sacrifices.
Against Heresies 4.30.3Irenaeus of Lyons · ca. 180–190 · Christians enjoy the peace and goods of the Roman world; using what came from pagans for almsgiving builds God’s tabernacle in us.
Fragment 2 (from the letter to Victor)Irenaeus of Lyons · ca. 190 · Irenaeus says that one who can do good to his neighbors and does not will be counted a stranger to the Lord's love.
Who Is the Rich Man That Is Saved? 13.4Clement of Alexandria · ca. 190–210 · No one could feed the hungry or clothe the naked, as Christ commands on pain of judgment, if he had nothing himself.
Who Is the Rich Man That Is Saved? 13.6Clement of Alexandria · ca. 190–210 · Christ declares salvation to Zacchaeus's house and commands the rich to share with the needy.
Who Is the Rich Man That Is Saved? 30.2Clement of Alexandria · ca. 190–210 · Christ blesses those who fed, gave drink to, and welcomed him in the needy.
Who Is the Rich Man That Is Saved? 31.6Clement of Alexandria · ca. 190–210 · Wealth kept only for oneself is unrighteous, but it can be used righteously by relieving those destined for the Father's eternal dwellings.
Who Is the Rich Man That Is Saved? 31.8Clement of Alexandria · ca. 190–210 · Paul says God loves a cheerful giver, who gives generously without grumbling.
Who Is the Rich Man That Is Saved? 31.9Clement of Alexandria · ca. 190–210 · Better still is the Lord's “Give to everyone who asks”; and beyond even this, to seek out the worthy without waiting to be asked,
Who Is the Rich Man That Is Saved? 32.1Clement of Alexandria · ca. 190–210 · Giving buys an eternal dwelling: a divine exchange of perishable things for incorruption.
Who Is the Rich Man That Is Saved? 33.2Clement of Alexandria · ca. 190–210 · Do not judge who is worthy; it is better to help the unworthy too than to miss the worthy.
Who Is the Rich Man That Is Saved? 34.2Clement of Alexandria · ca. 190–210 · The redeemed rich man should enlist a different army: pious old men, orphans, and gentle widows.
Miscellanies 2.18.85Clement of Alexandria · ca. 198–203 · The law's humanity shows in paying the poor the same day, forbidding creditors to seize pledges by force, and leaving gleanings and uncut corners for the poor.
Miscellanies 2.18.86Clement of Alexandria · ca. 198–203 · The law shows God's justice and goodness in the gleanings, the tithes, the sabbatical year, and the jubilee restoring land to the poor; so it is good and a teacher of justice; mercy to the poor is blessed.
Miscellanies 4.6.35Clement of Alexandria · ca. 198–203 · Christ counts the choice, not the size of the gift; Zacchaeus (or Matthias, some say) gave half his goods and was saved; the widow's two coins were more than the rich man's gift.
Miscellanies 4.6.38Clement of Alexandria · ca. 198–203 · Mercy is not grief but a noble thing God desires more than sacrifice; those who wish to show mercy but cannot, through poverty, illness, or age, share the same honor as those who can.
Miscellanies 7.12.69Clement of Alexandria · ca. 198–203 · The one who knows treats everyone alike, helping those in need, even enemies and persecutors, with wise discernment; like God, he is no one's enemy, though the disobedient make themselves his enemies.
Miscellanies 7.12.77Clement of Alexandria · ca. 198–203 · Believers are true brothers who share the same faith, knowledge, and hope; the one who knows lives in the city as in a desert, takes the apostles' place in helping others, does good in secret, and goes without so that a brother in need may not suffer.
Apology 39Tertullian · ca. 197 · Tertullian describes Christian life together: common prayer, Scripture reading, discipline, elders chosen for character, a voluntary fund for the poor and imprisoned, and the agape meal.
Apology 42Tertullian · ca. 197 · Christians are not useless to society: they live, work, trade, farm, sail, and serve as soldiers like others, and pay their taxes honestly, abstaining only from pagan rites.
Acts of Thomas 19Anonymous · ca. 200–250 · Thomas gives the king's money to the poor, tells the king the palace awaits only its roof, and thanks the Lord who sold him to free many.
Acts of Thomas 20Anonymous · ca. 200–250 · The king learns that Thomas has built nothing but has given everything to the poor, healed the sick, and lived ascetically.
Acts of Thomas 59Anonymous · ca. 200–250 · The people believe and give money for the widows, whom Thomas provides for through his deacons, and he proves from the prophets that Jesus is the Christ.
Didascalia 2.4Anonymous · first half of the third century
Didascalia 2.27Anonymous · first half of the third century · Offerings are brought to the bishop, who knows the needy and distributes fairly, and he sends the neediest widows to those who give agapes.
Didascalia 2.35Anonymous · first half of the third century
Didascalia 2.36Anonymous · first half of the third century
Didascalia 3.3Anonymous · first half of the third century
Didascalia 3.4Anonymous · first half of the third century
Didascalia 4.1Anonymous · first half of the third century · Christians without a son should adopt orphan boys, and those with a son should take in orphan girls as future wives for them.
Didascalia 4.2Anonymous · first half of the third century · Bishops see to the upbringing of orphans, and orphan boys learn a trade so as to support themselves.
Didascalia 4.3Anonymous · first half of the third century · Those who can support themselves should not take from the needy; those who receive from true need are honored as God's altar and pray for their givers.
Didascalia 4.4 (Latin)Anonymous · first half of the third century · Those who receive alms in hypocrisy or out of idleness will give account, and the hoarder is like a serpent sleeping on its treasure.
Didascalia 4.4 (English)Anonymous · first half of the third century
Didascalia 4.5Anonymous · first half of the third century
Didascalia 4.6Anonymous · first half of the third century
Didascalia 4.7–8Anonymous · first half of the third century
Didascalia 4.9Anonymous · first half of the third century
Didascalia 5.1Anonymous · first half of the third century
Arabic Pentateuch fragment XXV (on Deut 24–26)Hippolytus of Rome · unknown (transmitted in a medieval Arabic catena) · The catena summarizes further laws of Deuteronomy: leprosy, pledges, wages, individual responsibility, gleaning, lawsuits, the ox, levirate marriage, just weights, and tithes.
Letters to Virgins 1.12.1Anonymous · 3rd century · Visiting orphans, widows, and the poor is good.
On Dice-Players 11Anonymous · 3rd cent. (disputed) · The gambler is urged to give his money to the church and the poor instead, laying up treasure in heaven.
Commentary on Daniel 3.5Hippolytus of Rome · ca. 202-204 · Twelve months after setting up the image Nebuchadnezzar lost his kingdom; the lemma of Daniel 4:19–35 gives Daniel's interpretation and its fulfilment.
Commentary on Daniel 3.7Hippolytus of Rome · ca. 202-204 · Nebuchadnezzar's boasting did not save him; Daniel, like a good physician, counselled him with tears, his face changing between fear and angelic glory, and gave him hope that his kingdom would be restored.
Against Marcion 2.19Tertullian · 207/208 (third edition, completed later) · The law kept Israel mindful of God in every part of life, and the prophets taught justice, mercy, and care for the poor, while the Psalms promise blessing to the righteous: proof of a supremely good God.
Against Marcion 4.37Tertullian · 207/208 (third edition, completed later) · Zacchaeus fulfilled Isaiah's commands of mercy and was saved, Christ came to save the whole man, flesh as well as soul, and the parable of the entrusted money shows a God who judges.
On Flight in Persecution 13Tertullian · ca. 208–213 · The command to give to all who ask concerns alms, not extortion, and the saying about making friends by mammon does not mean paying off persecutors; Tertullian denounces whole churches and their bishops who pay regular protection money to soldiers.
Fragments on Job, column 83Origen · ca. 220-254 · Eliphaz's charges become lessons on mercy to widows and orphans, on the sleep of sin, and on God's providence over all.
Fragments on Proverbs, column 169Origen · ca. 220-254 · Demons cannot reach the mind given to wisdom; almsgiving and meekness drive away terrors; the Lord resists the proud and gives grace to the humble.
Fragments on Proverbs, column 217Origen · ca. 220-254 · The mind is a horse that bears the Lord's name; rich and poor serve each other's salvation; the faithful from the nations now lend teaching to Israel; the devil must be driven out of the council of the soul.
Commentary on John 19.42Origen · ca. 230–248 · Mark's account of the widow's two coins.
Commentary on John 19.43Origen · ca. 230–248 · Spiritually, the temple treasury is a place of offerings for God's honor and the relief of the poor.
Commentary on John 19.50Origen · ca. 230–248 · The widow gave all she had, offering her whole strength to God.
Homily on Luke 23Origen · ca. 233–250 · The axe at the root signifies the cutting off of unbelieving Israel; the two tunics are the old and new man; and the tax collectors point to the powers who will examine souls after death, while angels too are present in the church and are taught by its preaching.
Homilies on Ezekiel 9.5Origen · ca. 238–250 (Jerome's translation in the 380s) · Neglect of the poor and boasting are Sodom’s sins, found within us; both wealth and spiritual gifts breed pride, as Paul’s thorn and David’s fall after boasting of his purity show.
Homilies on Leviticus 4.9Origen · ca. 238–250 (Rufinus's translation ca. 400–410) · The full handful with oil and incense signifies generous mercy and service; the 'memorial' is remembering Scripture and what is taught in church, and what exceeds one's understanding is to be left to the priest and teacher.
Homilies on Leviticus 10.2Origen · ca. 238–250 (Rufinus's translation ca. 400–410) · Christians should not keep the Jewish fast of the Day of Atonement; Barabbas and Jesus are the two goats, and Christian fasting means abstaining from sin, with set fasts and fasting to feed the poor.
Homilies on Numbers 11.9Origen · ca. 238–250 (Rufinus's translation ca. 400–410) · The firstfruits of almsgiving are a merciful heart, and the firstfruits of the sacrifice of praise are prayer offered with a collected, attentive mind, which the angels present to Christ.
Homilies on Psalms 36-38 4.5Origen · ca. 238–250 (Rufinus's translation ca. 400–410) · The righteous man is the exact opposite of the sinner: he does not borrow but lends and shows mercy all his life.
Instructions 1.30Commodian · 3rd century (disputed) · Commodian rebukes the proud rich and urges them to share with the poor and atone for their sins by good deeds.
Instructions 2.20Commodian · 3rd century (disputed) · Commodian rebukes the church for comfort while confessors suffer, and urges feeding the poor, especially on the Lord's day.
Instructions 2.30Commodian · 3rd century (disputed) · Visiting the sick poor means bringing food, drink, or money, not words, and God will repay it fourfold.
Instructions 2.34Commodian · 3rd century (disputed) · The clergy should give food and wine to the poor at Easter, as an example to the people.
Instructions 2.37Commodian · 3rd century (disputed) · Whoever gives a meal should include the poor, who cannot repay, and so lend to God.
Instructions 2.38Commodian · 3rd century (disputed) · Prayer is heard when joined to justice and mercy to the needy.
Metaphrase of Ecclesiastes 11Gregory Thaumaturgus · 3rd century · Paraphrase of Ecclesiastes 11: be generous, work in season, and remember the judgment of God against the pleasures of youth.
Commentary on Matthew, Latin Series 60Origen · ca. 244–249 (Latin translation, 4th–5th century) · The watches of the night are the stages of life at which people begin to watch for the Lord; the faithful and wise servant is the bishop or steward who serves rather than lords it, feeds his fellow servants rightly, and administers church funds for the poor with honesty and discernment.
Commentary on Matthew, Latin Series 68Origen · ca. 244–249 (Latin translation, 4th–5th century) · The servant with one talent stands for believers who hide their faith and think of God as harsh; the Lord reaps where the righteous sowed and counts gifts to the poor as given to himself, and he is severe only to those who abuse his mercy, so his words must be entrusted to hearers who will pass them on.
Commentary on Matthew 15.17Origen · ca. 246–248 · A literal answer: the prayers of the poor whom the renouncer helps bring him divine help, so that from that day he begins to grow, like Isaac, toward virtue and freedom from passion.
Commentary on Romans 9.12Origen · ca. 244–246 (Rufinus's translation ca. 405–406) · Whether one reads 'the needs' or 'the remembrances' of the saints, both are edifying: sharing our means with them as equals, and remembering them in the assemblies.
Commentary on Romans 10.14Origen · ca. 244–246 (Rufinus's translation ca. 405–406) · The collection of Macedonia and Achaia for Jerusalem's poor gently exhorts the Romans; spiritually, the 'poor saints of Jerusalem' are all the spiritual, dwelling in the vision of peace, to whom less perfect souls owe carnal ministry, while spiritual gifts are shared rather than owed; Paul seals the gift with the image of God, and prophesies his coming in Christ's blessing.
To Quirinus 3.1Cyprian of Carthage · ca. 248–250 (book 3 perhaps later) · Scripture passages on almsgiving and works of mercy, from Isaiah's true fast to Christ's judgment of the nations by what was done for the least of his brothers.
To Quirinus 3.113Cyprian of Carthage · ca. 248–250 (book 3 perhaps later) · Widows and orphans must be protected, since God himself is their father and judge.
Letter 5.1Cyprian of Carthage · 249/250–258 · From hiding, Cyprian asks his clergy to act in his place and to see that imprisoned confessors and the faithful poor lack nothing.
Letter 7.1Cyprian of Carthage · 249/250–258 · Cyprian explains that he stays away to avoid provoking the heathen, and asks his clergy to care for widows, the sick, the poor, and needy strangers from his own funds.
Letter 8.3Cyprian of Carthage · 249/250–258 · The lapsed who fall sick and repent should receive communion; widows, prisoners, the homeless, and sick catechumens must be cared for, and the dead buried.
Letter 14.2Cyprian of Carthage · 249/250–258 · Cyprian charges his clergy to care for the faithful poor and needy confessors, and to teach the confessors humility after the example of Christ and Paul.
Letter 62.2Cyprian of Carthage · 249/250–258 · The captives are temples of God and wear Christ; in them Christ himself must be ransomed, and the danger to consecrated virgins adds to the urgency.
Letter 62.3Cyprian of Carthage · 249/250–258 · The church of Carthage has gladly collected 100,000 sesterces to ransom the captives, for Christ will reward those who free him from captivity.
On the Lord's Prayer 32Cyprian of Carthage · ca. 252 · Prayer must be joined with good works, fasting, and almsgiving, like that of Cornelius.
On the Lord's Prayer 33Cyprian of Carthage · ca. 252 · Prayers joined with good works rise quickly to God, as with Tobit, as Isaiah teaches, and as Paul calls gifts to him a sacrifice.
On the Lapsed 35Cyprian of Carthage · 251 · The lapsed must do long and earnest penance with prayer, fasting, mourning, and generous almsgiving, spending on the poor the property that caused their fall.
On the Unity of the Catholic Church 26Cyprian of Carthage · 251 · Christians now give less than the first believers, showing that faith has weakened, as Christ foretold.
On Works and Almsgiving 1Cyprian of Carthage · ca. 253 · Besides the gift of redemption, God has given a further remedy for the sins committed after baptism: works of mercy and almsgiving.
On Works and Almsgiving 2Cyprian of Carthage · ca. 253 · Sins committed after baptism can be cleansed by almsgiving, as Scripture teaches and as Christ said: “Give alms, and all things are clean for you.”
On Works and Almsgiving 4Cyprian of Carthage · ca. 253 · Scripture constantly calls God's people to works of mercy; Isaiah says that fasting and sackcloth do not appease God, but feeding the hungry and clothing the naked do.
On Works and Almsgiving 5Cyprian of Carthage · ca. 253 · Scripture teaches that sins are redeemed by mercy to the poor, as Daniel counseled Nebuchadnezzar and Raphael told Tobit; prayers and fasts without almsgiving avail little.
On Works and Almsgiving 6Cyprian of Carthage · ca. 253 · Tabitha, devoted to almsgiving, was raised from the dead by Peter at the widows' pleading, showing that mercy frees even from bodily death.
On Works and Almsgiving 7Cyprian of Carthage · ca. 253 · Christ commands almsgiving more than anything else: sell your goods, lay up treasure in heaven, and buy the pearl of great price.
On Works and Almsgiving 9Cyprian of Carthage · ca. 253 · Almsgiving will not impoverish, for Scripture promises that those who give will lack nothing and that God provides for those who seek his kingdom first.
On Works and Almsgiving 15Cyprian of Carthage · ca. 253 · The rich who bring no offering to the Eucharist but eat what the poor offered should learn from the poor widow, whom Christ praised for giving all she had.
On Works and Almsgiving 17Cyprian of Carthage · ca. 253 · The widow of Zarephath fed Elijah before her own children and was rewarded; Christians, redeemed by Christ, have still less excuse to put their children before him.
On Works and Almsgiving 18Cyprian of Carthage · ca. 253 · Many children are a reason to give more, not less, as Job offered sacrifices for each of his children.
On Works and Almsgiving 20Cyprian of Carthage · ca. 253 · Parents should teach their children what Tobit taught his son: serve God, do righteousness, and give alms according to their means.
On Works and Almsgiving 23Cyprian of Carthage · ca. 253 · The rich have no excuse, for Christ has foretold that at the judgment he will reward or condemn each according to what they did for the least of his brothers.
On Works and Almsgiving 26Cyprian of Carthage · ca. 253 · Cyprian praises almsgiving as a remedy for sin and a crown within reach of all; those who give will receive a white crown in peace and a purple one in persecution.
Life of Cyprian 2Anonymous · ca. 258–265 · From his conversion Cyprian embraced continence and sold his property for the poor, becoming perfect almost before he had been taught.
Life of Cyprian 3Anonymous · ca. 258–265 · Cyprian, though a recent convert, was quickly made a presbyter and urged others to imitate the deeds for which the saints, especially Job, had pleased God.
Life of Cyprian 6Anonymous · ca. 258–265 · As bishop Cyprian was grave and joyful, moderate in dress, and as generous to the poor as he had been as a catechumen.
Life of Cyprian 10Anonymous · ca. 258–265 · Under Cyprian's direction the Christians of Carthage cared for all the plague victims, Christian and pagan alike, surpassing even Tobit, who buried only his own people.
Apostolic Church Order 13Anonymous · ca. 300 · Make peace, judge impartially, pray without doubting, give generously and share all things with your brother.
Apostolic Church Order 22Anonymous · ca. 300 · The deacons' work: to seek out the needy day and night without partiality, see that they are not passed over, and urge the able to give.
Apostolic Church Order 29Anonymous · ca. 300 · Generous sharing lays up treasure in the kingdom.
Canons of Hippolytus, canon 5Anonymous · 4th century · The deacon serves the bishop and presbyters, reports the sick and the hidden poor, and is ordained with a prayer naming Stephen as model.
Canons of Hippolytus, canon 32Anonymous · 4th century · Virgins and widows fast and pray often; clergy fast freely; a deacon may act for an absent presbyter except at the great offering; alms are distributed promptly; agapes for the poor are held with the bishop's prayer and end before dark.
Church History 4.23.10Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 300–325 · Dionysius (quoted): Rome has always sent aid to churches and to Christians in the mines, a custom Soter has increased.
Church History 5.18.7Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 300–325 · Apollonius: contrary to Christ's command, the Montanist prophets and martyrs extort money even from the poor, orphans, and widows.
Church History 7.32.24Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 300–325 · Agapius succeeded Theotecnus at Caesarea and cared especially for the poor.
Church History 9.8.14Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 300–325 · Only the Christians cared for the sick, buried the dead, and fed the hungry, so that pagans praised their God.
Church History 10.8.11Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 300–325 · Licinius forbade anyone to feed or pity prisoners, on pain of sharing their punishment.
Acta Archelai (Latin) 1Hegemonius · early to mid 4th century (Greek original) · Marcellus, a devout and generous citizen of Carchar, pays the ransom of 7,700 captives brought to Bishop Archelaus.
Acta Archelai (Latin) 3Hegemonius · early to mid 4th century (Greek original) · Marcellus feeds and heals the captives, buries the dead, sends everyone home, and becomes famous throughout the region for his charity.
Homilies 11.4Anonymous · 4th century (reworking earlier material) · Man, not the idol, is God's image, so godliness toward God means feeding, clothing, sheltering and visiting people in need.
Homilies 12.32Anonymous · 4th century (reworking earlier material) · Peter describes the righteous man who loves his enemies and his neighbour as himself, and the works of mercy that make up the female part of love for humanity.
Testament of Our Lord 1.34Anonymous · ca. 350–500
Testament of Our Lord 2.15Anonymous · ca. 350–500
Divine Institutes 3.23.6Lactantius · ca. 303–311 · Money should be given to the poor, not thrown away.
Divine Institutes 5.5.7Lactantius · ca. 303–311 · The golden age meant generosity to the poor, not the absence of property.
Divine Institutes 5.5.8Lactantius · ca. 303–311 · When the just shared, no one went hungry.
Divine Institutes 5.6.12Lactantius · ca. 303–311 · True religion makes people brothers who share, help, and welcome.
Divine Institutes 5.22.8Lactantius · ca. 303–311 · He is content and shares with the needy.
Divine Institutes 6.10.3Lactantius · ca. 303–311 · God gave frail man compassion so that people would help one another.
Divine Institutes 6.10.9Lactantius · ca. 303–311 · Doing good means helping the oppressed and feeding the hungry.
Divine Institutes 6.10.10Lactantius · ca. 303–311 · We must help others as we would be helped.
Divine Institutes 6.10.22Lactantius · ca. 303–311 · If society is for mutual help, we must help the needy.
Divine Institutes 6.11.6Lactantius · ca. 303–311 · Hunger and cold call for help as much as accidents.
Divine Institutes 6.11.7Lactantius · ca. 303–311 · They help only those who can repay.
Divine Institutes 6.11.13Lactantius · ca. 303–311 · True justice gives to those who cannot repay.
Divine Institutes 6.11.16Lactantius · ca. 303–311 · Give most to those from whom you expect nothing.
Divine Institutes 6.11.17Lactantius · ca. 303–311 · Do not choose whom to help; everyone who asks is human.
Divine Institutes 6.11.18Lactantius · ca. 303–311 · Give to the blind, lame, and destitute, whom God keeps alive.
Divine Institutes 6.11.26Lactantius · ca. 303–311 · True beneficence meets real need.
Divine Institutes 6.11.27Lactantius · ca. 303–311 · Gifts to the non-needy are not justice.
Divine Institutes 6.11.28Lactantius · ca. 303–311 · True generosity feeds the needy.
Divine Institutes 6.12.15Lactantius · ca. 303–311 · Cicero praised ransoming captives.
Divine Institutes 6.12.16Lactantius · ca. 303–311 · Feeding the poor and ransoming captives is the work of the just.
Divine Institutes 6.12.21Lactantius · ca. 303–311 · Protecting orphans and widows is a great work of justice.
Divine Institutes 6.12.23Lactantius · ca. 303–311 · Care for widows and orphans frees believers to face martyrdom.
Divine Institutes 6.12.24Lactantius · ca. 303–311 · Caring for the sick is a living sacrifice to God.
Divine Institutes 6.12.39Lactantius · ca. 303–311 · Redirect spending on games to ransom, food, and burial.
Divine Institutes 6.13.13Lactantius · ca. 303–311 · Adorn God's living images, the poor, rather than idols.
Divine Institutes 6.17.16Lactantius · ca. 303–311 · Thrift is not a virtue when mercy requires spending.
Divine Institutes 6.17.19Lactantius · ca. 303–311 · Giving to the poor is not prodigality.
Divine Institutes 6.17.20Lactantius · ca. 303–311 · Spending to save lives is virtue; stinginess is vice.
Martyrs of Palestine (shorter recension) 11.22Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 311–314 · After leaving the army Seleucus lived as an ascetic caring for orphans, widows, the poor and sick.
Preparation for the Gospel 1.4.11Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 313–324 · Multitudes everywhere are taught self-control, patience under insult, generosity to the poor, and brotherhood with all.
Preparation for the Gospel 8.7.19Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 313–324 · The produce of the seventh year is left free for travelers and the needy.
Preparation for the Gospel 8.8.45Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 313–324 · Basic help must be given to all.
Preparation for the Gospel 13.21.13Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 313–324 · Moses’ harvest laws show generosity to the neighbor and the poor.
Epitome of the Divine Institutes 60.6Lactantius · ca. 314–320 · Feed the hungry, clothe the naked, defend the weak, shelter strangers, protect orphans and widows.
Epitome of the Divine Institutes 60.7Lactantius · ca. 314–320 · Ransoming captives, visiting the sick, and burying the poor are true sacrifices to God.
Demonstration of the Gospel 1.6.14Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 314–324 · Job’s account of his care for the poor, the widow, and the orphan shows a life in harmony with the gospel.
Demonstration of the Gospel 3.6.23Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 314–324 · Countless followers of Jesus, not just one or two, have sold their goods for the poor, as Eusebius has seen himself.
Book 4, lines 272–294Juvencus · ca. 330 · The judge tells the righteous they served him in the needy, and condemns the unrighteous to the fire prepared for the devil.
Demonstration 4.14Aphrahat · 337-345 · Works that give God rest, like relieving the weary and needy, are themselves prayer; one should not put off a needed act of mercy for the hour of prayer.
Demonstration 20.1Aphrahat · 337-345 · Giving to the needy from one's own labour is the rest and the fast that God loves.
Demonstration 20.2Aphrahat · 337-345 · The law of Moses provided for the poor, the stranger, the orphan, and the widow through gleanings and the sabbatical year.
Demonstration 20.4Aphrahat · 337-345 · David cared for the poor and blessed those who consider the needy; Scripture teaches that giving to the poor is lending to God.
Demonstration 20.5Aphrahat · 337-345 · In the parable of the last judgment, Christ blesses those who served him in the poor and condemns those who did not.
Demonstration 20.13Aphrahat · 337-345 · Almsgiving atones for sins, while oppression of the poor brings judgment.
Demonstration 20.15Aphrahat · 337-345 · Job's friends accused him of neglecting the poor, but Job answered that he had cared for the blind, lame, naked, orphan, and widow.
Demonstration 20.16Aphrahat · 337-345 · Christ commands inviting the poor and making friends by unrighteous mammon; the friends who receive us into eternal tents are God and his Christ, and true treasure is laid up in heaven.
Life of Constantine 1.43.1Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 337–339 · Constantine was generous to beggars, the impoverished, orphans, and widows, and provided dowries for orphan girls.
Life of Constantine 3.44.1Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 337–339 · On her journey Helena gave generously to cities, soldiers, and the poor, and freed prisoners and exiles.
Life of Constantine 4.28.1Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 337–339 · Constantine endowed churches for the poor and honored ascetics and consecrated virgins.
Letter 1Ammonas · ca. 340-360 · Ammonas rejoices that his disciples’ “body” is alive, contrasts the dead fasting rebuked in Isaiah 58, and prays that they may grow in every fruit of holiness.
Catechetical Lecture 15.26Cyril of Jerusalem · ca. 350 · The way to the kingdom is the works of mercy of Matthew 25 and faithful stewardship of every gift.
Commentary on Matthew 28Hilary of Poitiers · ca. 353–355 · In the judgment of the sheep and goats, Christ is fed, clothed, and visited in his least ones; then he foretells his passion as the Jews plot his death.
Letters 2Eusebius of Vercelli · 355-360 · From exile at Scythopolis, Eusebius thanks his churches for their letters and gifts, describes his mistreatment by the Arians under Patrophilus, quotes his protest, and urges them to keep the faith.
On Saint Athanasius 1.42Lucifer of Cagliari · ca. 356–361 · From Isaiah 56–58 Lucifer argues that the emperor's fasting and almsgiving cannot please God while he exiles, starves, imprisons and dispossesses the faithful to force them into the Arian faith.
On Saint Athanasius 1.44Lucifer of Cagliari · ca. 356–361 · Closing the first book, Lucifer promises the emperor God's light if he returns to the church, and denies that alms given from the confiscated goods of the faithful can please God.
History of the Arians 61Athanasius of Alexandria · ca. 357 · Athanasius condemns the Arians for driving away the widows and poor who were being fed by the faithful, and for accusing those who gave them alms.
Letter 94Basil of Caesarea · ca. 357–378 · Basil defends to the governor Elias his building of a great church complex with a hospice, hospital, and workshops outside Caesarea against his slanderers.
Letter 142Basil of Caesarea · ca. 357–378 · Basil introduces a chorepiscopus to a prefect's accountant and asks him to exempt the chorepiscopus's poorhouse from taxation.
Letter 143Basil of Caesarea · ca. 357–378 · Basil commends a chorepiscopus and his poorhouse to another tax official, who himself supports a poorhouse at Amasea.
Letter 144Basil of Caesarea · ca. 357–378 · Basil commends the chorepiscopus to a prefect's officer and reminds him of a private promise to help the poor.
Homilies on the Psalms 14.4Basil of Caesarea · ca. 360-378 · Basil turns to Matt 5:42, grounding generosity in human nature as social.
Homilies on the Psalms 14.6Basil of Caesarea · ca. 360-378 · Basil explains that almsgiving needs discernment, as in the church of Acts, where gifts were pooled and distributed by those in charge of the poor; giving to the poor is lending to God, with the kingdom as pledge.
Homilies on the Psalms 14.9Basil of Caesarea · ca. 360-378 · Basil urges the poor to work or beg rather than borrow, describes the ruin of debtors and their children, and tells the rich to lend to the poor as to God, who repays the interest himself.
Moral Rules (Moralia) 47Basil of Caesarea · ca. 360-370 · Basil's forty-seventh rule, on treasure in heaven, with Rules 48 (on mercy, sharing, poverty, freedom from anxiety and the duty to work) and 49 (on not going to law or taking revenge), whose headings the scan lost.
Letter 203Gregory of Nazianzus · ca. 360–390 · Gregory again commends young Euphemius to Palladius; then he brings the widow Philumena before the governor Olympius, asking him to help widows and orphans.
Letter 347Gregory of Nazianzus · ca. 360–390 · Gregory asks a friend abroad to send back a lady who supports him; then he asks Cyriacus to protect the estates that support the poorhouse run by Sacerdos.
Tractates on the Psalms 51.21Hilary of Poitiers · ca. 360–367 · Riches should make us grateful and generous; gold is rightly used by feeding the hungry and freeing captives, whereas the unbelieving people trusted in the law's shadow and human traditions.
Tractates on the Psalms 122.13Hilary of Poitiers · ca. 360–367 · Since God reverses the lot of rich and poor, we must not despise the humble and needy but care for them, as Paul and Peter agreed.
Tractates on the Psalms 131.25Hilary of Poitiers · ca. 360–367 · The poor are satisfied when the church feeds them, since Christ receives such service as done to himself, and when those poor in spirit receive the food of eternal life.
Tractates on the Psalms 133.5Hilary of Poitiers · ca. 360–367 · Lifting hands in the night means doing works of mercy in this dark age, the true evening sacrifice, given cheerfully as Moses' raised hands won the battle.
Tractates on the Psalms 140.4Hilary of Poitiers · ca. 360–367 · The evening sacrifice of the last times is works of mercy done to the least of Christ's brothers.
Commentary on Galatians 2.10Marius Victorinus · ca. 360–363 · The Jerusalem leaders added only that Paul remember the poor, which Victorinus takes as a reminder, not a condition of salvation, though Paul was eager to do it.
Commentary on Galatians 6.10Marius Victorinus · ca. 360–363 · Since time is short, believers must do good to all without exception, but especially to fellow believers who hold to faith alone in Christ.
Oration 8.10Gregory of Nazianzus · ca. 362–383 · Gorgonia rejected cosmetics and finery; she was wise, silent about doctrine, generous to the church and the poor, and outstanding in fasting, vigils, prayer, and tears.
Oration 14.11Gregory of Nazianzus · ca. 362–383 · Even parents drive away their leprous children; the sick are shunned more than criminals, barred from towns and even water, and so must beg at the church festivals.
Oration 14.13Gregory of Nazianzus · ca. 362–383 · The lepers share our nature, the image of God, baptism, and the hope of glory; Christians who follow the compassionate Christ must not abandon them while living in luxury, fine clothes, and feasting.
Oration 14.18Gregory of Nazianzus · ca. 362–383 · Our soul’s sickness, insensibility to the poor, is worse than leprosy; Gregory refuses to enjoy his goods unless he shares them, and reminds his hearers how unstable all human prosperity is.
Oration 14.22Gregory of Nazianzus · ca. 362–383 · Let us follow the Word by sharing our goods with the poor, giving a portion to the soul and to God; we can never outdo God’s generosity, since all we give is already his.
Oration 14.27Gregory of Nazianzus · ca. 362–383 · Doing good makes us like God, who gave us every gift; Gregory urges spiritual and bodily help for the lepers, insisting that approaching them is safe and that the sick man is a member of one’s own body.
Oration 14.28Gregory of Nazianzus · ca. 362–383 · Anyone may fall into misfortune, so the prosperous should help while they can; even a little given, or tears, matter, and if the Law commands care for a fallen beast, far more is owed to a fellow human being.
Oration 14.35Gregory of Nazianzus · ca. 362–383 · All the writers of Scripture insist on care for the poor, and the Psalms show God rising up for the poor and watching over them with special care.
Oration 14.36Gregory of Nazianzus · ca. 362–383 · God’s concern for the wronged poor shows how much he values kindness to them; almsgiving cleanses the soul’s leprosy, and the wounded soul is healed by Christ when it shows mercy to the sick.
Oration 14.38Gregory of Nazianzus · ca. 362–383 · Scripture blesses the merciful; Gregory urges immediate, cheerful giving without delay or grumbling, which Isaiah promises will bring light and healing.
Oration 14.39Gregory of Nazianzus · ca. 362–383 · Christ’s purse for the poor, the apostles’ agreement, and the command to the rich young man show that kindness is a law, not advice; the goats at the judgment are condemned for neglecting Christ in the needy.
Oration 14.40Gregory of Nazianzus · ca. 362–383 · Gregory concludes: let us honour Christ not with costly gifts but with mercy to the poor, so that they may receive us into the eternal dwellings.
Oration 16.20Gregory of Nazianzus · ca. 362–383 · Gregory asks his father to teach the people generosity to the poor and, like Moses or Phinehas, to intercede so that God’s wrath may cease and both earthly and heavenly fruit be given.
Oration 18.8Gregory of Nazianzus · ca. 362–383 · Gregory contrasts Eve with his mother Nonna, who led her husband to piety while managing the household and giving generously to the poor.
Oration 18.9Gregory of Nazianzus · ca. 362–383 · Gregory lists his mother’s devotion in prayer, fasting, psalmody, and care for orphans, widows, and mourners.
Oration 18.16Gregory of Nazianzus · ca. 362–383 · Gregory finds his father’s virtues too many to choose among and praises his generous, ungrudging giving to the poor.
Oration 18.21Gregory of Nazianzus · ca. 362–383 · Gregory praises his parents’ unostentatious generosity, his father’s just and gentle government of the church, his genuine humility, and above all his freedom from malice.
Oration 19.11Gregory of Nazianzus · ca. 362–383 · Gregory tells officials to be content with their lawful pay, urges mercy to the poor, and asks the tax assessor to deal humanely with his people, since Christ was born during a census and paid the temple tax.
Oration 26.7Gregory of Nazianzus · ca. 362–383 · Gregory asks his people whether they have cared for the poor, strangers, and clergy, as serving Christ in the least of his brothers, and begins to tell what he learned in solitude, watching the sea as an image of life’s temptations.
Oration 40.32Gregory of Nazianzus · ca. 362–383 · Our observances of fasting, the Passover and baptism follow Christ's but at different times; the baptized should show gratitude by prayer, tears and generosity to the poor, strangers, the sick, the naked and debtors.
Oration 40.34Gregory of Nazianzus · ca. 362–383 · Gregory applies Christ's healings to the baptized: the cleansed leper should be grateful, the withered hand stretched out in giving, the deaf and blind open to the Word and the light of the Trinity, and the gift guarded with care.
Oration 43.9Gregory of Nazianzus · ca. 362–383 · Basil's parents were known for charity, hospitality, self-control and dedication of property to God, and above all for their children; Gregory will praise Basil not for bodily gifts but for what truly matters.
Oration 43.34Gregory of Nazianzus · ca. 362–383 · Basil's leadership of the church showed itself in many works, above all in the great famine, when grain dealers were hoarding and profiteering.
Oration 43.35Gregory of Nazianzus · ca. 362–383 · Unable to work miracles like Moses or Elijah, Basil persuaded the rich to open their storehouses and himself served food to the starving like Christ washing feet.
Oration 43.36Gregory of Nazianzus · ca. 362–383 · Basil surpassed Joseph by giving grain freely, and fed souls too with the word of God.
Oration 43.57Gregory of Nazianzus · ca. 362–383 · Gregory praises Basil's poverty, frugality and ascetic life, his promotion of virginity and his union of solitary and communal monasticism, and above all the “new city” of charity he built for the poor and the lepers.
Oration 44.7Gregory of Nazianzus · ca. 362–383 · Renewal means directing anger at the devil and desire to God, loving one's brother, sharing with the poor and strangers, and forgiving as one has been forgiven.
Tractates 1.3.4Zeno of Verona · ca. 362-380 · Zeno describes true justice, which works for others, ransoms captives, cares for the sick and the dead, gives alms secretly and returns good for evil.
Tractates 1.3.6Zeno of Verona · ca. 362-380 · Zeno answers the claim that it is just to keep one's own: in the church all things are common, and the rich who do not help the dying poor are killers.
Tractates 1.3.7Zeno of Verona · ca. 362-380 · Zeno answers the excuse of providing for one's children from the Psalms, the widow of Zarephath and Abraham's love of God above his son.
Tractates 1.10.5Zeno of Verona · ca. 362-380 · Zeno praises his congregation's generosity to captives, strangers, the poor and widows, by which they lend to God.
Homilies 6.2Basil of Caesarea · ca. 363-378 · The rich fool's miserliness is set against the generosity of the earth, the sufferings of the poor who must sell their children, and the judgment that condemns those who do not share; what the rich hold back belongs to the needy.
Homilies 7.8Basil of Caesarea · ca. 363-378 · The childless who postpone giving to the poor until their wills are written gain nothing, since there is no reward after death and wills can be prevented or forged.
Homilies 7.9Basil of Caesarea · ca. 363-378 · Bequests made only at death are no virtue; Basil urges the rich to take their wealth with them by giving it now, following Christ who became poor for us.
Homilies 8.6Basil of Caesarea · ca. 363-378 · As God fed Israel in the desert, the poor should give from their little like the widow of Sidon; hunger is the cruellest of deaths, and those who let others starve are like murderers, while the generous stand first at the judgment.
Homilies 8.8Basil of Caesarea · ca. 363-378 · Even animals share pasture; Christians should imitate the common life of the first church and Joseph's generosity, giving the soul its share as a bride to be presented to Christ.
Homilies 21.6Basil of Caesarea · ca. 363-378 · The wise care first for the soul, accept bodily hardship with Paul's confidence, and give the body only what it needs.
Homilies 21.8Basil of Caesarea · ca. 363-378 · Basil urges giving to the poor, warns that the rich who lavish money on flatterers while spurning beggars are worse than the rich man of the parable, and closes his exhortation.
Homilies 21.9Basil of Caesarea · ca. 363-378 · Basil adds thanks for the church's escape from a fire set nearby, blamed on the devil, and asks the congregation to provide for those who lost everything in it.
Against Parmenian the Donatist 3.3Optatus of Milevis · ca. 366–385 · Optatus blames Donatus of Carthage, who rejected the alms that Constans sent to the poor with "What has the emperor to do with the church?", and applies to him Ezekiel's rebuke of the prince of Tyre who said "I am God".
Commentary on 1 Corinthians 16:1–2Ambrosiaster · ca. 366–384 · A weekly Lord's day collection for the persecuted saints in Jerusalem was to be laid aside little by little.
Commentary on 1 Corinthians 16:3Ambrosiaster · ca. 366–384 · The collection, carried by approved delegates with letters, served both the Jerusalem saints and the poor.
Commentary on 1 Timothy 4:7–8Ambrosiaster · ca. 366–384 · Fasting and bodily discipline profit little without godliness and mercy, which carry promise for this life and the next; the spiritual discipline the body for the resurrection.
Commentary on 1 Timothy 6:17–19Ambrosiaster · ca. 366–384 · The rich must hope in God, not wealth, and share their goods, gaining through this image of life the true and eternal life shown in Christ’s resurrection.
Commentary on 2 Corinthians 8:1–2Ambrosiaster · ca. 366–384 · The Macedonian churches, tested by affliction and poor, gave generously with joy and pure conscience.
Commentary on 2 Corinthians 8:3Ambrosiaster · ca. 366–384 · The Macedonians gave beyond their means because they had given themselves wholly to God.
Commentary on 2 Corinthians 8:4Ambrosiaster · ca. 366–384 · The Macedonians begged with tears to share in the collection, and their gift was accepted because of their faith.
Commentary on 2 Corinthians 8:5Ambrosiaster · ca. 366–384 · The Macedonians first gave themselves to God by amending their lives, then gave to the saints, an example for the Corinthians.
Commentary on 2 Corinthians 8:6Ambrosiaster · ca. 366–384 · Paul sends Titus to complete the collection at Corinth, since the Corinthians trust and obey him.
Commentary on 2 Corinthians 8:7Ambrosiaster · ca. 366–384 · The Corinthians' readiness to give will prove their amendment.
Commentary on 2 Corinthians 8:8Ambrosiaster · ca. 366–384 · Paul exhorts rather than commands the Corinthians to give.
Commentary on 2 Corinthians 8:12Ambrosiaster · ca. 366–384 · Giving is acceptable according to one's means and willingness, not under compulsion.
Commentary on 2 Corinthians 8:13Ambrosiaster · ca. 366–384 · Giving should bring equality: believers with means support the saints now, and the saints will repay them in the age to come.
Commentary on 2 Corinthians 8:15Ambrosiaster · ca. 366–384 · The manna law of Exodus illustrates the equality by which the saints' prayers will enrich those who support them now.
Commentary on 2 Corinthians 8:20Ambrosiaster · ca. 366–384 · Paul takes care with the collection so as not to be blamed, having agreed with the apostles to remember the poor.
Commentary on 2 Corinthians 9:5Ambrosiaster · ca. 366–384 · Paul sends the brothers ahead so the promised gift may be ready as a willing blessing, not an extortion.
Commentary on 2 Corinthians 9:6–7Ambrosiaster · ca. 366–384 · Generous and cheerful giving, not grudging or compelled, will be rewarded by God.
Commentary on 2 Corinthians 9:8Ambrosiaster · ca. 366–384 · God's grace lets believers keep what suffices and give the rest; like the widow's mite, gifts are measured by means and intention.
Commentary on 2 Corinthians 9:9Ambrosiaster · ca. 366–384 · Giving to the poor, and still more to the saints devoted to prayer, is righteousness, since God gave the earth's goods to all.
Commentary on 2 Corinthians 9:10–11Ambrosiaster · ca. 366–384 · God multiplies the means of those who give to the saints, provided they give simply and do not seek to make the saints subject to them.
Commentary on 2 Corinthians 9:12–13Ambrosiaster · ca. 366–384 · The collection not only supplies the saints' needs but produces thanksgiving and prayer to God from many.
Commentary on Ephesians 4:28Ambrosiaster · ca. 366–384 · The former thief must not only stop stealing but work to give to the needy, which alone earns merit.
Commentary on Philippians 4:18Ambrosiaster · ca. 366–384 · The Philippians' gift is a sacrifice pleasing to God, for almsgiving cleanses; Paul gently hints they once gave more generously.
Commentary on Romans 12:8Ambrosiaster · ca. 366–384 · Exhorters, givers, those who preside and those who show mercy are helped by the Spirit; mercy, which includes forgiving, helping the needy, clothing, feeding, rescuing exposed infants and burying the dead, must be done simply and gladly.
Question 32, section 2Ambrosiaster · ca. 370–384 · The rich should share with the poor, since God gave the earth to all, so as to be rich in heaven; the godly poor will be rich there when the worldly rich are in want.
Question 119, section 4Ambrosiaster · ca. 370–384 · Tobit stayed faithful in captivity, blindness, and poverty, burying the dead against the king’s ban and giving alms from his little, like the widow praised by Christ.
Question 124, section 1Ambrosiaster · ca. 370–384 · Almsgiving is more praiseworthy in the poor, like the widow with her two coins, because they give trusting in God rather than in their wealth.
Letter 22.32Jerome · ca. 370–419 · Jerome contrasts the showy luxury and charity of rich Roman women with the Scriptures' teaching on contentment and trust in God.
Letter 54.12Jerome · ca. 370–419 · Jerome urges Furia to give her wealth to the poor.
Letter 58.6Jerome · ca. 370–419 · Jerome gives Paulinus and his wife practical rules of diet, reading, prayer, almsgiving, and caution with money.
Letter 58.7Jerome · ca. 370–419 · Jerome urges Paulinus to adorn the soul rather than buildings and to distribute his wealth wisely to the truly poor.
Letter 66.5Jerome · ca. 370–419 · Jerome describes how Pammachius gave Paulina's wealth to the sick and poor of Rome, honoring her grave with almsgiving rather than flowers.
Letter 79.2Jerome · ca. 370–419 · Jerome praises Nebridius as a courtier who, like Cornelius, Joseph, and Daniel, lived devoutly amid rank and wealth, giving alms and keeping chastity.
Letter 79.5Jerome · ca. 370–419 · Jerome praises Nebridius's chastity as a young courtier, his humility toward the emperors and palace officials, and his use of influence for the poor.
Letter 96.20Jerome · ca. 370–419 · Theophilus closes by urging repentance, prayer, almsgiving, and care for the sick and imprisoned, confesses the Trinity, and announces the dates of Lent and Easter for 401.
Letter 108.5Jerome · ca. 370–419 · Widowed, Paula gave almost all her wealth to the poor and sick of Rome, telling relatives that Christ's mercy was a better inheritance for her children.
Letter 108.15Jerome · ca. 370–419 · Jerome describes Paula's humility, austerity, tears of penitence, and boundless almsgiving, which he confesses he tried to moderate, and which left Eustochium in debt.
Letter 108.16Jerome · ca. 370–419 · Paula gave to all the poor according to need rather than to flatterers, citing Scripture on almsgiving, and preferred to build with 'living stones' rather than buildings.
Letter 118.4Jerome · ca. 370–419 · Jerome, refusing flattery, urges Julian to sell all and follow Christ as the rich young man was told, and to give his dead daughters' shares to the poor.
Letter 120.1Jerome · ca. 370–419 · Answering Hedibia's first question, Jerome urges a childless widow who wishes to be perfect to sell her goods and give to the poor, especially to believers, while allowing a lesser path.
Letter 125.20Jerome · ca. 370–419 · Jerome commends Rusticus to Bishop Proculus of Marseilles and to the example of Bishop Exuperius of Toulouse, who gave all to the poor, and urges him to follow the naked Christ.
Letter 130.7Jerome · ca. 370–419 · Jerome praises Proba's generosity amid the sack of Rome and the extortions of the count of Africa, and begins his counsel to Demetrias: love Scripture and keep her baptismal renunciation.
Letter 130.14Jerome · ca. 370–419 · Jerome urges Demetrias to use her wealth for the poor, monasteries, and the servants of God rather than for building ornate churches.
Letter 132.19Jerome · ca. 370–419 · Augustine explains that James goes on to offer mercy as the daily remedy for the many offences all commit.
Letter 132.20Jerome · ca. 370–419 · Augustine concludes that works of mercy and forgiveness are the daily remedy by which the many small sins of all are expiated.
Panarion (Adversus Haereses), Haer. 1-64 61.4.1Epiphanius of Salamis · 374-377 · Works of mercy require possessions.
Panarion (Adversus Haereses), Haer. 1-64 61.4.2Epiphanius of Salamis · 374-377 · Charity comes from honest property.
Apostolic Constitutions 2.4.1Anonymous · ca. 380 · A bishop must be generous and know who most deserves help.
Apostolic Constitutions 2.4.2Anonymous · ca. 380 · Aid should go first to those in real need, even if not widows.
Apostolic Constitutions 2.4.3Anonymous · ca. 380 · Gluttons, drunkards and the idle are not to be helped.
Apostolic Constitutions 2.35.2Anonymous · ca. 380 · Care for priests, orphans and widows is the greater righteousness.
Apostolic Constitutions 2.36.8Anonymous · ca. 380 · Even small gifts store up treasure in heaven.
Apostolic Constitutions 3.3.2Anonymous · ca. 380 · The bishop must also provide for the poor and afflicted.
Apostolic Constitutions 3.4.1Anonymous · ca. 380 · The bishop must care for all the needy, not only widows.
Apostolic Constitutions 3.4.2Anonymous · ca. 380 · Gifts are brought to the bishop, who distributes them to the needy as a faithful steward.
Apostolic Constitutions 3.4.4Anonymous · ca. 380 · Charity must be given to all who are truly in need without favouritism.
Apostolic Constitutions 3.4.5Anonymous · ca. 380 · Isaiah commands care for the hungry, homeless and naked.
Apostolic Constitutions 3.4.6Anonymous · ca. 380 · Daniel counsels the king to redeem his sins by almsgiving.
Apostolic Constitutions 3.4.7Anonymous · ca. 380 · Almsgiving purges sins.
Apostolic Constitutions 3.4.9Anonymous · ca. 380 · Mercy to the poor is a loan to the Lord; refusing them brings the same refusal.
Apostolic Constitutions 3.7.7Anonymous · ca. 380 · The widow should pray, fast and work like the widow with two coins; widows must obey the clergy and not accept gifts from robbers, prostitutes or the excommunicated.
Apostolic Constitutions 4.1.1Anonymous · ca. 380 · Childless believers should adopt orphan boys, and families should take orphan girls as brides for their sons.
Apostolic Constitutions 4.1.2Anonymous · ca. 380 · God will provide for orphans neglected by the rich, whose savings strangers will consume.
Apostolic Constitutions 4.2.1Anonymous · ca. 380 · Bishops must provide for orphans, widows and all in need.
Apostolic Constitutions 4.2.2Anonymous · ca. 380 · Orphan girls are supported until marriage, and orphan boys until they learn a trade.
Apostolic Constitutions 4.3.1Anonymous · ca. 380 · Those who can support themselves should not take what belongs to the needy.
Apostolic Constitutions 4.8.4Anonymous · ca. 380 · Shortfalls are met by collections among the brothers.
Apostolic Constitutions 4.9.2Anonymous · ca. 380 · Honest offerings feed the poor and ransom captives and those condemned for Christ.
Apostolic Constitutions 7.2.6Anonymous · ca. 380 · Christians give and lend to all, as the Father gives to all.
Apostolic Constitutions 7.2.7Anonymous · ca. 380 · Alms come from one's own labor, with preference for the saints.
Apostolic Constitutions 7.12.2Anonymous · ca. 380 · Almsgiving ransoms sins.
Apostolic Constitutions 7.29.2Anonymous · ca. 380 · Tithes go to orphans, widows, the poor and strangers.
Apostolic Constitutions 8.10.12Anonymous · ca. 380 · Prayer for those who give alms and offerings, and for the newly baptized.
On Tobit 5Ambrose · ca. 380-390 · Burying the dead is a great duty of mercy, since the dead cannot repay it.
On Tobit 55Ambrose · ca. 380-390 · Lend to the Lord by giving to the poor; Christ is the surest guarantor.
On Tobit 56Ambrose · ca. 380-390 · Christ became poor to make us rich; giving to the poor earns blessing, heaven, and nourishment.
On Tobit 60Ambrose · ca. 380-390 · Peter, who had no silver or gold, lent the lame man healing in Jesus’ name, the true lending of the just.
On Tobit 93Ambrose · ca. 380-390 · Tobit’s counsels on self-restraint, wages, and almsgiving are the true lending that earns eternal interest.
On the Beatitudes 1207Gregory of Nyssa · ca. 380–394 · Homily 1 ends: true poverty of spirit sheds earthly wealth to rise light toward God and shares with the poor, so as to reign with Christ who became poor. Homily 2 begins: the Beatitudes are like the rungs of a ladder, though the earth seems oddly to follow heaven.
On the Beatitudes 1251Gregory of Nyssa · ca. 380–394 · Mercy, which corrects the inequalities of life, is defined as voluntary grief at another’s evils, or a loving fellow-feeling with the distressed; it is the intensification of love, the highest virtue, and lies in the will, not in material means.
Canons on the Letters of Paul 60Priscillian · ca. 380–400 · Paul thanks those ready to give alms and urges others to give.
Eleven Tractates 4.78Priscillian · ca. 380–385 · Fasting means works of mercy; Christ, our Passover, took on the full shame of human birth.
On Naboth 19Ambrose · ca. 386-390 · True fasting gives the cost of feasting to the poor; the rich man's table is made from the blood of the poor.
On Naboth 25Ambrose · ca. 386-390 · The rich man ignores the poor man's plight and Scripture's command to spend for a brother, while his wife spends on luxury what could free the poor.
On Naboth 32Ambrose · ca. 386-390 · The rich fool should have opened his barns to the hungry instead of building bigger ones.
On Naboth 33Ambrose · ca. 386-390 · The rich fool, hoarding for higher prices, should have imitated Joseph and fed the poor; his barns are storehouses of iniquity.
On Naboth 34Ambrose · ca. 386-390 · The cost of new barns would have fed the poor.
On Naboth 36Ambrose · ca. 386-390 · Riches are goods only when given to the poor, by which one lends to God and becomes bread to the hungry and father to orphans.
On Naboth 37Ambrose · ca. 386-390 · The safest storehouses for grain are the poor, widows, and infants, where it is kept forever and returns with increase.
On Naboth 39Ambrose · ca. 386-390 · The miser's hoard will go to others; better to be a generous steward and father of orphans, since only grace goes with us to judgment.
On Naboth 40Ambrose · ca. 386-390 · The poor are not cursed but blessed; mercy gives according to need, not merit, and must not be postponed.
On Naboth 44Ambrose · ca. 386-390 · The rich fast and attend church to further their crimes, but God rejects such fasting and demands justice and care for the poor.
On Naboth 52Ambrose · ca. 386-390 · Riches, like a well, stagnate unless drawn off; almsgiving quenches the fire of sin, which otherwise threatens the rich man as it did Dives.
On Naboth 53Ambrose · ca. 386-390 · What is given to the poor is not a gift but the return of what belongs to them, since the earth was given in common to all.
On Naboth 56Ambrose · ca. 386-390 · The rich adorn walls and horses with marble and gold while the naked and hungry cry at their doors; a single jewel could save a whole people.
On Naboth 57Ambrose · ca. 386-390 · Job, the model rich man, rescued the poor, widows, and orphans and yet lost everything but the fruit of mercy; how much worse for the rich who give nothing.
On Naboth 59Ambrose · ca. 386-390 · Wealth hoarded is shared with moth and rust; wealth given makes God the Father and Christ, who is fed in the poor, our debtors.
On Naboth 67Ambrose · ca. 386-390 · The rich should pray and render to God, through the poor, the gifts he gave them; God seeks not sacrifices but faith, praise, and mercy.
On the Duties of the Clergy 1.11Ambrose · ca. 386–390 · Duties are “middle” or “perfect,” as Christ’s answer to the rich young man shows, and mercy to the poor makes the Christian perfect like the Father.
On the Duties of the Clergy 1.30Ambrose · ca. 386–390 · Beneficence joins good will to giving: it must be honest, unboastful, ordered by need, faith, kinship, and circumstance, after Paul’s teaching on equality in 2 Corinthians 8.
On the Duties of the Clergy 1.32Ambrose · ca. 386–390 · Scripture is a banquet to be repaid in good works; benevolence, which can return gratitude even without means, binds friendship and human life from the family outward.
On the Duties of the Clergy 2.1Ambrose · ca. 386–390 · Book 2 opens: the blessed life, which Scripture calls eternal life, lies in the honourable and in seeking reward from God alone, not from human glory.
On the Duties of the Clergy 2.15Ambrose · ca. 386–390 · Liberality includes discreet aid to the ashamed poor, ransoming captives, paying debts, caring for orphans and widows, and, for those without money, the gift of counsel and service.
On the Duties of the Clergy 2.16Ambrose · ca. 386–390 · Liberality needs measure against fraudulent beggars and a spur against hoarding, and Joseph, who sold grain and fixed a fifth as tribute, is the model of provident generosity.
On the Duties of the Clergy 2.21Ambrose · ca. 386–390 · Reputation grows by defending the oppressed and by hospitality, as with Abraham and Lot; liberality must be distinguished from prodigality, and the bishop must spend fittingly on churches, the poor, strangers, and clergy.
On the Duties of the Clergy 2.25Ambrose · ca. 386–390 · Benefits should go to the poor rather than the rich, for the poor are grateful and make the Lord their debtor, and Peter healed rather than enriched the lame man.
On the Duties of the Clergy 2.28Ambrose · ca. 386–390 · Ambrose defends his melting down of church vessels to ransom captives, since the Church’s true treasures are the poor, as Lawrence showed, and sets rules for using consecrated vessels.
On the Duties of the Clergy 3.7Ambrose · ca. 386–390 · Expelling strangers from a city in famine is both shameful and useless, as a recent expulsion from Rome showed, whereas an aged prefect kept the strangers fed by a collection from the wealthy.
Exposition of Psalm 118 8.23.1Ambrose · ca. 386-397 · Mercy to the poor is justice, for God gave the earth in common; greed made it private property.
Exposition of Psalm 118 8.42.2Ambrose · ca. 386-397 · Almsgiving and intercession for the condemned loose our own bonds of sin.
Exposition of Psalm 118 8.55.1Ambrose · ca. 386-397 · Whoever comforts mourners and serves prisoners, the sick, the naked, and the hungry is Christ’s companion.
Exposition of Psalm 118 10.25.3Ambrose · ca. 386-397 · In the poor we honor the one in whose image they are made, Christ himself.
Exposition of Psalm 118 10.26.2Ambrose · ca. 386-397 · Christ will judge us not only for neglecting the poor but for injuring them, for what is done to the least is done to him.
Exposition of Psalm 118 12.44.2Ambrose · ca. 386-397 · True understanding shows itself in deeds, such as feeding the poor.
Exposition of Psalm 118 16.6.3Ambrose · ca. 386-397 · Seeing orphans’ property in order to protect it makes the eye a spring of good.
Exposition of Psalm 118 16.6.5Ambrose · ca. 386-397 · Burying the poor dead makes the eye a source of redemption.
Exposition of Psalm 118 18.46.1Ambrose · ca. 386-397 · The truly understanding are godly: they pardon, give to the poor as a debt, and help the afflicted.
Exposition of Psalm 118 19.28.3Ambrose · ca. 386-397 · Those sealed with Christ’s image must seal truth in word and deed by works of mercy.
Exposition of Psalm 118 21.18.2Ambrose · ca. 386-397 · The righteous who give all away are often despised, even in church.
Letter 22.6Augustine of Hippo · ca. 386–430 · Augustine proposes that the feasts at the tombs be replaced by modest offerings for the dead given freely to all, with money given to the poor.
Letter 122.2Augustine of Hippo · ca. 386–430 · Augustine urges the people of Hippo to resume their custom of clothing the poor and to store up treasure in heaven as the world's troubles increase.
Letter 153.15Augustine of Hippo · ca. 386–430 · Sins after baptism are expiated by works of mercy; Christ, sinless, did not condemn the adulteress yet bade her sin no more, so intercession is not complicity.
Letter 157.36Augustine of Hippo · ca. 386–430 · Many rich Christians became martyrs, and those who keep their wealth but show mercy to Christ in the needy will stand at his right hand.
Letter 167.19Augustine of Hippo · ca. 386–430 · The law of liberty is the law of love; James offers works of mercy as the daily remedy for daily sins.
Letter 167.20Augustine of Hippo · ca. 386–430 · God unites mercy and judgment; those who forgive and give find mercy for their daily sins.
Letter 220.11Augustine of Hippo · ca. 386–430 · Augustine contrasts earthly goods given to good and bad alike with eternal goods given only to the good, and urges alms, prayer and fasting.
Letter 262.5Augustine of Hippo · ca. 386–430 · Augustine relates that the husband abandoned continence in anger after Ecdicia gave away almost all her property to two wandering monks without his knowledge.
Letter 268.2Augustine of Hippo · ca. 386–430 · Augustine asks the congregation to repay the loan for Fascius as an act of charity to a brother in the faith, citing Gal 6:9–10 and 2 Cor 9:6.
Homilies on Matthew 4.14John Chrysostom · ca. 390 · Closing exhortation of Homily 4: almsgiving is the dew that joins us to the poor in their furnace and quenches the fire of hell; the poor who give thanks are like the three youths; despising the world makes one worthier than the world.
Homilies on Matthew 5.5John Chrysostom · ca. 390 · Closing exhortation of Homily 5: the saints' prayers do not replace our own effort; almsgiving, even from ill-gotten gain, is lending to God at a higher interest; usury is condemned as cruelty disguised as kindness.
Homilies on Matthew 7.5John Chrysostom · ca. 390 · Moral section of Homily 7: Christians should leave worldly ways as the magi left Persia; unworthy communicants are like Herod; we should offer gold to Christ in the poor, sick, and imprisoned, yet many will not cross a street to church but run to the theater.
Homilies on Matthew 11.7John Chrysostom · ca. 390 · While on the threshing floor we can still change from chaff to wheat; humility, not display, survives the fire; almsgiving escapes the unquenchable fire, and faith without life will not save; Chrysostom laments that hearers carry home blank tablets, letting the devil overwrite his teaching.
Homilies on Matthew 15.4John Chrysostom · ca. 390 · The beatitudes on those who hunger for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, and the persecuted are expounded, with the greatness of their rewards.
Homilies on Matthew 15.9John Chrysostom · ca. 390 · Christians must shine by their lives, avoid the greed and vainglory that bring reproach on the faith, look to God as debtor for their alms, make peace between those who quarrel in public, and forgive their debtors.
Homilies on Matthew 18.3John Chrysostom · ca. 390 · Going naked for virtue is no shame; yielding more than is demanded teaches the aggressor philosophy; the second mile, giving and lending, and love of enemies lead step by step to the summit of virtue.
Homilies on Matthew 19.1John Chrysostom · ca. 390 · Christ forbids almsgiving done to be seen, judging the intention rather than the outward act, and mocks the hypocrites who trumpet their alms while seeking their own glory.
Homilies on Matthew 19.2John Chrysostom · ca. 390 · Alms are to be given in such secrecy that the left hand does not know, with God as spectator and future rewarder before the world; the hypocrites who pray in public to be seen already have their reward.
Homilies on Matthew 20.2John Chrysostom · ca. 390 · One who does virtue for spectators insults virtue itself; then, having uprooted vainglory, the root of avarice, Christ gradually teaches contempt for money, warning against treasure on earth exposed to moth and thieves.
Homilies on Matthew 21.4John Chrysostom · ca. 390 · Many still live the apostolic life of complete renunciation, but Chrysostom asks his hearers for now only to give up greed and luxury and to give alms generously, as a first step toward the summit.
Homilies on Matthew 23.9John Chrysostom · ca. 390 · The pursuits of this life are children’s games with a punishment attached; the almsgiver and the patient man are shown to be far greater than the rich man and the man in power.
Homilies on Matthew 35.4John Chrysostom · ca. 390 · Paul’s “if anyone will not work, let him not eat” was addressed to the idle, not to the givers, who are told not to grow weary in doing good; the poor should not be insulted for their importunity.
Homilies on Matthew 35.5John Chrysostom · ca. 390 · Chrysostom shows that the rich, who rage at servants over a small delay, are more shameless than the poor, and urges that alms be given gently, even in person, since God himself sends the poor.
Homilies on Matthew 45.2John Chrysostom · ca. 390 · Christ’s words show that those who turn can be healed and that sin is not of nature; the disciples are blessed beyond the prophets; the parable allows a hundred, sixty or thirtyfold, so that each can give to Christ in the poor what he can.
Homilies on Matthew 45.3John Chrysostom · ca. 390 · Giving a cup of cold water to the poor is like serving Christ as a priest; since Christ asks so little in return for so much, those who neglect the needy deserve the fire prepared for the devil.
Homilies on Matthew 46.4John Chrysostom · ca. 390 · Signs exist for the sake of a good life, which is the greater thing; fasting is good but last in the choir of virtues, while love and almsgiving surpass even virginity and make one equal to the apostles.
Homilies on Matthew 47.4John Chrysostom · ca. 390 · Matthew himself, humble, merciful and courageous, is an image of virtue; almsgiving, the heart of virtue, is necessary for salvation, while hoarded wealth rots the soul and the voluntarily poor are rich beyond kings.
Homilies on Matthew 48.6John Chrysostom · ca. 390 · Christ hungers and thirsts in the poor while the rich feast; Chrysostom rebukes those who spend their goods on parasites and buffoons rather than on Christ, who will be gentle as judge to those who share their table with him.
Homilies on Matthew 48.7John Chrysostom · ca. 390 · The poor should be fed for love and for Christ’s sake, not for the amusement of their insults; Chrysostom urges the rich to make their table companions helpers in good works and readers of Scripture, so that the house becomes a church.
Homilies on Matthew 49.2John Chrysostom · ca. 390 · Christ looks up to heaven to show that he is from the Father, multiplies existing bread to refute Marcion and Mani, and the homily turns to almsgiving as the true craft of the rich and against useless luxury such as ornate shoes.
Homilies on Matthew 49.5John Chrysostom · ca. 390 · Chrysostom ridicules young men who sew silk into their shoes while Christ goes hungry in the poor, calling the fashion effeminate, cruel, and a device of the devil to turn their eyes from heaven.
Homilies on Matthew 50.3John Chrysostom · ca. 390 · Christ himself gives the Eucharist through the priest as at the Last Supper, so communicants must be free of robbery and enmity, and he is honored not by golden vessels bought by injustice but by care for the poor, who are his body.
Homilies on Matthew 50.4John Chrysostom · ca. 390 · Gifts to adorn churches are acceptable, but almsgiving must come first, since Christ hungry, naked and imprisoned in the poor is a truer temple, and almsgiving cleanses sin and opens heaven.
Homilies on Matthew 52.3John Chrysostom · ca. 390 · The woman’s persistence succeeds where the apostles failed; Christ heals the crowds on the mountain at once to leave the ungrateful without excuse, and Chrysostom resumes his teaching that almsgiving is the best of all crafts.
Homilies on Matthew 52.4John Chrysostom · ca. 390 · Every other craft depends on many others, but almsgiving needs only the will, as the widow’s two mites show, and it builds heavenly dwellings, outlasts death, pleads for us before Christ, and holds human life together.
Homilies on Matthew 52.5John Chrysostom · ca. 390 · God planted mercy in nature itself, so that mercy is what makes a man a man and like God; but alms given from robbery heal nothing, for the robber must restore many times over, and offering the goods of the poor is like killing a son before his father.
Homilies on Matthew 54.5John Chrysostom · ca. 390 · The cross, which saved the world and routs demons, is the Christian’s boast before scoffing pagans; as soldiers of a King who is near to all, Christians can draw near to him by justice and almsgiving, which Isaiah 58 promises he will answer at once.
Homilies on Matthew 54.6John Chrysostom · ca. 390 · God’s commands to the merciful are easy, and the prize of Isaiah’s promised “early light” unfolds into all the joys of heaven and deliverance from Gehenna, so no sacrifice should keep us from showing mercy.
Homilies on Matthew 56.5John Chrysostom · ca. 390 · God asks not hard labors but easy obedience: release from unjust loans and help for the poor; Chrysostom denounces Christians who lend at interest, trading on the poverty of others, and urges them to lend instead to God, who repays a hundredfold.
Homilies on Matthew 56.6John Chrysostom · ca. 390 · The poor man’s gratitude for a loan at interest is forced, like Abraham’s yielding of his wife; interest is forbidden by Scripture and despised even by Roman law for senators, it ruins lender and borrower alike, and alms paid from it are unacceptable to God.
Homilies on Matthew 63.4John Chrysostom · ca. 390 · Christ leads the rich young man up by stages, sets the prize of heavenly treasure before the command to sell all, and teaches that the love of money, which grows by what it gets, can be cured only by giving it up.
Homilies on Matthew 64.5John Chrysostom · ca. 390 · Chrysostom urges almsgiving as the oil that strengthens the soul, and tells his hearers to look to Christ and the saints, not to the rich who give nothing, and to judge themselves rather than others.
Homilies on Matthew 66.2John Chrysostom · ca. 390 · The owners’ yielding of the donkey and Christ’s humble mount foreshadow the call of the Gentiles and teach simplicity of life; turning to his hearers, Chrysostom rebukes their stinginess toward Christ in the poor and shows that Antioch’s rich could easily feed all its poor.
Homilies on Matthew 66.4John Chrysostom · ca. 390 · Even giving from a tenth of their revenues would let the rich of Antioch feed the poor; they pay the emperor’s taxes under compulsion and should pay God’s first, since the poor are an army praying against the demons on their behalf.
Homilies on Matthew 66.5John Chrysostom · ca. 390 · Almsgiving is a tax God collects gently and transfers to heaven as a loan to himself, a better inheritance for one’s children than money, since the giver keeps it too.
Homilies on Matthew 71.1John Chrysostom · ca. 390 · Christ answers the lawyer with the two great commandments, praises his confession of the one God without denying his own Godhead, and by the question about David’s son proclaims himself Lord; Chrysostom then attacks vainglory, especially in almsgiving, which robs the treasure in heaven.
Homilies on Matthew 71.4John Chrysostom · ca. 390 · Almsgiving is a mystery to be done behind closed doors, as the church’s prayers for the possessed, the penitents and the faithful are all prayers for mercy; display defeats even the glory it seeks.
Homilies on Matthew 77.4John Chrysostom · ca. 390 · The wicked servant’s “my master delays” comes from his wickedness, not from the hidden day; the rich are stewards of what belongs to the poor and will be punished, like the servant, for spending it on luxury; virtues that benefit one’s neighbor, above all love, surpass those that benefit only oneself.
Homilies on Matthew 77.6John Chrysostom · ca. 390 · Love that serves one’s neighbor surpasses even martyrdom, as Paul’s choice to remain and Christ’s charge to Peter show; every husband and wife has a flock to feed, and almsgiving gives prayer and fasting their power, so that no one is saved who does not seek the common good.
Homilies on Matthew 78.1John Chrysostom · ca. 390 · The parables of the virgins and the talents, like that of the servants, urge help to one’s neighbor; the foolish virgins, though they mastered the stronger passion, were overcome by the love of money and found no oil when the bridegroom came, because the poor who sell it are found only in this life.
Homilies on Matthew 78.2John Chrysostom · ca. 390 · Oil can be bought only from the poor in this life; the foolish virgins’ late eagerness avails as little as the rich man’s in Hades; the parable of the talents condemns those who do not use their gifts for others; and our tongue, which receives the Lord’s flesh, should be made like Christ’s by gentleness and meekness, not like the devil’s by curses and insults.
Homilies on Matthew 79.1John Chrysostom · ca. 390 · In the last judgment, set before the whole world, the sheep are distinguished from the goats by their fruitfulness in mercy; the condemned are without excuse, since the requests were light, the one asking was Christ himself in the poor, and every believer in need is his brother.
Homilies on Matthew 79.2John Chrysostom · ca. 390 · The blessed are judged by comparison with their fellow servants and receive a kingdom prepared for them from the beginning, the cursed a fire prepared not for them but for the devil, so that both the justice of the sentence and the grace of the reward appear; Christ then foretells his passion at the Passover.
Homilies on Matthew 80.2John Chrysostom · ca. 390 · The woman’s deed is sung throughout the world while the exploits of kings are forgotten; Christ protected her budding faith, as we should not overturn gifts already offered to the church, though gifts not yet made should go to the poor; at that very moment Judas, one of the twelve, went to sell his Master, as the evangelists frankly record.
Homilies on Matthew 83.3John Chrysostom · ca. 390 · The lover of money is grieved by all and finds no pleasure in what he hoards, while the luxurious are slaves of many passions; wealth darkens the mind, and the true adornment of a house is not costly furniture but almsgiving and prayer, which bring Christ in, as with Zacchaeus, Matthew and Cornelius.
Homilies on Matthew 85.4John Chrysostom · ca. 390 · By disowning Judas’s silver yet pressing on to the crucifixion the priests convicted themselves, and the Field of Blood proclaimed their guilt; alms from plunder insult Christ, and because the faithful do not give, the church has been forced to hold property, turning bishops and priests into estate managers instead of servants of the poor.
Homilies on Matthew 88.3John Chrysostom · ca. 390 · The women’s courage shames men who will not feed Christ in the poor, though to tend the poor on his word alone is a greater proof of reverence than to have fed him in person; Chrysostom will not stop preaching almsgiving while the congregation’s sins leave it unfit to fight Jews, pagans and heretics, and he rebukes the worldly talk that turns the church into a stable.
On 1 Cor 7:2, section 2John Chrysostom · ca. 390 · Chrysostom defends Paul's speaking about marriage, which Christ honoured at Cana, and attacks the immoral songs, dancers and processions of contemporary weddings, urging that the poor be invited instead.
On 1 Cor 7:2, section 3John Chrysostom · ca. 390 · Chrysostom urges that the poor be fed at weddings, blames demons for wedding ribaldry, and teaches that marriage exists chiefly for chastity, so that a married man's sexual immorality is adultery.
On Elijah and Fasting 34Ambrose · ca. 387-390 · Lent ends in Easter baptism and the eucharist; but true fasting, as Isaiah says, means justice, release of debts, and care for the poor, not mere hunger.
On Elijah and Fasting 76Ambrose · ca. 387-390 · We can redeem our sins by almsgiving, turning money, the instrument of greed, into an aid to mercy.
Explanation of Twelve Psalms 38.27.3Ambrose · ca. 387-397 · Give to the poor rather than be troubled in vain over riches.
Explanation of Twelve Psalms 40.3.1Ambrose · ca. 387-397 · Mercy to the poor is blessed, but the verse in a psalm of the passion must mean more, since Christ rebuked Judas’s objection about the ointment.
On the Catholic Way of Life and the Manichaean Way of Life 1.27Augustine of Hippo · ca. 387–389 · Love of neighbor cares for the body by works of mercy, which even the untroubled wise man performs and should be called merciful for; God too is called merciful.
On the Catholic Way of Life and the Manichaean Way of Life 1.31Augustine of Hippo · ca. 387–389 · Against Manichaean boasts of abstinence, Augustine describes catholic hermits and especially the communities of monks and nuns in the East and Egypt, with their common property, manual work, deans and fathers, fasting, and generous almsgiving.
On the Catholic Way of Life and the Manichaean Way of Life 2.16Augustine of Hippo · ca. 387–389 · Augustine ridicules the Manichaean claim that the divine part in plants is detected by color, smell, and taste, shows that time, cooking, and handling often improve food, and exposes the cruelty and absurdity of their food rules, their refusal of bread to beggars, and their forcing of children to eat leftovers.
Tractates on Matthew 11.4Chromatius of Aquileia · ca. 388–407 · Chromatius urges generous giving and lending to the poor and to brothers in need, citing Tobit, the Psalms and Job.
Tractates on Matthew 12.4Chromatius of Aquileia · ca. 388–407 · Chromatius explains that almsgiving must not be publicised to win praise, or its reward is lost.
Tractates on Matthew 12.5Chromatius of Aquileia · ca. 388–407 · Chromatius interprets the left and right hands as sinners and the just: good works should not be paraded before unbelievers.
Tractates on Matthew 15.3Chromatius of Aquileia · ca. 388–407 · Chromatius interprets anointing the head as mercy to the poor, done to Christ the head, and washing the face as purity of conscience.
Tractates on Matthew 16.2Chromatius of Aquileia · ca. 388–407 · Chromatius explains that treasure is laid up in heaven by works of mercy and giving to the poor, as Christ told the rich young man.
Sermon 9.17Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Avoid magic and the shows; small daily sins, deadly by their number, are cleansed by almsgiving, fasting and prayer, and perfect almsgiving includes forgiving those who hurt us.
Sermon 9.18Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Grave sins like adultery require a change of life, not almsgiving; daily almsgiving cleanses only small daily sins, such as harsh words, excess in food, or intercourse with one's wife beyond what procreation requires.
Sermon 9.19Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Christians, redeemed by Christ's blood, give less than the Pharisee's tithe; they measure their giving against those who give less, though in wealth they always compare themselves with the richer.
Sermon 9.20Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · "I am keeping it for my children" is often a cloak for avarice: a parent who loses a child should send that child's share ahead to Christ by giving it to the poor.
Sermon 9.21Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Avarice and lavish gifts to performers are both condemned; Christ in the poor asks for what we have, and by good works, prayer, fasting and alms, forgiving as we are forgiven, we walk safely on Christ the way to the eternal sabbath.
Sermon 11.1Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Works of mercy are possible only in this life, where there are hungry, naked, strangers and sick; God lets his saints be in need so that the rich may share with them and be received with them into eternal life.
Sermon 14.7Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Paul, another poor man, shows that the root of evil is the desire to be rich: a beggar who covets riches is worse than a rich man who has set a limit to his greed and makes friends with his wealth.
Sermon 18.3Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · All our deeds are laid up in a treasury: the good know they are storing works of mercy with a faithful and powerful keeper; the wicked do not know that they are storing up wrath.
Sermon 18.4Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · At the judgment Christ will open each person's treasury: those who gave to his needy members will receive the kingdom, those who did not will find nothing; late repentance will be useless, but God counts a sincere will to do good as done.
Sermon 21.10Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Gold is God's good gift; those who blame God for it should give distinction to gold by using it for the poor, as they claim they would if they had it.
Sermon 36.6Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Paul counsels the rich to hope in God and be rich in good works, giving readily; the rich man and Lazarus show where the false life of riches ends.
Sermon 36.9Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · The rich fool stored his harvest in barns instead of redeeming his soul by alms; the bellies of the poor are a safer storehouse, keeping treasure in heaven.
Sermon 37.14Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · What we have stored up must be passed to the “spindle” by giving to the poor; some poor need our hands, while Christ’s ministers seek the fruit of our faith.
Sermon 38.8Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Treasure hidden in the ground is neither safe nor enjoyed, but what is given to the poor is lent to God, who forbids usury to men yet pays back eternal riches for temporal gifts.
Sermon 38.9Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · God bids us move our riches from earth to heaven and has made the poor our porters, citizens of heaven who will repay there what we give them here.
Sermon 39.5Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Money should not be loved but used for good works; those who hoard it live a false life, like a beggar dreaming of riches who wakes with nothing in his hands.
Sermon 39.6Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · God makes some poor to test the rich; each should give according to his means, even a cup of cold water, but alms avail only for those who change their life, not as a bribe to sin with impunity.
Sermon 41.6Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Rightly understood, keeping faith with the poor means making them friends by alms, so that they may receive us into the eternal dwellings.
Sermon 42.1Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · God wants not sacrifices but ourselves; the Christian’s sacrifice is alms, of two kinds: forgiving those who wrong us, which costs nothing, and giving to the needy, which seems costly.
Sermon 42.2Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Each should give according to his means; what is given to the poor is lent at interest to God, who repays eternal things for perishable ones and receives on earth what he gives from heaven.
Sermon 45.3Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Obscure passages of Scripture must be read by clear ones; the promised land is the land of the living, sown here by alms to the poor, whose bread is Christ.
Sermon 50.7Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Gold in a merciful man’s hands does great good; blaming gold for greed is like blaming the sun, which the Manichees worship, for quarrels over light.
Sermon 53.5Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · The merciful receive mercy: rich in temporal goods but beggars before God, we will be treated by God as we treat the poor.
Sermon 56.11Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Even the baptized, bishops included, incur daily sins; the Lord’s Prayer and almsgiving are like pumping the bilge, so that small sins do not sink the ship.
Sermon 58.10Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Small daily sins must be pumped out like bilge water by prayer with two wings, forgiving and giving; deliverance from evil comes by turning from evil and doing good.
Sermon 60.7Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · As the world is falling, God counsels us to move our treasure to heaven by giving to the poor, as a friend would counsel moving grain from damp ground to higher ground.
Sermon 60.8Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Those who lost their wealth to invaders regret not having sent it ahead; the poor are our porters, carrying what we give to heaven, for Christ receives it.
Sermon 60.9Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · At the judgment Christ names only works of mercy as the reason for reward or punishment, passing over all other virtues and crimes.
Sermon 60.10Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Christ names alms alone at the judgment because alms redeem sins: the saved are not sinless but have redeemed their sins by mercy, while the condemned failed to.
Sermon 60.11Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · God, who needs nothing, chose to hunger in his poor, so that feeding the poor is feeding Christ, and despising them is despising him.
Sermon 60.12Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Repentance without works of mercy is barren; John the Baptist’s “fruits worthy of repentance” are sharing clothing and food, and only one who forgives and gives will be heard.
Sermon 61.2Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Only God, always good, makes evil men good; earthly goods like money cannot make us good, but we can do good with them, giving to the poor and so increasing justice.
Sermon 61.6Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Since we are God’s beggars, we must recognize our own beggars, who are men, mortal, frail, and wretched like us, as we all were at birth.
Sermon 61.11Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Paul charges the rich not to be proud or trust uncertain riches, but to be rich in good works and share, storing up a foundation for the true life; giving is not loss but moving one’s goods.
Sermon 61.12Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Rich and poor need only food and covering; the rich may keep their habitual luxuries, but should give their superfluities to the poor, their companions on the same road.
Sermon 83.2Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Everyone is God’s debtor and has others as debtors; the two works of mercy, forgiving and giving, are the rule God will apply to us.
Sermon 86.1Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Christ does not want us to lose our goods but to store them in heaven, so that our hearts may go before us where Christ our head has gone.
Sermon 86.3Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Christ himself receives what is given to the poor and repays more, so almsgiving is lending to the one creditworthy debtor.
Sermon 86.4Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Unlike earthly debtors who hide, Christ will himself summon those who gave to the poor and repay them with the kingdom.
Sermon 86.5Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Christ repays earthly gifts with heavenly ones, above all with himself, the living bread; a holy “avarice” for this reward should replace the greed for money.
Sermon 86.10Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Christ bids us keep and provide for an eternal future; a dead Christian child is alive with Christ, so his share of the inheritance should be sent to him by giving it to the poor.
Sermon 87.11Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · The opposite danger is perverse hope that delays conversion; God promises pardon but not tomorrow, and Scripture warns against delay.
Sermon 88.12Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · To cry out to Christ is to live by his commands; the crowd that tries to silence the blind men stands for lukewarm Christians who discourage the zealous, who must persevere until Jesus stands still and heals them.
Sermon 88.16Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Tobit, though blind, taught his son that almsgiving keeps one from darkness, meaning the inner light.
Sermon 91.9Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Until we see face to face we walk by faith and do good works, each giving another what he has, money, counsel, learning, or simple service, bearing one another’s burdens.
Sermon 95.7Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · The wedding garment is not any gift shared by good and bad, such as baptism, the eucharist, prophecy, or faith, but love, which is put on by clothing Christ in the naked.
Sermon 102.5Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Augustine urges all to do good works for the poor, sowing now in trust like a farmer, to reap with joy at the harvest.
Sermon 104.3Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Christ did not blame Martha’s work but distinguished the offices: works of mercy answer needs that will cease in the world to come, while Mary chose the one thing, God himself, which remains forever.
Sermon 106.4Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · True almsgiving begins with mercy to one’s own soul, by judging oneself and loving God and neighbor, and by feeding the soul with Christ, the living bread; without this, even the largest gifts are nothing.
Sermon 113.1Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Christ’s “least ones” are those who have left everything to follow him; “mammon of iniquity” means riches, and alms must be given from honest labor, not from plunder or usury, since God cannot be bribed like a corrupt judge.
Sermon 113.3Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Those who already hold ill-gotten money should, like Zacchaeus, give it to the poor and restore what they took, but must not remain evil themselves.
Sermon 123.5Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Every rich person is God’s beggar, asking daily for bread; Christ asks the rich to give him, in the poor, from what he gave them, promising to repay heavenly and eternal things.
Sermon 137.2Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Christ in heaven suffers in his members on earth, as the tongue cries “You are treading on me” when the foot is trodden on; so he says “I was hungry” of the needy.
Sermon 149.12Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · One who hides his alms entirely sets no example; one who flaunts them seeks praise and is like the foolish virgins without oil; the oil is a conscience that seeks to please God.
Sermon 150.7Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Since life or punishment follows death, as the rich man in purple learned, Christians should say not “Let us eat and drink” but “Let us fast, pray, and give alms, for tomorrow we die”; giving matters more than fasting.
Sermon 164.4Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · The burdens each bears himself are sins; Christ calls the burdened to be refreshed, while avarice and sloth pull a man in opposite directions and avarice drives him across the seas instead of giving to the poor at his door.
Sermon 164.8Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · The merciful should persevere in doing good even to the ungrateful; and if an avaricious man approaches the altar beside them, they need not fear, for each bears his own burden, provided they do not share his sin.
Sermon 164.9Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Poverty is the poor man's burden and wealth the rich man's; by giving, the rich man lightens both burdens, as two fellow travelers on God's road share provisions.
Sermon 177.3Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · On life's short journey, one needs only food and clothing; one should flee the love of money, master gold by giving it, and pursue the inner riches of righteousness and faith that no thief or shipwreck can take, as Job did.
Sermon 177.10Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · The rich should prove their freedom from love of money by giving readily, an exchange in which they give earthly things and receive heaven and God himself; against anxious fears for the future, God's promise “I will not leave you” is a written bond.
Sermon 178.4Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Alms given from robbery are not accepted by God: the robber feeds one Christian by despoiling another, and if those who failed to clothe Christ go into eternal fire, what of those who stripped him?
Sermon 198.3Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Instead of New Year's gifts Christians should give to the poor, and they should keep away from the shows and spectacles in which demons delight.
Sermon 206.2Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Alms and fasting are the wings of prayer; the two kinds of alms are giving to the poor and forgiving offenses, and no one is too poor for the second.
Sermon 207.1Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Almsgiving, which means mercy, imitates the supreme mercy of the incarnation and passion, and should increase as Easter approaches.
Sermon 208.1Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Lenten fasting should be without harshness or new luxuries, married people should abstain for prayer, alms should increase, and above all anger should be forgiven before Easter.
Sermon 210.12Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · What is saved by fasting belongs to the poor, and forgiveness, which anyone can give since it needs only the will, must be granted especially in Lent.
Sermon 217.2Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Christ wills that his own be with him in the secure home of heaven; we reach that good place by feeding, sheltering, and welcoming the needy in this bad place.
Sermon 239.4Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · God lets his servants be in need so that others may do good; no one should be proud of giving, since Christ was poor and a guest, and the giver may need far more.
Sermon 239.7Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · We can still receive Christ as a guest, since he is in need in his members until the end of the world; believing without seeing, we recognize him in good works.
Sermon 259.3Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Until the eternal rest, works of mercy are the daily remedy for sin; mercy is twofold, forgiving those who wrong us and giving to the needy, and God repays both far beyond what we give.
Sermon 259.5Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Giving alms with one’s own hand adds humility to kindness; treasure entrusted to Christ through the poor is safe, and even the widow’s two coins buy the kingdom of heaven.
Sermon 261.10Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · After baptism God gives daily remedies, the Lord’s Prayer and almsgiving, by which the judge will separate right from left; minor sins overwhelm by their number, as raindrops fill rivers.
Sermon 302.5Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · People will give up all their goods to the treasury to live a little longer, but not superfluities to Christ to live forever; begging in this world and reigning with Christ cannot even be weighed against each other.
Sermon 302.8Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Lawrence, the archdeacon, when ordered to bring out the Church’s wealth, brought the poor in carts and said these were its wealth; he was burned on a gridiron, and his act teaches that what is given to the poor is kept safe by God.
Sermon 303.1Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · For a small congregation Augustine retells how the deacon Lawrence brought the poor as the Church’s riches and, roasted on a gridiron, calmly told his persecutors to turn him over; he lost his life for Christ and saved it.
Sermon 311.9Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Gold is good, as God created it; in the hands of the evil it corrupts justice, in the hands of the good it feeds the poor and redeems captives; the good possess gold rather than being possessed by it.
Homily 14.2 on 1 TimothyJohn Chrysostom · ca. 392-397 · Chrysostom explains that a widow's not remarrying is worthless without good works, since Paul did not condemn second marriage but wished her free for God, and praises personal hospitality and almsgiving.
Homily 14.3 on 1 TimothyJohn Chrysostom · ca. 392-397 · Chrysostom urges giving alms with one's own hand rather than through church officials, and praises visiting the monasteries, “houses of mourning”, where monks rise before dawn to sing.
Homily 14.5 on 1 TimothyJohn Chrysostom · ca. 392-397 · Chrysostom describes how monks meet sickness and death, urges respect for hidden saints in the city churches, and teaches secrecy in almsgiving from Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac.
Section 2John Chrysostom · ca. 392-397 · Chrysostom praises the widow's power of intercession with God and distinguishes poor widows supported by the church, who are helped without conditions, from the enrolled order of widows to which Paul's age limit applies.
The Lord's Sermon on the Mount 1.20Augustine of Hippo · ca. 393–396 · Augustine distinguishes injuries that cannot be restored from those that can, allows punishment that corrects out of love (citing Elijah, Peter, Paul, and even the Acts of Thomas against the heretics), and explains giving and lending.
The Lord's Sermon on the Mount 2.2Augustine of Hippo · ca. 393–396 · Augustine explains the warning against hypocritical almsgiving, rejects readings of the “left hand” as unbelievers, enemies, or a wife, and interprets it as the desire for human praise mingling with the intention to obey God.
The Lord's Sermon on the Mount 2.24Augustine of Hippo · ca. 393–396 · Augustine warns against false prophets and heretics, refutes the reading of the good and bad trees as two natures, identifies the fruits by which a tree is known with Paul’s works of the flesh and fruit of the Spirit, and notes that fasting, prayer, and alms can be counterfeited.
Historia monachorum, chapter 18Rufinus of Aquileia · Greek original ca. 394-395; Rufinus's Latin ca. 404-406 · Serapion of Arsinoë and his ten thousand monks, whose harvest wages feed the poor of Egypt and Alexandria; the monks of Memphis and Babylon, and the so-called granaries of Joseph.
Life of Saint Martin 3Sulpicius Severus · ca. 396–397 · At Amiens Martin cuts his cloak in two for a naked beggar; that night Christ appears wearing it, and Martin is baptized.
Confessions 13.21Augustine of Hippo · ca. 397–401 · Souls set apart from the sea bear the fruit of works of mercy, small and great, like plants and trees.
Confessions 13.22Augustine of Hippo · ca. 397–401 · The works of mercy lead on to contemplation; the spiritual shine as lights in the firmament of Scripture.
Confessions 13.38Augustine of Hippo · ca. 397–401 · The plants given as food are works of mercy owed to ministers of the word, as Onesiphorus and the Macedonians gave to Paul.
Confessions 13.41Augustine of Hippo · ca. 397–401 · What matters is not the gift but the fruit, the good will of the giver, as with the widow who fed Elijah.
Confessions 13.42Augustine of Hippo · ca. 397–401 · Gifts from unbelievers who do not know why they give bear no fruit; the fish of the sea do not eat the earth's food.
Against Faustus the Manichaean 20.16Augustine of Hippo · ca. 398–400 · Augustine says the Manichaean mind is an altar of cruelty, since their rules forbid giving bread to a beggar and condemn as murder the disciples’ plucking of grain.
Tractates 0Gaudentius of Brescia · ca. 397-410 · Gaudentius's preface to Benivolus, who had missed the Easter sermons through illness, explains why he writes them down and argues that illness and suffering come to believers for correction, purgation, or proving, not always as punishment for sin.
Tractates 13Gaudentius of Brescia · ca. 397-410 · A Christmas sermon on the incarnation and Mary's virginity in giving birth, followed by an exposition of Christ's gentle answer to Judas at Bethany, which leads into a long appeal for almsgiving against the luxury of rich landowners.
Tractates 18Gaudentius of Brescia · ca. 397-410 · A letter to Serminius on the parable of the unjust steward (Luke 16:1–13): its plain lesson is almsgiving with goods entrusted by God; allegorically the steward is the devil, who 'lowers the debts' by weakening faith (wheat) and good works (oil) through heresy and vainglory.
On Catechizing the Uninstructed 14Augustine of Hippo · ca. 399–405 · Sadness at an interrupted task, at others' scandals, or at one's own sins is to be overcome: God's order is better than ours, a new convert consoles grief over those who fall, and catechizing is itself a work of mercy that quenches sin.
On Catechizing the Uninstructed 23Augustine of Hippo · ca. 399–405 · The narration continues with the ascension, Pentecost as the fulfilment of the giving of the law, the love that fulfils the two great commandments, the conversion of thousands of Jews, the first community of goods, Paul's mission, and the persecutions.
On the Work of Monks 17Augustine of Hippo · ca. 400–401 · Paul urged the gentile churches to support the poor saints at Jerusalem who had given up their property, and took a companion appointed by the churches so that no one could suspect him of keeping the collection.
On the Work of Monks 18Augustine of Hippo · ca. 400–401 · Paul's joy over the collection in 2 Cor 9 shows how he valued the mutual exchange of material and spiritual goods between churches.
On the Work of Monks 34Augustine of Hippo · ca. 400–401 · Christ's command not to be anxious about food and clothing forbids preaching the gospel for the sake of a living, that is, serving mammon, not providing honestly for necessities.
Dialogues 2.1Sulpicius Severus · ca. 404–406 · Martin secretly gives his own tunic to a poor man whom the archdeacon neglected, then celebrates in a cheap garment the archdeacon angrily buys.
Tractates on the Gospel of John 50.6Augustine of Hippo · ca. 406–420 · Mary's anointing figures faith and righteousness, and wiping with her hair figures giving one's superfluities to the poor, Christ's feet.
Tractates on the Gospel of John 51.12Augustine of Hippo · ca. 406–420 · Serving Christ means following him: seeking his interests, doing good works for his sake, and even laying down one's life for the brothers.
Against Vigilantius 13Jerome · 406 · Jerome defends sending alms to the poor saints of Jerusalem, as Paul did.
Against Vigilantius 14Jerome · 406 · Jerome argues that alms should go especially to the holy poor and that selling all, as Christ counseled, is the higher way.
Homilies on the First Epistle of John 5.12Augustine of Hippo · ca. 407 · Love begins with giving one's goods to a needy brother and is perfected in laying down one's life; a Christian must show the name by deeds.
Homilies on the First Epistle of John 8.5Augustine of Hippo · ca. 407 · True love is goodwill that wishes the other's good, not to consume him; better that no one needed mercy, for love of an equal is purer than condescending kindness.
On the Christian Life 12Fastidius · ca. 411-430 · Alms given from plunder do not justify; God approves only alms from just labour.
On the Christian Life 14Fastidius · ca. 411-430 · A true Christian imitates Christ in works of mercy, hospitality and detachment from the world.
City of God 10.5Augustine of Hippo · 413–426 · Augustine teaches that God needs no sacrifices, and that the visible sacrifices of the old law were signs of the invisible sacrifice of a contrite heart, praise, and mercy.
City of God 21.22Augustine of Hippo · 413–426 · Augustine reports the view that those who give alms and forgive others, however wicked their lives, will escape eternal punishment, relying on James 2:13, Matthew 25, and the Lord's Prayer.
City of God 21.27Augustine of Hippo · 413–426 · Almsgiving and the Lord's Prayer forgive daily sins of those who are changing their lives, but cannot buy impunity for continued crimes; there is a hidden class of lesser sins pardoned through the intercession of holy friends, but deliverance keeps one from eternal fire, never releases one from it.
On the Good of Widowhood 26Augustine of Hippo · ca. 414 · Widows should replace carnal pleasures with reading, prayer, psalms, almsgiving, fasting, and vigils, and beware lest suppressed desire turn into avarice.
Commentary on Jeremiah 2.23Jerome · ca. 414-419 · Costly offerings are worthless from those who disobey God's law, as are alms given from the spoils of injustice.
On Man's Perfection in Righteousness 18Augustine of Hippo · ca. 415 · Our righteousness on pilgrimage is the course of fasting, almsgiving, and prayer toward perfect righteousness; because we still fall short, we rightly pray “forgive us our debts.”
On Man's Perfection in Righteousness 20Augustine of Hippo · ca. 415 · Caelestius's texts commanding perfection either urge us to run well or name the goal; one walks “without spot” who runs blamelessly, cleansing daily sins by almsgiving and prayer.
On Man's Perfection in Righteousness 34Augustine of Hippo · ca. 415 · Texts about the pure in heart are true: the heart is cleansed by faith, discipline, almsgiving, and prayer, and what remains is forgiven by the Judge's mercy.
The Institutes 5.39John Cassian · ca. 419–426 · An elder commissioned a useless Latin copy of Paul's letters from the Italian monk Symeon so that he could support him without shaming him.
The Institutes 7.17John Cassian · ca. 419–426 · Paul and the Jerusalem believers gave up their means and lived by labour or gifts; those who gave to them were not more blessed than they.
Commonitorium 1.211–240Orientius of Auch · ca. 420-450 · The golden rule is applied to clothing the naked and feeding the hungry, to false accusation, theft, violence, broken faith, slander, lending, pride and adultery, which leads to the law of equal punishment.
Commonitorium 1.541–570Orientius of Auch · ca. 420-450 · Lavish houses, vessels and clothes add nothing to rest or need; wealth stays in the world, so it should be given away while one is alive and sent ahead to heaven.
Commonitorium 1.571–600Orientius of Auch · ca. 420-450 · Treasure laid up in heaven is safe; Christ says that what is done to the needy is done to him, and even a cup of cold water or a prayer counts; the Lord also taught all to be joined by the love of peace.
Enchiridion (Handbook on Faith, Hope, and Love) 70Augustine of Hippo · ca. 421–423 · Alms cannot buy permission to keep committing grave sins; life must be changed, and alms propitiate God only for past sins.
Enchiridion (Handbook on Faith, Hope, and Love) 72Augustine of Hippo · ca. 421–423 · Alms include every work of mercy: feeding, clothing, visiting, counseling, forgiving offenders, and even corrective discipline given in mercy.
Enchiridion (Handbook on Faith, Hope, and Love) 75Augustine of Hippo · ca. 421–423 · “Give alms and all things are clean” does not cover the unrepentant or unbelievers, for only faith in Christ cleanses.
Enchiridion (Handbook on Faith, Hope, and Love) 76Augustine of Hippo · ca. 421–423 · True almsgiving begins with mercy to one's own soul through rebirth and the love of God, which the Pharisees neglected while tithing herbs.
Enchiridion (Handbook on Faith, Hope, and Love) 77Augustine of Hippo · ca. 421–423 · Alms cannot buy impunity for those who love their sins, for whoever loves iniquity hates his own soul; and even alms come from God's prior mercy.
The Conferences 3.9John Cassian · ca. 426–429 · Scripture speaks of evil, good, and indifferent riches; indifferent riches, such as wealth, become good or evil according to their use.
The Conferences 21.14John Cassian · ca. 426–429 · Fasting is intermediate, like marriage or vigils: good in its right time and manner, but wrong when it shuts out hospitality, harms health, ignores festivals, or seeks praise, as Isaiah 58 shows.
The Conferences 24.12John Cassian · ca. 426–429 · Antony adds that a healthy monk living on others’ gifts takes alms meant for the weak, since all food not earned by one’s own hands is charity (agape); so the monks chose barren desert where no one owns the land and nothing tempts them to farm.
Celestine, ACO I.2, letter 23.3Celestine I, bishop of Rome · 430-432 · Celestine asks the emperor to support Bishop Maximian, keep Nestorius from all fellowship, and protect the Asian estates that Proba left for the clergy and the poor.
Sermon on the Life of Honoratus 11Hilary of Arles · ca. 430 · The brothers resolve to leave their country; their homeland and kin resist in tears, and they sell their property and give it to the poor.
Sermon on the Life of Honoratus 21Hilary of Arles · ca. 430 · Once he gave away his last gold coin to a poor man, saying that someone would soon bring more, and within hours a gift arrived; he also distributed alms through many trusted agents.
Canon 4Anonymous · 442 · Those who withhold bequests made by the dead to the church are excommunicated as defrauders of the poor.
Part 2, chapter 7Quodvultdeus of Carthage · ca. 445-450 · The laws of clean and unclean foods, already expounded allegorically by earlier writers, are summed up in Christ’s command to give alms, which cleanses all things and is praised at length.
Part 2, chapter 29Quodvultdeus of Carthage · ca. 445-450 · The widow of Zarephath, who gave Elijah her last bread first and was never in want, shows the primacy of mercy; she figures the widow faithful to one marriage and the poor widow who gave her two mites.