Treasure in Heaven - 9780813938288

Treasure in HeavenThe Holy Poor in Early Christianity\nAuthor(s): Peter Brown\nFormat: Hardback\nPublisher: University of Virginia Press, United States\nImprint: University of Virginia Press\nISBN-13: 9780813938288, 978-0813938288\nSynopsis\nThe \""\""holy poor\""\"" have long maintained an elite status within Christianity. Differing from the \""\""real\""\"" poor, these clergymen, teachers, and ascetics have historically been viewed by their fellow Christians as persons who should receive material support in exchange for offering immeasurable immaterial benefitsteaching, preaching, and prayer. Supporting themquite as much as supporting the real poorhas been a way to accumulate eventual treasure in heaven. Yet from the rise of Christian monasticism in Egypt and Syria to present day, Christians have argued fiercely about whether monks should work to support themselves.\n\nIn Treasure in Heaven, renowned historian Peter Brown shifts attention from Western to Eastern Christianity, introducing u.