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How do today's Christians' values compare with the values of the earliest Christians? Earliest Christian values Values & practices of Jesus & earliest Christians - quotations from writings before 313 A.D. (version 5.1.4.1) |
| The quotations below are representative of all known pre-313 A.D. writers on each particular topic. The purpose here is to present unedited, genuine Christianity as understood and practiced by the earliest Christians. | To view and print only this table, without the quotations, click here. | |
* Those taught by Jesus are marked with an asterisk.
CHRISTIAN STANDARDS & HOW THEY WERE APPLIED -- Beginning in 313 A.D., Christian teachings and practices began to dramatically change, but prior to 313 A.D. the Christian attitudes and practices listed above were standards advocated by most Christians within their own Christian communities. Christians did not attempt to force those attitudes or practices on non-Christians. Christians did feel free to include them as part of the gospel, the Good News, they preached to non-Christians -- not as a judgmental rebuke but as joyful witness to the freedom of their own life in Christ. As Christians today, if we try to force our moral standards on the entire population of our nations or on the world, we are abandoning primitive Christianity, and we are participating in the reenactment of the Constantine's cooption and corruption of Christianity that began in 313 A.D. (See http://www.bibletexts.com/terms/313ad.htm.) On the other hand, we, like our earliest Christian brothers and sisters, are free to include our moral values as part of the gospel, the Good News, we live and preach to others -- not as a judgmental rebuke but as a joyful witness to the freedom of our own life in Christ.
OTHER RESOURCES YOU CAN EXPLORE -- In additional to the representative quotations below, the following are a few resources to further explore the attitudes and practices of Jesus and earliest Christians prior to 313 A.D.:
All biblical quotes below are from the Today's English Version (a.k.a., Good News Bible), unless otherwise designated.
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38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But now I tell you: do not take revenge on someone who wrongs you. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, let him slap your left cheek too. 40 And if someone takes you to court to sue you for your shirt, let him have your coat as well. 41 And if one of the occupation troops forces you to carry his pack one kilometre, carry it two kilometres.
17 If someone has done you wrong, do not repay him with a wrong. Try to do what everyone considers to be good. 18 Do everything possible on your part to live in peace with everybody. 19 Never take revenge, my friends, but instead let God’s anger do it. For the scripture says, “I will take revenge, I will pay back, says the Lord.” 20 Instead, as the scripture says: “If your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them a drink; for by doing this you will make them burn with shame.” 21 Do not let evil defeat you; instead, conquer evil with good.
They [Christians] comfort their oppressors and make them their friends. They do good to their enemies.
We who formerly murdered one another now refrain from making war even upon our enemies.
We used to be filled with war, mutual slaughter, and every kind of wickedness. However, now all of us have, throughout the whole earth, changed our warlike weapons. We have changed our swords into plowshares, and our spears into farming implements.
We have learned not to return blow for blow, nor to go to law with those who plunder and rob us. Instead, even to those who strike us on one side of the face, we offer the other side also.
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38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But now I tell you: do not take revenge on someone who wrongs you. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, let him slap your left cheek too. 40 And if someone takes you to court to sue you for your shirt, let him have your coat as well. 41 And if one of the occupation troops forces you to carry his pack one kilometre, carry it two kilometres.
19 Never take revenge, my friends, but instead let God’s anger do it. For the scripture says, “I will take revenge, I will pay back, says the Lord.” 20 Instead, as the scripture says: “If your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them a drink; for by doing this you will make them burn with shame.” 21 Do not let evil defeat you; instead, conquer evil with good.
They [Christians] comfort their oppressors and make them their friends. They do good to their enemies.
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38 Give to others, and God will give to you. Indeed, you will receive a full measure, a generous helping, poured into your hands--all that you can hold. The measure you use for others is the one that God will use for you."
8 ...Whoever shares with others should do it generously; ...whoever shows kindness to others should do it cheerfully... 13 Share your belongings with your needy fellow Christians, and open your homes to strangers... 20...as the scripture says: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink...
14 My brothers and sisters, what good is it for people to say that they have faith if their actions do not prove it? Can that faith save them? 15 Suppose there are brothers or sisters who need clothes and don’t have enough to eat. 16 What good is there in your saying to them, “God bless you! Keep warm and eat well!”—if you don’t give them the necessities of life? 17 So it is with faith: if it is alone and includes no actions, then it is dead. 18 But someone will say, “One person has faith, another has actions.” My answer is, “Show me how anyone can have faith without actions. I will show you my faith by my actions.”
16 This is how we know what love is: Christ gave his life for us. We too, then, ought to give our lives for our brothers and sisters! 17 Rich people who see a brother or sister in need, yet close their hearts against them, cannot claim that they love God. 18 My children, our love should not be just words and talk; it must be true love, which shows itself in action.
Let the strong take care of the weak; let the weak respect the strong. Let the rich man minister to the poor man; let the poor man give thanks to God that he gave him one through whom his need might be satisfied. Let the wise man manifest his wisdom not in words but in good deeds.
| Other "Characteristics of earliest Christianity" |
41 And if one of the occupation troops forces you to carry his pack one kilometre, carry it two kilometres.
8 ...Whoever shares with others should do it generously; ...whoever shows kindness to others should do it cheerfully... 13 Share your belongings with your needy fellow Christians, and open your homes to strangers... 20...as the scripture says: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink....
They [Christians] comfort their oppressors and make them their friends. They do good to their enemies.
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Mat 10:8 (Jesus)
7 Go and preach, ‘The Kingdom of heaven is near!’ 8 Heal the sick, bring the dead back to life, heal those who suffer from dreaded skin diseases, and drive out demons. You have received without paying, so give without being paid.
9 One and the same Spirit gives faith to one person, while to another person he gives the power to heal.
Healing, religious: Overcoming bodily weakness or disease by divine power. Religious healing was as persistent a feature of early Christianity as of the pagan religious cults of the Greco-Roman world... Accounts of healing, from an early time (John 20:30f.), were designed to elicit faith or were said to have done so (1 Cor. 2:4; 2 Cor. 12:12; Acts 2:43; 3:6-10; 5:12-16; 9:32-35; 14:3; A. Paul. 50-55; A. Jo. 38-45). Healings by those awaiting martyrdom (e.g., Eusebius, Mart. Pal. 1.1; Pass. Perp. 9:1; 16:4) and by ascetics (e.g., Athonasius, V. Ant. 80; Gregory of Nyssa, V. Gr. Thaum. [PG 46.916A]; Jerome, V. Hilar. 8.) were frequent. Bishop Novatian of Rome was said to have been converted through being healed (Eusebius, H.E. 6.43.14). This phenomenon of healing was an important factor in the growth of the church... Healings thus witness to God's purpose to free the whole creation for eternal life with him. In general, early Christians assumed that healings were manifestations of the redemptive power of God; they were more concerned to keep them in this perspective than, as in our time, either to promote healing as central to Christian experience or to deny their their occurence.
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48 You must be perfect—just as your Father in heaven is perfect!
11 The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, 12 to equip [literally, "to perfect" or "to complete"] the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity [litarally, "to the perfect man"], to the measure of the full stature of Christ.
1 Therefore let us go on toward perfection,
2 My brothers and sisters, consider yourselves fortunate when all kinds of trials come your way, 3 for you know that when your faith succeeds in facing such trials, the result is the ability to endure. 4 Make sure that your endurance carries you all the way without failing, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. 5 But if any of you lack wisdom, you should pray to God, who will give it to you; because God gives generously and graciously to all.
As I conceive it, sanctity is perfect pureness of mind, deeds, thoughts, and words. In its last degree, it is sinlessness in dreams.
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34 'Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 For I was hungry, and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.' 37 Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38 And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? 39 And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?' 40 And the king will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are are members of my family, you did it to me.'
38 Give to others, and God will give to you. Indeed, you will receive a full measure, a generous helping, poured into your hands--all that you can hold. The measure you use for others is the one that God will use for you."
8 ...Whoever shares with others should do it generously; ...whoever shows kindness to others should do it cheerfully. 9 Love must be completely sincere... 10 Love one another warmly as Christian brothers, and be eager to show respect for one another... 13 Share your belongings with your needy fellow Christians, and open your homes to strangers... 16 Have the same concern for everyone. Do not be proud, but accept humble duties... 18 Do everything possible on your part to live in peace with everybody... 20...as the scripture says: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for by doing this you will make him burn with shame." {Proverbs 25:21,22} 21 Do not let evil defeat you; instead, conquer evil with good.
16 Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.
12 Speak and act as people who will be judged by the law that sets us free. 13 For God will not show mercy when he judges the person who has not been merciful; but mercy triumphs over judgement. 14 My brothers and sisters, what good is it for people to say that they have faith if their actions do not prove it? Can that faith save them? 15 Suppose there are brothers or sisters who need clothes and don’t have enough to eat. 16 What good is there in your saying to them, “God bless you! Keep warm and eat well!”—if you don’t give them the necessities of life? 17 So it is with faith: if it is alone and includes no actions, then it is dead. 18 But someone will say, “One person has faith, another has actions.” My answer is, “Show me how anyone can have faith without actions. I will show you my faith by my actions.”
Let the strong take care of the weak; let the weak respect the strong. Let the rich man minister to the poor man; let the poor man give thanks to God that he gave him one through whom his need might be satisfied. Let the wise man manifest his wisdom not in words but in good deeds.
They [Christians] love one another. They do not overlook the widow, and they save the orphan. He who has ministers ungrudgingly to him who does not have. When they see strangers, they take him under their own roof and rejoice over him as a true brother, for they do not call themselves brothers according to the flesh but according to the soul.
Then Proteus was apprehended as a Christian and thrown into prison.... The Christians, regarding the affair as a great misfortune, set in motion every effort to rescue him. Then, when this was impossible, every other attention was paid him, not cursorily but diligently. At dawn there were to be seen waiting at the prison aged widows and orphan children, and their officials even slept inside with him, having bribed the guards. Varied meals were brought in, and their sacred words were spoken... There were some even from the cities in Asia who came, the Christians sending them from their common fund to succour, defend, and encourage the man. They exhibit extraordinary haste whenever one of them becomes such a public victim, for in no time they lavish their all.
And instead of the tithes which the law commanded, the Lord said to divide everthing we have with the poor. And he said to love not only our neighbors but also our enemies, and to be givers and sharers not only with the good but also to be liberal givers toward those who take away our possessions.
For he who holds possessions... and houses, as the gifts of God; and ministers from them to the God who gives them for the salvation of men; and knows that he possesses them more for the sake of the brethren than his own; and is superior to the possession of them, not the slave of the things he possesses; and does not carry them about in his soul, nor bind and circumscribe his life with them, but is ever labouring at some good and divine work, even should he be necessarily some time or other deprived of them, is able with cheerful mind to bear their removal equally with their abundance. This is he who is blessed by the Lord, and called poor in spirit, a meet heir of the kingdom of heaven.
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15 If your brother sins against you, go to him and show him his fault. But do it privately, just between yourselves. 16 If he listens to you, you have won your brother back. But if he will not listen to you, take one or two other persons with you, so that ‘every accusation may be upheld by the testimony of two or more witnesses,’ as the scripture says. 17 And if he will not listen to them, then tell the whole thing to the church. Finally, if he will not listen to the church, treat him as though he were a pagan or a tax collector.
My brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in any kind of wrongdoing, those of you who are spiritual should set him right; but you must do it in a gentle way. And keep an eye on yourselves, so that you will not be tempted, too.
You should forgive him and encourage him, in order to keep him from becoming so sad as to give up completely. And so I beg you to let him know that you really do love him.
19 My brothers and sisters, if any of you wander away from the truth and another one brings them back again, 20 remember this: whoever turns a sinner back from his or her wrong way will save that sinner’s soul from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins.
Let the presbyters be compassionate and merciful to all, bringing back those that wander, visiting all the sick, and not neglecting the widow, the orphan, or the poor, but always "providing for that which is becoming in the sight of God and man;" abstaining from all wrath, respect of persons, and unjust judgment; keeping far off from all covetousness, not quickly crediting [an evil report] against any one, not severe in judgment, as knowing that we are all under a debt of sin.
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Mat 8:5-13 - the Roman army officer's faith was commended by Jesus as having faith greater than the Jews.
Mat 19:12 - Jesus' inclusion of the outcast eunuchs as worthy of admiration. (See also http://www.bibletexts.com/qa/qa133.htm#eunuchs.)
Mat 20:25-28 - those serving, not those being served, are the great ones.
Mat 23:8-11 - the humble, not the proud, are exalted.
Mat 25:31-40 - the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, those inadequately clothed, the sick, the prisoners all should be attended to as if they were Jesus himself.
Luk 7: 36-50 - woman sinner, rather than self-righteous Pharisee, was commended.
Luk 10:30-37 - a religiously despised Samaritan, rather than a religious Jew, was the hero who rescued a half-dead Jew. (See also http://www.bibletexts.com/texts/parables.htm#good-samaritan.)
Luk 18:15-17 - children, with the same low status as no-count slaves, provide the standard for participation in the kingdom of God.
Luk 21:1-4 - the poor widow's small donation was of greater value than the rich men's large donations.
Joh 17:22 - Jesus' followers received from Jesus the glory God gave to Jesus.
Joh 17:23,26 - God loves Jesus' followers as he loves Jesus.
Act 10:34,35 - in every nation anyone who fears God and does what is right is acceptable to him.
Act 17:24,26 - God made from one the whole human race to dwell on the entire surface of the earth.
1 I commend to you our sister Phoebe, being also a minister [a deacon, not even just a deaconess!] in the church at Cenchreae 2 that you may receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the holy ones, and help her in whatever she may need from you; for she herself has been a helper to many people and also to me.
24 At that time a Jew named Apollos, who had been born in Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent speaker and had a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. 25 He had been instructed in the Way of the Lord, and with great enthusiasm he proclaimed and taught correctly the facts about Jesus. However, he knew only the baptism of John. 26 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him home with them and explained to him more correctly the Way of God.
3 I send greetings to Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow-workers in the service of Christ Jesus; 4 they risked their lives for me. I am grateful to them—not only I, but all the Gentile churches as well. 5 Greetings also to the church that meets in their house.
Greet Andronicus and Junia, my relatives and my fellow prisoners; they are prominent among the apostles and they were in Christ before me.
1Co 12:12-26 - Jews, Greeks, slaves, free people, all members of the church body are all vital to the entire church body of Christ.
Gal 3:28 - labels of Jew, Greek, slave, free, male, female do not apply to God's people.
Eph 2:11-22 - the uncircumcized and the circumcized all are part of the same sacred temple/body.
Col 3:11 - labels of Greek, Jew, circumcized, uncircumcized, barbarian, savage (Scythian), slave, free do not apply to God's people.
1Ti 2:1-4 - God desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
Rev 14:6 - every nation, tribe, tongue, and people are called to worship God.
Rev 22:2 - God provides healing for every nation.
God does not reject any of His servants as being unworthy of the divine mysteries. He does not value the rich man more highly than the poor. He does not despise the poor man because of his poverty. He does not disdain the barbarian, nor does He reject the eunuch as being no man. He does not hate the female because of the woman's act of disobedience in the beginning. Nor does He reject the male because of man's transgression. Rather, He seeks everyone and desires to save everyone.
God, who produces and gives breath to men, willed that all should be equal, that is, equally matched. He has imposed the same condition of living on all. He has opened wisdom to all. He has promised immortality to all. No one is cut off from His heavenly benefits... In His sight, no one is a slave; no one is a master. For if all have the same Father, by an equal right we are all children. No one is poor in the sight of God but he who is without justice. No one is rich, but he who is full of virtues... For this reason, neither the Romans nor the Greeks could possess justice. For they had men differing from one another by many degrees: the poor and the rich, the humble and the powerful, private persons and the highest authorities of kings. However, where all persons are not equally matched, there is no justice. And, by its nature, inequality excludes justice...
However, someone will say, "Are there not among you some who are poor and others who are rich? Are not some servants and others masters? Is there not some difference between individuals?" There is none. Nor is there any other cause why we mutually bestow upon each other the name of brothers, except that we believe ourselves to be equal. We measure all human things by the spirit, not by the body. Although the condition of our bodies is different, yet we have no servants. For we both regard and speak of them as brothers in spirit and as fellow-servants in religion... Therefore, in lowliness of mind, we are on an equality: the free with the slaves and the rich with the poor. Nevertheless, in the sight of God we are distinguished only by virtue... The person who has conducted himself not only as an equal, but even as an inferior, he will plainly obtain a much higher rank of dignity in the judgment of God.
Jesus typically spoke in parables -- very socially disturbing parables. They turned the world upside down and inside out for his hearers. Some parables illustrate his challenge to Jewish men as the only ones having power or deserving a role as an example. [See the parable of the leaven (Mat 13:33, Luk 13:20-21, Thomas 96), the parable of the lost coin (Luk 15:8-9), and the commentaries on them at http://www.bibletexts.com/texts/parables.htm#leaven and http://www.bibletexts.com/texts/parables.htm#lost-coin.]
That Jesus talked freely with woman -- even a Samaritan woman (!) -- was another social/religious taboo that Jesus broke. Jesus is pictured as unaffected by such restrictions.
When Jesus said, "The kingdom of God is within you" (Luk 17:20,21, Thomas 3:1-3, Thomas 113, Thomas 51:2, Gospel of Mary 4:4-5, Dialog of the Savior 9:3), the overall message of his words and his life would indicate that he was not limiting how much of that kingdom was present in his hearers -- whether male or female.
In the earliest record of the crucifixion and resurrection (Paul's account in 1Co 15:3-7, which Paul "had received"), there is mention of "the twelve." In fact Paul seems to be saying that according to what he had been told (by James, Peter, and/or John in Jerusalem?), Cephas (Peter) was the first to see the risen Christ. Then the twelve saw him. Then five hundred "brethren" saw him. Then James. Then Paul.
Were all four gospels completely wrong in saying that women were the first to encounter evidence of Jesus' resurrection? Three of the gospels, Matthew (Mat 28:9-10), Mark (Mar 16:9-11), and John (Joh 20:14-18) describe women (always including Mary Magdalene) as the first to see and speak with the risen Jesus. Luke simply says that the women (again, including Mary Magdalene) were the first to be told (by two men/angels) that Jesus had risen. All four of these gospel accounts are not synoptic but clearly are from different sources.
Had the report that Paul had "received" been filtered by Peter or someone else to eliminate all mention of the women that were really the first to see Jesus? Why would such filtering take place? Was it because during the actual ministry of Jesus those women had real clout and that now -- without Jesus around -- the male disciples could recapture the more culturally traditional male authority? Did Peter revert back to his male-dominant Jewish ways, just as in Antioch he had reverted to his don't-eat-with-Gentiles ways? For more on this, see http://www.bibletexts.com/qa/qa078.htm#2.
There are no definitive answers for any of these questions, but there are serious concerns about how accurately the role of women during Jesus' ministry was reported and "received" by the church in the first 2 or 3 decades after Jesus' crucifixion. If filtering did take place, Paul may have been unaware of it. He may have just reported what he had been told. Paul, of course, was really a champion for women's active roles in the early church. For more on Paul's advocacy of women, see http://www.bibletexts.com/women.htm; whereas, James and Peter showed some strong Jewish tendancies (see Gal 2:1-14).
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It is clear that Jesus expected his itinerant disciples, who traveled in pairs from town to town, to be provided for by those grateful for the Good News and for redemption and healing. From Paul's writings we know that Paul felt deserving of financial support from Christians to whom he ministered, but he declined it. Instead he did manual labor to earn his food and lodging. Paul was also collecting money to take back to the poor in Jerusalem, and he expected and instructed believers in each locale to contribute to the fund. Near the end of the 1st century, the Didache communities also were expected to provide their "first fruits" for the prophets and teachers that stayed with them. With all of the above, generosity towards the poor they encountered was expected of all.
Up to this point there was no mention of tithes or any other fixed percentage of income or property that should be contributed to the support of the house churches, the clergy, or to the poor. After 70 A.D., when the temple was destroyed by the Romans at the end of the Jewish revolt, the priests no longer had a temple to maintain, which was the original purpose of tithing. By that time, there was considerable theological conflict between the mainstream Jews and the Jewish Christians, so it is highly unlikely that tithing per se was done by those earliest Christians. As Everett Ferguson, a recognized authority on early Christian history, points out below, "Tithing was not practiced, being suspended with the end of the Old Testament."
Tithing is a practice that seems to have been resurrected by clergy in later centuries as a means of supporting the growing and more sedentary clergy, in contrast to the "first fruits" that supported the more itinerant apostles and prophets of earlier years. Like Paul, some who preached and taught simply continued their day jobs to support their ministry. Whatever were the circumstances of each of the earliest Christian churches, giving was expected, but the amount given was up to each individual. Each believer's contributions were considered blessed to the extent that they represented a heartfelt love for and gratitude to God, an appreciation of and support for the Christian ministers and teachers, and an unconditional love of the poor, of enemies, and of others in need. After all, whatever each believer had -- possessions, income, and abilities -- was really God's. Each believer was just a trustee of -- a witness for -- what was in fact God's. It was to be used in His service as each believer was inspired to use it to represent God's purpose, goodness, mercy, and love.
23 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. It is these you ought to have practiced without neglecting the others.
1 Now, concerning what you wrote about the money to be raised to help God’s people in Judea. You must do what I told the churches in Galatia to do. 2 Every Sunday each of you must put aside some money, in proportion to what you have earned, and save it up, so that there will be no need to collect money when I come. 3 After I come, I shall give letters of introduction to those you have approved, and send them to take your gift to Jerusalem.
1 There is really no need for me to write to you about the help being sent to God’s people in Judea. 2 I know that you are willing to help, and I have boasted of you to the people in Macedonia. “The brothers and sisters in Achaia,” I said, “have been ready to help since last year.” Your eagerness has stirred up most of them. 3 Now I am sending these brothers and sisters, so that our boasting about you in this matter may not turn out to be empty words. But, just as I said, you will be ready with your help. 4 However, if the people from Macedonia should come with me and find out that you are not ready, how ashamed we would be—not to speak of your shame—for feeling so sure of you! 5 So I thought it was necessary to urge these brothers and sisters to go to you ahead of me and get ready in advance the gift you promised to make. Then it will be ready when I arrive, and it will show that you give because you want to, not because you have to. 6 Remember that the person who sows few seeds will have a small crop; the one who sows many seeds will have a large crop. 7 You should each give, then, as you have decided, not with regret or out of a sense of duty; for God loves the one who gives gladly. 8 And God is able to give you more than you need, so that you will always have all you need for yourselves and more than enough for every good cause. 9 As the scripture says: “He gives generously to the needy; his kindness lasts for ever.” 10 And God, who supplies seed to sow and bread to eat, will also supply you with all the seed you need and will make it grow and produce a rich harvest from your generosity. 11 He will always make you rich enough to be generous at all times, so that many will thank God for your gifts which they receive from us. 12 For this service you perform not only meets the needs of God’s people, but also produces an outpouring of gratitude to God. 13 And because of the proof which this service of yours brings, many will give glory to God for your loyalty to the gospel of Christ, which you profess, and for your generosity in sharing with them and everyone else. 14 And so with deep affection they will pray for you because of the extraordinary grace God has shown you. 15 Let us thank God for his priceless gift!
Every true prophet that wishes to abide among you is worthy of his food. Likewise, a true teacher is himself worthy, as the workman of his food. Every first-fruit, therefore, of the products of the wine-press and the threshing-floor, of oxen and of sheep, you will take and give to the prophets, for they are your high priests. But if you haved no prophet, give it to the poor beggars. If you make a batch of dough, take the first-fruit and give according to the commandment. So also when you open a jar of wine or of oil, take the first-fruit and give it to the prophets. Of silver and of clothing and of every possession, take the first-fruits, as it seems appropriate to you, and give according to the commandment.
The wealthy among us help the needy... As for the persons who are prosperous and are willing, they give what each thinks fit.
And instead of the tithes which the law commanded, the Lord said to divide everthing we have with the poor. And he said to love not only our neighbors but also our enemies, and to be givers and sharers not only with the good but also to be liberal givers toward those who take away our possessions.
The class of offerings in general has not been set aside. For there were both offerings there [among the Jews] and there are offerings here [among the Christians]. Sacrifices there were among the [Israelite] people; sacrifices there are, too, in the church. Only the outward form has been changed. For the offering is now made, not by slaves, but by free men... [The Jews] had indeed the tithes of their goods consecrated to Him. In contrast, those who have received liberty set aside all their possessions for the Lord's purposes, bestowing joyfully and freely not the less valuable portions of their property, since they have the hope of better things.
At the beginning, God accepted the gifts of Abel, because he offered with single-mindedness and righteousness. However, He had no respect for the offering of Cain, because his heart was divided with envy and malice... For if anyone will endeavor to offer a sacrifice merely for outward appearances, .. such an offering will not profit him anything... Sacrifices, therefore, do not sanctify a man. For God stands in no need of sacrifice. But it is the conscience of the person offering that sanctifies the sacrifice when it is pure.
On the monthly day, if he likes, each puts in a small donation -- but only if it is his pleasure and only if he is able. For there is no compulsion; all is voluntary.
They used to sell houses and estates so that they might lay up for themselves treasures in heaven. They presented the proceeds from them to the apostles, to be distributed for the use of the poor. However, now, we do not even give the tenths from our patrimony!
Let him [the bishop] use those tithes and first-fruits, which are given according to the command of God, as a man of God; as also let him dispense in a right manner the free-will offerings which are brought in on account of the poor, to the orphans, the widows, the afflicted, and strangers in distress, as having that God for the examiner of his accounts who has committed the disposition to him. Distribute to all those in want with righteousness, and yourselves use the things which belong to the Lord, but do not abuse them; eating of them, but not eating them all up by yourselves: share with those that are in want, and thereby show yourselves unbameable before God.
Luk 11.41-42 suggests the probability that, in at least some churches, the Pentateuchal precepts were applied by analogy for the benefit of the Christian poor. Matthew 23:23 suggests that the custom of tithing was preserved somehow. The New Testament nowhere explicitly requires tithing to maintain a ministry or a place of assembly.
Support for the physical needs of the Christian communities was constantly urged in New Testament times and in subsequent centuries (Matt. 10:10; Luke 10:7; 1 Cor. 9:3-12). For the eastern church, at least, the practice of tithing was treated as a matter of obligation (Did. 13; Const. app. 2.25; 7.29; 8.30), but on the basis of Jesus' advice to the rich young man about selling all his possessions (cf. Matt. 19:21; Mark, 10:21; Luke 18:22), the church fathers argued that Christians should go beyond what is done in Judaism (Clement of Alexandria, Str. 2.18; Irenaeus, Haer. 4.18). At the same time, complaints were often voiced that Christians fell far short in their generosity (Cyprian, Unit. eccl. 26; John Chrysostom, Hom. in Eph. 4.2), and Matthew's warning, "Unless your justice exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees...," (5:20) is frequently echoed by early writers on the subject (Origen, Hom. in Num. 11:2; Augustine, In Psalm. 146.17; Serm. 9:19; 85.5). Tithing in a Christian context follows the practice of late Judaism both in extending the obligation to cover all of one's possessions and in stipulating that the offerings be used for support of the clergy and for acts of charity (Const. app. 2.25; Cyprian, Ep. 1; Origen, Hom. in Jos. 17:3). Although there seems to have been a consensus during the early centuries about the obligation to tithe, the first collective statement on the subject appears at the Synod of Macon in 585 (can. 5 [Mansi 9.951-952]), which imposed the tithe on all citizens to support the work of the church. Tht practice of tithing remained irregular, however, until it became an issue of law in the time of Chrlemagne (771-814).
First fruits were not to be confused with tithes. First fruits refer to "a token amount" (Sanders 199: 289) of the agricultural harvest of grapes or grains gown on the land that the Lord gave to Israel. The first fruits belonged to the Lord -- "Because God had given them the land, they wer to return a portion of its produce in ratitude for God's benevolence" (Horsley 1985: 53). The tithe, on the other hand, refers to a precise amount: one-tenth of the harvest. The English term "tithe is derived from the Middle English word for "tenth." "Tithe" is the only appropriate translation for the Hebrew maaser and the Greek dekate, since in each of these languages, the term popularly meant "tenth" (Sanders 1990: 290). The tithe belonged to the Levites and their families since they were restricted from owning or cultivating land for their task was to maintain and operate the Jerusalem temple. The distinction between "first fruits" and "tithes" cannot be missed within the Hebrew Scriptures themselves (e.g., Nm 18:12-32; Neh 10:35-38).
In the Mishnah, the distinction between first fruits and tithes becomes even more elaborate (m . Bikkurim 2:3f.)... Here again it becomes clear that the first fruits of the soil involved a token quantity of high quality set aside as an offering to the Lord.
From this it can be surmised why first fruits would be embraced while tithes would be set aside. Tithing was designed to support the priests, the Levites, and their families. To be consistent, the Didache would have had to give tithes "to the prophets for they themselves are your high priests" (13:3). Since tithing involved a "tenth," the practice of tithing would have quickly destroyed the identity of prophets -- their lack of possessions and their wandering. even when prophets settled down in the Didache communities and were given free room and board, the Didache was never tempted to regard this as their "tithe." When one discovers, however, that first fruits and tithes were very different in the minds of Jews, it becomes possible to understand how the framers of the Didache could so strongly embrace one [first fruits] while flatly rejecting the other [tithes].
The succession of the three final phrases is noteworthy. Labon ten aparchen (take the firstfruits") again recalls the cultic nature of the gifts; hos an soi doxe ("as you think best") liberates the givers from any kind of niggling legalism and appeals to the generosity of individuals; dos kata ten entolen finally makes clear again, in conclusion, that the offering here demanded rests on a binding "commandment" of the Kyrios [Lord].
The congregation's offerings might be made in produce, out of which the bread and wine for the communion was taken, but our sources quoted above refer to monetary contributions. This was a part of the service, and later sources describe the formal offering by the faithful of their gifts at the table where the eucharist was spread. Tithing was not practiced, being suspended with the end of the Old Testament. Justin makes the act of giving a regular feature of the weekly assembly. Tertullian says the donation was put in "on the monthly day" or whenever one wished, perhaps indicating whenever he received income. In Tertullian's time or congregation there may have been a change in practice from the weekly offering. Another possibility, however, is to be considered. The private clubs and associations of the Roman world commonly had monthly dues and generally might meet only once a month. It is possible that Tertullian [as an apologist] is describing Christian practice according to what was known in the pagan world and is identifying the church in the minds of his [Roman] readers with the legal associations of their experience. The Christian sources stress the voluntary nature of the giving. The "small contribution" is to allay governmental fears of this secret organization accumulating vast sums of money which might be used for subversive purposes. (pages 88-89)
Not a great deal is said about the use of contributions for other than benevolent purposes -- for example, the support of Christian ministers...
If one takes a composite look at the texts, an impressive list can be drawn up of the types of individuals who were recipients of Christian assistance. Aid was extended to the following classes: the poor, the aged, widows, the sick, victims of shipwreck, exiles, the imprisoned, laborers in the mines.
The slaves who were condemned to work in the government mines were the most unfortunate of the ancient world's outcasts. Prisoners of war, criminals, and sometimes Christians were sent to the mines. The labor was extremely hard, the hours long, and the working aland living conditions incredibly hard. Few lived long under the circumstances. (page 214)
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25 And when you stand and pray, forgive anything you may have against anyone, so that your Father in heaven will forgive the wrongs you have done.”
34 Jesus said, “Forgive them, Father! They don’t know what they are doing.”
5 Now, if anyone has made somebody sad, he has not done it to me but to all of you—in part at least. (I say this because I do not want to be too hard on him.) 6 It is enough that this person has been punished in this way by most of you. 7 Now, however, you should forgive him and encourage him, in order to keep him from becoming so sad as to give up completely. 8 And so I beg you to let him know that you really do love him.
31Get rid of all bitterness, passion, and anger. No more shouting or insults, no more hateful feelings of any sort. Instead, be kind and tender-hearted to one another, and forgive one another, as God has forgiven you through Christ.
12 You are the people of God; he loved you and chose you for his own. So then, you must clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13 Be tolerant with one another and forgive one another whenever any of you has a complaint against someone else. You must forgive one another just as the Lord has forgiven you.
If then we entreat the Lord to forgive us, we ought also ourselves to forgive; for we are before the eyes of our Lord and God, and "we must all appear at the judgment-seat of Christ, and must every one give an account of himself." (The Epistle of Polycarp to the Philippians, Chapter VI)
| Other "Characteristics of earliest Christianity" |
| Other "Characteristics of earliest Christianity" |
43 Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to listen to my message. 44 You are the children of your father, the Devil, and you want to follow your father’s desires. From the very beginning he was a murderer and has never been on the side of truth, because there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie, he is only doing what is natural to him, because he is a liar and the father of all lies.
In conclusion, my brothers and sisters, fill your minds with those things that are good and that deserve praise: things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and honourable.
23 Your hearts and minds must be made completely new, 24 and you must put on the new self, which is created in God’s likeness and reveals itself in the true life that is upright and holy. 25 No more lying, then! Each of you must tell the truth to one another, because we are all members together in the body of Christ.
9 Do not lie to one another, for you have taken off the old self with its habits 10 and have put on the new self. This is the new being which God, its Creator, is constantly renewing in his own image, in order to bring you to a full knowledge of himself.
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Humaneness*
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Other "Characteristics of earliest Christianity" |
| Other "Characteristics of earliest Christianity" |
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Inclusiveness*
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Other "Characteristics of earliest Christianity" |
| Other "Characteristics of earliest Christianity" |
| Other "Characteristics of earliest Christianity" |
| Other "Characteristics of earliest Christianity" |
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