The origin of Christian charity

Philosophers, historians and representatives of other areas of the humanities have long been interested in the genesis of charity as a soci-ocultural phenomenon. As early as ancient times, authors such as Ennius, Marcus Tullius Cicero, and Lucius Annaeus Seneca studied the motivation, forms of activities, restrictions in this area, and the typology of philanthropists. However, charity was transformed by the change of eras, moral systems, and the level of civilization and socio-economic development. Even in ancient times two distinct stages in the development of philanthropy can be seen: Greco-Roman, i.e. pagan, and Christian. The emergence of Christian charity, the analysis of its sources, and the relationship with the Roman imperial society is the goal of this article. Nevertheless, the analysis of the phenomenon is complicated by the Christian tradition, the authors of which were silent about the Greco-Roman (pagan) charity, or felt, as a Russian church historian I. D. Petropavlovsky did, that it did not know love toward neighbors. Christian charity originating in the Roman Empire traveled a difficult path to institutionalization: from modest mutual aid within a few Christian communities to more extensive assistance to all in need regardless of their ethnic and religious origins, which helped increase the number of Christians. Pressure on the Christian church by the Roman authorities led to an increase in internal group solidarity, but not to hardening of the reference group boundaries. Christians were willing to help all fellow believers or those who called themselves such, Lucian of Samosata wrote. The sacred texts of the Old and New Testaments, the Epistles, the Apostolic Creed and practical experience in the deeds of the ancient civilization including the activities of the Greek and Roman polities and boards are undoubtedly sources of Christian charity. The first form of charity was alms, which has a fairly ancient origin and was used in ancient Greece, in the classical period. However, the attitude toward it is very controversial. The principle of "blind'' almsgiving charity was founded in the Gospels, but the opposite was stated in the Apostolic Creed: the principle of categorical almsgiving. The first principle prevailed in the future, giving rise to a class of professional beggars. And there were other forms of charitable deeds: feeding the poor, and caring for orphans, widows, the elderly, and prisoners. Therefore we can say that Christian charity, like Christianity itself, is a product of ancient civilization that is still used with some modifications in the modern world.

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