Vigiliae Christianae, Supplements Almsgiving as the Essential Virtue

This book demonstrates the unique and far-reaching claims John Chrysostom made concerning almsgiving’s many benefits, including its ability to forgive any and all sin. The author also identifies several factors that led John to favor almsgiving over other ascetic practices. This book seeks to add to common representations in the scholarship on almsgiving in late antiquity concerning the remission of post-baptismal sin, efforts to reform society, and competition between monks and bishops. It demonstrates that John Chrysostom conceptualized almsgiving as not only expiating the sins of the rich, relieving the suffering of the poor, or securing power for its promoters, but also expiating the sins of the poor, unifying the members of his congregation, and making humans like God. Although it could indeed save one from eternal death and physical hunger, it was salvific and transformative on other levels as well.