Serving at the 'Banking-Tables' : New Light on Acts 2-8 and the Link Between Spiritual and Economic Transformation

"Traditional exegesis divides scripture into two distinct economic models: the OT (Hebrew) model of blessing with a "surplus of prosperity", and the NT (Christian) model of economic collectivism with "all things in common". Using an economic perspective as an exegetical tool, the author demonstrates that this differentiation is an artificial construct. In particular, he argues that various NT Greek words and phrases in Acts, which have been rendered to describe acts of charity, should be reinterpreted to depict overtly commercial activities, including the possibility of a banking operation at the heart of the primitive church that posed a serious political and economic threat to the Jewish elite in first-century Jerusalem"-- Provided by publisher Contents Biblical References Acknowledgements Introduction: Mistranslations and Missed Opportunities 1.1 One Bible, Two Economic Models? 1.2 From Pentecost to Persecution 1.3 The ‘Cross-Discipline’ Approach 1.4 Applying a ‘What-if Scenario’ to the Biblical Text 1.5 A New Exegetical Methodology without a Label 1.6 A Discussion of the Historical Source Material Peter’s Pentecost Sermon 2.1 Hearing about Jesus, but Thinking about Joel 2.2 The Initial Tranche of Converts 2.3 Converting for ‘More Mundane’ Reasons 2.4 The Roman Financial Crisis of 33 ce 2.5 Economic Conditions in First-century Jerusalem 2.6 This Crooked Generation The Seven Hellenist ‘Bankers’ 3.1 The Problem of the Hellenist Widows Re-examined 3.2 Serving at the ‘Banking-Tables’ 3.3 Beyond the Tables 3.4 The Basis of a ‘Trapezitic Business’: Other People’s Money 3.5 The Time Spent on ‘This Business’ 3.6 Banking as an Economic and Social Catalyst 3.7 The Blurred Line between Banking and Charity Temple Banks and Priest-Bankers 4.1 A Blessing in Your Barns 4.2 The Temple-based Origins of Banking 4.3 Mesopotamian-Babylonian Temple Banking 4.4 Greco-Roman Temple Banking 4.5 The Ancient Jewish Connection with Banking The Shift in Jewish Economic Practices 5.1 Factors behind the Shift 5.2 An Economic Paradigm Shift with Social Consequences The Tension between Temple and Sect 6.1 Making Money and Making Enemies 6.2 Key Elements Behind the Tension 6.3 The Temple-centric Economy of Jerusalem 6.4 The Sadducee Elite: A Brood of Vipers? 6.5 The ‘Wicked Priests’ 6.6 Essene Precedent and Sadducee Paranoia The Martyrdom of Stephen 7.1 Freedmen and Their Economic Importance 7.2 Killing off the Competition? Other Passages in Acts 2 to 8 with Commercial Connotations 8.1 All Things in Common 8.2 Illiterate Hebrews and Learned Hellenists 8.3 No Needy Person among Them 8.4 Commercial Repercussions of the Ananias and Sapphira Episode 8.5 The Significance of Meeting in Solomon’s Porch 8.6 A Large Number of the Priests Were Obedient to the Faith Preliminary Conclusions The Primitive Church ‘Trapeza’ 10.1 Constructing a Theoretical Model 10.2 Banking in the Roman Empire 10.3 Trapeza or Argentaria? 10.4 The Business Conducted ‘Through the Bank’ 10.5 Small Tables Perhaps, but not Small Transactions 10.6 From Foreign Coins to Foreign Trade 10.7 The Question of Interest 10.8 Depositors and Lenders versus ‘Participants’ 10.9 Speculations and Conclusions Joseph-Barnabas: A Re-evaluation of His Role and Status 11.1 Getting the Recognition He Deserves 11.2 Initial Reference to Barnabas in the Acts Narrative 11.3 A Spiritual Leader with Financial Skills and Experience 11.4 His Rejection in the Vote to Replace Judas 11.5 A Power-broker with Impregnable Position in Jerusalem and Beyond? 11.6 The Cyprus Connection 11.7 The Antioch-Cyprus-Cyrene Network 11.8 Possible Links with Powerful Groups in Alexandria 11.9 Two Priest-Bankers: Joseph-Barnabas and Joseph, the Patriarch The Relationship between Spiritual and Economic Transformation 12.1 Problems and Controversy 12.2 The OT Spiritual-Economic Cycle: An Overview 12.3 The Baal-Yahweh Polemic: A Battle for Men’s Hearts through Their Stomachs 12.4 The Spiritual-Economic Cycle in Jeremiah and Ezekiel 12.5 Is There a Correlation between Moral and Economic Conditions? 12.6 The Purpose behind the Salvation-Restoration Oracle 12.7 The ‘Reform’ versus ‘Sectarian’ Model Prosperity in Its Proper Context 13.1 Solving the Endemic Problem of Scarcity 13.2 The Practical Application of ‘Faith’ The Parables and Words of Christ 14.1 Introduction 14.2 The Parables of the Entrusted Money 14.3 The Parable of the Rich Fool 14.4 Embracing Risk for the Benefit of Others 14.5 Comment The Modern Prosperity Gospel: Theology and Social Context in Conflict The Love of Money: A Global Banking Perspective 16.1 Introduction 16.2 Land of the Free, the Brave and the Greedy 16.3 What’s Wrong with Traders? 16.4 The Need for ‘Priest-Bankers’ Today Summation Appendices Lukan Wealth Ethics: A Few Scholarly Views A1.1 Introduction A1.2 Rachel Coleman: Reversal and Right Response? A1.3 Christopher Hays: Renunciation of All? A1.4 Comment Luke: Historian or Theologian? A2.1 An Overview of the Debate A2.2 Techniques of Persuasion? A2.3 Luke’s Errors? Or Our Ignorance of the Context? A2.4 Conclusion A Survey of Spiritual and Economic ‘Outpourings’ in the Modern Era A3.1 The Methodology and Problems Encountered A3.2 A Discussion of the Results Bibliography Non-biblical References Online Reference Sources Index of Modern Authors Index of Ancient Sources Index of Scriptures