The Early History of Greed: The Sin of Avarice in Early Medieval Thought and Literature (Cambridge Studies in Medieval Literature, Series Number 41)

The history of avarice as the deadliest vice in western Europe has been said to begin in earnest only with the rise of capitalism or, earlier, the rise of a money economy. In this first full-length study of the early history of greed, Richard Newhauser shows that avaritia, the sin of greed for possessions, has a much longer history, and is more important for an understanding of the Middle Ages, than has previously been allowed. His examination of theological and literary texts composed between the first century CE and the tenth century reveals new significance in the portrayal of various kinds of greed, to the extent that by the early Middle Ages avarice was available to head the list of vices for authors engaged in the task of converting others from pagan materialism to Christian spirituality. Cover......Page 1 Half-title......Page 3 Series-title......Page 4 Title......Page 5 Copyright......Page 6 Contents......Page 9 List of abbreviations......Page 10 Preface......Page 13 THE DEADLY SIN TRADITION: AVARICE AND THE WANING OF ESCHATOLOGICAL EXPECTATIONS......Page 17 AVARICE AS A SOCIAL PROBLEM IN EARLY CHRISTIANITY......Page 20 THE TERMINOLOGY OF GREED AND MALLEABILITY IN THE LIMITS TO POSSESSIONS......Page 22 CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA'S JUSTIFICATION OF THE RICH......Page 26 ORIGEN: ASCETICISM, PSYCHOLOGY, AND THE PROBLEM OF AVARICE IN THE CHURCH......Page 28 COMPROMISE IN THE FACE OF PERSECUTION: CYPRIAN OF CARTHAGE ON PRECEPTS, COUNSELS, AND THE MISER......Page 30 LACTANTIUS: MYTHOLOGY AND THE BEGINNINGS OF SYSTEMATIC ANALYSIS......Page 34 2 Ascetic transformations I: monks and the laity in eastern Christendom......Page 38 ASCETICISM AND THE LAITY IN THE THOUGHT OF BASIL THE GREAT......Page 39 PLATONIC ASCETICISM AND THE THREAT OF HERESY IN THE THOUGHT OF GREGORY OF NYSSA......Page 45 THE PHILOSOPHICAL ASCETICISM OF GREGORY NAZIANZEN......Page 50 JOHN CHRYSOSTOM'S RHETORIC OF AVARICE......Page 54 THE CAPITAL VICE TRADITION: EVAGRIUS PONTICUS AND THE EVIL THOUGHT OF GREED......Page 63 EARLY MONASTIC LITERATURE AND THE TEMPTATION OF GREED......Page 73 JOHN CASSIAN'S TRANSFORMATION OF PHILARGYRIA FOR WESTERN MONASTICISM......Page 77 ASCETICISM AS ATTITUDE IN THE THOUGHT OF AMBROSE OF MILAN......Page 86 THE RISE OF AVARICE – IN NORTHERN ITALY IN THE LATE FOURTH AND EARLY FIFTH CENTURIES......Page 89 THE ALLEGORY OF GREED: PRUDENTIUS' PSYCHOMACHIA......Page 95 JEROME AS A SOCIAL CRITIC OF AVARICE......Page 101 AUGUSTINIAN ORTHODOXY VS. PELAGIAN RADICALISM......Page 104 AVARITIA GENERALIS: THE SPIRITUALIZATION OF GREED......Page 107 DIVERSITY IN SYSTEMATIC TREATMENTS OF AVARICE......Page 112 REGULATING THE SIN: EARLY MONASTIC LEGISLATION......Page 114 SEEKING THE BOUNDARIES: PRIDE AND AVARICE......Page 115 GREGORY THE GREAT'S SYNTHESIS OF CASSIAN AND AUGUSTINE......Page 116 EARLY MEDIEVAL SYSTEMS OF THE VICES: ISIDORE OF SEVILLE......Page 123 CHANGING RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE VICE AND ITS PROGENY: AVARICE AND CUPIDITAS......Page 126 PLACE FOR THE PRIMACY OF GREED IN THE EARLY MIDDLE AGES......Page 129 CAROLINGIAN REFORM AND MODERATION IN POSSESSING......Page 132 LITERARY FOUNDATIONS FOR THE SECOND RISE OF AVARICE......Page 137 TOWARDS AVARICE IN THE MONEY ECONOMY......Page 141 AVARICE IN THE GROWTH OF ESCHATOLOGICAL EXPECTATIONS......Page 144 I IMAGES......Page 148 II AUTHORS (NUMBERS REFER TO THE ENTRIES ABOVE)......Page 157 PREFACE......Page 159 1 ALMS AND ASCETES, ROUND STONES AND MASONS: AVARICE IN THE EARLY CHURCH......Page 160 2 ASCETIC TRANSFORMATIONS I: MONKS AND THE LAITY IN EASTERN CHRISTENDOM......Page 171 3 ASCETIC TRANSFORMATIONS II: SOARING EAGLES OR SAFETY IN THE HERD – FROM ANCHORITIC TO CENOBITIC MONASTICISM......Page 180 4 ASCETIC TRANSFORMATIONS III: THE LATIN WEST IN THE FOURTH AND FIFTH CENTURIES......Page 191 5 SECULARIZING AVARICE AND CUPIDITY......Page 205 EPILOGUE: FUTURE PERSPECTIVES......Page 218 1 Greek and Oriental (Hebrew, Syriac, Coptic)......Page 221 2 Latin and Vernacular (Old English)......Page 223 II MODERN SCHOLARSHIP......Page 228 General index......Page 248 Index of names......Page 255 Cover 1 Half-title 3 Series-title 4 Title 5 Copyright 6 Contents 9 List of abbreviations 10 Preface 13 1 Alms and ascetes, round stones and masons: avarice in the early church 17 THE DEADLY SIN TRADITION: AVARICE AND THE WANING OF ESCHATOLOGICAL EXPECTATIONS 17 AVARICE AS A SOCIAL PROBLEM IN EARLY CHRISTIANITY 20 THE TERMINOLOGY OF GREED AND MALLEABILITY IN THE LIMITS TO POSSESSIONS 22 CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA'S JUSTIFICATION OF THE RICH 26 ORIGEN: ASCETICISM, PSYCHOLOGY, AND THE PROBLEM OF AVARICE IN THE CHURCH 28 COMPROMISE IN THE FACE OF PERSECUTION: CYPRIAN OF CARTHAGE ON PRECEPTS, COUNSELS, AND THE MISER 30 LACTANTIUS: MYTHOLOGY AND THE BEGINNINGS OF SYSTEMATIC ANALYSIS 34 2 Ascetic transformations I: monks and the laity in eastern Christendom 38 ASCETICISM AND THE LAITY IN THE THOUGHT OF BASIL THE GREAT 39 PLATONIC ASCETICISM AND THE THREAT OF HERESY IN THE THOUGHT OF GREGORY OF NYSSA 45 THE PHILOSOPHICAL ASCETICISM OF GREGORY NAZIANZEN 50 JOHN CHRYSOSTOM'S RHETORIC OF AVARICE 54 3 Ascetic transformations II: soaring eagles or safety in the herd – from anchoritic to cenobitic monasticism 63 THE CAPITAL VICE TRADITION: EVAGRIUS PONTICUS AND THE EVIL THOUGHT OF GREED 63 EARLY MONASTIC LITERATURE AND THE TEMPTATION OF GREED 73 JOHN CASSIAN'S TRANSFORMATION OF PHILARGYRIA FOR WESTERN MONASTICISM 77 4 Ascetic transformations III: The Latin West in the fourth and fifth centuries 86 ASCETICISM AS ATTITUDE IN THE THOUGHT OF AMBROSE OF MILAN 86 THE RISE OF AVARICE – IN NORTHERN ITALY IN THE LATE FOURTH AND EARLY FIFTH CENTURIES 89 THE ALLEGORY OF GREED: PRUDENTIUS' PSYCHOMACHIA 95 JEROME AS A SOCIAL CRITIC OF AVARICE 101 AUGUSTINIAN ORTHODOXY VS. PELAGIAN RADICALISM 104 AVARITIA GENERALIS: THE SPIRITUALIZATION OF GREED 107 5 Secularizing avarice and cupidity 112 DIVERSITY IN SYSTEMATIC TREATMENTS OF AVARICE 112 REGULATING THE SIN: EARLY MONASTIC LEGISLATION 114 SEEKING THE BOUNDARIES: PRIDE AND AVARICE 115 GREGORY THE GREAT'S SYNTHESIS OF CASSIAN AND AUGUSTINE 116 EARLY MEDIEVAL SYSTEMS OF THE VICES: ISIDORE OF SEVILLE 123 CHANGING RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE VICE AND ITS PROGENY: AVARICE AND CUPIDITAS 126 PLACE FOR THE PRIMACY OF GREED IN THE EARLY MIDDLE AGES 129 CAROLINGIAN REFORM AND MODERATION IN POSSESSING 132 LITERARY FOUNDATIONS FOR THE SECOND RISE OF AVARICE 137 EPILOGUE Future perspectives 141 TOWARDS AVARICE IN THE MONEY ECONOMY 141 AVARICE IN THE GROWTH OF ESCHATOLOGICAL EXPECTATIONS 144 APPENDIX Imagery surrounding avarice 148 I IMAGES 148 II AUTHORS (NUMBERS REFER TO THE ENTRIES ABOVE) 157 Notes 159 PREFACE 159 1 ALMS AND ASCETES, ROUND STONES AND MASONS: AVARICE IN THE EARLY CHURCH 160 2 ASCETIC TRANSFORMATIONS I: MONKS AND THE LAITY IN EASTERN CHRISTENDOM 171 3 ASCETIC TRANSFORMATIONS II: SOARING EAGLES OR SAFETY IN THE HERD – FROM ANCHORITIC TO CENOBITIC MONASTICISM 180 4 ASCETIC TRANSFORMATIONS III: THE LATIN WEST IN THE FOURTH AND FIFTH CENTURIES 191 5 SECULARIZING AVARICE AND CUPIDITY 205 EPILOGUE: FUTURE PERSPECTIVES 218 Bibliography 221 I PRIMARY SOURCES 221 1 Greek and Oriental (Hebrew, Syriac, Coptic) 221 2 Latin and Vernacular (Old English) 223 II MODERN SCHOLARSHIP 228 General index 248 Index of names 255 In this full-length study of the early history of greed Richard Newhauser challenges the traditional view that avarice only became a dominant sin with the rise of a money economy. He shows that avaritia, the sin of greed for possessions, was dominant in a wide range of theological and literary texts from the first century CE, and that by the early Middle Ages avarice headed the list of vices for authors aiming to convert others from pagan materialism to Christian spirituality. His examination of theological and literary texts composed between the first century C.E. and the tenth century reveals new significance in the portrayal of various kinds of greed, to the extent that by the early Middle Ages avarice was available to head the list of vices for authors engaged in the task of converting others from pagan materialism to Christian spirituality."--Jacket The third vision in the Shepherd of Hermas, written in Rome for the young Christian community there during the early part of the second century, is an allegory of the ideal construction of the church, and it may serve as a guide in examining the responses to greed in early Christian literature. In this first full study of the early history of greed Richard Newhauser shows that avaritia, the sin of greed for possessions, was increasingly dominant in a wide range of theological and literary texts from the first century CE to the end of the tenth century