Abstract
This chapter explores the rich tradition of Christian economic thought on the subject of scarcity and abundance. This tradition includes the scripture of the Old and New Testaments, the writings of the early Church Fathers and the medieval Scholastics, the modern Papal encyclicals, and the opinions of contemporary Christian theologians and economists. The predominant Christian position on the subject is largely derivative of the concept of stewardship, and its implications with respect to property and freedom.
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Notes
- 1.
See Lv. 26:3–12; Dt. 6:3; 7:12–15; 28:1–14; 30:1–20; Am. 8:4–12; Jr. 34:12–22.
- 2.
Other translations of Matthew, such as the Authorized King James Version, adopt a stronger tone, substituting “do not be anxious” with “take no thought.”
- 3.
While Chrysostom’s ideal of communism does remind us of Plato ’s ideal city-state, it is important to note that “Plato’s principle has a philosophical basis rather than a religious one, unlike Chrysostom’s, and its extent is narrow [city-state], not worldwide as Chrysostom’s” (Karayiannis 1994, 61).
- 4.
See Cohen (2000) for a remarkable critique of the scientific theory of socialism.
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Reda, A. (2018). Abundance and Scarcity: Christian Economic Thought. In: Prophecy, Piety, and Profits. Palgrave Studies in Islamic Banking, Finance, and Economics. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-56825-0_3
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