Serving at the 'banking-tables' : : new light on acts 2-8 and the link between spiritual and economic transformation / / Douglas Harrison-Mills.

• Superior document: Biblical Interpretation
• VerfasserIn: Harrison-Mills, Douglas,
• Place / Publishing House: Leiden ;, Boston : : Brill,, [2023]
• Year of Publication: 2023
• Edition: 1st ed.
• Language: English
• Series: Biblical Interpretation
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (342 pages)

"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.

Table of Contents

Intro -- 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.