Books for Lent: The Fourth Part

[In a recent post, we mentioned some lists for Lenten reading. Read on for the fourth in the series.]

As Tuesday's matins in the first week of Great Lent sings:

Knowing the commandments of the Lord, let this be our way of life:
Let us feed the hungry, let us give the thirsty drink,
Let us clothe the naked, let us welcome the stranger,
Let us visit those in prison and the sick...

On Repentance and Almsgiving (Fathers of the Church Series)
(email or call for availability) 
by St. John Chrysostom
The "Golden Mouth" lends substantial thought to the relationship between repentance and almsgiving.

On Social Justice (email or call for availability)  
by St. Basil the Great
Selections from St. Basil’s homilies on wealth and poverty.

On Wealth and Poverty (email or call for availability)  
by St. John Chrysostom
Addresses the questions of wealth and poverty with clarity, insight, compassion and judgment.

On Living Simply: The Golden Voice of John Chrysostom
(email or call for availability) 
by St. John Chrysostom
A selection of excerpts from the eloquent saint on the discipline of simplicity.

Loving the Poor, Saving the Rich: 
Wealth, Poverty, and Early Christian Formation
by Helen Rhee
Explores the issues of wealth and poverty and their relationship to Christian formation.

Poverty and Leadership in the Later Roman Empire
(email or call for availability)
by Peter Brown
Brown discusses the role of the Christian Church in revolutionizing the social imagination with the incarnational hope of social cohesion.

And You Welcomed Me: 
A Sourcebook on Hospitality in Early Christianity
edited by Amy G. Oden
A collection of excerpts from early Christian documents toward a theology of hospitality.

The Rise of Christianity (email or call for availability)
by Rodney Stark
Stark shows how the moral precepts of the early Christians became “liberating and effective social organizations.”

The Orphans of Byzantium: Child Welfare in the Christian Empire
(email or call for availability)
by Timothy S. Miller
A history of orphans and the systems that cared for them. Modern forms of welfare, take heed.

The Birth of the Hospital in the Byzantine Empire 
(email or call for availability)
by Timothy S. Miller
An excellent synthesis of the way in which Hellenic culture, the Christian church, monasticism, Roman law, and the medical profession participated in the formation and development of Byzantine hospitals.

Wealth and Poverty in the Teachings of the Church Fathers
(email or call for availability) 
by James Thornton
A study of almsgiving in Byzantium—its failures and triumphs.