The starting point of this work is to refute the argument of Peter Brown that the leadership of bishop as “lover of the poor” is not to confine the inspiration to within the Christian church and it would be considered from the social-political structure rather than ecclesiastical-monastic view. Brown insisted that Basileia, which was built for the relief of the poor by Basil, is a striking outcome of the great imperial endowment by which the church was granted its privileges in return for a fully, public commitment to the care of the poor. Even though the leadership of bishop as “the lover of the poor” is in part influenced by the socio-political structure, the religious and spiritual structure of human being is taking precedence over the socio-political structure of human being. Therefore, this work is to present how much as a bishop called “the lover of the poor,” Chrysostom was influenced by the monastic ideas. John Chrysostom, a deacon and presbyter from 381 to 397 in Antioch and a bishop from 398 to 404 in Constantinople, died in exile in 407. He spoke over eight hundred sermons, two hundred and forty two letters, and fourteen treaties on poverty, the rich and the poor and alms. He is called “the lover of the poor.” His understanding of above issues is greatly influenced by monasticism, because the monastic ideal is ‘the voluntary poverty.’ St. Antony died in Egypt in 365, and Pachomius died only a short time before Chrysostom was born. Therefore, definitely he was influenced by monastic ideal very strongly. Chysostom basically adopts the monastic ideals as his life model, and uses them as a basis for how he believes Christian ought to live in the city. The early years of the fourth century had already witnessed the popularity of the ascetic forms of Christianity in Palestine and Syria. In the second half of the fourth century, the manner of the lifestyle of the monks, both in Syria and in Antioch, was no longer unfamiliar. For Chrysostom monks are the models of Christian citizenship and monastery is the model for the city. His desire is to bring the monk’s way of life to the city. For Chrysostom, the monastery is the “city of virtue.” He wants to bring that virtue into the city, where the pursuit of glory prevails. In fact, glory is a key motivator for maintaining the city in an ancient society. Chrysostom challenges the vainglory pursued by so many, through his frequent preaching. In late antiquity, the dignity of the city was measured by the greatness of the city, represented by the Orchestra, the Hippodrome, gym and theatre of a city. He argues that the most important factor for maintaining the city is humility. While Chrysostom takes his ideal for the Christian life and for society from the norms of monasticism, his attempts to implement his ideal in reality represent in almsgiving to overcome the gap between the rich and the poor. He defines wealth itself as neutral. He focused on the function of wealth as utility, consequently he encouraged people to give alms. Therefore, he is called “the lover of the poor.”

Zur Zeit des Caecilius Cyprianus benutzten die Christen die Bibel, die LXX für das Alte Testamentum, schon alle gesammelte 27 +α Schrifen für das Neue Testamentum waren. Damals waren fast alle Juden vom Christentum weggelassen. Und die Theologie entwicklte endlich. Natürlich wurde der Terminus “Theologie” im Christentum zuerst bei Eusebios von Caesarea (260-339) benutzt. Die Hermeneutik wurde mit der ganzen Bibel in der Kirche angefangen(wahrscheinlich von Ireaeus, Tertullianus, Cyprianus). Am Anfang des 3. Jahrhundert sei Cyprianus geboren. Er ist der hoch Gelehrte und hatte “beträchtliches Vermögen,” “Umgang mit Angehörigen des Ritter-und Senatorenstandes” und stammte aus “zumindest ritterlichen Standes.” Cyprianus wurde Christ in der Mitte des 240-jährigen under dem Einfuß des Presbyters Caecilianus, der den Lebensablauf des Cyprianus “von weltlichem Irrtum zum Erkenntnis der wahren Divinität bekehrt hatte”. Der Diakon Pontius bezichnete ihn als “neophytus”(Neubekehrten). Als Cyprianus Christ geworden war, wurde er bald als Neubekehrter “zum Amte eines Priesters und zum Episkopat” geworden. Es ist nicht wegen seiner Pflicht des Episkopates, daß Cyprianus den Aremen die Almosen gab. Als er Christ geworden war, verkaufte er sein Vermögen und gab es den Armen. In der Schrift de opere et eleemosynis het Cyprianus das grichische Wort ἐλεημοσύνη(almosen) ins lateinisch eleemosyna übertragen. Lampe zeigt uns die Bedeutung “almsgiving” und Liddell & Scott übersetzen ins “charity”. Cyprianus erleuchte im Anfang der seinen Schrift, daß Gott selbst “durch den Hinweis auf die Werke der Gerchtigkeit und Barmherzigkeit uns gewissermaßen einen Weg zur Sicherung des Heils eröffnete.” Wenn Cyprianus spricht, daß durch Almosen und Glauben die Vergehen und die Sünde gereinigt wurde, bedeutet es besonders nicht, daß es verleugnet, daß die Vergehen schon vorher “durch Christi Blut und Heiligung geneinigt” wurde. Trotzdem behauptet Cyprianus natürlich, daß “Almosen die Sünde auslöschen wird”. Und er sagt wiederum: “Weil schon einmal in der Tauge Vergebung der Sünde gewährt wird, so möge beständige und unablässige Mildtätigkeit geradeso wie die Taufe wiederum Gottes Gnade(indulgentia= Gunst) spenden”. Nachdem Cyprianus die Notwendigkeit des Almosengeben erörtert hat, kritisierte er scharf die Leute, die in der Kirche waren und sich Almosen zu geben in drei Urschen verzögerten. Die Leute, die eben so wie die Pharisäer “verschlossene Ohren(praeclusae aures)” und “verblendete Herzen” haben, sollen öffnen und aufmachen, um gerne und reichlich Almosen zu geben. Er behauptet, daß die Christen sich “eifrig im Almosengeben zeigen und nicht an irdischem Besitz hängen, sondern vielmehr himmlische Schätze sammeln sollten”.

The tithe system which the Urgemeinde did not know, has returned to the church with the Judaising trends. The early church was convinced that it would correspond with the spirit of the gospel, to use the tithe for the purpose of charity. The church depended on the voluntary donations; but in the sixth century, in Meroving dynasty the tithe was referred to for the first time in a synodal letter, and thence force it has begun to have the obligatory character. In the Caroling Dynasty the bishops asked the secular power to chastise those who refused to pay the tithes. At last Charlemagne proclaimed a capitulary, which made the payment of the tithes an obligation. He chastised the refusers as violators of the imperial order. In this way the tithe which men introduced originally as voluntary donation, changed into a sort of religious tax. Also the rule concerning the 1/4 portion for the poor which the Roman popes had stipulated, has lost its meaning. The purpose of tithes collection for the charity has been forgotten; the tithes has been collected only for the salary of the clergy. In the Frankish empire which was neither a industrial state nor a welfare state, the worst victims of the wars, the plagues and the natural catastrophes were the common people. They who were freemen nominally, have lost their scanty possessions for several reasons and erred on the streets. Although the church and the monastery tried to provide the costs for the charity from the tithes and other incomes and the synods tried to reform the charity system, the charity activities were encountered with their limits for several reasons. The rulers like Charlemage and Louis the Pious were interested for the problem of the poor; it could be relieved with the public funds, but could not be solved basically. The charity was the only help for the poor of the early Middle Age, and they were waiting for the charity.