An Analysis of the ethical and Soteriological Dimension of Poverty and Wealth in the Works of Hilary of Poiters
Abstract
Hilary of Poitiers tangentially covers the relationship between humankind and material wealth in several of his works. In his reflections on these questions, we find that the variables of wealth and poverty transcend their purely material meaning to indicate spiritual states of humanity with regards to the paradigm shift that takes place due to the incarnation. In this paper, we will explore the bishop of Poitiers’ exegesis of episodes that are crucial to understand the subject in question, such as the notion of poverty of spirit that arises from the first beatitude, the parable of the rich young man and the tale of the rich man and Lazarus, as well as other Biblical motifs related to wealth and fair compensation both in this world and the afterlife.
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