Table of Contents

Acknowledgements Introduction 1. Biblical law and the poor 2. Inequality and the Bible 3. The Bible and the poor 4. The Bible and European Poor Law 5. How closely were laws on the poor observed in the biblical age? 6. Subversion of the social order in the Hebrew Bible 7. The Bible and poverty: a contrast with ancient Greece and Rome 8. The Bible, the poor and Christian Europe 9. Ancient prophets, modern economists 10. The superior status of the poor in the Hebrew Bible 11. The decline of the 'holy poor' in Rabbinic Judaism 12. The Bible and Christian views of the poor 13. The 16th century turn against the 'Apostolic Poor' 14. Vernacular Scripture, the Reformation and the poor 15. The Bible and literary compassion for the poor 16. On 'false' poor 17. Mendele and the damned poor 18. Why are there no deceitful poor in the Bible? Notes Bibliography Index

About the Author

David Aberbach is Professor, Department of Jewish Studies, McGill University