Serving at the 'Banking-Tables': New Light on Acts 2-8 and the Link between Spiritual and Economic Transformation

Revision of the author's thesis (doctoral)--University of Birmingham, 2012, under the title: Hearing about Jesus, but thinking about Joel: exploring the biblical and historical relationship between spiritual and economic transformation.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction: Mistranslations and Missed Opportunities -- Peter's Pentecost Sermon -- The Seven Hellenist 'Bankers' -- Temple Banks and Priest-bankers -- The Shift in Jewish Economic Practices -- The Tension between Temple and Sect -- The Martyrdom of Stephen -- Other Passages in Acts 2 to 8 with Commercial Connotations -- Preliminary Conclusions -- The Primitive Church 'Trapeza' -- Joseph-Barnabas: A Re-evaluation of His Role and Status -- The Relationship between Spiritual and Economic Transformation -- Prosperity in Its Proper Context -- The Parables and Words of Christ -- The Modern Prosperity Gospel: Theology and Social Context in Conflict -- The Love of Money: A Global Banking Perspective -- Summation

"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.