Prologue: what is a Christian gift?

The present-giving world of early Byzantium

"Give to all who ask of you": the challenge of early Byzantine philanthropy

"Bend your heart to mercy": almsgiving and the Christian advocacy of social compassion

"Give it with your whole soul:L from alms to charity in early Byzantine monasticism

"What God has put in your hearttot give": divine patronage, sacred wealth, and material blessings

"You are the firstfruits of the world": monasticims, fruitbearings, and prosperity in the countryside

"Imperishable remembrance in heaven and earth": liturgical offerings and the rise of patronal monasteries

Epilogue; when holy men walked the earth.