Alms

Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament

The duty of kindliness to and provision for the poor is constantly taught in the OT; in the later Jewish literature, and especially in Sirach and Tobit, it is even more emphatically asserted. It is clear that our Lord and the Apostolic Church taught this as a religious obligation with equal force. In the Sermon on the Mount, almsgiving is assumed to be one of the duties of the religious life ( e.g.  Matthew 6:1-4), and in several places the principle is expressed directly. Our Lord says to the rich young ruler, ‘Sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven’ ( Mark 10:21); in the parable of the Judgment, the place of men is decided on the ground that they have or have not helped and relieved the Lord’s brethren ( Matthew 25:34-46), and in St. Luke our Lord is reported as saying: ‘Sell that ye have, and give alms; make for yourselves purses which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not’ ( Luke 12:33).

We find the same principles assumed in the literature of the Apostolic Church. In the Acts we read of the Church of Jerusalem: ‘All that believed were together, and had all things common; and they sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all, according as any man had need’ ( Acts 2:44-45; cf.  Acts 4:32; cf.  Acts 4:34-35). What relation this may have to the community of goods is considered elsewhere (see articleCommunity of Goods); but it is at least clear that the Church in Jerusalem recognized the paramount obligation of the maintenance of the poor brethren, and it is worthy of notice that the first officers of the Christian community of whose appointment we have direct mention are the Seven who were appointed to carry out the ministrations of the Church to the poor widows of the community ( Acts 6:1-4).

In the letters of St. Paul we have frequent references to the obligation of helping the poor ( e.g.  Romans 12:13,  Ephesians 4:28,  1 Timothy 6:18), and in certain letters we find him specially occupied with the collections which were being made for the poor Christians in Jerusalem ( Galatians 2:10,  Romans 15:25-26,  1 Corinthians 16:1-2, 2 Corinthians 8, 9). The writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews speaks of such deeds of charity as being sacrifices well-pleasing to God ( Hebrews 13:16). It is in the First Epistle of St. John, however, that the principle of the responsibility of Christian men for the maintenance of their brethren is most emphatically expressed: ‘Whoso hath this world’s goods, and beholdeth his brother in need, and shutteth up his compassion from him, how doth the love of God abide in him?’ ( 1 John 3:17). For St. John the notion that any man can love God without loving his brother is a falsehood ( 1 John 4:20).

The Christian literature of the end of the 1st cent. carries on the same principles. The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles (iv. 8) says: ‘Thou shalt not turn away from him that is in need, but shalt share all things with thy brother, and shalt not say that they are thine own: for if ye are sharers in that which is immortal, how much more in those things which are mortal.’ The Epistle of Barnabas contains almost exactly the same phrases. We have thus in the NT and the sub-apostolic literature the clearest enunciation of the principle whose effect and practical applications we have to study in the history of the Early Church and of Christian civilization. There can be no doubt that our Lord and the writers of the NT looked upon the maintenance of the poor as a primary obligation of the Christian life.

Literature.-Article‘Almsgiving’ in Hasting's Dictionary of the Bible (5 vols)  ; ‘Alma’ in Encyclopaedia Biblica  ; and Smith’s Dict. of the Bible 2; ‘Charity, Almsgiving (Christian)’ in Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics  ; G. Uhlhorn, Christian Charity in the Ancient Church , Eng. translation, Edinburgh, 1883; A. Harnack, Expansion of Christianity 2, London, 1908, i. 147; A. F. W. Ingram, Banners of the Christian Faith , London, 1899; W. C. E. Newbolt, Counsels of Faith and Practice , do. 1894; B. F. Westcott, The Incarnation and Common Life , do. 1893; J. L. Davies, Social Questions , do. 1886.

A. J. Carlyle.

Fausset's Bible Dictionary

From Greek Eleemosyne . The Hebrew "righteousness" in Old Testament and the Greek in many manuscripts of  Matthew 6:1, stands for ALMS. So  Daniel 4:27, "Break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by showing mercy to the poor." The poor were entitled to leavings from the produce of the field, the vineyard, and the olive yard ( Leviticus 19:9-10;  Leviticus 23:22;  Deuteronomy 15:11;  Deuteronomy 24:19;  Deuteronomy 26:2-13), the third year's tithing for the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, the widow.

Compare  Job 31:17;  Job 29:16; "I was a father to the poor."  Nehemiah 8:10;  Proverbs 10:2;  Proverbs 11:4;  Esther 9:22;  Psalms 41:1;  Psalms 112:9. Dorcas ( Acts 9:36). Cornelius ( Acts 10:2). God prefers such neighborly love to fasting ( Isaiah 58:7). Thirteen receptacles for free offerings were in the women's court of the temple ( Mark 12:41-44). Begging was a practice only known after the captivity. In every city there were three collectors who distributed alms of two kinds:

1. Of money collected in the synagogue chest every sabbath for the poor of the city, "the alms of the chest."

2. Of food and money received in a dish, "alms of the dish." The Pharisees gave much alms, but with ostentation, figuratively blowing the trumpet before them (the figure being from the trumpet blowing in religious feasts):  Matthew 6:1-2. The duty was recognized among Christians as a leading one ( Luke 14:13;  Romans 15:25-27;  Galatians 2:10). A laying by for alms in proportion to one's means on every Lord's day is recommended ( 1 Corinthians 16:1-4;  Acts 11:29-30;  Acts 20:35). Jesus and the twelve, out of their common purse, set the pattern ( John 13:29). Not the costliness, but the love and self denial, and the proportion the gift bears to one's means, are what God prizes ( Mark 12:42-44). Such "come up as a memorial before God" ( Acts 9:36;  Acts 10:2;  Acts 10:4). The giving was not imposed as a matter of constraint, but of bounty, on Christians ( Acts 5:4).

The individual was not merged in the community, as in socialism; each freely gave, and distribution was made, not to the lazy who would not work, but to the needy ( Acts 2:45;  2 Thessalonians 3:10). A mendicant order is the very opposite of the Christian system. The Jewish tithe was not imposed, but the principle of proportionate giving having been laid down, the definite proportion is left to each one's faith and love to fix ( 2 Corinthians 9:5-7). Love will hardly give less than legalism. An ecclesiastical order of widowhood attended to charitable ministrations in the early church ( 1 Timothy 5:10). The deacons were appointed primarily for the distribution of alms (Acts 6). Alms are "righteousness," not that they justify a man (which Romans 3; 4; 5 prove they do not), but they are the doing that which is right and which our neighbor has a rightful claim upon us for, in the court of God's equity, though not of human law. God gives us means for this very end ( Ephesians 4:28).

Holman Bible Dictionary

Old Testament Although the Hebrew language apparently had no technical term to refer to “alms” or “almsgiving,” the practice of charitable giving, especially to the poor, became a very important belief and practice within Judaism. The Old Testament taught the practice of benevolent concern for those in need. Israel's ideal was a time when no one was poor ( Deuteronomy 15:4 ). Every three years, for example, the tithe of the produce of the year was to be brought to the towns and made available to the Levites, the aliens in the land, the orphans, and the widows ( Deuteronomy 14:28-29 ). Every seventh year all debts were to be canceled among the Israelites ( Deuteronomy 15:1-3 ), and the fields were to lie fallow so that the needy of the people might eat (Ex..  Deuteronomy 23:10-11 ). In addition, the law instructed Israel to give generously to the needs of their Hebrew neighbors ( Deuteronomy 15:7-11 ). Such charitable giving was not a grudging chore nor a loan for repayment. Failure to comply would be sin ( Deuteronomy 15:9-10 ). Israel showed concern for the needy by not harvesting the corners of fields and by leaving the gleanings so the needy and the stranger might gather what remained ( Leviticus 19:9-10;  Leviticus 23:22;  Deuteronomy 24:19-22 ).

New Testament The New Testament regards alms as an expression of a righteous life. The technical term for alms (Greek, eleemosune ) occurs thirteen times in the New Testament. This does not include  Matthew 6:1 , where the preferred reading is “righteousness” (Nas, Niv ) instead of “alms” (KJV). By the first century A.D. righteousness and alms were synonymous in Judaism. Although Jesus criticized acts of charity done for the notice of men ( Matthew 6:2-3 ), He expected His disciples to perform such deeds ( Matthew 6:4 ) and even commanded them ( Luke 11:41;  Luke 12:33 ). Alms could refer to a gift donated to the needy ( Acts 3:2-3 ,Acts 3:2-3, 3:10 ) or to acts of charity in general ( Acts 9:36;  Acts 10:2 ,Acts 10:2, 10:4 ,Acts 10:4, 10:31;  Acts 24:17 ).

The principle of deeds of mercy performed in behalf of the needy receives emphatic significance in the New Testament, since such actions are ultimately performed in behalf of the Lord ( Matthew 25:34-45 ). Early Christians voluntarily sold their possessions and shared all things in common to alleviate suffering and need within the church ( Acts 2:44-46;  Acts 4:32-35 ). Much of Paul's later ministry involved the supervision and collection of a contribution for the needy Christians in Jerusalem ( Romans 15:25-28;  1 Corinthians 16:1-4;  2 Corinthians 8-9 ). According to  James 1:27 , pure and undefiled religion consists, at least partially, in assisting orphans and widows in their distress. John also presented charitable giving as evidence of one's relationship to God ( 1 John 3:17-18 ). See Alien; Mercy; Hospitality; and Stewardship .

Barry Morgan

Charles Buck Theological Dictionary

What is given gratuitously for the relief of the poor, and in repairing the churches. That alms-giving is a duty is every way evident from the variety of passages which enjoin it in the sacred scriptures.

It is observable, however, what a number of excuses are made by those who are not found in the exercise of the duty:

1. That they have nothing to spare;

2. That charity begins at home;

3. That charity does not consist in giving money, but in benevolence, love to all mankind, &c.

4. That giving to the poor is not mentioned in St. Paul's description of charity,  1 Corinthians 13:1-13 :

5. That they pay the poor rates;

6. That they employ many poor persons;

7. That the poor do not suffer so much as we imagine;

8. That these people, give them what you will, will never by thankful;

9. That we are liable to be imposed upon;

10. That they should apply to their parishes;

11. That giving money encourages idleness;

12. That we have too many objects of charity at home, O the love of money how fruitful is it in apologies for a contracted mercenary spirit!

In giving of alms, however, the following rules should be observed:

1. first, They should be given with justice; only our own, to which we have a just right, should be given.

2. With cheerfulness,  Deuteronomy 15:10 .  2 Corinthians 9:7 .

3. With simplicity and sincerity,  Romans 12:1-21 :   Matthew 6:3 .

4. With compassion and affection,  Isaiah 58:10 .  1 John 3:17 .

5. Seasonably,  Galatians 6:10 .  Proverbs 4:27 .

6. Bountifully,  Deuteronomy 18:1-22;  Deuteronomy 19:1-21;  Deuteronomy 20:1-20;  Deuteronomy 21:1-23;  Deuteronomy 22:1-11 .  1 Timothy 6:18 .

7. Prudently, according to every one's need,  1 Timothy 5:8 .  Acts 4:35 .

See Dr. Barrow's admirable Sermon on Bounty to the Poor, which took him up to three hours and a half in preaching; Saurin's Ser. vol. 4: Eng. Trans. ser. 9. Paley's Mor. Phil. ch. 5. vol. 1:

Smith's Bible Dictionary

Alms. The duty of alms-giving, especially in kind, consisting chiefly in portions to be left designedly from produce of the field, the vineyard and the oliveyard,  Leviticus 19:9-10;  Leviticus 23:22;  Leviticus 15:11;  Leviticus 24:19;  Leviticus 26:2-13;  Ruth 2:2, is strictly enjoined by the law. Every third year also,  Deuteronomy 14:28 each proprietor was directed to share the tithe of his produce with "the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless and the widow." The theological estimate of alms-giving among the Jews is indicated in the following passages:

1.  Job 31:17;  Proverbs 10:2;  Proverbs 11:4;  Esther 9:22;  Psalms 112:9;  Acts 9:36: the case of Dorcas;

2.  Acts 10:2 of Cornelius; to which may be added  Tobit 4:10-11;  Tobit 14:10-11, and  Sirach 3:30;  Sirach 40:24.

The Pharisees were zealous in almsgiving, but too ostentatious their mode of performance, for which our Lord finds fault with them.  Matthew 6:2. The duty of relieving the poor was not neglected by the Christians.  Matthew 6:1-4;  Luke 14:13;  Acts 20:35;  Galatians 2:10. Regular proportionate giving was expected.  Acts 11:30;  Romans 15:25-27;  1 Corinthians 16:1-4.

Easton's Bible Dictionary

 Leviticus 25:35 Deuteronomy 15:7 Psalm 41:1 112:9 Proverbs 14:31 Isaiah 10:2 Amos 2:7 Jeremiah 5:28 Ezekiel 22:29

In the time of our Lord begging was common ( Mark 10:46;  Acts 3:2 ). The Pharisees were very ostentatious in their almsgivings ( Matthew 6:2 ). The spirit by which the Christian ought to be actuated in this duty is set forth in  1 John 3:17 . A regard to the state of the poor and needy is enjoined as a Christian duty ( Luke 3:11;  6:30;  Matthew 6:1;  Acts 9:36;  10:2,4 ), a duty which was not neglected by the early Christians ( Luke 14:13;  Acts 20:35;  Galatians 2:10;  Romans 15:25-27;  1 Corinthians 16:1-4 ). They cared not only for the poor among themselves, but contributed also to the necessities of those at a distance ( Acts 11:29;  24:17;  2 co.  9:12 ). Our Lord and his attendants showed an example also in this ( John 13:29 ).

In modern times the "poor-laws" have introduced an element which modifies considerably the form in which we may discharge this Christian duty.

People's Dictionary of the Bible

Alms, Alms Deeds. The word is not found in the Authorized Version of the Old Testament, but is frequent in the New Testament. The duty was, however, enjoined very strictly upon the Jews, who by law were required always to leave gleanings in the fields that the poor might be fed.  Leviticus 19:9-10;  Leviticus 23:22;  Deuteronomy 15:11;  Deuteronomy 24:19;  Deuteronomy 26:2-13;  Ruth 2:2. Every third year the tithe of the produce of the fanners was to be shared with the Levite, the fatherless, the stranger, and the widow.  Deuteronomy 14:28. Alms-giving is a subject of praise in the Old Testament— E.G.,  Job 31:17;  Psalms 41:1;  Psalms 112:9. In the temple there was one box for the reception of alms to be dedicated to the education of the poor children of good family. Alms-giving was a part of Pharisaic practice. Our Lord did not rebuke them for it, but for their self-satisfaction in the performance.  Matthew 6:2. In  Acts 10:31;  Romans 15:25-27;  1 Corinthians 16:1-4 the Christian mode of relieving the wants of others is set forth.

Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types

 Matthew 6:1 (b) The word is used in a general sense here. It represents good deeds done for the blessing and benefit of others, regardless of who they were, but particularly for the poor. The lesson is that we should not be advertising our good deeds expecting that men will give us rewards. If we do tell what we do for GOD, then the plaudits that we receive from man is all the reward we shall have. If, however, we do these good deeds for the glory of GOD, then He will give us the reward in due time.

 Acts 10:4 (b) In this place the word is used in regard to gifts of money given particularly for GOD's work and GOD's people. The angel carries the gift up to Heaven, presents it before the Lord, and before the rest of the heavenly group so that all will know that the money placed in the collection and the money sent to missions and the money given to assist otherwise in GOD's work represents your interest in it.

 Acts 24:17 (b) These alms refer to the sacrifices, the money, the gifts and the dues which belong to the priestly service of Israel. It may represent also those gifts which are given to preachers, missionaries and others engaged in Christian work, which is for their personal use. It may also refer to any gifts given to GOD's people for their relief and blessing.

Morrish Bible Dictionary

Offerings given to the poor. It was righteous to do so: hence, giving to the poor is called righteousness.  Psalm 112:9;  2 Corinthians 9:9 . In the law provision was made for the poor.  Exodus 23:11;  Leviticus 19:10 . It is declared that the poor would never cease out of the land; and if not relieved and they cried to the Lord, it would be accounted a sin against those who should have aided them.  Deuteronomy 15:7-11 . On the other hand, we read that "he that hath pity upon the poor lendeth to the Lord, and that which he hath given will he pay him again."  Proverbs 19:17 . In the N.T. the same thing is enforced. We are exhorted to do good unto all men, especially unto them of the household of faith.  Galatians 6:10 . "He that soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly . . . . the Lord loveth a cheerful giver;" and whole chapters were written to stir up the saints to give liberally to the poor in Judaea. "It is more blessed to give than to receive."

King James Dictionary

'ALMS, 'amz. Eng. almesse L. eleemosyna Gr. to pity.

Any thing given gratuitously to relieve the poor, as money, food, or clothing, otherwise called charity.

A lame man was laid daily to ask an alms.  Acts 3 .

Cornelius gave much alms to the people.  Acts 10 .

Tenure by free alms, or frank-almoign, in England, is that by which the possessor is bound to pray for the soul of the donor, whether dead or alive a tenure by which most of the ancient monasteries and religious houses in England held their lands, as do the parochial clergy, and many ecclesiastical and eleemosynary establishments at this day. Land thus held was free from all rent or other service.

Webster's Dictionary

(n. sing. & pl.) Anything given gratuitously to relieve the poor, as money, food, or clothing; a gift of charity.

Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature

( Ἐλεημοσύνη , Mercifulness, i e. an act of charity,  Matthew 6:1-4;  Luke 11:41;  Luke 12:23;  Acts 3:2-3;  Acts 3:10;  Acts 10:2;  Acts 10:4;  Acts 10:31;  Acts 24:17; "almsdeeds,"  Acts 9:36), beneficence toward the poor, from Anglo-Sax. Oelmesse, probably, as well as Germ. Almosen, from the corresponding Greek word Ἐλεημοσύνη ; Vulg. Eleemosyna (but see Bosworth, Anglo-Saxon Dict.). The word "alms" is not found in our version of the canonical books of the O.T., but it occurs repeatedly in the N.T., and in the Apocryphal books of Tobit and Ecclesiasticus. The Hebrew צְדָקָה , Tsedakah', Righteousness, the usual equivalent for Alms in the O.T., is rendered by the Sept. in  Deuteronomy 24:13, and elsewhere, Ἐλεημοσύνη , while the best MSS., with the Vulg. and Rhem. Test., read in Matthew 6, Δικαιοσύνη , Righteousness. (See Poor).

I. Jewish Alms-Giving. — The regulations of the Mosaic law respecting property, and the enjoining of a general spirit of tender-heartedness, sought to prevent destitution and its evil consequences. The law in this matter is found in  Leviticus 25:35 : "And if thy brother be waxen poor, and fallen into decay with thee, then shalt thou relieve him;" and it is liberally added, "yea, though he be a stranger or a sojourner, that he may live with thee." The consideration by which this merciful enactment is recommended has peculiar force: "I am the Lord your God, which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan, and to be your God." The spirit of the Hebrew legislator on this point is forcibly exhibited in  Deuteronomy 15:7 sq.: "If there be among you a poor man … thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him … . Beware that thine eye be not evil against thy poor brother, and thou givest him naught; and he cry unto the Lord against thee, and it be sin unto thee. Thou shalt surely give him, and thine heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him: because that for this the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all thy works." The great antiquity of the practice of benevolence toward the poor is shown in  Job 29:13 sq. How high the esteem was in which this virtue continued to be held in the time of the Hebrew monarchy may be learnt from  Psalms 41:1 : "Blessed is he that considereth the poor; the Lord will remember him in time of trouble" (comp.  Psalms 112:9;  Proverbs 14:31). The progress of social corruption, however, led to the oppression of the poor, which the prophets, after their manner, faithfully reprobated ( Isaiah 58:3); where, among other neglected duties, the Israelites are required to deal their bread to the hungry, and to bring the outcast poor to their house (comp.  Isaiah 10:2;  Amos 2:7;  Jeremiah 5:28;  Ezekiel 22:29). However favorable to the poor the Mosaic institutions were, they do not appear to have wholly prevented beggary; for the imprecation found in  Psalms 109:10, "Let his children be vagabonds and beg," implies the existence of beggary as a known social condition (comp. generally Carpzov, Eleemosynoe Judreor. Ex Antiquitate Jud. Delineatoe, Lips. 1728). Begging naturally led to almsgiving, though the language of the Bible does not present us with a term for "alms" till the period of the Babylonish captivity, during the calamities attendant on which the need probably introduced the practice (Gesenius, Carm. Samar. p. 63). In  Daniel 4:24, we find the Chald. word צִדְקָה (Tsidkah'; lit. righteousness), rendered Ἐλεημοσύναι in the Sept., and the ensuing: member of the sentence puts the meaning beyond a question: "O king, break off thy sins by Righteousness, and thine iniquities by showing mercy to the poor, if it may be a lengthening of thy tranquillity." A new idea is here presented, namely, that of merit and purchase. Alms-giving had come to be regarded as a means of conciliating God's favor and of warding off evil. At a still later period this idea took a firm seat in the national mind, and almsdeeds were regarded as a mark of distinguished virtue ( Tobit 2:14;  Tobit 4:11). That begging was customary in the time of the Savior is clear from  Mark 10:46," Blind Bartimaeus sat by the wayside begging;" and  Acts 3:2, "A lame man was laid daily at the gate of the temple called Beautiful to ask alms" (comp.  Acts 3:10). And that it was usual for the worshippers, as they entered the temple, to give relief, appears from the context, and particularly from the fine answer to the lame man's entreaty made by the Apostle Peter. (See Beggar).

Charity toward the poor and indigent — that is alms-giving — was probably among the later Jews a highly-honored act of piety (see Buxtorf, Florileg. Heb. p. 88 sq.; Otho, Lex. Rabb. p. 196 sq.), and hence is named even in connection with prayer and fasting ( Tobit 12:9). It was regarded as especially agreeable to God (comp.  Acts 10:4;  Acts 10:31; Hebrew 13:16; Thilo, Apocr. p. 324), as meritorious in the divine sight ( Proverbs 10:2;  Proverbs 11:4;  Tobit 2:14), even availing to blot out sins ( Tobit 4:10;  Sirach 29:10-13; comp.  Daniel 4:24), in short, as a fulfillment of the whole law (Talm. Jerus. Peah, 1). Children were early trained up to it ( Tobit 14:11), and among the encomiums of pious persons their charitableness was almost always enumerated ( Sirach 31:11;  Acts 9:36;  Acts 10:2). Exhortations to this virtue are especially frequent in the Proverbs of Solomon (3, 27 sq.; 22:9; 28:27), and in the book of Sirach (3, 23 sq.; 7:36), and the latter gives practical hints for the performance of this duty (12, 1 sq.; 18:14; 20:13 sq.). Accordingly, there were arrangements in the synagogues for the collection of alms on the Sabbath ( Matthew 6:2; comp. Vitringa, Synag. p. 811), and in the temple was a chamber ( לִשְׁכִּת חֲשָׁץִים ) where alms not specially designated for the poor Jews ( עֲנַיִּים בְּטֵי טוֹבִים ) were deposited (Mishna, Shek. v. 6); on the other hand, the trumpet-shaped vessels ( שׁוֹפָרוֹת , to which some have erroneously referred the term Σαλπίζω in  Matthew 6:2) served for the reception of those that individuals contributed for the support of divine worship. (See Temple). In the community, according to Maimonides, eleemosynary contributions were so arranged that almoners ( גִּבָּאִין , collectors, fully גִּבָּאֵי צְדָקָה , Talm. Jerus. Demay, fol. 23:2) sometimes took up collections of money in a box ( קוּפָה ) on the Sabbath, and sometimes received daily from house-to-house voluntary offerings, consisting of victuals, in a vessel ( תִּמְחוּי ) carried for that purpose (see, [Eck or] Werner, De fisco et paropside pauperum duab. specieb. eleemosynar. vet. Ebroeor. Jen. 1725). By far the foremost in alms-giving were the Pharisees, but they did it mostly in an ostentatious manner. The charge laid against them in  Matthew 6:2, has not yet been fully explained, on account of the obscurity of the expression "do not sound a trumpet before thee" ( Μὴ Σαλπίσῃς Ἔμπροσθέν Σου ) , which can hardly refer to the modern Oriental practice (Niebuhr, Reisen, 1, 181) of beggars (as in some parts of Switzerland) demanding charity by making music, since in that case the "trumpeting" would not proceed from the donor, nor would he be at all in fault. The language conveys the idea that the Pharisees assembled the poor in the synagogues and streets by the sound of a trumpet, which naturally attracted also spectators thither; but this custom would be too ceremonious to be probable, because it would require these individuals to have an attendant with a trumpet, as they could not well have blown it themselves. By the term "synagogues" here could not be meant the audience-room, at least during divine service, but only the porch or immediate vicinity of the edifice. On the whole, the expression "sound a trumpet" may more easily be interpreted metaphorically (with the Church fathers, also Grotius, Fritzsche, Tholuck, and others), q. d., don't make a flourish of music in front of you, i e. do not proclaim your liberality in a noisy manner. See generally Aster, De Eleemosynis Judicorum (Lips. 1728); Maimonides, De Jure Pauperis, 7, 10; 9:1, 6; Jahn, Arch. Bibl. 4, 371; Lightfoot, Horoe Hebr. on  Matthew 6:2, and Descr. Templi. 19; and comp. Smith's Dict. Of Class. Antiq. s.v. Tuba. (See Offerings); (See Tithes); (See Temple).

II. Apostolical. — The general spirit of Christianity, in regard to succoring the needy, is nowhere better seen than in  1 John 3:17 : "Whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?" With the faithful and conscientious observance of the "royal law" of love, particular manifestations of mercy to the poor seem to be left by Christianity to be determined by time, place, and circumstances; and it cannot be supposed that a religion, one of whose principles is "that, if any would not work, neither should he eat" ( 2 Thessalonians 3:10), can give any sanction to indiscriminate alms-giving, or intend to encourage the crowd of wandering, idle beggars with which some parts of the world are still infested. The emphatic language employed by the Lord Jesus Christ and others ( Luke 3:11;  Luke 6:30;  Luke 11:41 [see the treatise on this text by Somnel, Lond. and Goth. 1787];  Luke 12:33;  Matthew 6:1;  Acts 9:37;  Acts 10:2;  Acts 10:4) is designed to enforce the general duty of a merciful and practical regard to the distresses of the indigent — a duty which all history shows men have been lamentably prone to neglect; while the absence of ostentation and even secrecy, which the Savior enjoined in connection with alms-giving, was intended to correct actual abuses, and bring the practice into harmony with the spirit of the Gospel. In the inimitable reflections of Jesus on the widow's mite ( Mark 12:42) is found a principle of great value, to the effect that the magnitude of men's offerings to God is to be measured by the disposition of mind whence they proceed; a principle which cuts up by the very roots the idea that merit attaches itself to alms-giving as such, and increases in proportion to the number and costliness of our almsdeeds.

Accordingly, we find that the duty of relieving the poor was not neglected by the early Christians ( Luke 14:13;  Acts 20:35;  Galatians 2:10). Every individual was exhorted to lay by on the Sunday in each week some portion of his profits, to be applied to the wants of the needy ( Acts 11:30;  Romans 15:25-27;  1 Corinthians 16:1-4). It was also considered a duty specially incumbent on widows to devote themselves to such ministrations ( 1 Timothy 5:10). One of the earliest effects of the working of Christianity in the hearts of its professors was the care which it led them to take of the poor and indigent in the "household of faith." Neglected and despised by the world, cut off from its sympathies, and denied any succor it might have given, the members of the early churches were careful not only to make provision in each case for its own poor, but to contribute to the necessities of other though distant communities ( Acts 11:29;  Acts 24:17;  2 Corinthians 9:12). This commendable practice seems to have had its Christian origin in the deeply interesting fact (which appears from  John 13:29) that the Savior and his attendants were wont, notwithstanding their own comparative poverty, to contribute out of their small resources something for the relief of the needy. See generally Gude, Eleemosynoe Eccles. Apostolicoe Ex Antiquitate Sacra (Lauban. 1728).

III. Ecclesiastical Alms-Giving. — In the early ages of Christianity alms were divided in some provinces into four portions; one of which was allotted to the bishops, another to the priests, a third to the deacons and sub-deacons, which made their whole subsistence, and a fourth part was employed in relieving the poor and in repairing churches. These alms were given to the poor at their entrance into the church. The reasons assigned for this practice by Chrysostom indicate on his part a very defective view of Gospel truth. He says, "For this reason our forefathers appointed the poor to stand before the door of our churches, that the sight of them might provoke the most backward and inhuman soul to compassion. And as, by law and custom, we have fountains before our oratories, that they who go in to worship God may first wash their hands, and so lift them up in prayer, so our ancestors, instead of fountains and cisterns, placed the poor before the door of the church, that, as we wash our hands in water, we should cleanse our souls by beneficence and charity first, and then go and offer up our prayers. For water is not more adapted to wash away the spots of the body than the power of almsdeeds is to cleanse the soul. As, therefore, you dare not go in to pray with unwashen hands, though this be but a small offense, so neither should you without alms ever enter the church for prayer" (Hom. 25, de verb. Apost.). The period of Lent was particularly fruitful in alms. During the last week Chrysostom enjoins a more liberal distribution than usual of alms to the poor, and the exercise of all kinds of charity. The reason he assigns is, the nearer men approach to the passion and resurrection of Christ, by which all the blessings of the world were poured forth on men, the more they should feel themselves obliged to show all manner of acts of mercy and kindness toward their brethren (Bingham, bk. 21, ch. 1, § 25). At the time of marriage, as a substitute for the old Roman practice of throwing about nuts, the early Christians were accustomed to distribute alms to the poor and to children. The distribution of alms at funerals was associated with the unscriptural practice of praying for the dead. In one of Chrysostom's "Homilies," he says, "If many barbarous nations burn their goods together with their dead, how much more reasonable is it for you to give your child his goods when he is dead! Not to reduce them to ashes, but to make him the more glorious; if he be a sinner, to procure him pardon; if righteous, to add to his reward and retribution." In several of the fathers alms-giving is recommended as meritorious; and the germ of Romish teaching on the subject of salvation by the merit of good works may be clearly found in them. — Bingham, Orig. Eccl. 13, 8, § 14; Coleman, Anc. Christianity, ch. 4, § 3; Hofling, Lehre d. alt. Kirche v. Opfer. (See Almoner).

The order in the Church of England is, that alms should be collected at that part of the communion service which is called the offertory, while the sentences are reading which follow the place appointed for the sermon.

In the Methodist Episcopal Church alms are collected at the sacrament of the Lord's Supper and at the love-feasts.

On the Christian duty of alms-giving see Taylor, Holy Living and Dying, ch. 4, § 8; Saurin, Sermons (Serm. 9); Barrow's Sermon on Bounty to the Poor (Works, 2, 69); Wayland's Moral Science, p. 376 sq. (See Charity), and (See Poor).

IV. Civil. — The Poor-Laws of modern times have brought up anew the whole question of alms-giving in its relation to Christian ethics, and it requires a thorough investigation. — Chalmers On The Scottish Poor-Laws (Ed. Rev. 4 1, 228). (See Hospitals); (See Pauper).

Kitto's Popular Cyclopedia of Biblial Literature

The regulations of the Mosaic law respecting property, and its benign spirit towards the poor, went far to prevent the existence of penury as a permanent condition in society, and, consequently, by precluding beggary, to render the need of almsgiving unnecessary. Poverty, however, considered as a state of comparative want, Moses seems to have contemplated as a probable event in the social frame which he had established; and accordingly, by the appointment of specific regulations, and the enjoining of a general spirit of tender-heartedness, he sought to prevent destitution and its evil consequences ( Leviticus 25:35;  Deuteronomy 15:7, etc.). The great antiquity of the practice of benevolence towards the poor is shown in the very beautiful passage which is found in  Job 29:13 et seq. How high the esteem was in which this virtue continued to be held in the time of the Hebrew monarchy may be learned from  Psalms 41:1; see also  Psalms 112:9;  Proverbs 14:31. The progress of social corruption, however, led to the oppression of the poor, which the prophets, after their manner, faithfully reprobated ( Isaiah 58:7); where, among other neglected duties, the Israelites are required to deal their bread to the hungry, and to bring the outcast poor to their house. See also  Isaiah 10:2;  Amos 2:7;  Jeremiah 5:28;  Ezekiel 22:29.

However favorable to the poor the Mosaic institutions were, they do not appear to have wholly prevented beggary; for the imprecation found in  Psalms 109:10, 'Let his children be vagabonds and beg,' implies the existence of beggary as a known social condition. Begging naturally led to almsgiving, though the language of the Bible does not present us with a term for 'alms' till the period of the Babylonish captivity, during the calamities attendant on which the need probably introduced the practice. From  Daniel 4:27 it would appear that almsgiving had come to be regarded as a means of conciliating God's favor and of warding off evil. At a still later period this idea took a firm seat in the national mind, and alms-deeds were regarded as a mark of distinguished virtue. That begging was customary in the time of the Savior is clear from  Mark 10:46. And that it was usual for the worshippers, as they entered the temple, to give relief, appears from the context, and particularly from the fine answer to the lame man's entreaty, made by the apostle Peter. The general spirit of Christianity, in regard to succoring the needy, is nowhere better seen than in  1 John 3:17 : 'Whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?' With the faithful and conscientious observance of the 'royal law' of love, particular manifestations of mercy to the poor seem to be left by Christianity to be determined by time, place, and circumstances; and it cannot be supposed that a religion, one of whose principles is 'that, if any would not work, neither should he eat' ( 2 Thessalonians 3:10), can give any sanction to indiscriminate almsgiving, or intend to encourage the crowd of wandering, idle beggars with which some parts of the world are still infested. The emphatic language employed by the Lord Jesus Christ and others ( Luke 3:11;  Luke 6:30;  Luke 11:41;  Luke 12:33;  Matthew 6:1;  Acts 9:36;  Acts 10:2;  Acts 10:4) is designed to enforce the general duty of a merciful and practical regard to the distresses of the indigent; while the absence of ostentation, and even secrecy, which the Savior enjoined in connection with almsgiving, was intended to correct actual abuses, and bring the practice into harmony with the spirit of the Gospel. In the remarkable reflections of Jesus on the widow's mite ( Mark 12:42) is found a principle of great value, to the effect that the magnitude of men's offerings to God is to be measured by the disposition of mind whence they proceed; a principle which cuts up by the very roots the idea that merit attaches itself to almsgiving as such, and increases in proportion to the number and costliness of our alms-deeds.

One of the earliest effects of the working of Christianity in the hearts of its professors was the care which it led them to take of the poor and indigent in the 'household of faith.' Neglected and despised by the world, cut off from its sympathies, and denied any succor it might have given, the members of the early churches were careful not only to make provision in each case for its own poor, but to contribute to the necessities of other though distant communities ( Acts 11:29;  Acts 24:17;  2 Corinthians 9:12). This commendable practice seems to have had its Christian origin in the deeply interesting fact (which appears from  John 13:29) that the Savior and his attendants were wont, notwithstanding their own comparative poverty, to contribute out of their small resources something for the relief of the needy.