"The contributions for this volume emerged out of an expert seminar on the theme of the Church Fathers and Catholic social thought held in Leuven in 2007." -- p.vii.

Includes bibliography (p. 235-263) and index.

Part I. Approaching Patristic Socio-Ethical Texts : -- 1. Texts that create a future : the function of ancient texts for theology today / Reimund Bieringer -- 2. Challenges in approaching patristic texts from the perspective of contemporary Catholic social teaching / Pauline Allen -- Part II. Contexts for Patristic Socio-Ethical Texts : -- 3. Social ethics and moral discourse in late antiquity / Peter Van Nuffelen -- 4. Wealth, poverty, and eschatology : pre-Constantine Christian social thought and the hope for the world to come / Helen Rhee -- 5. The audience(s) for patristic social teaching : a case study / Wendy Mayer -- Part III. Issues in Patristic and Catholic Social Thought : -- 6. Out of the fitting room : rethinking patristic social texts on "the common good" / Susan R. Holman -- 7. "That which has been wrung from tears" : usury, the Greek fathers, and Catholic social teaching / Brenda Llewellyn Ihssen -- 8. The principle of detachment from private property in Basil of Caesarea's Homily 6 and its context / Brian Matz -- 9. Social justice in Lactantius's Divine Institutes : an exploration / Thomas Hughson -- Part IV. Reflections on the Theme : -- 10. The church fathers and Catholic social thought : reflections on the symposium / Richard Schenk -- 11. The (im)possible dialogue between patristics and Catholic social thought : limits, possibilities, and a way forward / Johan Leemans, Johan Verstraeten