Medieval cities faced a multitude of problems that government refused to confront. In a world of hunger, plague and rampant poverty, charity dispensed by religious organizations provided the only relief. Challenging the widely accepted notion that charity was distributed in a haphazard and indiscriminate manner, Flynn argues that confraternities dedicated to almsgiving created the first comprehensive welfare system in Western Europe. Both rich and poor joined confraternities dedicated to feeding the hungry and caring for the sick, inspired by the belief that salvation could be procured through good deeds. They followed biblical precepts known commonly as the seven acts of mercy. The confraternities' ritual performance of these acts met material needs of the community with great regularity. Professor Flynn also uncovers an imaginative and coherent religious ideology of mutual co-operation in traditional popular culture.
- ISBN10 033342672X
- ISBN13 9780333426722
- Publish Date 28 July 1989
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 8 April 1992
- Publish Country GB
- Imprint Palgrave Macmillan
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 216
- Language English