As time went by hospitality underwent paradigm shifts as the political temperatures changed.
An illustration: In the first centuries, the church was distinct from the larger political system and often at odds with it (Pohl 1999:43). In fact the tension that developed with political authorities contributed in shaping some of the distinct characteristics of early Christian hospitality; for Christ's followers were severely a persecuted minority. In other words, the more the Christians were persecuted, the more they were forced by the circumstance to strength their dispensation of hospitality between themselves and to an extent, to their neighbours. The practice of hospitality was therefore important in sustaining identity and in providing care.
Indeed, even ministry to prisons were understood as an aspect and on extension of hospitality (Lane 1982:267-274).
However, the location of Christ's hospitality expanded in several different directions after Emperor Constantine gave his support to the Christian faith. Indeed, substantial public resources
as well as substantial responsibilities flowed to the church (Pohl 1999:43). That is, hospitality as care for the needy came to be viewed as "public service". By the middle of the fourth century, outsiders recognised Christian institutions of care as worth being imitated (Pohl 1999: 43). An example is Emperor Julian (A.D. 362). He instructed the high priest of the Hellenic faith to imitate Christian concern for strangers. In so doing, he was aiming at re-establishing a Hellenic religion in his empire only to realise that without the so-called Christian hospitality, the empire will not be as successful as he would have envisaged. Referring to Christianity as "atheism", Julian asked:
Why do we not observe that it is their benevolence to strangers, their care for the graves of the dead and the pretended holiness of their lives that have done most to increase atheism? (Poh11999: 44)
Subsequently, he instructed the priest to establish hostels for needy strangers in every city and also ordered a distribution of corn and wine to the poor, strangers, and beggars (Pohl 1999:44).
This is a significant testimony to the importance of charity and hospitality that came from, clearly, a hostile source.
Emperor Julian (A.D. 632) would go on and challenge his subjects to emulate Christ's hospitality as demonstrated by the practitioners of the day:
For it is disgraceful that, when Jew ever has to beg, and the impious Galileans (Christians) support not only their own poor but ours as well, all men (sic) see that our people lack aid from us. Teach those of the Hellenic faith to contribute to public service of this sort.43
In his attempt to withdraw the royal patronage given to the church by Constantine, Julian attested to the significance of Christian institutions of care for the society as a whole (Greer 1986: 132).
All in all, Christians established many hospitals in the fourth century to care for strangers, particularly for poor strangers and for the local poor. With time, these hospitals were categorised into separate institutions according to the type of person in need, i.e., for orphans, widows,
strangers, sick, and poor (Uhlhorn 1883 :323-329). Probably this categorisation of needy people marked the beginning of the weakening of hospitality. Itsounds like ancient forms of Apartheid- where people are cared separately on the basis of status!
In about A.D 370, Bishop Basil of Caesarea founded the first hospital that received substantial literature of the time. Basil is remembered by the way he gathered the victims of famine and supplied the poor and the sick with prepared food and physical care.44
He went on and established a variety of institutions to provide care for the sick, for travellers and for the poor (Forell 1979: 125-126). In an eulogy for Basil, the hospital was described as a "storehouse of piety" and the finest wonder of the world, a place where those decimated by disease could have a city of their own, no longer objects of hatred and exclusion because of their illness. 45 Bishop Basil's immense contribution, as a Christian, shows how Christ's hospitality had been given serious attention in the fourth century settings. Italso reflects how Christian care was originally connected to the practice of hospitality.
In the writings of Bishop John Chrysostom, from the fourth and early fifth centuries, we are able to identify multiple settings for hospitality as well as the tensions that emerged out of such diversity. He insisted that hospitality should start from a person's inner conviction and dedication. In other words, hospitality remains an individual responsibility as well. To drive the point home, he explained:
Even if the needy person could be fed from common funds, can that benefit you? If another man (sic) prays, does it follow that you are not bound to pray?46
Bishop Chrysostom went on and urged his parishioners to make a guest chamber in their own houses, a place set apart for Christ; a place within which to welcome "the maimed, the beggars, and the homeless." He, further, insisted that hospitality be offered personally with one's own
44Gregory Nazianzen, Panegyric on St. Basil,NPNF2, vol.7, pA07.
45Gregory Nazianzen, Panegyric on St.Basil pA16.
46 Chrysostom, Homily 45 on Acts, NPNFI, yoU 1, p 277. See also Greer's discussion inBroken Lights P.129-130.
hands rather than being left exclusively for the church to provide47. In so doing, he was probably alluding to the fact that Jesus himself washed his disciples feet by his own hands and so Christian practitioners of hospitality must seek to imitate Christ as much as possible. In any case, hospitality in the fourth and fifth century had become an essential part of Christian identity- for welcome; compassion and treatment were all part of a proper Christian response to people in need (Pohl 1999:46).
In Homily 66 on Matthew, Chrysostom described the work of the church at Antioch. He explained that though the church was not wealthy, it cared for those for those in prison, sick, disabled and those who were away from their homes. The church also provided food and clothing to those who came "casually" everydal8.
In trying to live up to the challenge of Christ's hospitality, Bishop Chrysostom built seven
"hospitality units" in Constantinople between AD 400 and 403. They provided care for strangers and orphans, as well as for those who were sick, chronic invalids, old, poor and destitute (Hastings 1913:805). This is the challenge for modern church leaders as well: Can we have, as a church, homes for street children, the orphaned, the elderly, the displaced/abandoned, the helpless/needy?
As observed in the previous section (2.5), within the fourth century, monasticism took root as an essential expression of the Christian life. Major figures in early monasticism, such as Basil, Chrysostom and Jerome appeared in this century. For example, Benedict of Nursia (ca.480-ca.
550), the father of western monasticism developed a rule of monastic life that gave a central place to hospitality to strangers while protecting other disciplines of the monastery from disturbance.49
In concluding the section on the hospitality in the fourth and fifth centuries, we realise that it provided the most active moment as far as Christ's hospitality is concerned. This is in terms of
47Chrysostom, Homily 14 on ITimothy, NPNFI, Yo1.l3,pA45.
48Chrysostom Homily 66 on Matthew, NPNFI, YoI.IO,pA07
See the rule of Benedict, Chap.53 in Western Asceticism, The Library of Christian classics, yol.12
writings and fieldwork attempt at implementing it. The period, also, saw the emergency of the hard working monasteries as far as hospitality is concerned as we have already observed. Italso saw Jerome, Lactantius and Chrysostom, among others, defining Christ's hospitality as welcoming the "least" without commercialisation of hospitality. This is highly an ambitious undertaking-to recognise the "least" amongst us.Itclearly echoes Christ and serves to implement every detail of Christ's theology that contrasted the theology of the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the teachers of the Law and the Scribes. Ironically, this distinctiveness of the fourth-fifth century was defined as the church was increasing in wealth, power and influence. This was probably because of the fact that the relation of the church and socio political institutions was changing.
For the church and the political authorities were no longer at odds. They had become intertwined and dependent on one another as hospitality reinforced those relationships, as the above discussion has shown. If the world can embrace Christ's hospitality that sees the primary need is to welcome the very "least" amongst us, then the kingdom of God that Jesus told us to pray for (Matthew 6) will have come, as the people of God embrace "love of the neighbour" as their defining characteristic. Probably we would be thanking God that the kingdom has come to every one of us, as it is done in heaven! As a result, we would no more hear or see widening gap between the rich and the poor-rather the world would be looking forward to ways and means of bridging the gap in the local and international politics.