Mutuum Date Nihil Desperantes (Lk 6,35)

The cultural environment of the New Testament is shaped by two rivaling principles of social exchange: The sphere of traditional reciprocity, which is based on cyclic long-term relationships, is partly invaded by forms of market economy. Luke-Acts depicts the consequences of that clash of mentalities unadornedly, without retreating to contemporary ideologies. Everyday conflicts in the spheres of euergetism or patron-client relationships about lending money, spending or stockpiling grain, provide the framework for Luke's own vision of a commnion of goods as counter-society.