Economic origins of Roman Christianity

284 Pages·2011·1.305 MB·English

by  Tollison, Robert D.;Ekelund, Robert Burton

Economic Origins of
Roman Christianity

Economic Origins of
Roman Christianity
robert b. ekelund jr. and
robert d. tollison
the university of chicago press chicago and london
robert b. ekelund jr. is the Catherine and Edward Lowder Eminent Scholar Emeritus
of Economics at Auburn University. He is the author of numerous books, including The
Marketplace of Christianity with Robert D. Tollison and Robert F. Hébert.
robert d. tollison is the C. Wilson Newman Professor of Economics at Clemson
University.
The University of Chicago Press, Chicago 60637
The University of Chicago Press, Ltd., London
© 2011 by The University of Chicago
All rights reserved. Published 2011.
Printed in the United States of America
20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 1 2 3 4 5
isbn-13: 978-0-226-20002-6 (cloth)
isbn-10: 0-226-20002-7 (cloth)
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Ekelund, Robert B. (Robert Burton), 1940–
Economic origins of Roman Christianity / Robert B. Ekelund, Jr. and Robert D.
Tollison.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
isbn-13: 978-0-226-20002-6 (cloth : alk. paper)
isbn-10: 0-226-20002-7 (cloth : alk. paper) 1. Church history—Primitive and early
church, ca. 30–600. 2. Church history—Middle Ages, 600–1500. 3. Christianity—
Economic aspects. I. Tollison, Robert D. II. Title.
br163.e34 2011
270.1—dc22
2010046171
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of the American
National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library
Materials, ansi z39.48-1992.
For Mark Thornton, for everything!
rbe
For my coauthor, who never takes his oar out of the water, with respect
and affection, on his seventieth birthday
rdt

Contents
Preface xi
chapter 1. Roman Christianity: An Evolving Monopoly 1
Introduction 1
Aspiring to Monopoly 5
A Word on Method 8
The Roman Church as a High Medieval Monopoly 9
Plan of the Book 13
chapter 2. Religion, History, and Social Science 19
Introduction 19
Adam Smith and Max Weber 21
Contemporary Theoretical Approaches
to the Demand for Religion 23
Monopoly, Rationality, History, and Religion 29
Conclusion: Economics and Religious Behavior 31
chapter 3. Economics of Religious Belief 32
Introduction 32
Nature of the Religious Good 33
Demands and Contracts for the Religious Good 39
Conclusion: Focus on First-Millennium
Christianity 50
chapter 4. Entrepreneurship, Networking, and the Success
of Early Christianity 51
Introduction 51
Economic Analysis and Early Christianity 52
Entrepreneurship: Proselytizing the New Religion 60
viii contents
Network-Consumption Externalities and Credence Issues 65
The Adoption of Christianity: The Role of Saint Paul 70
Conclusion 75
chapter 5. Constantine and Rome’s Acceptance of Christianity 78
Introduction 78
A Theory of the Adoption and Cartelization
of Christianity by Rome 80
Roman Acceptance of Christianity: Economic Factors 86
The Critical Role of Constantine and the March
to Cartelization 90
Conclusion 103
chapter 6. The Drive to Church Monopoly: Constantine
to Charlemagne 106
Introduction 106
Economic Theory and Christianity in the Fourth–Twelfth
Centuries 108
Constantine through Justinian and Gregory I:
Centuries of Competition and Consolidation 116
The Frankish Kingdoms, Charlemagne, and
the Rescue of the Roman Papacy 131
Conclusion: The Roman Church circa the Early
Ninth Century 138
chapter 7. Roman Christian Monopoly in the Early
Medieval Period 142
Introduction: The Bumpy Road to Monopoly 142
After Charlemagne: Breakdowns, Confl ict, and Invasions 145
Competition with Byzantium and the “Great Schism” 155
Roman Church Monopoly Solidifi es 162
Conclusion 167
chapter 8. Conclusion: The Roman Church Monopoly
Triumphant 171
Introduction 171
How the Church Reached Monopoly Status 172
Roman Monopoly Processes and Market Entry 178
Does the Economics of Early Christianity Relate
to Contemporary Religion? 183
contents ix
Appendix The Impact of Saint Paul 197
Notes 205
References 243
Index 257