Christianity has often understood the death of Jesus on the cross as the sole means for forgiveness of sin. Despite this tradition, David Downs traces the early and sustained presence of yet another means by which Christians imagined atonement for merciful care for the poor.
Cover image: St. Giles supports a beggar, south wall of the crypt (fresco), French School, (11th century) / Church of Saint-Aignan-sur-Cher, Loir et Cher, France / Hirmer Fotoarchiv / Bridgeman Images