Charity and alms as the most important aspects of Christian piety in the works of the fathers of Ante-Nicene period

In the letters and treatises of the Fathers and Christian writers of the Ante-Nicene period, much attention is paid to such aspects of piety as charity and alms. The data 234and available information from the sources are presented in a systematic manner in the article, and the consensus of the Fathers of the 1st - 3rd centuries is described on the following issues: the importance of philanthropy and charity for the Christian, the practical aspects of philanthropy, forms of charity and categories of persons to whom it was provided, and the question of the religious attitude toward alms.