ABSTRACT
Selfsacrifice is not an exclusively Christian virtue, but Christians say that the life and death and continuing inspiration of Jesus Christ have transformed human possibilities and human relationships: people need not limit our concern to ourselves and the few people who naturally matter in our lives. Christian tradition is not formed in isolation from the general culture. Aristotle produced a classification of friendships which many Christian writers have found helpful: friendships are based on pleasure, utility, or shared concern for what is truly good. Aelred of Rievaulx, writing for a monastic community in the twelfth century, followed Cicero and Ambrose in his praise of friendship. Christian Aid, as its collectors often have to explain, is not restricted to Christian donors and recipients. Christians are expected to extend help and concern beyond the Christian group, to ‘love their enemies’.
