ABSTRACT
The practice of almsgiving in Christianity has a long legacy in Judeo-Christian tradition. Tracing back its origin to such a legacy, the first section of the chapter dwells upon different theological interpretations evolved by early Christian thinkers to encourage and mandate the affluent members of the Christian community to support the less fortunate ones, including providing food to the poor, which was part of Christian identity since its inception. The Christian ritual, the Eucharist, is a meal event that involves the breaking of bread and sharing it in memory of Jesus. Such a ritual meal was often accompanied by the agape meal specially meant for the poor. Just as the Christian mandate to feed the hungry goes back to Jesus himself, the second section of the chapter, based on case studies in India, focuses on how this has motivated Indian Christians’ beliefs, practices, motifs, and varieties as regards anna-daan tradition in Indian churches.
