Augustine and the Economy of Sacrifice

Business is generally viewed as a means to generate personal or corporate wealth, but business transactions can also sacrificially serve the common good. In conversation with contemporary social theorists, Joshua S. Nunziato in this book critically evaluates the spiritual significance and aims of economic exchange. Inspired by Augustine's vision of the Church as a 'universal sacrifice', he explores how Augustine's approach teaches us detachment - both personal and collective - which releases us from illusory claims of ownership and reframes business as an exercise in loving and letting go. Nunziato's volume engages with the big questions of economic life and considers both why and how we acknowledge people through business in a way that results in collective well-being. It will be of interest to scholars and students of Augustinian studies, philosophy of exchange, and economic ethics.

• Expands the horizon of scholarly thinking about what Augustine has to contribute to current cultural reflection
• Re-interprets the logic of sacrifice implicit in all economic exchanges by appealing to a rich philosophical and theological account of the common good
• Opens a new perspective on the spiritual significance of business which is rooted in the teaching and community of the Christian church and open - in receptive hospitality - to all