The advent of Christianity has been one of the most significant events in the history of Europe and Western civilisation. Its teachings have had a profound influence on the lives of individuals and societies; and on ideas concerning the satisfaction of welfare needs. The New Testament and subsequent leading churchmen had a great deal to say about welfare, which affected people's lives then and since.

In this chapter, we are covering the first 13 centuries AD – from the very early period of Christianity, through the Middle Ages and down to the years immediately prior to the Renaissance. It is a highly eclectic discussion focusing on human welfare issues. The chapter is divided into four sections: The New Testament and human welfare; St Augustine; St Francis; and St Thomas Aquinas. It is a period that was dominated by the ideas of churchmen viewing individuals and their problems from a Church perspective (Russell, 1991, p 303).

The New Testament and human welfare

The Christian value system

Like all other religions, Christianity, through the New Testament, is preoccupied with social values, with perceptions of the ideal, that is, with discussion of what is desirable and what is not, how humans should behave and how they should not and how they should live their life in accordance with God's will.

The value system of the New Testament differs fundamentally from the value system of advanced industrial societies in the sense that it is more divine than secular, it emphasises the importance of God in people's lives above all else. Human welfare is perceived more in religious than in secular terms. Human needs are both spiritual and physical but the first are primary to the second. It is a hierarchy of needs that is different from those put forward in modern times where physical needs – food, clothing, housing and so on – are seen as primary while spiritual needs are considered secondary with the implication that physical needs must be satisfied first before other needs can be considered (Maslow, 1970).

We will concentrate on the four Christian values that had direct implications for welfare: faith, love, equality and obedience. Faith is the paramount social value of Christianity as, indeed, of all other religions – faith in God through Jesus Christ.