Tobit 12:8
Deuterocanon
6 Then Raphael called the two of them privately and said to them, "Bless God and acknowledge him in the presence of all the living for the good things he has done for you. Bless and sing praise to his name. With fitting honor declare to all people the deeds of God. Do not be slow to acknowledge him. 7 It is good to conceal the secret of a king, but to acknowledge and reveal the works of God, and with fitting honor to acknowledge him. Do good and evil will not overtake you. 8 Prayer with fasting is good, but better than both is almsgiving with righteousness. A little with righteousness is better than wealth with wrongdoing. It is better to give alms than to lay up gold. 9 For almsgiving saves from death and purges away every sin. Those who give alms will enjoy a full life, 10 but those who commit sin and do wrong are their own worst enemies.
Date: 225-175 B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
Source
Cyprian Treatises 4:32
Patristic
32 Moreover, those who pray should not come to God with fruitless or naked prayers. Petition is ineffectual when it is a barren entreaty that beseeches God. For as every tree that brings not forth fruit is cut down and cast into the fire; assuredly also, words that do not bear fruit cannot deserve anything of God, because they are fruitful in no result. And thus Holy Scripture instructs us, saying, Prayer is good with fasting and almsgiving. For He who will give us in the day of judgment a reward for our labours and alms, is even in this life a merciful hearer of one who comes to Him in prayer associated with good works. Thus, for instance, Cornelius the centurion, when he prayed, had a claim to be heard. For he was in the habit of doing many almsdeeds towards the people, and of ever praying to God. To this man, when he prayed about the ninth hour, appeared an angel bearing testimony to his labours, and saying, Cornelius, your prayers and your alms are gone up in remembrance before God.
Date: 245-260 C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
Source
Notes and References
"... Cyprian frames both the problem and solution in apocalyptic dualism. As the sign of true repentance, the (wealthy) lapsed should apply themselves to “good deeds [iustis operibus] which can wash away [their] sins, be constant and generous in giving alms, whereby souls are freed from death”. In his On Works and Alms, which was written during a deadly and devastating plague after the persecution (252–254 CE), Cyprian capitalized on the appeal of heavenly reward and the contrast between earthly and heavenly riches to entreat the rich members of his church. Quoting Tobit 12:8–9, Cyprian stresses salvific efficacy of almsgiving and connects it to the day of the judgment (5, 9). In proportion as Christians grow rich in this world, they become poor to God. The rich members should “make Christ a partner with [them] in [their] earthly possessions, that He also may make [them] a fellow-heir with Him in His heavenly kingdom” ..."
Rhee, Helen
"Wealth, poverty, and Eschatology: Pre-Constantine Christian Social Thought and the Hope for the World to Come" in Leemans, Johan, et al. (eds.) Reading Patristic Texts on Social Ethics: Issues and Challenges for Twenty-First-Century Christian Social Thought
(pp. 64-84) Catholic University of America Press, 2011
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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