Christianity, Solidarity, and Law

Abstract

This chapter deals with the connections between Christianity, solidarity, and law and argues that Christianity transformed the Roman law concept of solidarity by redefining it as love to the point of divinization. In this sense, Christian solidarity illuminates and enhances secular solidarity. To the extent that human beings act in greater solidarity with others, they discover their radical unity with all bearers of the divine image. The closer that human solidarity comes to the ideas of love, service, and gratuitousness, the more it manifests the solidarity of the Triune God. Solidarity permeates all dimensions of human existence: the legal, the political, the social, and the spiritual. Therefore, fully implementing solidarity entails a profound spiritualization of society. Christianity plays a decisive role in the achievement of some social objectives of solidarity, such as respect for all persons and their rights; the preferential option for the poor, the sick, and the weakest; the abolition of discrimination; the protection of the planet; and the development of a global law for humanity.