Conversation

This might be a long shot, but...

Does anyone know if there is *any* extant scholarship on:

a) the possibility that Christian 'virtuous poverty' ideals were a reaction to the Roman Empire?

b) the relationship of the post-Reformation 'rehabilitation' of avarice/greed/self-interest/whatever to the late 900s/early 1000s and how the world didn't end and people wanted nice stuff again?

(Terrible topic summaries, but character limit.)