val Church brought her whole weight to
bear incessantly upon this one singular and single point.'[2]

[Footnote 1: See, _e.g._, Nitti, _Catholic Socialism_, p. 71. 'Thus,
then, according to Nitti, the Christian Church has been guilty of the
meanest, most selfish, and most corrupt utilitarianism in her attitude
towards the question of wealth and property. She was communistic when
she had nothing. She blessed poverty in order to fill her own coffers.
And when the coffers were full she took rank among the owners of
land and houses, she became zealous in the interests of property, and
proclaimed that its origin was divine' ('The Fathers of the Church and
Socialism,' by Dr. Hogan, _Irish Ecclesiastical Record_, vol. xxv. p.
226).]

[Footnote 2: 'Christian Political Economy,' _Dublin Review_, N.S.,
vol. vi. p. 356]

The alleged communism of the first Christians is based on a few verses
of the Acts of the Apostles describing the condition of the Church of
Jerusalem. 'And they that believed were together and had all things
common; And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to
all men, as every man had need.'[1] 'And the multitude of them that
believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them
that aught of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had
all things common. Neither was there any amongst them that lacked: for
as many as were possessors of land or houses sold them, and brought
the price of the things that were sold, And laid them down at the
apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as
he had need.'[2]

[Footnote 1: ii. 44-45.]

[Footnote 2: iv. 32, 34, 35.]

It is by no means clear whether the state of things here depicted
really amounted to communism in the strict sense. Several of the most
enlightened students of the Bible have come to the conclusion that the
verses quoted simply express in a striking way the great liberality
and benevolence which prevailed among the Christian fraternity at
Jerusalem. This view was strongly asserted by Mosheim,[1] and is held
by Dr. Carlyle. 'A more careful examination of the passages in the
Acts,' says the latter,[2] 'show clearly enough that this was no
systematic division of property, but that the charitable instinct
of the infant Church was so great that those who were in want were
completely supported by those who were more prosperous.... Still there
was no systematic communism, no theory of the necessity