ose that the community
of use practised at Jerusalem was in any way different from that
advocated by Aquinas--namely, 'the possession by a man of external
things, not as his own, but in common, so that, to wit, he is ready to
communicate them to others in their need.'

[Footnote 1: Roscher, _Political Economy_ (Eng. trans.), vol. i. p.
246; _Catholic Encyclopaedia_, tit. 'Communism.']

In the next place, we must observe that the communism described in the
Acts was purely voluntary. This is quite obvious from the relation in
the fifth chapter of the incident of Ananias and Sapphira. There is
no indication that the abandonment of one's possessory rights was
preached by the Apostles. Indeed, it would be difficult to understand
why they should have done so, when Christ Himself had remained
silent on the subject. Far from advocating communism, the Founder
of Christianity had urged the practice of many virtues for which
the possession of private property was essential. 'What Christ
recommended,' says Sudre,[1] 'was voluntary abnegation or almsgiving.
But the giving of goods without any hope of compensation, the
spontaneous deprivation of oneself, could not exist except under a
system of private property ... they were one of the ways of exercising
such rights.' Moreover, as the same author points out, private
property was fully recognised under the Jewish dispensation, and
Christ would therefore have made use of explicit language if he had
intended to alter the old law in this fundamental respect. 'Think not
that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets: I am not come
to destroy, but to fulfil.'[2] At the time of Christ's preaching, a
Jewish sect, the Essenes, were endeavouring to put into practice the
ideals of communism, but there is not a word in the Gospels to suggest
that He ever held them up as an example to His followers. 'Communism
was never preached by Christ, although it was practised under His
very eyes by the Essenes. This absolute silence is equivalent to an
implicit condemnation.'[3]

[Footnote 1: _Histoire du Communisme_, p. 39.]

[Footnote 2: Matt. v. 17.]

[Footnote 3: Sudre, _op. cit._, p. 44. On the Essenes see 'Historic
Phases of Socialism,' by Dr. Hogan, _Irish Ecclesiastical Record_,
vol. xxv. p. 334. Even Huet discounts the importance of this instance
of communism, _Le Regne social du Christianisme_, p. 38.]

Nor was communism preached as part of Christ's doctrine as taught
by the Apostles. I