and farms, and gladly and liberally presented to
the Apostles the proceeds to be dispersed to the poor; selling and
alienating their earthly estate, they transferred their lands thither
where they might receive the fruits of an eternal possession, and
there prepared houses where they might begin an eternal habitation.
Such, then, was the abundance in labours as was the agreement in love,
as we read in the Acts--"Neither said any of them that aught of
the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things
common." This is truly to become son of God by spiritual birth; this
is to imitate by the heavenly law the equity of God the Father. For
whatever is of God is common in our use; nor is any one excluded from
His benefits and His gifts so as to prevent the whole human race from
enjoying equally the divine goodness and liberality. Thus the day
equally enlightens, the sun gives radiance, the rain moistens, the
wind blows, and the sleep is one to those who sleep, and the splendour
of Stars and of the Moon is common. In which examples of equality he
who as a possessor in the earth shares his returns and his fruits
with the fraternity, while he is common and just in his gratuitous
bounties, is an imitator of God the Father.'

[Footnote 1: _De Opere et Eleemosynis_, 25.]

There is a much-quoted passage of St. John Chrysostom which is
capable of the same interpretation. In his commentary on the
alleged communistic existence of the Apostles at Jerusalem the Saint
emphasises the fact that their communism was voluntary: 'That this was
in consequence not merely of the miraculous signs, but of their
own purpose, is manifest from the case of Ananias and Sapphira.' He
further insists on the fact that the members of this community were
animated by unusual fervour: 'From the exceeding ardour of the
givers none was in want.' Further down, in the same homily, St. John
Chrysostom urges the adoption of a communistic system of housekeeping,
but purely on the grounds of domestic economy and saving of labour.
There is not a word to suggest that a communistic system was morally
preferable to a proprietary one.[1]

[Footnote 1: _Hom, on Acts xi_. That voluntary poverty was regarded
as a counsel of perfection by Aquinas is abundantly clear from many
passages in his works, _e.g. Summa_, I. ii. 108, 4; II. ii. 185, 6;
II. ii. 186, 3; _Summa cont. Gent_., iii. 133. On this, as on every
other point, the teaching of Aquinas is in line wi