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Since it is common, you have so many acres, while your neighbor has not even a handful of earth? My father, he says, handed it down to me. And from whom did he receive it? From his forefathers. But it is absolutely necessary, in going back, to find the beginning. Jacob became rich, but by receiving the reward for his labors. But I am not splitting hairs about these things; let the wealth be just, and let it be free from all plunder; for you are not responsible for what your father greedily acquired; for you have what came from the plunder, but you did not plunder it. But let it be granted that he did not plunder it either, but that he has the gold that gushed up from the earth somewhere; What then? Is wealth good because of this? By no means. But it is not evil either, he says. If it does not involve greed, it is not evil, if one shares it with those in need; but if one does not share it, it is evil and treacherous. As long as it does no, he says, evil, it is not evil, even if it does not work good. Very well; but is this not evil, to alone possess the Lord’s things, to alone enjoy what is common? Or is not the earth the Lord’s and the fullness thereof? If then our things belong to the common Lord, then they also belong to our fellow servants; for all things of the Lord are common. Or do we not see these things so arranged even in great houses? For example, the food-ration is given to all equally; for it comes out of the master’s storehouses; the master’s house is open to all. All imperial things are also common, the cities, the marketplaces, the walkways are common to all, we all share equally. For behold for me God’s economy; He made certain things to be common, so that from those things at least the human race might be shamed, for example the air, the sun, the water, the earth, the heaven, the sea, the light, the stars, as if to brothers he distributes all things equally. He created the same eyes for all, the same body, the same soul, a similar constitution in all, all things from earth, and all from one man, all in the same house. But none of these things has shamed us. He also made other things common, such as baths, cities, marketplaces, walkways. 62.564 And see how in the common things there is no fight, but all is peaceful. But whenever someone tries to snatch something away, and make it his own, then strife enters, as if nature herself were indignant, that, while God gathers us from all sides, we are contentiously dividing ourselves, and tearing ourselves away by making things our own, and saying, "Yours," and "Mine," this cold saying; for then there is fighting, then unpleasantness. But where this is not, neither fighting nor contention is born; so that this has been allotted to us more than that, and is according to nature. Why does no one ever go to law over a marketplace? Is it not because it is common to all? But over a house we see everyone going to law, over money. And the necessary things are set before us as common; but we do not preserve what is common even in the smallest things. And yet for this reason He gave those things to us, that we might be taught from them to also hold these things in common; but we are not taught even so. But as I was saying, how is one who has wealth good? This is not possible, but he is good, if he shares with others; when he does not have it, then he is good; when he gives it to others, then he is good; but as long as he has it, he could not be good. Is this then a good thing, which when possessed shows men to be evil, but the lack of it, good? Therefore having money is not a good thing, but not having it makes one appear good. Therefore wealth is not a good thing. And if, when it is possible to take it, you do not take it, you are again good. If, therefore, even when we have it, we are good then if we should share it with others, or when it is given do not take it, but if we take or acquire it, we are not good, how can wealth be a good thing? Therefore do not call this a good thing. For this reason you do not have it, because you consider it a good thing, because you are infatuated with it. Cleanse your mind, have your judgment sound, and then you will be good; learn what things are truly good. And what are these? Virtue, love for mankind; these are good things, not that. According to this

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οὖν κοινῆς οὔσης, σὺ μὲν ἔχεις πλέθρα τόσα καὶ τόσα, ὁ δὲ πλησίον οὐδὲ κύαθον γῆς; Ὁ πατήρ μοι, φησὶ, παρέδωκεν. Ἐκεῖνος δὲ παρὰ τίνος παρέλαβε; Παρὰ τῶν προγόνων. Ἀλλὰ ἀνάγκη πάντως ἀνιόντα εὑρεῖν τὴν ἀρχήν. Ἐγένετο πλούσιος ὁ Ἰακὼβ, ἀλλὰ τῶν πόνων λαβὼν τὸν μισθόν. Πλὴν ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ὑπὲρ τούτων ἀκριβολογοῦμαι· ἔστω δίκαιος ὁ πλοῦτος, καὶ πάσης ἁρπαγῆς ἀπηλλάχθω· οὐ γὰρ δὴ σὺ ὑπεύθυνος περὶ ὧν ὁ πατὴρ ἐπλεονέκτησεν· ἔχεις μὲν γὰρ τὰ ἐκ τῆς ἁρπαγῆς, ἀλλ' οὐχ ἥρπασας σύ. Πλὴν ἀλλὰ συγκεχωρήσθω μηδὲ ἐκεῖνον ἡρπακέναι, ἀλλά ποθεν ἀπὸ γῆς ἀναβλυσθέντα τὸν χρυσὸν ἔχειν· τί οὖν; παρὰ τοῦτο ἀγαθὸς ὁ πλοῦτος; Οὐδαμῶς. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ πονηρὸς, φησίν. Ἐὰν μὴ πλεονεκτῇ, οὐ πονηρὸς, ἐὰν μεταδιδῷ τοῖς δεομένοις· ἐὰν δὲ μὴ μεταδιδῷ, πονηρὸς καὶ ἐπίβουλος. Ἕως ἂν μὴ ποιῇ, φησὶ, κακὸν, οὐ κακὸς, κἂν ἀγαθὸν μὴ ἐργάζηται. Καλῶς· τοῦτο δὲ οὐ κακὸν τὸ μόνον ἔχειν τὰ ∆εσποτικὰ, τὸ μόνον ἀπολαύειν τῶν κοινῶν; ἢ οὐχὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡ γῆ καὶ τὸ πλήρωμα αὐτῆς; Εἰ τοίνυν τοῦ ∆εσπότου τοῦ κοινοῦ τὰ ἡμέτερα, ἄρα καὶ τῶν συνδούλων τῶν ἡμετέρων· τὰ γὰρ τοῦ ∆εσπότου πάντα κοινά. Ἢ οὐχ ὁρῶμεν καὶ ἐν ταῖς μεγάλαις οἰκίαις οὕτω ταῦτα διατεταγμένα; οἷον, πᾶσιν ἐξ ἴσου τὸ σιτομέτριον δίδοται· ἀπὸ τῶν δεσποτικῶν γὰρ ἔξεισι θησαυρῶν· ἡ οἰκία ἡ δεσποτικὴ πᾶσιν ἀνεῖται. Κοινὰ καὶ τὰ βασιλικὰ πάντα, αἱ πόλεις, αἱ ἀγοραὶ, οἱ περίπατοι πᾶσίν εἰσι κοινοὶ, πάντες τὸ ἴσον μετέχομεν. Θέα γάρ μοι Θεοῦ οἰκονομίαν· Ἐποίησεν εἶναί τινα κοινὰ, ἵνα κἂν ἀπ' ἐκείνων καταιδέσῃ τὸ ἀνθρώπινον γένος, οἷον τὸν ἀέρα, τὸν ἥλιον, τὸ ὕδωρ, τὴν γῆν, τὸν οὐρανὸν, τὴν θάλατταν, τὸ φῶς, τοὺς ἀστέρας, καθάπερ ἀδελφοῖς πάντα ἐξ ἴσης διανέμει. Ὀφθαλμοὺς πᾶσι τοὺς αὐτοὺς ἐδημιούργησε, σῶμα τὸ αὐτὸ, ψυχὴν τὴν αὐτὴν, ὁμοίαν τὴν κατασκευὴν ἐν πᾶσιν, ἀπὸ γῆς τὰ πάντα, καὶ ἀπὸ ἑνὸς ἀνδρὸς πάντας, ἐν τῇ αὐτῇ οἰκίᾳ πάντας. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲν τούτων ἡμᾶς ἐνέτρεψεν. Ἐποίησε καὶ ἄλλα κοινὰ, οἷον λουτρὰ, πόλεις, ἀγορὰς, περιπάτους. 62.564 Καὶ θέα πῶς ἐν τοῖς κοινοῖς οὐδεμία μάχη, ἀλλὰ πάντα εἰρηνικά. Ὅταν δέ τις παρασπάσαι τι ἐπιχειρήσῃ, καὶ ἴδιον ποιήσῃ, τότε ἡ ἔρις ἐπεισέρχεται, ὥσπερ αὐτῆς τῆς φύσεως ἀγανακτούσης, ὅτι δὴ, πάντοθεν ἡμᾶς συνάγοντος τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἡμεῖς φιλονεικοῦμεν διαιρεῖν ἑαυτοὺς, καὶ ἀποσπᾷν ἐν τῷ ἰδιοποιεῖσθαι, καὶ λέγειν, Τὸ σὸν, καὶ Τὸ ἐμὸν, τὸ ψυχρὸν τοῦτο ῥῆμα· τότε γὰρ μάχη, τότε ἀηδία. Ἔνθα δὲ τοῦτο οὐκ ἔστιν, οὐδὲ μάχη οὐδὲ φιλονεικία τίκτεται· ὥστε τοῦτο μᾶλλον ἐκείνου συγκεκλήρωται ἡμῖν, καὶ κατὰ φύσιν ἐστί. ∆ιὰ τί μηδεὶς ὑπὲρ ἀγορᾶς ποτε δικάζεται; ἆρα οὐχ ὅτι κοινὴ πάντων ἐστίν; Ὑπὲρ δὲ οἰκίας πάντας ὁρῶμεν δικαζομένους, ὑπὲρ χρημάτων. Καὶ τὰ μὲν ἀναγκαῖα κοινὰ ἡμῖν πρόκειται· ἡμεῖς δὲ οὐδὲ ἐν τοῖς ἐλαχίστοις τὸ κοινὸν φυλάττομεν. Καὶ μὴν διὰ τοῦτο ἡμῖν ἐκεῖνα ἀνῆκεν, ἵνα παιδευθῶμεν ἀπ' ἐκείνων καὶ ταῦτα ἔχειν κοινῶς· ἡμεῖς δὲ οὐδὲ οὕτω παιδευόμεθα. Ἀλλ' ὅπερ ἔφην, πῶς ὁ τὸν πλοῦτον ἔχων ἀγαθός; Οὐκ ἔνι τοῦτο, ἀλλ' ἀγαθὸς, ἐὰν ἑτέροις μεταδῷ· ὅταν μὴ ἔχῃ, τότε ἀγαθός· ὅταν ἑτέροις αὐτὸν δῷ, τότε ἀγαθός· ἕως δ' ἂν ἔχῃ, οὐκ ἂν εἴη ἀγαθός. Τοῦτο οὖν ἀγαθὸν, ὃ κατεχόμενον μὲν πονηροὺς δείκνυσιν, ἡ ἀπόκτησις δὲ ἀγαθούς; Οὐκ ἄρα τὸ ἔχειν χρήματα ἀγαθὸν, ἀλλὰ τὸ μὴ ἔχειν ἀγαθὸν ποιεῖ φαίνεσθαι. Οὐκ ἄρα ὁ πλοῦτος ἀγαθόν. Ἂν δὲ καὶ παρὸν λαβεῖν, μὴ λάβῃς, πάλιν ἀγαθός. Εἰ τοίνυν καὶ ἔχοντες τοῦτον, ἂν τοῖς ἄλλοις μεταδοίημεν, ἢ διδόμενον οὐ λαμβάνοντες, τότε ἐσμὲν ἀγαθοὶ, ἂν δὲ λάβωμεν ἢ κτησώμεθα, οὐκ ἀγαθοὶ, πῶς ἀγαθὸν ἂν γένηται ὁ πλοῦτος; Μὴ τοίνυν κάλει τοῦτο ἀγαθόν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο αὐτὸν οὐκ ἔχεις, ἐπειδὴ ἀγαθὸν αὐτὸν νομίζεις, ἐπειδὴ, ἐπτόησαι περὶ αὐτόν. Κάθαρόν σου τὴν διάνοιαν, τὴν κρίσιν ἔχε διηκριβωμένην, καὶ τότε ἔσῃ ἀγαθός· μάθε τίνα ἐστὶ τὰ ὄντως ἀγαθά. Τίνα δὲ ταῦτά ἐστιν; Ἀρετὴ, φιλανθρωπία· ταῦτα ἀγαθὰ, οὐκ ἐκεῖνος. Κατὰ τοῦτον τὸν