Christianity and Morals by Edward Westermarck

JESUS' attitude towards the question of possessions was that we should seek first the kingdom of God and not to be anxious for the morrow. He allowed everybody to earn his living by work; many of his parables dealt with the use of money, without any reproof on account of its possession; he did not denounce ownership in goods or land, except among the small missionary group of his immediate disciples. But he condemned wealth, which he regarded as a peril to the soul.

The story of the rich young ruler who was told by Jesus that he would have treasure in heaven if he sold all that he had and distributed to the poor, was regarded by the early Christians as a counsel of perfection. It was apparently followed by many of the adherents to the little community of believers at Jerusalem which is mentioned in Acts. The essence of its primitive communism was the formation of a common fund, which was applied in the first instance to the relief of the necessities of the poorer members; but another outstanding feature of the community was fellowship expressed in common meals. The communistic organisation of the little Church in Jerusalem may have been an isolated experiment--Paul knows nothing of such communism --but the common fund maintained by weekly subscription from rich and poor of which he speaks, the relief of the necessities of the poorer members, and the expression of the spirit of brotherhood in the Agape or Love-feast, became normal features of Church-life. On the other hand, the surrender of private property was fundamental in monastic communism. "The principle is that the monk may _possess_ nothing--nothing whatsoever--may look on nothing as his own, but must always recognise that whatever he may have for his personal use is all the common property of the community and that he must not have anything at all except what the abbot has given him or permitted him to have."