The Eastern Christian Fathers ( a.d. 350-400) on the Redistribution of Wealth

Abstract

Fathers of the Eastern church during the fourth century A.D. developed their ethical and social analysis from their religious beliefs and the ethical and philosophical teachings of the ancient Greek philosophers. By considering the actual economic activity around them, Fathers' thinking was more than a simple restatement of the ethical exhortations related to the social activity of individuals as stated in the Old and New Testaments. Their views regarding matters of the "present life" downplayed the value of material achievements and elevated the ethical and spiritual values of life. In doing so, Fathers advocated the marriage of religious ethics and economics on behalf of social justice. This approach is evident from their attempt to solve the problem of unequal distribution of wealth and poverty. Regarding this problem, they considered that it was an artificial one, produced by the economic behavior and activity of individuals and the structure and function of the economy. In their view, this unequal distribution of wealth led to the distinction of economic classes of society and the emergence of luxury consumption alongside poverty. The remedy for such a situation, Fathers emphasized, was in the hands of individuals and the administrators of the empire. Such a remedy was justified by Fathers from the economic point of view, on grounds that the institution of property is questionable, and that the utility derived by the consumption of goods and the accumulation of wealth is diminishing.