On Social Justice

1. St. Basil's Transformative Journey: From Privilege to Purpose

Much time had I spent in vanity, and had wasted nearly all my youth in the vain labor which I underwent in acquiring the wisdom made foolish by God.

A privileged beginning. Born into a wealthy, noble Christian family in 4th-century Cappadocia, St. Basil the Great enjoyed immense privilege, including a top-tier education in Constantinople and Athens. His early life was marked by comfort and intellectual pursuits, providing him firsthand insight into the aristocratic lifestyle he would later critique. This background makes his later teachings on wealth particularly poignant, as he spoke from experience.

A profound turning point. Around 356 AD, Basil experienced a spiritual awakening, realizing the "uselessness of 'the wisdom of the princes of this world.'" This led him to be baptized and, crucially, to sell a significant portion of his inheritance, distributing the proceeds to the poor. He then embraced a monastic life, deeply impressed by communal living where all goods were held in common, a stark contrast to the societal norms of his time.

Return to the world. After six years of ascetic solitude, Basil made a second pivotal decision: to leave the monastery and engage directly with the world's pressing social and theological issues. Ordained a priest in 365 AD, he began his parish ministry in Caesarea, where a severe famine in 369 AD propelled him to become a powerful voice for social justice, earning his reputation as a leading orator on wealth and poverty.

2. Love as the Core Commandment: Redefining Wealth Through Compassion

For the more you abound in wealth, the more you lack in love.

Beyond individual piety. St. Basil radically reinterpreted Christ's command to the rich young ruler, "Sell your possessions and give to the poor." Unlike others who saw it as a call for individual detachment or monastic perfection, Basil viewed it as a direct expression of the commandment to "love your neighbor as yourself." For him, possessing great wealth while others suffered was a violation of this fundamental law of love, applicable to all Christians, not just monastics.

Humanizing the suffering. Basil used his powerful rhetorical gifts to vividly portray the plight of the poor, moving beyond abstract concepts to reveal the faces of those in need. He described the emaciated, blind from malnutrition, and the agonizing choice of parents forced to sell their children into slavery to prevent starvation. His aim was to make the invisible suffering of the marginalized undeniable and personal to his audience.

A challenge to all. Basil explicitly rejected a "two-tiered" Christianity where only monks were called to radical generosity. He argued that the command to share was universal, questioning how one could claim to love their neighbor while accumulating vast wealth. This perspective underscored that true love manifests not just in personal piety, but in active, tangible concern for the well-being of others.

3. The Ethic of Sustainability: Enough for All, If Shared Simply

If we all took only what was necessary to satisfy our own needs, giving the rest to those who lack, no one would be rich, no one would be poor, and no one would be in need.

God's provision is sufficient. Basil believed that God had provided enough resources—food, land, materials—to meet the needs of all humanity. However, these resources are finite and must be shared equitably. His vision for a just society was rooted in an "ethic of sustainability," where everyone takes only what is necessary, ensuring enough for everyone else.

Simplicity as a solution. To achieve this sustainable way of life, Basil advocated for radical simplicity in consumption. He criticized the wealthy for their excessive indulgence in lavish food, ornate clothing, and extravagant housing, arguing that such consumption directly contributed to the suffering of the poor.

• "Two lengths of cloth are sufficient for a coat, and a single garment fulfills every need with regard to clothing."
• "A loaf of bread is enough to fill your stomach."
• "Walls whether great or small serve the same purpose."

Wealth in circulation. Basil emphasized that a healthy economic system requires resources to remain in constant circulation, rather than being hoarded. He likened stagnant wealth to a well that silts up if left idle, becoming fruitful only when put to use and exchanged for the common good. This philosophy challenged the prevailing norms of accumulation and private ownership.

4. The Distributive Mandate: Hoarding is a Form of Theft

You are thus guilty of injustice toward as many as you might have aided, and did not.

The "extra" belongs to others. Basil's "distributive mandate" asserted that anything one possesses beyond their actual needs should be given to those who lack. He used the Greek word ἐπανισοῦν ("to restore the balance") to describe this process, highlighting it as a responsibility to fulfill the law of love. This wasn't charity in the modern sense, but a moral obligation to re-establish equilibrium.

Hoarding as theft and murder. Basil went further than many contemporaries, equating the refusal to share with theft. He famously declared: "The bread you are holding back is for the hungry, the clothes you keep put away are for the naked, the shoes that are rotting away with disuse are for those who have none, the silver you keep buried in the earth is for the needy." In times of severe famine, he even judged those who withheld aid as "the equivalent of a murderer."

The expanding definition of "need." Basil observed that people constantly redefine their "needs" to justify accumulating more wealth. He used the parable of the foolish rich man building larger barns as a metaphor for this endless expansion of perceived necessities. He argued that if people never had "extra" to share, it was because they continually adjusted their baseline of need upwards whenever a surplus appeared.

5. The Peril of Predatory Lending: Exploiting the Vulnerable

You plant without soil; you harvest without seed.

A harvest from the desert. Basil fiercely condemned predatory lenders who exploited the desperate circumstances of the poor. He accused them of "seeking a harvest from the desert" and "making the hardships of the miserable an occasion for profit." He saw their actions as the "height of inhumanity," turning misfortune into a bountiful, unnatural harvest of interest.

The debtor's torment. Basil vividly depicted the miserable life of a debtor, living in constant terror of the creditor. He described the lender as a "hound to the hunt" and the borrower as "quarry at the pursuit," highlighting the power imbalance and the psychological toll of debt. He warned the poor against borrowing, stating that anything, even begging, was preferable to the "self-inflicted slavery" of interest-bearing loans.

A call to conversion. Basil urged lenders to transform their loans into gifts, entrusting their idle money to God, who would serve as a trustworthy guarantor and provide a rich return. He challenged their definition of "philanthropy," arguing that profiting from misery, tears, and the oppression of the naked and starving was the antithesis of love, calling it "extreme misanthropy."

6. Avarice: An Insatiable Malady

Hades never says “enough,” nor does the greedy person ever say “enough.”

A spiritual disease. Basil viewed avarice not merely as a vice, but as a profound spiritual illness, a "malady" that consumed the soul. He described the greedy as perpetually unsatisfied, constantly striving to add more to their possessions, which only inflamed their craving rather than quelling it. This insatiability, he argued, was an anomaly in creation, unique to humans who take more than they need.

The futility of accumulation. He questioned the ultimate purpose of endless accumulation, pointing out that wealth offers no true advantage or lasting satisfaction. He observed that the pursuit of gain often turned against the greedy, causing them to "waste away" with cares and sorrows, lamenting what they still lacked rather than rejoicing in what they had.

A self-inflicted wound. Basil saw the pursuit of wealth as a "plot against you," twisting material things meant to assist life into provisions for wickedness and destruction. He challenged the notion that wealth was necessary for children, arguing it often became an "aid to immorality" for heirs, leading to double punishment for the accumulator.

7. The World for Common Use: Private Ownership as a Distortion

It is as if someone were to take the first seat in the theater, then bar everyone else from attending, so that one person alone enjoys what is offered for the benefit of all in common—this is what the rich do.

God's common gift. A foundational premise for Basil was that the world and its resources were created by God for the common benefit and shared use of all humanity. He frequently used nature as an analogy, noting how animals share plants and plains, while humans hoard what is common and claim it as their own.

Preemption, not right. Basil argued that private ownership of common resources was a distortion, a "seizure" of goods by "right of preemption" rather than a true right. He challenged the rich to explain what was truly "their own," given that they brought nothing into the world and received everything from God.

Distorting relationships. This appropriation of common goods, Basil believed, warped human relationships, fostering competition and selfishness. He saw it as an "evident madness" to scour the earth for gold only to re-bury it, effectively entombing one's own heart with it, as "where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

8. The Call to Sociability: Becoming a Communal Human Being

God was inviting his soul to a more social and civilized demeanor.

Anomalous selfishness. Basil frequently used the Greek word κοινός ("shared" or "common") and its cognate κοινωνία ("communion") to underscore his belief that human selfishness was an anomaly within creation. He described overconsumption and hyper-competition as diseases, compulsions, or addictions, attributing them to "some device concocted by the devil."

The κοινωνικὸς ἄνθρωπος. God, according to Basil, calls every person to become a κοινωνικὸς ἄνθρωπος—a "social human being" who understands and lives out their social obligations. This "conversion to sociability" was not merely about virtuous behavior but a fundamental shift in one's way of being in the world, recognizing interconnectedness and shared humanity.

Undoing primal sin. Basil even suggested that sharing had the power to reverse the original sin of Adam and Eve. "Just as Adam transmitted sin by eating wrongfully, so we wipe away the treacherous food when we remedy the need and hunger of our brothers and sisters." This elevated sharing to a redemptive act, representing the beginning of a new world and a foretaste of new creation.

9. The Basiliad: A New Social Order in Action

Go forth a little way from the city, and behold the new city, the storehouse of piety, the common treasury of the wealthy . . . where disease is regarded in a religious light, and disaster is thought a blessing, and sympathy is put to the test.

A practical legacy. The Basiliad, a vast philanthropic complex founded by Basil, was the tangible culmination of his social vision. Originating during the famine of 369 AD as a food distribution center, it expanded significantly under his episcopal ministry to include shelter, medical treatment (especially for leprosy), and housing for clergy and staff. It was a bustling hub of service and community.

More than charity. The Basiliad was not merely a charitable institution but a "new city," an "alternative society" with its own economy and polity. It served as a spiritual center, a place of worship and religious education, where people were instructed in the principles of simplicity and sharing. Basil envisioned it as a community where people from diverse backgrounds lived together in voluntary simplicity and service with the involuntary poor.

Engaged monasticism. Basil's vision also influenced monasticism, shifting it towards an urban, engaged model. Monastics were encouraged to practice trades like carpentry or masonry, with their income used to assist the needy. Hospices (xenodocheia) were established within or adjacent to monasteries, emphasizing direct service to the sick and hungry, embodying Christ's command: "I was hungry and you fed me... inasmuch as you did it to the least of these, you did it to me."

10. The Urgency of Action: Judgment and Eternal Consequences

Do not think that I am conjuring up imaginary stories of terrible creatures in order to frighten you, like a mother or some kind of nursemaid, who are accustomed to silencing little children who wail incessantly and inconsolably with such fanciful tales. These things are not myth, but reality foretold by the voice of truth.

No time for delay. Basil implored his audience not to delay acts of mercy, emphasizing that "time flows onward, and does not wait for the one who delays." He warned against procrastinating generosity until death, when one would no longer be master of their possessions or intentions. He stressed that "no one can perform good works after the conclusion of this life."

The inescapable judgment. He vividly described the terrifying prospect of the Last Judgment, where one's own conscience and deeds would bear witness. The unmerciful would face "everlasting shame" and "a fury of fire," while those who shared would inherit the Kingdom. He reminded them that the charges would be leveled not against those who stole, but against "those who have not shared with others."

A final plea. Basil's message was a stark choice: exchange corruptible wealth for the Kingdom of Heaven now, or face eternal ruin. He urged them to "make everything truly your own; transfer everything to the eternal realm; leave none of your wealth behind for strangers!" His words were a passionate call to convert wealth into "truly inseparable adornment" through piety and generosity, ensuring a blessed departure into eternal life.

Last updated: July 31, 2025