Omnia sunt communia
Omnia sunt communia is a Latin phrase and slogan translated as "all things are to be held in common"[1] or simply "all things in common". Originating in the Latin translation of the Acts of the Apostles, altered forms of the slogan were applied as a legal maxim in canon law and later in secular law. The phrase was also a central inspiration for Christian communism.
Origin
Omnia sunt communia derives from
Latin: habebant omnia communia)[7] and "to them all things were in common" (erant illis omnia communia).[8]
Legal doctrine
The 12th-century Italian jurist
Other historical use
The description of the members of the early church in
Acts was a key inspiration for Christian communism.[2] Thomas Müntzer, a leader in the German Peasants' War, described the concept of omnia sunt communia as the definition of the Gospel,[17] arguing also that all things "should be distributed as occasion requires, according to the several necessities of all".[2]
In
Utopia by Thomas More, the phrase omnia sunt communia is used to describe the lifestyle of the Utopians, as on More's fictional island of Utopia "all things are held in common".[18]
See also
- Koinonia – Christian fellowship
- Zwijndrechtse Nieuwlichters – 19th cent. Christian sect inspired by apostolic communism
- "From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs" – Communist slogan
- The Goose and the Common - 18th cent. poem that condemned enclosure
References
- ^ Boer 2019, p. 21.
- ^ a b c Boer 2019, p. 22.
- ^ Acts 2:44 (Nestle)
- ^ BBC 2014.
- ^ Cf. Chronology of Jesus.
- ^ Acts 4:32 (Nestle)
- ^ Acts 2:44 (F)
- ^ Acts 4:32 (F)
- ^ de Wilde 2015, p. 29.
- ^ "Justice". Summa Theologiae.
- ^ de Wilde 2015, p. 33.
- ^ Offler 1977, p. 212.
- ^ de Wilde 2015, p. 30.
- ^ de Wilde 2018, p. 489.
- ^ a b Alward 1899, p. 230.
- ^ Alward 1899, p. 231.
- ^ Boer 2019, p. 64.
- ^ Baker-Smith 2014, pp. 502–503.
Works cited
- "Pentecost", Religions: Christianity, London: BBC, 2014.
- Alward, Silas (1899). "Expropriation of Property". Canadian Law Times. 18 (11): 230–236.
- Baker-Smith, Dominic (2014). "On Translating More's Utopia". Project MUSE.
- Boer, Roland (February 11, 2019). Red Theology: On the Christian Communist Tradition. Studies in Critical Research on Religion. Vol. 10. S2CID 188857352.
- de Wilde, Marc (2015). "Emergency Powers and Constitutional Change in the Late Middle Ages". S2CID 142368337– via Hein Online.
- de Wilde, Marc (2018). "Seeking Refuge: Grotius on Exile, Expulsion and Asylum". S2CID 151145377– via Hein Online.
- Offler, H. S. (1977). "The Three Modes of Natural Law in Ockham: A Revision of the Text". Franciscan Studies. 37 (1): 207–218. Project MUSE.