Early Christians on Class Distinctions and Brotherhood

Polycarp, Epistle to the Philippians Direct teaching

Stand fast, therefore, in these things, and follow the example of the Lord, being firm and unchangeable in the faith, loving the brotherhood, and being attached to one another, joined together in the truth, exhibiting the meekness of the Lord in your intercourse with one another, and despising no one.

Cyprian, Epistles Direct teaching

so that, while nothing is seen by the brethren loftier in honour, nothing more lowly in humility, the way of life of the brotherhood may accompany these same persons.

Ignatius, The Epistle of Ignatius to the Ephesians (Long Version) Direct teaching

... says [the Scripture], “If I have returned evil to those who returned evil to me.” Let us make them brethren by our kindness. For say to those who hate you, You are our brethren, that the name of the Lord may be glorified. And let us imitate the Lord, “who, when He was reviled, reviled not again;” when He was crucified, He answered not; “when He suffered, He threatened not;” but prayed for His enemies, “Father, forgive them; they know not what they do.” If anyone, the more he is injured, displays more patience, blessed is he. If anyone is defrauded, if anyone is despised, for the name of the Lord, he truly is the servant of Christ. Take heed that no plant of the devil is found among you, for such a plant is bitter and salty. “Watch, and be sober,” in Christ Jesus.

Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Direct teaching

...u are speaking the word of God, nor if you are listening to the one who sings or reads, should show partiality so far as to leave the ministry of the word in order to assign him a chief seat. Instead, remain calm, without interrupting your speaking or your attention. But let the brothers receive him through the deacons. And if there is no place, let the deacon, by speaking but not in anger, ask a younger person to rise and seat the stranger there. It is only reasonable that one who loves the brothers should do this of his own accord. But if he refuses, let the deacon raise him up by force and set him behind everyone else, so that the rest may be taught to give place to those who are more honorable. No, if a poor man, or one from a humble family, or a stranger, comes to you, whether old or young, and there is no place, the deacon shall find a place even for these, and do it with all his heart, so that instead of showing partiality before men, his service toward God may be well-pleasing. Let the deaconess do the very same thing for those women, whether poor or rich, who come to them.

Ignatius, Epistle to the Magnesians (Short Version) Direct teaching

Do ye all then, imitating the same divine conduct, pay respect to one another, and let no one look upon his neighbour after the flesh, but do ye continually love each other in Jesus Christ.

Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Direct teaching

IX . For the bishop must not only himself give no offense, but must be no respecter of persons;

Lactantius, The Divine Institutes Direct teaching

There is none; nor is there any other cause why we mutually bestow upon each other the name of brethren, except that we believe ourselves to be equal.

Didache, The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles Direct teaching

You shall judge righteously, you shall not respect persons in reproving for transgressions.

Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Direct teaching

You shall not accept persons in judgment; for the judgment is the Lord's.

Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Direct teaching

A judge must not show favoritism.

Hermas, The Shepherd (Pastor) Supporting witness

...l and rotten. Therefore, this illustration is for the servants of God, for the poor man and for the rich." I said, "How so, sir? Explain it to me." He said, "Listen. The rich man has much wealth, but he is poor in matters relating to the Lord, because he is distracted by his riches. He offers very few confessions and intercessions to the Lord, and those that he does offer are small and weak, and have no power above. But when the rich man refreshes the poor and helps him in his needs, believing that what he does for the poor man will receive its reward from God, because the poor man is rich in intercession and confession, and his intercession has great power with God, then the rich man helps the poor in all things without hesitation. And the poor man, being helped by the rich, intercedes for him, giving thanks to God for the one who gives him gifts. And he continues to care zealously for the poor man, so that his needs may always be supplied. For he knows that the intercession of the poor man is acceptable to God and has influence with Him. So both of them accomplish their work. The poor man makes intercession, a work in which he is rich, which he received from the Lord, and with

Cyprian, Treatises Direct teaching

...with deep darkness and shadowed by night, so you do not see the needy and poor. You are wealthy and rich, and do you think that you celebrate the Lord's Supper? Not at all. You do not consider the offering. You come to the Lord's Supper without a sacrifice, and yet you take part in the sacrifice that the poor man has offered. Consider in the Gospel the widow who remembered the heavenly commands. Even in the troubles and tightness of poverty, she did good by putting two mites, which were all that she had, into the treasury. When the Lord noticed and saw her, He looked not at the amount of her gift, but at her purpose. He considered not how much she had given, but out of how much she had given it. He answered and said, "Truly I say to you, that widow has put more than all of them into the offerings of God. For all these have put into the offerings of God out of their abundance; but she, out of her poverty, has put in all the living that she had," Luke 21:3-4. A greatly blessed and glorious woman, who even before the day of judgment deserved to be praised by the voice of the Judge! Let the rich be ashamed of their barrenness and unbelief. The widow, the widow poor in resources, is

Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata (Miscellanies) Supporting witness

... a rich man," in Matthew 19:24, "to lead a philosophic life." But on the other hand, it blesses the poor, in Matthew 5:3, just as Plato understood when he said, "Poverty is not to be judged by the reducing of one's resources, but by the increase of insatiable desire." For it is not small means that makes poverty, but insatiableness. Since the good man is free from that, he will also be rich. And in Alcibiades he calls vice a slavish thing, and virtue the mark of free people. "Take off from yourselves the heavy yoke, and take up the easy one," Matthew 11:28-30 says in Scripture. In the same way, the poets also call vice a slavish yoke. And the statement, "You have sold yourselves to your sins," agrees with what was said above: "Everyone who commits sin is a slave, and the slave does not remain in the house forever. But if the Son makes you free, then you will be free, and the truth will make you free," as John 8:32-36 says.

Clement of Alexandria, Who Is the Rich Man That Shall Be Saved? Direct teaching

The man, then, who is truly and rightly rich is the one who is rich in virtues and able to use every fortune devoutly and faithfully, while the false rich man is the one who is rich according to the flesh and has shifted his life into outward possession — the kind that passes away and decays and now belongs to one and now to another, and in the end to no one whatever. Again, in the same way, there is also a genuine poor man and another spurious one, poor in name only. The one is poor according to spirit — that is, in what is his own; the other is poor according to the world — that is, in what is foreign to him. To the man not poor according to the world but rich in passions, the one not poor according to spirit but rich according to God says: "Stand off from the foreign possessions present in your soul, so that, becoming pure in heart, you may see God" — which by another voice is to enter into the kingdom of the heavens. "And how shall you stand off from them? By selling." What then? Will you receive money in place of possessions, making an exchange of wealth for wealth, by turning your visible substance into silver? By no means. Rather, in place of what was formerly within the sou

Tertullian, Against Marcion Supporting witness

In the psalm he cries out, "Defend the fatherless and the needy. Do justice to the humble and the poor. Deliver the poor, and rescue the needy out of the hand of the wicked." In the seventy-first Psalm he says in the same way, "In righteousness shall He judge the needy among the people, and shall save the children of the poor." And in the words that follow he says of Christ, "All nations shall serve Him." Now David reigned only over the Jewish nation, so that no one can suppose this was spoken of David. But He had taken upon Himself the condition of the poor, and of those who were oppressed with want, because "He should deliver the needy out of the hand of the mighty man. He shall spare the needy and the poor, and shall deliver the souls of the poor. From usury and injustice shall He redeem their souls, and in His sight their name shall be honored." Again: "The wicked shall be turned into hell, even all the nations that forget God. Because the needy shall not always be forgotten; the endurance of the poor shall not perish forever." Again: "Who is like the Lord our God, who dwells on high, and yet looks on the humble things that are in heaven and on earth!" He is the one "who raises

Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata (Miscellanies) Supporting witness

... But the image is another thing. What does the parable of Lazarus mean, by showing the image of the rich and poor? And what does the saying mean, "No man can serve two masters, God and Mammon?" The Lord so calling the love of money. For example, the covetous, who were invited, did not answer the invitation to the supper, not because they possessed property, but because of their excessive affection for what they possessed. "The foxes, then, have holes." He called those evil and earthly men, who are occupied with wealth mined and dug from the ground, "foxes." So also, in reference to Herod: "Go, tell that fox, 'Behold, I cast out devils, and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected,'" Luke 13:32. For He applied the name "birds of the air" to those who were distinct from the other birds, those truly pure ones, those who have the power of flying to the knowledge of the heavenly Word. For not only riches, but also honor, marriage, and poverty, bring ten thousand cares to the person who is unfit for them. And He pointed to those cares in the parable of the fourfold seed, when He said that the seed of the word which fell among the thorns and hedges was c

Cyprian, Treatises Direct teaching

You are mistaken and deceived, whoever you are, if you think you are rich in this world. Listen to the voice of your Lord in Revelation, rebuking people like you with just reproaches: “You say,” He says, “I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and do not know that you are wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from Me gold tried in the fire, so that you may be rich; and white clothing, so that you may be clothed, and so that the shame of your nakedness may not appear in you; and anoint your eyes with eye-salve, so that you may see.” Revelation 3:17-18 Therefore, you who are rich and wealthy, buy for yourself from Christ gold tried by fire, so that you may be pure gold, with your filth burned away as if by fire, if you are cleansed by almsgiving and righteous works. Buy for yourself white clothing, so that you who had been naked in Adam, and were before dreadful and unseemly, may be clothed with the white garment of Christ. And you who are a wealthy and rich matron in Christ’s Church, anoint your eyes, not with the devil’s eye-salve, but with Christ’s eye-salve, so that you may be able to come to see God by deserving wel

Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book III Supporting witness

... and that this happened in the fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar. As a teacher, He said this to the rich: “Woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation;” and “Woe to you who are full, for you will hunger; and you who laugh now, for you will weep;” and, “Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you: for this is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.” We know all these things through Luke alone (and many actions of the Lord are mentioned by all [the Evangelists]): the great number of fish Peter's companions caught when, at the Lord’s command, they cast the nets; the woman who had suffered for eighteen years and was healed on the Sabbath; the man with dropsy whom the Lord healed on the Sabbath and how He defended His actions; how He taught His disciples not to seek the places of honor; how we should invite the poor and weak, who cannot repay us; the man who knocked at night to ask for bread and received it due to his persistence; how, when the Lord was dining with a Pharisee, a woman who was a sinner kissed His feet and anointed them with ointment, and what the Lord said to Simon about her regarding the two debtors; also the parable of the rich man who ho

Lactantius, The Divine Institutes Supporting witness

Though, therefore, in lowliness of mind we are on an equality, the free with slaves, and the rich with the poor, nevertheless in the sight of God we are distinguished by virtue.

Origen, Against Celsus Supporting witness

or if at any time they were pressed by a necessity of this sort, were contented with the mere supply of their wants, although many were willing to share (their abundance) with them, and to bestow help upon them far above their need.

Lactantius, The Divine Institutes Background

But being contented with his own, and that a little, because he is mindful of his frailty, he does not seek for anything beyond that which may support his life;

Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Direct teaching

... give testimony about them. Their conduct and manner of life must be examined, and whether they are slaves or free. If anyone is a slave, ask who his master is. If he is the slave of one of the faithful, ask his master whether he can give him a good report. If he cannot, let him be rejected until he shows himself worthy in the sight of his master. But if he gives him a good report, let him be admitted. If he is a household slave of a heathen, let him be taught to please his master, so that the word may not be blasphemed. If he has a wife, or if a woman has a husband, let them be taught to be content with each other. But if they are unmarried, let them learn not to commit fornication, but to enter into lawful marriage. But if his master is one of the faithful and knows that he is guilty of fornication, and yet does not give him a wife, or does not give the woman a husband, let him be separated. But if anyone has a demon, let him indeed be taught piety, but not received into communion before he is cleansed. Yet if death is near, let him be received. If anyone is a keeper of harlots, let him either stop prostituting women, or else let him be rejected. If a harlot comes, let her sto

Justin Martyr, The Martyrdom of Justin Martyr Direct teaching

Then the prefect Rusticus said to Chariton, “Tell me more, Chariton, are you also a Christian?” Chariton replied, “I am a Christian by the command of God.” Rusticus the prefect asked the woman Charito, “What do you say, Charito?” Charito answered, “I am a Christian by the grace of God.” Rusticus asked Euelpistus, “And what about you?” Euelpistus, a servant of Caesar, responded, “I too am a Christian, having been freed by Christ; and by the grace of Christ, I share the same hope.” Rusticus the prefect asked Hierax, “And you, are you a Christian?” Hierax answered, “Yes, I am a Christian, for I revere and worship the same God.” Rusticus the prefect asked, “Did Justin make you Christians?” Hierax replied, “I was a Christian, and will be a Christian.” Then Pæon stood up and said, “I too am a Christian.” Rusticus the prefect asked, “Who taught you?” Pæon replied, “From our parents, we received this good confession.” Euelpistus said, “I willingly heard the words of Justin. But I also learned to be a Christian from my parents.” Rusticus the prefect asked, “Where are your parents?” Euelpistus replied, “In Cappadocia.” Rusticus asked Hierax, “Where are your parents?” And he answered, “Christ

Peter of Alexandria, Canonical Epistle Direct teaching

But the free persons shall be tested by penance for three years, both because of their pretending and because they forced their fellow servants to offer sacrifice, since they did not obey the apostle. He wants masters to do the same things to the servant, and to stop threatening them, in Ephesians 6:9, knowing, he says, that both our Master and theirs is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with Him, in Romans 2:11. Now if we all have one Master, with whom there is no partiality, since Christ is all and in all, among barbarian, Scythian, slave, or free, in Colossians 3:11, they ought to consider what they have done in wanting to preserve their own lives. They have led their fellow servants into idolatry, though those servants would have been able to escape if they had given them what is just and equal, as the apostle says again.

Lactantius, The Divine Institutes Supporting witness

...ld without reason, although he has only sons. For it is plain that the name of father also includes slaves, because household follows it. And the name of household also includes sons, because the name of father comes first. From this it is clear that the same person is both father of his slaves and lord of his sons. Finally, the son is set at liberty as if he were a slave. And the freed slave receives the name of his patron, as if he were a son. But if a man is called father of a household so that it may appear that he possesses a double power, because as a father he ought to indulge, and as a lord to restrain, it follows that he who is a son is also a slave, and that he who is a father is also a lord. Therefore, just as by the necessity of nature there cannot be more than one father, so there can be only one lord. For what will the slave do if many lords give commands that conflict with each other? Therefore the worship of many gods is contrary to reason and to nature, since there cannot be many fathers or lords. But in this argument it is necessary to consider the gods as fathers and lords.

Lactantius, The Divine Institutes Supporting witness

...es the sweetest rest of sleep, so also He gives equity and virtue to all. In His sight, no one is a slave and no one is a master. For if all have the same Father, then by equal right we are all children. No one is poor in the sight of God except the one who is without justice. No one is rich except the one who is full of virtues. In short, no one is outstanding except the one who has been good and innocent. No one is most honored except the one who has abundantly done works of mercy. No one is most perfect except the one who has completed all the steps of virtue. Therefore, neither the Romans nor the Greeks could possess justice, because they had people differing from one another by many levels, from the poor to the rich, from the lowly to the powerful, and, in short, from private persons to the highest authority of kings. For where all are not equally matched, there is no equity. And inequality by itself shuts out justice, whose whole power consists in this: it makes equal those who have come by an equal lot to the condition of this life.

Aristides, The Apology Supporting witness

Further, if one or other of them have bondmen and bondwomen or children, through love towards them they persuade them to become Christians, and when they have done so, they call them brethren without distinction.

Hebrews 2:11 Supporting witness

For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,

Philemon 1:16 Supporting witness

no longer as a slave but more than a slave—a beloved brother, especially to me but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.

Ephesians 2:19 Background

Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;

James 2:1 Direct teaching

My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.

James 2:9 Direct teaching

but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors.

James 2:4 Direct teaching

have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?

Romans 2:11 Direct teaching

For God shows no partiality.

Colossians 3:11 Direct teaching

Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.

Galatians 3:28 Direct teaching

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Matthew 23:8 Direct teaching

But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.

Acts 4:32 Supporting witness

Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common.

1 Timothy 6:2 Supporting witness

Those who have believing masters must not be disrespectful on the ground that they are brothers; rather they must serve all the better since those who benefit by their good service are believers and beloved. Teach and urge these things.