Want And Wealth

Duos finitimos vetus historia describit regem Achab et pauperem Nabuthen; quem horum pauperiorem, quem ditiorem credimus? Alter regali fulcro divitiarum praeditus, inexplebilis insatiabilisque opibus suis, exiguam pauperis vineam desideravit: alter despiciens animo βασιλέων τας πολυ χρύσους τύχας, imperialsque gazas, suo erat contentus palmite. Nonne videtur hic magis dives, hic magis rex, qui sibi abundabat, suas regebat cupiditates; ut nihil alienum concupisceret? Ille autem egentissimus, cui aurum suum vile, alienus palmes pretiosissimus aestimabatur? Sed qua ratione egentissimus, cognosce: quia divitiae injuste congregatae evomuntur; radix autem justorum manet, et ut palma floret. An non egentior paupere us, qui tamquam umbra praeterit? Hodie impius exaltatur, cras non erit, nec invenietur aliquis locus ejus. Quid est itaque divitem esse, nisi abundare? Quis autem abundat, qui sit animo contractior? Qui autem animo contractior, utique angustior: quae igitur in angustiis abundantia? non ergo dives, qui non abundat. Unde pulchre David: Divites, iniquit, eguerunt, et esurierunt; quoniam cum haberent Scripturarum thesauros coelestium, eguerunt qui non intellexerunt, et esurierunt qui nullum spiritalis gratiae gustarunt cibum. Nihil igitur affectu sapientis ditius, nihil insipientis egentius. Nam cum regnum Dei pauperum sit, qui esse locupletius potest? Et ideo praeclare Apostolus: O altitudo, inquit, divitiarum sapinetiae et scientiae Dei. Praeclare etiam David, qui in via testimoniorum coelestium, quasi in omnibus divitiis, delectabatur. Sanctus Ambrosius Mediolanensis, Epistula XXXVIII, Simpliciano Source: Migne PL 16.1097c-1098b

Ancient history tells of two neighbours, king Ahab and the poor Naboth. Which of these do we think to be richer, which poorer? The one endowed with the royal support of riches, insatiable and unsatisfied with his wealth, desired the little vineyard of the poor man; the other, despising in his soul the great golden fortunes of kings, and imperial treasuries, was content with his own vines. 1 Does he not seem richer and more regal, who abounded in himself, and ruled over his own desires, wanting nothing that belonged to another? And does he not appear most needy in whose eyes his own gold was reckoned vile and another man's vine precious? But know for what reason he was most needy: because riches unjustly gathered are vomited up, 2 but the root of the righteous remains, 3 and flourishes like a palm tree. 4 Is he not more needy than the poor man, who shall pass away like a shadow? 5 Today the impious is exalted, tomorrow he shall not be, and his place is no more to be found. 6 But what is it to be rich, unless to abound? But who abounds whose soul is contracted? And he who is more contracted in soul, so he is more needy, and what abundance is there in want? Therefore he is not a rich man who does not abound. Whence David rightly says: 'The rich hunger and lack,' 7 for when they possessed the treasures of the Divine Scriptures, they still lacked who did not understand, and they hungered because they did not taste the food of spiritual grace. Nothing therefore can be richer than the disposition of the wise man, nothing poorer than that of the fool. For since the kingdom of God is of the poor, what can be richer? 8 And therefore well the Apostle says: 'O the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!' 9 And that eminent David, who delighted in the way of the heavenly testimonies as in all riches. 10 Saint Ambrose, from Letter 38, to Simplicianus 1 3 Kings 21.1-4 2 Job 20.15 3 Prov 12.12 4 Ps 91.13 5 Ps 143.4 6 Ps 36.35-36 7 Ps 33.10 8 Mt 5.3 9 Rom 11.33 10 Ps 118.14