Letter 6

From: Salvian of Marseille, priest and writer To: Hypatius and Quieta, parents-in-law Date: ~450 AD Context: A second letter to his parents-in-law, defending more fully the theological rationale for the decision to renounce wealth and property. To my beloved parents Hypatius and Quieta, from Salvian, Your letter arrived and I read it with the pain that comes from knowing that you are suffering and that I am, in some sense, the cause of your suffering. I want to respond as honestly and clearly as I can. You ask how we could give away property that was, in part, an inheritance from your family — property that will not now come to your grandchildren. This is the sharpest version of your objection and I want to face it directly. The answer is that we believe the property of this world is held in trust, not owned. The Christian teaching on this is consistent across five centuries: what we possess is not truly ours; it is given to us by God to be used in his service, and the highest use of material goods is their distribution to those who need them. We have done what the faith requires of those who take it seriously. I know this answer does not satisfy you, because you do not hold the faith that generates it. That is the honest core of our disagreement. I cannot ask you to agree with a decision whose premise you reject; I can only ask you to believe that we did not make it lightly or without love for you. We pray for you every day. Salvian