ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of Christian thought about private property and property law. It begins with a survey of Biblical materials, which offer diverse perspectives on property and wealth. It then reviews key themes in the history of Christian theological reflection about wealth, property, and property law, from an early emphasis on God’s ownership of all things and the dangers of wealth to later, more pragmatic emphasis on private property rights as a way of preserving social order in a sinful world. It concludes with a brief review of early-modern and contemporary Anabaptist, liberation theology, and Catholic thought on these themes.
