Omnia sunt communia is aLatin phrase andslogan that literally means "all are common"[1] but has been variously translated as "all things are to be held in common"[2] or simply "all things in common". Originating in the Latin translation of theActs of the Apostles, altered forms of the slogan were applied as alegal maxim incanon law and later in secular law. Originally, it was the central precept of the community of "the Way",[3] and was later a slogan of the labouring class in theGerman Peasants' War of 1524-1525, referred to asChristian communism, the concept ofkoinonia, which means common or shared life.
Omnia sunt communia derives fromActs2:44 and4:32 in theChristian Bible. The primitive church practised a form of communalism whereby all private property was sold off by its owners and the capital raised was placed in a common pool to be distributed to those in need of it.[4] The inspiration for this practice was the teaching of Jesus Christ on the fate of the rich and the blessings of the poor. For example, in his so-calledSermon on the Mount andSermon on the Plain, and when he instructed the rich, "If you wish to be perfect, go and sell your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me."
A further impulse to the enlargement of the house (church) of the Lord was a mystical experience shared by the disciples, and witnessed by "devout men living in Jerusalem from every nation under the sky", on the day of Pentecost, the festival of Shavuot, fifty days after Passover, in which a violent wind, appearing as tongues of fire, came to rest on each disciple's head.[5] Peter then made a speech imploring the people to turn to god, which resulted in at least 3,000 joining the new community in one day. This event is celebrated by Christians as the beginning of the church[6] and is usually dated to somewhere between AD 30 and 36.[7]
The standardKoine Greek texts of theNew Testament describe theEarly Christians of theApostolic Age as "having all things in common" (Ancient Greek:εἶχον ἅπαντα κοινά, eîchon hápanta koiná).[8] Subsequent toPeter andJohn's first trial before theSanhedrin, the followers of the Way are described as "one in heart and mind" and it is repeated that "to them all things were in common" (ἦν αὐτοῖς πάντα κοινά,ēn autois panta koina).[9] In theVulgate,Jerome'sLatin translation, these passages become "they held all things in common" (Latin:habebant omnia communia, literally "they had all in common")[10] and "to them all things were in common" (omnia communia, literally "to them they were all in common").[11]
The 12th-century Italian juristBernardus Papiensis adapted the phrase intocanon law astempore necessitate omnia sunt communia, "in a time of necessity all things are common".[12] In his treatise on justice in theSumma Theologica,[13] 13th-century philosopherThomas Aquinas used the same phrase, as well as the broader concept, to argue that it was not asin for a person tosteal if they were motivated by genuine need.[14]Dialogus, a text written in the 14th century byWilliam of Ockham, also used the specific Latin phraseomnia sunt communia.[15] The same principle was later applied insecular law in various contexts, including justifyingemergency taxation by amonarch.[16]
Hugo Grotius used the phrase as adapted by Papiensis to argue that states must not preventrefugees from entering their lands if they had been forced out of their own.[17] English juristMatthew Hale added a qualifier, proposing thatin casu extremæ necessitatis omnia sunt communia, literally "in cases of extreme necessity everything is held in common". InEnglish common law, this essentially meant thatprivate property could be seized by the government for the purpose of its defense, and the previous owners of that property would have no legal recourse. More broadly, it signified that the welfare of the community was prioritized over that of any individual.[18] This concept developed over time intoexpropriation,[18] as well aseminent domain.[19]
The description of the members of the early church inActs was a key inspiration forChristian communism.[20]Thomas Müntzer, a leader in theGerman Peasants' War, described the concept ofomnia sunt communia as the definition of theGospel,[21] arguing also that all things "should be distributed as occasion requires, according to the several necessities of all".[20]
InUtopia byThomas More, the phraseomnia 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".[22]
Modern left-winged movements have adopted the phrase, such asautonomist Marxism,[23] thecommons movement,[24] and other social movements.[25]
AfterMadrid municipal elections in 2015, several city councellors swore their positions usingomnia sunt communia.[26]