THEOSISJerome of Stridon
Thus says the Lord God, “If a ruler grants a gift to one of his sons, it shall be inherited by his descendants; they will possess it as their rightful inheritance. However, if he bequeaths a portion of his inheritance to one of his servants, that servant will own it until the year of his freedom, referred to in Hebrew as deror, at which point it shall return to the ruler; the inheritance shall then belong to his son. Moreover, the ruler is not permitted to take from the people's inheritance or seize their possessions by force; he may only give from his own property to his children, ensuring that none of My people are dispossessed.
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While we have been discussing the ruler, we now turn to regulations concerning his heirs and what gifts, legacies, and bequests he may offer, determining to whom gifts shall be granted and who shall hold possession, whether temporarily or permanently. He states that if he provides a gift or inheritance to his sons, they will receive it as their rightful claim, since inheritance cannot be transferred arbitrarily. However, if a gift is given to a servant as a bequest, the servant will have possession until the year of emancipation, also known as the jubilee year, which occurs every fifty years when all sold property is returned to its original owners. Therefore, the servant enjoys temporary use, but the true ownership remains with the ruler's son.
Furthermore, a ruler must not extract from the inheritance of the people through force, oppression, or distress, but rather, he should distribute from his own wealth to provide for his children, a principle that applies not only to the rulers of that time but also to those today who misuse their priestly authority to enrich themselves at the expense of those in need, taking more from the impoverished than what God has ordained, under the guise of legitimacy. Such individuals should ensure that their children inherit only what has rightfully been conveyed to them by their parents. Consequently, if a priest becomes wealthier after assuming the office, he ought to direct any increase not solely to his own children but rather to the poor and faithful brethren, those who hold greater significance than mere offspring. He should return to God what rightfully belongs to Him, as articulated in the Gospel: “Whatever you do to one of these, you do to Me” (Matthew 25:40). In embracing the poor, visiting the imprisoned, providing clothing for those without, quenching the thirsty, and feeding the hungry, we fulfill our duty lest God’s people be displaced from their rightful inheritance.
If, however, a ruler steals, takes unlawfully, or with dubious justification hoards what is not his own, the congregation of God’s people will be scattered and desolated. This is in accordance with the law that seeks to prevent the gradual dissipation of inheritance and the loss of the means by which the inheritance is allocated. Thus, anyone who, through wrongdoing or under the guise of piety, bestows wealth or property upon their children or relatives undermines the people of God and deprives them of the eternal possession of faith.