In his whole life and thought, Basilius of Caesarea represented what the Christian life should be. The purpose of this article is to inquire into the economic thought of Basilius of Caesarea in the fourth century of the Roman Empire. In this article, his contribution to the theological enterprise has been considered in several points.
First of all, Basilius’ economic thought has shown the foundation of ownership, based on the justice of God. Secondly, he criticized that someone possesses surplus to one’s needs or exclusively owns public property. Moreover, Basilius strongly refuted against the monopoly of land ownership and claimed the equal rights in using the land and natural resources, emphasizing koinonia. Finally, he revealed the seriousness of the usury, even though it has been regarded as legitimate. According to Basilius, anyone who live an extravagant life among the poor would not be considered to be guiltless, even if he had a legitimate ownership. In other words, he challenged the concept of one’s morality and proposed high standards on economic thought as a Christian seeking for the justice of God.
In sum, Basilius has shown what the mission of Christians is for the Korean society confronting with serious problems of neo-liberalism. Through his thought on economics, what is really precious for us living in these days could be reflected.

• 김유준(연세대학교) | Kim, You Joon