27 Journal of Markets & Morality Volume 26, Number 1: 27–49 Copyright © 2023 Dylan Pahman Acton Institute The Origins and Aims of F. D. Maurice’s Christian Socialism A Consideration of Patristic Motifs This article demonstrates how salient characteristics of F. D. Maurice’s Christian socialism resonate with his appreciation of Ignatius of Antioch, Clement of Alexandria, and Augustine of Hippo. Maurice’s understanding of the divine fam- ily of God that motivated his solidarity with the working classes resonates with his understanding of Ignatius. This solidarity drove him to Christian socialism, which he conceived as primarily an educational project in line with his reading of Clement. Ultimately, this extended to his mentorship of younger Christian socialists mirroring his appreciation for the early Augustine’s philosophical pedagogy. These patristic motifs thus nuance and clarify Maurice’s sometimes puzzling involvement with Christian socialism in Britain from 1848 to 1854. I should like you to feel that the facts of Ecclesiastical History concern yourselves and your flocks; that the people whom it brings before us were men of our own flesh and blood; that He who called them to their work is calling us to ours. ~ F. D. Maurice 1 Introduction Despite common mischaracterizations of the church fathers as “communist” or “socialist” 2 —often based on isolated readings of some of their statements about wealth and stewardship—the relation between the Christian socialist John Frederick Dennison Maurice (1805–1872) and the church fathers has received little attention. John C. Cort dedicates an entire chapter in his Christian