Before coming to the question it is essential to examine the background of Jewish socio-political teaching.
In the OT there is strong opposition among the prophets to those who expand their holdings of land (Is. 5:8) ; those who deny justice and rights to the poor (Is.10:2) ;and those who crush and grind the poor by exacting the full measure of their debts (Is.3:5). Amos castigates those who oppress the poor, deny basic humann dignity and exact their debts harshly (Am. 2:7, 4:1, 5:11). The oppression of the poor and needy is a crime for which Yahweh will destroy the kingdom (Ez.22:29}
Ps.82:3-4 refers to the duty of judges to render justice to the poor and needy and to protect them from oppression and the Psalms frequently refer to the oppression of the poor by the rich (e.g., Ps.10:2, 9, 17f.) Yahweh does not forget the cry of the poor (Ps.9:13,19).
In the NT the attitude of Jesus towards wealth was simple: it is an obstacle to the Kingdom of God. His refusal to accept any income, even by earning, is a striking feature of His public life. (Unlike St. Paul)
The story of the widow’s mite (Mk.12:41-44) is less a praise of the poor than a condemnation of the rich. The story of the rich young man who would not renounce his possessions to follow Jesus is found in the three synoptics with slight variations (Mk.10:17f.; Mt.19:16f. Lk.18:18f.}.
Other examples of Jesus’ strictures on wealth include the parable of Dives and Lazarus (Lk.16:19-31); the difficulty a rich man has in getting into the kingdom of heaven compared to a camel getting through the eye of a needle; and “blessed are the poor” in Mt. 5.Jesus’ injunction “Love your neighbour as yourself” implies equality.
In Acts 2:44 the early Church all lived together and owned everything in common.”Love of money is the root of all evil” (1 Tim 6:9f.) James says that the rich man ought to rejoice when he is impoverished because of the fate of the rich (Js.1:10f.). The rich who humiliate the poor forget that the poor are God’s chosen (Js.2:1-9). A dreadful vengeance will overtake the rich who have deprived the poor of their wages and who live in luxury (Js.5:1-6).
Coming back to the question at the head of this article it is apparent that Jesus and His early followers reflect socialist attitudes.
(With acknowledgements to Dr. J.McKenzie)