Usury and the Church of England

[Rajiv]

Usury and the Church of England by Rev. Henry Swabey

A good book

Background

The Scriptures

The prohibition of the business of usury is clear enough in the Old Testament. It was against the Law of Yahweh to lend £100 and to expect back more than £100.

In early days transactions would have been done by weight of bullion (sheql) or by goods. References are scattered throughout Law and Prophets, and in each case usury is a deadly sin.

A double standard is allowed in the legislation of Deuteronomy where a Jew may lend on usury to a stranger (a non-Jew) but he may not lend on usury to a brother.

In spite of this clear code, money lenders were largely responsible for the social changes that altered Palestine from a land of small farmers, in the time of the earlier kings, to a series of large estates worked by slaves in the time of Jeroboam II. For the difficulties of the small farmer drove him to the Usurer and all too often their mortgaged goods, families and persons were sold, which meant slavery.

There is no wonder that the Usurer was hated.

[*T*]

Re: Usury and the Church of England

What's past is prologue.
At least Islam has kept the usury laws, a shame the churches dropped the ball.

[Guest]

Re: Usury and the Church of England

At least Islam has kept the usury laws, a shame the churches dropped the ball.

We should look to Islam to refurbish our societal credentials. Then we can abolish the principle of interest on loaned mega-capital in international finance (the wheels of commerce will continue to turn on goodwill), and we can then plant flower beds on Wall Street and in the City district in London. Turn briefcases into plowshares, or something like that. That must be the pragmatic road to financial progress for the mid-21st Century? A bit radical, but what the heck, let's give it a whirl and see what we get.

[BiscayneSunrise]

Re: Usury and the Church of England

Good one luke, That's funny.

I'm a little weak on my theological credentials but wasn't there a fellow who came along in Palestine a couple of thousand years ago who established a new covenant, repealing the old laws and replacing them with a more progressive way of interacting with each other?

Hebrews 8:13: In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.

Hebrews 7:18-19: A former commandment is annulled because of its weakness and uselessness, for the law made nothing perfect; but on the other hand, a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God.