In Shakespeares 'The Merchant of Venice', why did the church oppose usury?

Question

Also..are there any bible scriptures that support that view? How did the protestants deal with the problem of usury? And what was the Jewish view of usury? thaanks! I have to answer this for a book report.

Answer 1

Usury means taking unfair advantage, and is to be distinguished from collecting interest, which is reasonable and fair. However, the church set a rule that no interest was to be charged, and defined all interest as usury. I never have figured out why, unless to stifle commerce. The Jewish view was as I have stated it: that a reasonable interest is OK, only taking advantage of someone's situation to charge a lot more interest than normal was not fair. The classic example is the "loan shark," who will loan you what the banks will not, but will charge huge interest and extract payment by violence if necessary.

Loan sharks have been all but put out of business by "payday advances" from banks and specialized "cash shops" which charge huge fees that are not called interest.

Answer 2

During this time in history usury was considered a sin by the Church. It was so crazy. The Bible NEVER taught against charging interest on loaned money.

Dealing with money was considered dirty. That is why Europeans allowed their Jewish populations to deal as money changers. The Money Changers became bankers, then they became merchant bankers and fabulously wealthy. When the Jews to got too rich the Crown just made a decree and took it away from them.

Answer 3

I believe the Christian ban on usury comes from Christ throwing the money changers out of the Temple. As said above, money changes later became bankers. Only Jews could be money changers/bankers because the practice was forbidden by Christ.

Answer 4

Biblical text: Neither a borrower nor a lender be

Because there was a Christian church prohibition against usury [money lending] it often became the 'trade' of non-Christians, ie Jews.

Answer 5

The speech with reference to the pound of flesh The speech about the three caskets those are both huge memories operating with the help of the play. don't have it obtainable so won't be able to allow you to recognize what scene or act sorry. you're doing your self an spectacular incorrect through no longer studying it - it really is a spectacular play

Answer 6

In the Merchant of Venice the church of england opposed ususry because it was not considered proper to carge interest from the people in the country.

Answer 7

the church opposes usury for the same reason governments outlaw theft: they don't like competition.

Answer 8

Because at Elizabeth era the same would have happened.