Christianity started out as a sect of Judaism; Jesus believed he was a prophet commissioned to rewrite the Torah. The church in Jerusalem, founded by his disciples, kept kosher and observed Yom Kippur, which means they did not believe Jesus died for their sins. That lasted for 100 years, until the Romans kicked off the Diaspora by expelling the Jews from Jerusalem.
After this, the church in Rome decided to establish a list of books to be read in church, which became the Bible. The list featured the Epistles of Paul, who promoted the idea that Jesus died for our sins, so people didn't need to observe the Torah. Thus Christianity as we know it today; it quickly became antisemitic.
When Emperor Constantine made Christianity legal and part of the Roman government, Christianity got converted. Separated from Jewish ethics, the Church had little idea about how to run an empire. One thing they did understand was that charging interest on debt was a problem. Interestingly, the Muslims, the other heirs of the Roman Empire, came to the same conclusion.
Yes and...Judaism forbids charging interest to fellow Jews. It fascinates me that interest-bearing debt was such a known hazard in the ancient world, but nobody talks about its fundamental danger anymore. Even post-2008, after debt blew up in all of our faces. It's amazing.
Christianity started out as a sect of Judaism; Jesus believed he was a prophet commissioned to rewrite the Torah. The church in Jerusalem, founded by his disciples, kept kosher and observed Yom Kippur, which means they did not believe Jesus died for their sins. That lasted for 100 years, until the Romans kicked off the Diaspora by expelling the Jews from Jerusalem.
After this, the church in Rome decided to establish a list of books to be read in church, which became the Bible. The list featured the Epistles of Paul, who promoted the idea that Jesus died for our sins, so people didn't need to observe the Torah. Thus Christianity as we know it today; it quickly became antisemitic.
When Emperor Constantine made Christianity legal and part of the Roman government, Christianity got converted. Separated from Jewish ethics, the Church had little idea about how to run an empire. One thing they did understand was that charging interest on debt was a problem. Interestingly, the Muslims, the other heirs of the Roman Empire, came to the same conclusion.
Yes and...Judaism forbids charging interest to fellow Jews. It fascinates me that interest-bearing debt was such a known hazard in the ancient world, but nobody talks about its fundamental danger anymore. Even post-2008, after debt blew up in all of our faces. It's amazing.
Thanks for the comment, Chris!