Quote:
Originally Posted by dickloraine
For a very long time it was not allowed. Jews were the bankers then in europe. This gave them some power, as these banking clans were very rich and monarchs needing money had to use them. On the other hand, this also led to more antisemitism. So they had influence but were also under constant danger. Some of this is even transported into more modern antisemitism like in the conspiracy accusations.
It is also not allowed in islamic law. There are islamic banks, that work on this conditions.
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As I said, "The Ascent of Money" goes into all of this in quite a bit of detail. It's worth reading for those interested in the subject. For example, the de Medici started their fortune in banking. The word bank is actually from the Italian word for bench since the early bankers sat on a bench behind their table on the street.