Religion and Money

B06　—　Cross-cutting theme

Money, monnaie, Münze. The words for “money” around the world

Supervised by: Mitsuru Hayama　／　Reading time (main text): About 8 min (3,925 characters of text at 500 chars/min; exercises and readings not included)　／　Beyond the text: 10 exercises · 4 coins · 11 readings

What this course teaches you to do

• You can explain what it means that the word for money comes from a temple.
• You can name three roles religious institutions played in the monetary system.
• You can trace how spending for faith moved the monetary system.
• You can describe how "the being that guarantees value" passed from god to state.
• Can explain temple and shrine finance in medieval Japan (suiko, shidōsen, dosō), including interest rates and the agents involved.
• Can interpret the conflict between faith and currency (indulgences, iconoclasm, arson attacks) from an economic perspective.

Lessons (8)

1. The temple was the first bankTemples kept, recorded and guaranteed. Money came not from the market but from the place of records.
2. Spending for faith moves the systemReligious spending was a public work in its own frame. Do not file it as "waste" by today's judgement.
3. The guarantor moves from god to stateThe guarantor moved from god to king to state. What remains at the end is the act of believing.
4. Only the Japanese edition is strikingly thick hereA lopsided count shows a different face once turned into a ratio. Level the denominator before comparing.
5. Temples as Financial Institutions — From Suiko to DosōThe oldest moneylenders were temples. The best tool for collection was not violence, but faith.
6. The Knights' Bank — The Temple TowerA warrior order that protected the Holy Land became history's first international bank. Those who guard wealth become targets for those who desire it.
7. A Half-Century of Conflict — Indulgences, Iconoclasm, and ArsonIn the 16th century, the knot between faith and currency burned simultaneously in the East and West. The conflicts were also economic events with the face of faith.
8. The Archaeology of Saisen — From Sansen to SaisenSaisen are a memory of the first harvest offerings. They are the quietest witness to the transition from gaining revenue from the land to gaining it from the feet of people.

Readings (11)

• The Roman Republic　Overview: 2,700 years of the world　269 BC　The Temple of Moneta
  §1. Where the word moneta comes from. A short stop, but the core of this course.
• The copper that cast the Great Buddha　Japan　740–745　The Kuni, Naniwa, and Shigaraki Capitals
  §2. Check in the original the account of the capital moving four times in five years.
• Gods and money　Overview: 2,700 years of the world　two thousand seven hundred years　From the Face of Gods to the Face of the State
  §3. A full circle in which the guarantor changes and returns at last to "In God We Trust."
• Gold and invasion　Japan　1597　before the Hokoji, Kyoto
  An example where a system of rewards moved people in a way apart from faith. Read it paired with §2.
• When temples were banks　Japan　the later 13th century–the 16th century　Sakamoto, Omi
  Section 5. "The best tool for collection was not violence, but faith." — The most incisive line in this course.
• The counterfeiter king and the Temple　France　the 12th–14th centuries　The Temple enclosure, Paris
  Section 6. A specific account of the king's treasure being held in the tower of the Temple.
• Nobunaga　Japan　1571　Mount Hiei in Omi
  Section 7. Arson attack = seizure of wealth. Read this while considering the discrepancies in historical sources regarding the death toll.
• When temples were banks　Japan　the 15th–16th centuries　Before the halls of temples and shrines
  Section 8. From scattered coins to offertory coins. The oldest record of an offertory box is also found here.
• Paper carries the money　Italy　the 13th–14th centuries　A church pulpit
  Under a doctrine that considers interest a sin, profit from currency exchange—rather than interest on loans—provided a way to reconcile faith and commerce. Please read through to the disclaimer, which states that it is an overstatement to call this a loophole.
• The sink is in the house.　India　Present　Southern Temple
  According to industry estimates, there are three to four thousand tons of uncounted gold stored in temple treasuries. The text explains its nature: since this gold was a votive offering, there is no one to whom it can be returned, and thus it remains immobile.
• Coin famine　China　845　An abandoned temple, its bell still in the hall
  This was the year the state confiscated copper used for Buddhist statues and bells and reminted it into coins. Please read to see what is written as the deciding factor when prayer and state finances compete for the same metal.

Assessment

10 exercises in this course (7 check, 0 compare, 3 written). Progress is recorded by self-assessment.