# When were Christians allowed to exact usury?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-were-christians-allowed-to-exact-usury/162111>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 17, 2003, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-were-christians-allowed-to-exact-usury/162111 "2003-03-17T21:49:50Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![theretsof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e8c25b/32.png) [@theretsof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/theretsof)\
**Post date:** [March 17, 2003, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-were-christians-allowed-to-exact-usury/162111/1 "2003-03-17T21:49:50Z")

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I just finished a pretty good book, “The Pillars of the Earth”, and it made me wonder when Christians began to charge usury on a loan. In this book, set in the 13th century, Christains had to go to the Jewish community to borrow money. It made me wonder the following:

Who was responsible for the change?  
Were there any interesting politics involved?  
When did this change occur?  
Why and How did it occur?

Thanks!

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**Author:** ![BaldTaco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/47e85d/32.png) [@BaldTaco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BaldTaco)\
**Post date:** [March 18, 2003, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-were-christians-allowed-to-exact-usury/162111/2 "2003-03-18T05:06:55Z")

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Here you can find [lots of stuff about usury](http://gvanv.com/compass/arch/v1405/fahey.html)

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**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\
**Post date:** [March 18, 2003, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-were-christians-allowed-to-exact-usury/162111/3 "2003-03-18T05:32:49Z")

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Not directly answering the OP, but back when usury prohibitions were in effect, they were often evaded by disguising a loan as a different type of financial transaction. One common one was a currency exchange, an activity which had no theological context.

Say that the general exchange rate for guilders and florins was 5 guilders = 1 florin. Suppose I offered to exchange you 4000 guilders for 1000 florins. My offer appears to be a bad deal, but there is a special clause; the exchange will not be simultaneous. I will give you the 4000 guilders today and you will give me the 1000 florins a month from today. While no usury laws have been broken, the effect is the same as if I loaned you 4000 guilders for a month with a 25% interest charge.