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their ‘servant’. Consequently, the same sort of agreement was The Catholic Church had many rulings on the subject of usury. worked out as in England earlier. They were allowed to take These rulings were incorporated into canon law. The laws started almost the entire floating supply of coins with them in exchange __ with the Bible, were added to by laws of ancient Rome, added to for their extensive property holdings. again by the Orthodox Church of the Eastern Roman Empire at This made the king a gigantic property holder but left France Constantinople, and were improved upon extensively during the with little money with which to honour foreign commitments. 1100s, 1200s, and 1300s, when some of the finest ecclesiastical What was left of the remaining supply of gold and silver money _ thinking took place. was in the hands of the Templars. At that time there were two types of courts. Civil courts tried To get the Templars’ gold, the Templars in 1307 were charged _civil cases. Ecclesiastical courts tried offences against divine law with heresy by Pope Clement V, a French pope. Templar leaders such as crimes of heresy, sacrilege, adultery, perjury, and usury. were seized and imprisoned. Their Usury was considered a violation of scripture, against the natural property was confiscated. The law, and therefore against God cash went into the empty coffers of Himself. It was forbidden by both the divine and canon law.. Prohibitions against usury were not only directed against those who took usury, but against their families, those who refused to denounce them, and those who had any part in draw- ing up contracts whether or not they were lawyers, notaries, or judges. Penalties were directed against those who rented houses King Philip of France. Their lands were seized by the Catholic Church. In every Christian country the word went out to seize Templar wealth. It was in this way—without being convicted or even heard— the noblest of the Christian orders was extinguished. Noble knights bearing scars of a score of battles with the infidel in the Holy Land begged bread or hid in the forest. to usurers, which allowed them Those who gave to these unfortu- TALLY STICK to pursue their trade, and the nate men were excommunicated. rulers who allowed them to The Grand Master, Jacques de reside within their territories. Moley, was burned at the stake. This included priests who did In recent years there have come certain detractors who accuse not enforce the Church's edicts this organisation of taking ‘interest’. One of the best replies to this 4gainst these offences. A priest was not allowed to receive their charge is found in Thomas Parker's book Knight Templar In Offerings. The old excuse that "the money has committed no sin England, p.71: would not stand in an ecclesiastical court. If a usurer brought " chad there been any grounds at all for a belief that the —fferings to a church and disappeared, the church was required to Templars engaged in usurious activities, such a charge would "store the money to the victims from whom the usurer had exact- surely have been included in the indictment drawn up against them 4 the money. at the time of their arrest and trial.” In 1179, the Third Lateran Council laid down the three prime The lesson to be gained from this tragic occurrence is that to Penalties for manifest usurers: . survive, it is not enough to have a noble cause and to be pure and _—*!) They were deprived of Communion. righteous. If you are wealthy while the government is poor, the 2) Their offerings were refused. government will find a way to take your wealth. In the process of 3) They were denied Christian burial. seizing your wealth, they may also liquidate you to prevent future This law was interpreted to mean that the offender was not even claims. to set foot in church during divine services. Pope Alexander III The problems associated with the violation of our common law _ Stated that if the usurer did not cease his activities he was to be descend to the present day. The priestly tribe of Levi was to | XCommunicated and cut off from all intercourse with other receive no land but was to live on the tithe from the other tribes of Christians. King Philip of France. Their lands were seized by the Catholic Church. In every Christian country the word went out to seize Templar wealth. It was in this way—without being convicted or even heard— the noblest of the Christian orders was extinguished. Noble knights bearing scars of a score of battles with the infidel in the Holy Land begged bread or hid in the forest. Those who gave to these unfortu- TALLY STICK nate men were excommunicated. The Grand Master, Jacques de Moley, was burned at the stake. In recent years there have come certain detractors who accuse . . this organisation of taking ‘interest’. One of the best replies to this 4gainst these offences. A pries charge is found in Thomas Parker's book Knight Templar In Offerings. The old excuse that England, p.71: would not stand in an ecclesiz " chad there been any grounds at all for a belief that the _fferings to a church and disap) Templars engaged in usurious activities, such a charge would “store the money to the victims surely have been included in the indictment drawn up against them 4 the money. at the time of their arrest and trial." In 1179, the Third Lateran ¢ The lesson to be gained from this tragic occurrence is that to Penalties for manifest usurers: survive, it is not enough to have a noble cause and to be pure and _—*!)- They were deprived of Cor righteous. If you are wealthy while the government is poor, the 2) Their offerings were refuse government will find a way to take your wealth. In the process of 3) They were denied Christiai seizing your wealth, they may also liquidate you to prevent future This law was interpreted to m claims. to set foot in church during diy The problems associated with the violation of our common law _ Stated that if the usurer did not descend to the present day. The priestly tribe of Levi was to ©xcommunicated and cut off receive no land but was to live on the tithe from the other tribes of Christians. Israel. Even though their motives were good, the wealth accumu- In 1212, the Council of Par lated by the Knights Templar priesthood was in violation of this usurer was to be confiscated by tule and aroused the jealousy of powerful enemies. The accumu- and distributed to the poor. The lation of wealth by this priestly organisation caused their destruc- anything to his own family sinc tion. to be the object of a gift. On The great wealth in land and gold accumulated by the Roman _¢stablished, the ecclesiastics mu Catholic Church through the centuries has constantly brought it ‘ose who had been defrauded. also into conflict with national governments, and has caused its 4 usurer or suffer the same pe destruction in many lands. council declared automatically ¢ In England, the Queen is head of the Anglican Church. Much _ &anted Christian burial or accey of her wealth was confiscated from the Catholic Church. This has The Council of Lyon in 1274 been a never-ending source of irritation to her subjects. Her oppo- foreigner was accused for one nents maintain that if she is to be "of Levi", she should obey the from the territory, the whole ten tules of Levi. If she is to be “of herself", she should abdicate as A wife of a usurer had no rij head of the Anglican Church and be "of herself". There is no her. It was considered better | ‘grace’ without ‘repentance’. The ‘Law' applies to everyone—espe- _ than for her to receive suppor' cially ‘the king’. excommunicated for one month, CANON LAW ON USURY to his wife and family if they re rs a pee i a ee rae must within a month denounce TALLY STICK In 1212, the Council of Paris decreed that the property of a usurer was to be confiscated by the king upon the usurer's death and distributed to the poor. The usurer was denied the right to will anything to his own family since the fruits of a robbery were not to be the object of a gift. Once the charge of usury had been established, the ecclesiastics must undertake to make restitution to those who had been defrauded. Servants must leave the employ of a usurer or suffer the same penalty as their master. This same council declared automatically excommunicated any minister who granted Christian burial or accepted offerings from these outcasts. The Council of Lyon in 1274 stated that if a stranger who was a foreigner was accused for one month and had not been removed from the territory, the whole territory fell under an interdict. A wife of a usurer had no right to anything that he might give her. It was considered better that she leave him and beg bread than for her to receive support from her husband. After being excommunicated for one month, the sacraments were to be refused to his wife and family if they remained with him. All the faithful must within a month denounce a creditor or face excommunica- tion. A cemetery where a usurer was buried was placed under an NEXUS¢19 In early days all Christians belonged to the Catholic Church. OCTOBER - NOVEMBER 1993