How iNflueNTiAl THiNkers HAve ApproAcHed BusiNess, fiNANce, ANd THe mArkeT Charlie Self Benedict of nursia (d. 547)
Benedict lived for three years as a hermit before going on to found 12 monastic communities in southern Italy; the influential Rule he gave them has served monastic and lay Christians for over 1,500 years. It provides concise, complete direction for the well-being of a monastery—not only spiritually, but administratively, with advice to everyone from abbot to cellarer. Benedict divided his monks’ working day into three roughly equal portions: five to six hours of liturgical and other prayer; five hours of manual work, whether domestic work, craft work, garden work, or fieldwork; and four hours reading Scriptures and spiritual writings. All work was directed to making the monastery self-sufficient, with material surplus available to the poor. In times of economic and social distress, Benedictine monasteries served as havens of compassion. This balance of prayer, work, and study has become universally instructive for believers of all ages, cultures, and vocations.
thomas aquinas (1225–1274)
Son of a noble family, Aquinas rejected their plans for him to become a powerful Benedictine abbot, instead
48
honored teachers Benedict of Nursia (above left) and Thomas Aquinas (above right) are famous for their theology but also left us important economic reflections.
joining the up-and-coming Dominican order. His theological thought was capacious enough to include economic wisdom during an era when Italian city-states were emerging as financial hubs and Western Europe was awakening from economic and social slumber. Aquinas saw economic growth as the fruit of a virtuous life lived in community: once basic needs are met, individual Christians should contribute to the needs of their communities. He did not condemn commerce and profit themselves, arguing that communities benefit from the expansion of opportunity and trade. Aquinas understood the ethics of buying and selling as one part of a virtuous life: the market price was the just price if the buyer and seller were honest and not trying to take advantage of each other. But an ethical problem arises with dishonest participants, especially when the civil law allows or encourages dishonesty. The moral character of buyers and sellers was more important to Aquinas than the act of buying and selling itself. For Aquinas the virtuous man was fair in all
Christian History
St. Benedict detail in FreSco; St. Benedict’S aBBey, atchiSon, KanSaS—randy ohc / [cc By 2.0 ] WiKimedia Juan de PeñaloSa y Sandoval, Santo tomáS de aquino. 1610 to 1615 —muSeum oF Fine artS oF córdoBa / [PuBlic domain] WiKimedia
God’s money
