Attitudes of Muslims and Christians towards Merchants and Trade

1. How Muslims and Christians view Merchants: 2002 DBQ,COT And COMP E. Napp

2. FROM THE 2002 WORLD HISTORY AP EXAMINATION (COURTESY OF COLLEGE ENTRANCE EXAMINATION BOARD): • Using the documents, compare and contrast the attitudes of Christianity and Islam toward merchants and trade from the religions’ origins until about 1500. Are there indications of change over time in either case, or both? What kinds of additional documents would you need to assess the consequences of these attitudes on merchant activities. • As you look at the documents, evaluate grouping, meaning, and POV E. Napp

3. E. Napp

5. Grouping, meaning POV) Document 1: Source: Christian Bible, New Testament (Matthew), about 70 – 80 C.E. Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to ente Doc. 1: Sources: Christian Bible, New Testament (Matthew), about 70-80 C.E. The rich will have attitudes very hard time getting into heaven. It will probably be difficult to analyze bias or point of view for the Bible and for the Qur’an. That leaves five documents for them to analyze in terms of source. r into the kingdom of God. E. Napp

6. Grouping, Meaning, POV?) Document 2: Source: Muslim Qur'an, about 620 – 650 C.E. O ye believers! devour not each other’s property among yourselves unlawfully save that by mutual trading consent. Woe to the cheaters! who, when they take measure of their dues from men, take it fully; and when they measure out to others or weigh out for them, they give less than is due. Doc. 2: Source: Muslim Qu’ran, about 620-650 C.E. Honesty, fairness and truthfulness in all transactions lead to attitudes place in Heaven for the Muslim merchant. Emphasis is on lawful and fair behavior. The honest Muslim merchant ranks with martyrs E. Napp Document 2 continues on next slide

7. Document 3: Source: Reginald, monk of Durham, younger contemporary and colleague of St. Godric, The Life of Godric (A twelfth-century British merchant), written before St. Godric’s death in 1170. He chose not to follow the life of a husbandman, but rather to study, learn and exercise the rudiment of more subtle conceptions. For this reason, aspiring to the merchant’s trade, he began to follow the chapman's [peddler’s] way of life, first learning how to gain in small bargains and things of insignificant price; and to gain from things of greater expense • Doc. 3: Source: Reginald, monk of Durham, younger contemporary and colleague of St. Gordic, The Life of St. Gordic (attitudes twelfth-century British merchant), written before St. Gordic’s death in 1170. • Godric chose to be a merchant, and was very successful, making a great profit. He later became disillusioned with his business and wealth, and decided to serve God and become a hermit. In order to follow Christianity he gave all his wealth to the poor. (cf: Doc 1 and contrast with Doc. 2) This excerpt from the life of Gordic was written by a colleague and contemporary who very much respects and admires Gordic. Reginald is likely to present Godric in the best light possible and does so. E. Napp Document 3 continues on next slide

8. Document 4 Source: Thomas Aquinas, leading Scholastic theologian, Summa Theologica, 1273. It is written (Matthew vii. 12): All things…whatsoever you would that men should do to you, do you also to them. But no man wishes to buy a thing for more than its worth. Therefore no man should sell a thing to another man for more than its worth. (Moderates position) I answer that it is altogether sinful to have recourse to deceit in order to sell a thing for more than its just price, because this is to deceive one’s neighbor so as to injure him. Hence Tully [Cicero, the Roman writer] says: Contracts should be entirely free from double-dealing: the seller must not impose upon the bidder, nor the buyer against one that bids against him. Doc. 4: Source: Thomas Aquinas, leading Scholastic theologian, Summa Theologica¸ in 1273. As a leading Christian theologian, Aquinas seeks to bring merchant behavior and trade into line with Christian teaching. He clearly tries to talk a line between allowing the merchant to pursue his occupation and condoning profit. This document espouses, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” This means that buying and selling must be based on honesty and a just price. Any other behavior is unjust, unlawful and by extension, ungodly. This is in line with Doc. 2 and Doc 3, but the introduction of the idea of the “just price” seems to moderate the idea that trade is inherently sinful and is closer to the Qur’an than to the biblical view E. Napp

9. Document 5: Source: Ibn Khaldun, leading Muslim scholar, Universal History (Kitab al-ibar), fourteenth century Commerce is the increasing of capital by buying goods and attempting to sell them at a price higher than their cost. This is done either by waiting for a rise in the market price; or by transporting the goods to another place where they are more keenly demanded and therefore fetch a higher price; or, lastly, by selling them on a long-term credit basis. Commercial profit is small, relatively to the capital invested, but if the capital is large, even a low rate of profit will produce a large total gain. Doc. 5: Source: Ibn Khaldun, leading Muslim scholar, University History (Kitab al-libar), fourteenth century. As a leading Muslim scholar Ibn Khaldun might be expected to do the same as Aquinas, but Khaldun’s discussion of merchants and trade is very much harsher than Aquinas’s. His tone in describing merchant practices is disdainful and condemnatory. Those who are merchants or practice trade have to use deceitful practices in order to make a profit. Buyers also practice dishonesty. People are generally dishonest, and trade brings this out. Those who practice trade are inferior to those who rule society because of what they have to do to practice commerce. Thus, merchants inevitably have weaker natures. By its very nature trade is disreputable, though necessary to society. This is similar to Doc 2 in describing bad trade practices, but in contrast to Doc. 2 Ibn Khaldun sees merchant as inferior by the nature of their work; his position seems closer to the early Christian position as stated in Doc 1 and Doc 3. E. Napp

10. Document 6: Source: Letters to and from Italian merchants in the fourteenth-century.(beginning of commercial revolution) A. Letters ordering religious paintings for sale( no conflict between trade and Godliness). A panel of Our Lady on a background of fine gold with two doors, making a fine show with good and handsome figures by the best painter. Let there be in the center Our Lord on the Cross, or Our Lady, whomsoever you can find – I care not, so that the figures be handsome and large, the best and finest you can purvey, and the cost no more than 51/2 or 61/2 florins.(fair cost: moderated view) You tell me you can find no pictures for the money we will pay, for there are none so cheap, and • Doc. 6: Source: Letters to and from Italian merchants in the fourteenth century. • An order for religious paintings, but at a fair cost. Supply and demand. • Don’t be excessive in the pursuit of wealth. • God and profit go together. • Letters A and C support profit as the merchant’s goal and see no conflict between trade and godliness. These letters seem in direct opposition to Ibn Khaldun, St. Gordic and the Christian Bible. They support the position that Christianity has come to a more positive view of merchants and trade by the fourteenth century. Letter B urges some restraint in acquiring wealth, nevertheless linking wealth and godliness. Perhaps in Letter B there is a faint echo of the Christian condemnation of being rich. Since these are letters about business one would expect frankness about business practices and feelings, and this indeed turns out to be so. But the letter from the mother is much more personal and would reflect bias on her son’s behalf E. Napp

11. Document 7: Source: Islamic court decision, Ankara, seventeenth century but representative of Turkish guild practices in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries [The content of this document] is that ŞahMehmed and HaciMehmed and others from the weavers’ guild summoned [to court] SakaogluNasuh from the said guild and said in complaint: “Whenever cotton yarn comes to [town], the aforementioned arrives, pays an extra price, and takes it from its owner, and the other weavers remain deprived [of cotton yarn]. As of old, when cotton yarn came, we all bought it together. The aforementioned has now acted contrary to the old custom; we do not agree( religion and law are completely intermixed) profit as a sole motive is condemned • Doc. 7: Source: Islamic court decision, Ankara, 17th century but representative of Turkish guild practices in the 15th and 16th centuries. • Religion and law are completely intermixed, and business practices only for profit are condemned. Tradition, custom, and sharing are supported. The preeminence of tradition and custom are more closely linked to the Qur’an (Doc 2) and Aquinas (Doc 4) than to most of the other documents. In contrast to the fourteenth century Italian merchants who revere profit, here profit as the sole motive is condemned. The goals of society are more important than profit for individuals.The document is like an affidavit. The court is to rule on the complaint is very much from traditional guild members. The religious court has the power to control merchant behavior. E. Napp

12. BUT WHAT ABOUT THE THESIS? • Clearly, the thesis is the foundation upon which the essay is built • So, how does the student create a thesis statement for this essay? -Look at the question again -What conclusions reached from the documents answer the question? -Hmmm, it seemed that at first, Christians scorned traders and merchants but then over time, came to see traders and merchants as praised by God. Conversely, Muslims seemed to praise trade and then become more critical of previously acceptable trading practices over time. E. Napp

13. SAMPLE THESIS PARAGRAPH While religion concerns matters of the spiritual world, the practitioners of the world’s religions live in the material world, a world of increasing commerce and trade. World religions like Christianity and Islam often had differing views concerning the role of merchants and trade in society but not static views. Indeed, over time, these views often changed. So, while initially Christian theologians scorned merchant activity and Muslims scholars praised it, over time, a reversal of some of these notions actually occurred in both traditions. It was as if what was once praised was now worthy of some criticism. Or • Christianity and Islam proved their similarities with their perspective on trade and merchants’ morals before 1500. They had many similarities on what they thought of trade and how it should be practiced. It had some differences in culture’s outlooks and government involvement. By the year 1500, the change in each religion’s trading structure were evident • From the 1st- 15th centuries, trade has spread throughout the world influencing people, cultures, and governments. Religion, on the other hand, has influenced the impact of trade. Christianity and Islam, although specifically different in their views of trade, share a similar basis of belief in its evil of exploitation or its goodness of sharing. These ideas can be seen in high prices/evilness and the prosperity of fair and just trade E. Napp

14. 600-1450

15. Synthesis • The differing responses by both Christians and Muslims to the role of the merchant will extend to the 20th and 21st centuries to what historian Samuel Huffington calls the “clash of civilizations”. The support of Commercialism and capitalism today is not necessarily supported by either of these faiths and their doctrines, however, supporters of Globalization look at it as an opportunity to share their faithful message. Indeed, Europe was utilizing the role of Christianity as a “civilizing mission” in India, Africa and South America in the 19th century. Religion has served its adherents quite well but the question arises, “ have they worshipped the message and forgotten the creed?”