Sacred Trust: The Medieval Church as an Economic Firm

TLDR

During the Middle Ages the Church dominated society as a quasi‑government, supplying public and private goods, while scholars debate whether its influence was ultimately beneficial or detrimental to economic development. The book seeks to analyze specific medieval Church institutions and practices in economic terms, offering a fresh perspective on their role in the broader economy while avoiding critique of religious motives. They examine how Church institutions—marriage, usury, heresy, the crusades, and monasteries—functioned within the medieval economy.

Abstract

The Church dominated society in the Middle Ages and functioned as a quasi-government, providing public and private goods. This book is the first to examine specific institutions in the Church in the Middle Ages in economic terms. Other books have argued generally that the Church either had a positive or negative effect on economic development. The authors of this book look more closely at the actual Church institutions and practices and describe how each functioned as a part of the larger economy of the time. They focus especially on marriage, usury, heresy, the crusades, and the monasteries. It is not their purpose to reject or impugn religious motives that may be advanced by theologians and historians. Their goal is to bring a fresh perspective to the role of institutions of the medieval Church in economic development.