Predatory Lending

eceived. The sin rests on the fact that sometimes the creditor desires more than he has
given…, but any gain which exceeds the amount he gave is illicit and usurious.
One cannot condone the sin of usury by arguing that the gain is not great or excessive,
but rather moderate or small; neither can it be condoned by arguing that the borrower is
rich; nor even by arguing that the money borrowed is not left idle, but is spent usefully…
Usury in Literature
Other Contexts
In The Divine Comedy Dante places the usurers in the inner ring of the seventh circle of
hell.
Interest on loans, and the contrasting views on the morality of that practice held by Jews
and Christians, is central to the plot of Shakespeare's play "The Merchant of Venice".
Antonio is the merchant of the title, a Christian, who is forced by circumstance to borrow
money from Shylock, a Jew.
Shylock customarily charges interest on loans, seeing it as good business, while
Antonio does not, viewing it as morally wrong. When Antonio defaults on his loan,
Shylock famously demands the agreed upon penalty-a measured quantity of muscle
from Antonio's chest.
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