Interests: Christian and economic views

This paper provides a brief overview of the evolution of views on interest from ancient times to the present day. Historical changes, including legal acts prohibiting and restricting interest as well as theological and economic views and disputes about the justification of its existence, are followed. It turned out that life has sought and found ways to bypass bans, and that placing man at the center of the universe after the Renaissance decidedly marked a shift towards the legalization of interest. It was continuously tolerated in Orthodox countries, with less confrontations than in the West.