San Bernardino of Siena [O.F.M.] and Sant'Antonino of Florence [O.P.]: The Two Great Economic Thinkers of the Middle Ages

Description

The subtitle of this work was not idly chosen: “the two great economic thinkers of the Middle Ages.” It is the key to Professor de Roover's perceptive appraisal of the economic ideas and views on business ethics of San Bernardino da Siena, O.F.M. (1380-1444) and Sant'Antonino da Firenze, O. P. (1389-1459). His careful setting of these men in their spiritual and secular environments poses the tensions they experienced between dogma and freedom of economic thought. Yet the economic “escape-hatches” which they propounded in their interpretation of the canon emerge as much more propitious for the development of c[r]apitalism and Weber, Tawney, and many others have thought.

Sant'Antonino memorized the Decretum within a year, at the behest of Bl. John Dominici, O.P., who thought he could dissuade the young saint from the Dominican life, which he thought would be too austere for the frail saint! Even Cosimo de Medici had kind words to say of the Florentine archbishop. (source)

cited in Return to Order ch. 32

Roover, in the § on usury, accuses St. Thomas of contradicting himself by saying money is sterile, yet in Summa Theologica II-II q. 62 a. 4 ad 1 & 2 apparently saying it is productive ( the sower of the seed in the field, has the harvest, not actually but only virtually. In like manner he that has money has the profit not yet actually but only virtually"), yet Roover fails to distinguish between potentia/virtual and actual, the same mistake capitalists make in considering money capital (cf. this).

He seems to think the Scholastic usury doctrine is plagued with loopholes.

For an economist in support of the Scholastic usury doctrine, see Fr. Dempsey's Interest & Usury.