SKU: 62415382519

...and Forgive Them Their Debts: Lending, Foreclosure and Redemption from Bronze Age Finance to the Jubilee Year

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...and Forgive Them Their Debts: Lending, Foreclosure and Redemption from Bronze Age Finance to the Jubilee YearSelected"Best Books of 2018: Economics" by The Financial Times In and forgive them their debts, renowned economist Michael Hudson one of the few who could see the 2008 financial crisis coming takes us on an epic journey through the economies of ancient civilizations and reveals their relevance for us today. For the past 40 years, in conjunction with Harvard's Peabody Museum, he and his colleagues have documented how interest bearing debt was invented

Selected"Best Books of 2018: Economics" by The Financial Times

In ...and forgive them their debts, renowned economist Michael Hudson - one of the few who could see the 2008 financial crisis coming - takes us on an epic journey through the economies of ancient civilizations and reveals their relevance for us today. For the past 40 years, in conjunction with Harvard's Peabody Museum, he and his colleagues have documented how interest-bearing debt was invented in Bronze Age Mesopotamia, and then disseminated to the ancient world. What the Bronze Age rulers understood was that avoiding economic instability required regular royal debt cancellations. Professor Hudson documents dozens of these these royal edicts and traces the archeological record and history of debt, and how societies have dealt with (or failed to deal with) the proliferation of debts that cannot be paid - and their consequences. In the pages of ...and forgive them their debts, readers will discover how debt played a central role in shaping ancient societies, and how it continues to shape our world - often destructively.

The Big Question: What happens when debts cannot be paid? Will there be a writedown in favor of debtors (as is routinely done for large corporations), or will creditors be allowed to foreclose (as is done to personal debtors and mortgagees), leading to the creditors' political takeover of the economy's assets - and ultimately the government itself? Historically, the remedy of record was the royal Clean Slate proclamation, or biblical Jubilee Year of debt forgiveness.

The Real Message of Jesus: Jesus's first sermon announced that he had come to proclaim a Clean Slate debt cancellation (the Jubilee Year), as was first described in the Bible (Leviticus 25), and had been used in Babylonia since Hammurabi's dynasty. This message - more than any other religious claim - is what threatened his enemies, and is why he was put to death. This interpretation has been all but expunged from our contemporary understanding of the phrase, "...and forgive them their debts," in The Lord's Prayer. It has been changed to "...and forgive them their trespasses (or sins)," depending on the particular Christian tradition that influenced the translation from the Greek opheilēma/opheiletēs (debts/debtors).

Contrary to the message of Jesus, also found in the Old Testament of Bible and in other ancient texts, debt repayment has become sanctified and mystified as a way of moralizing claims on borrowers, allowing creditor elites and oligarchs the leverage to take over societies and privatize personal and public assets - especially in hard times. Historically, no monarchy or government has survived takeover by creditor elites and oligarchs (viz: Rome). Perhaps most striking is that - according to a nearly complete consensus of Assyriologists and biblical scholars - the Bible is preoccupied with debt forgiveness more than with sin.

In a time of increasing economic and political polarization, and a global economy deeper in debt than at the height of the 2008 financial crisis, ...and forgive them their debts documents what individuals, governments and societies can learn from the ancient past for restoring economic and social stability today.

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SKU: 62415382519

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Lake Worth, US
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Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2025
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Dallas, US
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A Jolly Ball - A Treat Ball!
Color: Red + Yellow
In the past, I got my girls a doggie jolly ball. They played with that thing until they tore it apart! I've also gotten them several different, but similar, treat balls over the years. Fast forward to present! I found the best of both worlds! A Jolly Treat Ball! Upon receiving these two balls, first, I was so glad to find that they didn't stink! Literally, no terrible smell! YAY! Second, the jolly treat balls are durable. I placed a large treat in each of the balls and handed them over. Each girl took the ball by the handle and pranced to their desired location to devour their treat! Devour, they did... NOT! Because of the durability and construction of these balls, it took them a good 5 minutes to fully get each morsel of their large cookie! YAY! Once emptied, I asked them to bring it. They each picked up their ball, by the handle and brought it to me. Too cute - they each got just one more treat! Now that they've utilized their jolly treat ball I have yet to see a single tooth mark in the ball. It has withstood their chewing to release the treat and hasn't been marred or scarred by their strong teeth. I've also had the opportunity; after each use, to wash the jolly treat balls. They even withstand a scrubby to get them cleaned! If I could, this "Durable Dog Chew Ball Toy" would get 10 stars! I'm one happy dog momma!
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Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2024
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Cynthia Smith
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Durable is good
Our dog loves them. She chewed through them.
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Reviewed in the United States on November 16, 2025
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Doug & Kelly
West Palm Beach, US
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Great play and chew toy!
Pattern Name: Star
The dogs love these! They're sturdy and give them plenty of chew time. The size is great and they are very playable. The dogs have a lot of fun and the weight is just enough for our little dogs.
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Michael R. Tench
Cuba, US
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Great for tug of war
Pattern Name: Checkered
Dog loves them. Best tug of war toy yet. Pretty we’ll indestructible
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Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2026

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