Economic reasons for the birth of Christianity

Money is at the heart of everything. As an economist, this is especially clear to me. And economics is based on human psychology. It was psychology that, many, many years ago, pushed me to study the economics of those events that happened on the fourteenth day of the month of Nisan in the seven hundred and eightieth year from the founding of Rome...

As a teenager, reading the Gospel, I was struck by the ugly scene that Christ created in the Jerusalem temple. This sudden and completely unmotivated outburst of aggression was very inconsistent with the personality and preaching of Christ. Christ overturned tables, shouted, swore. Then this scene was called “the expulsion of merchants from the temple.” Although historians know very well that there were never any merchants in the Jerusalem temple simply because of the lack of space there, and the money changers sat in the square in front of the temple. If the act of vandalism had been committed by someone else, we would, of course, classify his actions as malicious hooliganism. Imagine that today someone broke into the church and started a pogrom, shouting: “Kick the merchants out of the temple!” - turned over tables with candles, icons and religious literature. How would you take it? His contemporaries perceived Jesus’ actions in exactly the same way.

Why was Christ not killed immediately for blasphemy? Is it only because Christ was always accompanied by 12 hefty heads, some of which were armed? Why, finally, did Christ organize a “Jewish pogrom” just before the Easter holiday, because before that he had seen these ill-fated tables a thousand times and calmly passed by?

These questions haunted me, and I began to closely investigate.

The Pharisee and the Sadducee are brothers forever!

Economy Ancient world was a little simpler than today. But in order to understand the secret springs that led to the death of one of the many wandering Jewish preachers, who served as the seed for the crystallization of an entire world religion, you need to understand a little about the financial system of the Roman Empire. Because, speaking in today's language, Christ was killed by the oligarchs of that time because he demanded to stop currency speculation based on inflation and invest capital in the real sector of the economy. Christ was killed by big money.

Geologically, it so happened that there were gold deposits in the East, and silver mines in the Apennines. Therefore, Rome was rich in silver, and Asia in gold. Therefore, 1 gram of gold in the metropolis cost 12.6 grams of silver, and in the East, including Jerusalem, 4.7 grams of silver were given for the same gram of gold. Sooner or later someone had to take advantage of this difference in rates...

Judea was the only province of the Roman Empire that was allowed to mint its own coins. True, with certain restrictions: the natives could only mint shekels - special religious money. The fact is that on Roman coins there were pagan images, which, according to Jewish faith, cannot be brought into the temple. And offerings must be made. Therefore, the Levites (Jewish priests) asked Rome for the right to print their coins. Don't think anything bad, gentlemen, we don't want to undermine the empire's currency monopoly! Exclusively for religious purposes!..

Sikli were sold right at the entrance to the temple on changing tables. (It was them that Christ destroyed.) It was a hefty coin - 1 shekel was equal to as much as 20 denarii. Every adult Jew was required to donate half a shekel to the temple on Passover. Mandatory annual donations were like a tax from ordinary Jews to support local authorities. In addition to the Roman governor, Judea was then ruled by a “religious parliament” - the Sanhedrin. There were two parties in the Sanhedrin - the Sadducees and the Pharisees. It is not at all important to us how they differed from each other in ideology; we will not go into their religious shades. But if we again draw modern political analogies, then the Sadducees were closer to the patriots, and the Pharisees were closer to the centrists with a slight touch of liberalism.

The Pharisees were pragmatists, and the Sadducees were orthodox. Changing tables, that is, everything financial flows temple were completely under the control of the Pharisees. This is natural: pragmatists are always closer to money than die-hard patriots. By the way, the Pharisees did not like the Sadducees very much for their stubbornness. They didn’t like me, but they supported me financially. For what? And for approximately the same thing for which current financiers support the communists and the Liberal Democratic Party.

The Sadducee patriots always sharply opposed the Western occupiers, thus shifting the arrows of popular anger from the Pharisees to the Romans. The Sadducee patriots sympathized with the terrorist Zealots. The Sadducees spoke of traditional values ​​being eroded by Western contagion. In short, the Sadducees distracted the toiling masses from the growing wealth of the Levites. The Romans, they say, are to blame for everything. They are robbing our homeland, you bastards!

Although everything was the other way around...

One evening the patricians gathered at the Capitol...

Everything was quite the opposite: the pragmatic Pharisees convert the silver received from the exchange tables into gold at the rate of 1:4.7, load this gold onto ships and take it to Rome, where they exchange it for silver at the rate of 1:12.6, and take the silver back to "native Palestines". Where they again exchange for gold and again set off on a leisurely voyage across the Mediterranean Sea in a known direction. Wall Street never dreamed of such profitability of currency arbitrage!.. And what about Rome?

“Rome was ruined by luxury” is a well-known, almost vulgar phrase. But this vulgarity is the bitter truth. Taxes from the provinces regularly arrived in Rome. But the gold that came in the form of coins did not accumulate, but flowed like sand through the fingers. Firstly, it was simply melted down into jewelry. Secondly, huge fees in silver sesterces were paid to visiting artists, who, before leaving, naturally converted the silver into the “international currency” - gold - and took the yellow metal from Rome. Free shows were organized for the plebs. For gold it was necessary to purchase wild animals from Africa for gladiatorial games. It took years to train and support the gladiators themselves. And the gladiator, as you know, is a disposable product.

Almost all the aristocrats of Rome, as befits well-born aristocrats, have long been living in debt. And who are the moneylenders to whom they owe unimaginable sums? Most of the people from the provinces are Jews.

In general, domestic debt is growing. Rome is sliding into the abyss. Emperor Tiberius understands this. Tiberius is trying to fight the economy of food consumption, is at war with luxury: he issues anti-alcohol decrees, expels artists from Rome, closes elite restaurants, and tries to curb prices. This, naturally, does not lead to anything good. On the contrary, inflation is rising, the black market is thriving, and tension is building in society. The irritation of aristocrats against moneylenders is growing. The administration's irritation is growing against the financial speculation of the Pharisees, which in no way contributes to the strengthening of the monetary unit of Rome. The irritation of the aristocrats against Emperor Tiberius, who limits their entertainment, is growing. And when things like this, it’s not far from a conspiracy.

And a plot to kill Tiberius does happen. At the head of the conspiracy is a certain Lucius Aelius Sejanus, prefect of the Praetorian Guard. As we would say now, the commander of the Roman military district.

A small but interesting digression is necessary here. The Sejanus Conspiracy took place in 30 AD. It was previously believed that Christ was crucified in 33 AD, when he turned 33 years old. But modern theologians and historians push this date back three years - to Nisan in the year 1930, that is, everything happened just during the period of the conspiracy against Tiberius. "Tiberius - to the Tiber!" - this is the slogan of the conspirators.

But Sejanus needs support in case of a possible civil war. And Sejanus writes to his old friends, including Pontius Pilate. Asks for support. Pilate agrees. But he has a problem: the procurator is not sure whether his legionnaires will go to fight for the impostor. Moreover, due to the difference in gold-silver rates in Rome and in the East, legionnaires can afford to live three times better in Judea than in the metropolis with their salaries. So why the hell should they return to their homeland? Don’t scare us with your homeland, Comrade Pilate!..

This means we need to give the legionnaires money. Where can I get it? Pilate is a simple Roman official living on one salary. Where does the official get this kind of money? But the procurator knows where the required amount is available. He had already taken from this source once before. I barely washed myself afterwards...

Hygiene is more important than God

Jerusalem had a very old sewer system. The streets stank. The city was threatened by epidemics. Pilate repeatedly wrote to Rome asking for money for repairs. The capital remained silent. And the local authorities, represented by the Pharisees and Sadducees, spent money on public utilities They regretted it, believing that the sewerage system was under federal control. Moreover, if an epidemic happens, citizens will blame everything on the damned occupiers!

And Pilate decided on a bold move. He took money by force from the korvan - the treasury of the temple. And with this money he made huge construction work- updated the sewer system, built a water supply system, and built city baths. Naturally, denunciations and complaints from the high priests immediately flew to Rome: “We paid all the taxes, but Pilate took the money from the sacred treasury!!! Misappropriation of funds!” In Rome, even the Senate met on this matter. Then Pilate managed to get out of it. He had something to answer to the senators: guys, there’s shit flowing through the streets here, tomorrow half of my garrison will be down with dysentery; and besides, I built new baths!..

Then the senators acquitted Pilate: “The baths are more important than the temple!” But now Pilate will no longer be able to repeat the same trick. In Rome it will immediately become known that the procurator has again taken a lot of money from the corvan. “Why?” - the senators will immediately ask. You can’t answer that it’s a conspiracy... So you need to think about it. Think hard.

The main slogan of Christ

Pilate lived in the capital of Judea, Caesarea. And only on Easter, he traditionally came to Jerusalem for a week and brought gifts from the Roman emperor to the temple. And just at his very arrival, four hundred meters (!) from Pilate’s residence, a blatant disgrace happens - a certain young man smashes the money changers’ tables in front of the temple. Naturally, Pilate becomes aware of this instantly.

Pilate doesn't like natives. Pilate is by no means a liberal. Once upon a time, at the request of the Levites, he sent heavy cavalry to a gathering of people who were listening on a hillock to yet another wandering preacher named Theudas, who was confusing minds. The cavalry trampled the natives. Why is Pilate now pretending that nothing happened? For such cases, according to local laws, the death penalty is generally imposed, and it is the prerogative of the Roman authorities to impose death sentences.

And therefore Pilate is silent, because a strange young man throws out an interesting slogan: “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s!” Moreover, he clearly throws it in view of the procurator’s ears. And Pilate understands that the demonstration is arranged for him personally. And against those whom he, a statesman, hates and despises with every fiber of his soul - the Pharisees and Sadducees. There is an excuse for Pilate’s silence: there were no direct insults to Caesar, and I don’t want to interfere in your native religious squabbles. After all, you didn’t ask me for a death sentence for the troublemaker, did you, gentlemen of the Levites? Indeed, for some reason the Levite gentlemen do not ask for a death sentence for the troublemaker. They didn't even grab him. Why were they hiding?

And they are afraid! After all, to pass a verdict, Pilate may not be lazy and demand a personal meeting with Jesus in order to arrange a fair trial according to Roman law. And the Pharisees are afraid of this meeting. Precisely because Jesus wants her so much.

What did Pilate know about Jesus by then? That Jesus is a professional preacher who has a certain charisma and is popular with the local public. What the Zealots do not support. That, according to rumors circulating in Galilee, the real father of Jesus was not the elderly carpenter Joseph, but the Roman soldier Pandira... And here Pilate could not help but feel a slight touch of sympathy for the preacher. After all, he was not a dirty Jew, but half Roman! Perhaps this was the first psychological thread connecting Pilate and the wandering preacher from Nazareth.

There is such a party!

So Jesus wants a meeting with Pilate. Even if he is brought to the procurator for his death trial. Why would he take such a risk?

And then that Jesus is not blind. He perfectly sees everything that is happening around. He sees the growing irritation of Rome against the financial speculation of Jerusalem, the irritation of Pilate with the wave of terrorism on the part of the Zealots, killing Roman citizens, setting fire to buildings, poisoning wells. He sees how the gap is growing between the blatant luxury in which the Levites live and the poverty of ordinary townspeople. The only one who somehow maintains order in the city and country out of duty is Pontius Pilate. Damn occupier. A cruel, unmerciful ruler who is hated by everyone here - both Levites and commoners.

Christ understands: this will not end well. Sooner or later the tension will be discharged by blood. By the way, that's exactly what happened. A short time after the crucifixion of Christ, an uprising broke out, which was brutally suppressed by Titus, and the temple - the financial tumor of the empire - was destroyed by the Romans (which, by the way, Christ clearly hinted at in every speech).

Christ considers it necessary to invest the accumulated speculative capital in the real sector of the economy - in vineyards, workshops, forges, mines... Stop lining your pocket!.. The thesis that “you need to share” runs like a red line through Christ’s sermons.

By that time, Jesus had his own party - it was not in vain that he walked around Judea and recruited supporters. Even in the Sanhedrin, the Nazarene has his supporters among the most progressive wing of the Pharisees - certain Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus. Jesus’ dream is to enter parliament (Sanhedrin) with his party and influence the distribution of financial flows: stop currency speculation, finally take care of the collapsing urban economy, organize assistance to the needy and socially disadvantaged segments of the population.

It is clear that the Levites will not allow him into the Sanhedrin voluntarily. Moreover, only members of the Levitical families can sit there. Parliament is class-based. But with the help of Pilate, the action with the appearance of the third - Jesus - party in parliament can be carried out. If only Pilate writes to Rome: they say that one very useful man has appeared here, who must be introduced into the native Senate for the benefit of the Great Emperor Tiberius, then the issue will be resolved. The Levites will grind their teeth and obey.

In exchange, Christ will promise Pilate to “give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s”: being a full member of the Sanhedrin, he will be able to buy back part of the money changers and redirect financial flows in favor of Rome in general and Pilate in particular.

Everything was quite the opposite: the pragmatic Sadducees convert the silver received from the exchange tables into gold at the rate of 1:4.7, load this gold onto ships and take it to Rome, where they exchange it for silver at the rate of 1:12.6 and take the silver back to " natives of Palestine." Where they again exchange for gold and again set off on a leisurely voyage across the Mediterranean Sea in a known direction. Wall Street never dreamed of such profitability of foreign exchange transactions!.. And what about Rome?

“Rome was ruined by luxury” is a well-known, almost vulgar phrase. But this vulgarity is the bitter truth. Taxes from the provinces regularly arrived in Rome. But the gold that came in the form of coins did not accumulate, but flowed away like sand through your fingers. Firstly, it was simply melted down into jewelry. Secondly, huge fees in sestertii and denarii were paid to visiting artists, who, before leaving, naturally converted the silver into the “international currency” - gold - and took the yellow metal away from Rome. Cyclopean structures were built. Free shows were organized for the plebs. For gold it was necessary to purchase wild animals from Africa for gladiatorial games. It took years to train and support the gladiators themselves. And the gladiator, as you know, is a disposable product.

Almost all the aristocrats of Rome, as befits well-born aristocrats, have long been living in debt. And who are the moneylenders to whom they owe unimaginable sums? Most of the people from the provinces are Jews. Well, this is the ever-present historical difference in mentality between residents of the metropolis and newcomers. The imperial aristocrats spend money for their own pleasure, and the inhabitants of the provinces, accustomed by the poverty of life to accumulation, accordingly add money after money. If the Romans had been involved in currency speculation, capital would have settled in Rome, and not in Judea.

But... They didn’t do this! This is how Muscovites scold the “blacks” who have taken over all the markets, but try to drive at least one resident of the capital to the market! We, like the Romans, are imperials. The Romans just want to fight, take a steam bath, talk about lofty things, but the benefit of theaters and other places of spiritual feeding in the capital is an abyss. Meanwhile, Jewish capital is eroding the foundations of the empire...

In general, domestic debt is growing. Rome is sliding into the abyss. Emperor Tiberius understands this. Tiberius is trying to fight the economy of food consumption, is at war with luxury: he will issue anti-alcohol decrees, expel artists from Rome, close elite restaurants, and try to curb prices. This, naturally, does not lead to anything good. On the contrary, inflation is rising, the black market is thriving, and tension is building in society. The irritation of aristocrats against moneylenders is growing. The administration's irritation against the financial speculation of the Jews, which in no way contributed to the strengthening of the monetary unit of Rome, was growing. The irritation of the aristocrats against Emperor Tiberius, who limits their entertainment, is growing. And in such cases, it’s not far from a conspiracy...

And a plot to kill Tiberius does happen. At the head of the conspiracy is a certain Aelius Sejanus, legate of the Praetorian Guard. As we would now say, the commander of the Roman military district.

A small but interesting digression is necessary here. The Sejanus Conspiracy took place in 30 AD. It was previously believed that Christ was crucified in 33 AD, when he turned 33 years old. But modern theologians and historians push this date back three years - to Nissan in the year 1930, that is, everything happened just during the period of the conspiracy against Tiberius. Generally speaking, different historians define the date of birth and, accordingly, the age of death of Christ in different ways. The bravest, in my opinion, was Father Alexander Men.

He believed that at the time of the crucifixion Christ was only 23 years old. Boy...

"Tiberius - to the Tiber!" - this is the slogan of the conspirators. But Seya-nu needs support in the event of a likely civil war, which may break out as a result of his coup. And Sejanus writes to his old friends, including the governor of Judea, procurator Pontius Pilate, and his immediate superior, the legate of Syria. Asks for support. Both agree, but the less decisive Syrian legate dumps all the organizational work on Pilate, and he waits and goes into the shadows.

Pilate begins preparations. But he has a problem: the procurator is not sure whether the legionnaires stationed in Palestine will go to fight for the impostor. Moreover, due to the difference in gold-silver rates in Rome and the East, legionnaires in Judea can afford to live three times better than in the metropolis with their salaries. So why the hell should they return to their homeland? Don’t scare us with your Motherland, Comrade Pilate!.. Moreover, there is a reason not to obey the procurator: Sejan is a state criminal. Impostor. Bastard.

Nodding acquaintance

The phrase “All roads lead to Rome” requires some clarification. They lead to Rome, to Piazza Venezia. The giant transport interchange in the city center, exactly between the Colosseum and the Pantheon, the Vatican and Termini Station, became our transit point, our compass rose and our starting point for all 6 days of our stay in Rome. Here it is necessary to explain that we lived on the right bank of the Tiber, and Romulus and Remus settled on the left, as a result of which we had a lot of rides on Roman buses, since this is the most developed of all types of urban transport. All buses belong to the municipal company ATAS, whose name fully conveys the essence of the local traffic pattern. And certainly half of them pass through the aforementioned piazza. Therefore, to the banal question of what I remember most in Rome (not to be confused with the question “What did you like most?”), I confidently answer “Venice”. We visited this attraction no less than 10 times, including immediately on the first evening upon arrival in the Italian capital.

One corner of the square is honestly decorated in Venetian style. The characteristic cane-sugar-colored palazzo with the inevitable winged lion in bas-relief was once favored by Benito Mussolini. Nearby, in a tiny park, there grows a bunch of pine trees, in whose crowns, it seems, all the bird light of the center of Rome has settled. By the way, there is not a lot of flora there, so in the evenings this feathered abode crackles like short-wave ether. Yes, it was in Piazza Venice that Audrey Hepburn rushed around on Gregory Peck’s motorcycle in “Roman Holiday,” knocking down every living thing in her path.

A little diagonally from the Palazzo Venice stands an even more monumental structure - a memorial to the unifying king Victor Emmanuel. Those who compare the monument to a giant typewriter are most right. But when you go up, you get a bonus - postcard Rome from the height of a seagull's flight (well, maybe almost from that height). And a seagull to boot, fearlessly posing for the camera.

If only the clouds could be moved somewhere. But this will happen a little later.

The Capitol is nestled in the rear of the memorial. Here she is the famous Capitoline wolf.

And again she.

However, both are copies. The real one was hidden in a museum. The giant brothers Dioscuri will not fit into every museum with their horses. Therefore they were left in place.

In the evening, returning to our right bank, we crossed the Tiber again, and somehow we even felt sorry for the river. It looks too abandoned and ownerless. Closer to the Vatican there are a couple more beautiful bridges, and a little further from the center - concrete, reeds, garbage. Yes, if we had a river in our city, we would carry it in our arms.

Here the Tiber is still at its best

But the Romans don’t seem to notice the Tiber. Either because it takes them half an hour to get to the sea. Either because they squandered all their aesthetic reserves regarding water on arranging fountains, of which there are an incredible number in Rome. Big, small and very big. Trevi, for example, is no longer even a fountain, but a real villa with a swimming pool. It is quite possible to play water polo there.

For some reason, of all the fountains, I liked the one with Triton better

Living Antiquity

On the gloomy morning of December 24, we stood at the walls of the Colosseum. Prop centurions, sellers of shawls made in Bangladesh and various guides in any language were lazily heading to work. Lazily shrugging it off, we took a lap of honor around the colossus, discussing whether drafts bothered the spectators with such an abundance of arched windows, and ducked into the street leading to the Church of St. Clement. Having already returned, I read on TBG that on December 25, a solid piece fell off from the Colosseum. But we honestly have nothing to do with it.

The Colosseum is glorious even without our stories. But we can tell you more about the Church of Clementius. The outside is completely ordinary, there’s not even anything to photograph. And inside is a marvelous casket with a triple bottom. The floor you enter is the most modern - the 12th-13th centuries, in my opinion - there is plenty of such goodness in Rome. Although you can’t help but linger at the “Tree of Life” mosaic and frescoes by either Masaccio or Masolino. Having gone down one floor below, you find yourself immediately in the 4th century, with the remains of wall frescoes (though somewhat later) and the tomb of St. Cyril, the brother of Methodius. The burial is outlined by gifts from everyone Slavic peoples(icons, bas-reliefs). At the perimeter wall, everything that archaeologists have dug up here is displayed. Interesting, for example, is a stone table on hinges, where on one side Christian symbolism, on the other hand - pagan. Choose for yourself.

There is also a whole pagan temple here. You just need to go one floor lower - to Ist. AD. It's like a time machine. The temple is dedicated to the god Mithras. The deity is on display. Adjacent to the temple are excavated premises of a school (a parish church, as it were), warehouses, and living rooms. The housing seemed to be upscale. In the very center of Rome. With its own water supply - a stream flows through one of the rooms. After such an underground walk, you come out into the light of God a little dumbfounded. So, calm down, where am I, where should I go?

Yeah, to the Roman Forum. There, the main thing is not to stumble over some rarity from the times of Cicero. Or Nero there.

The size of the excavations is amazing. The columns are no less impressive. Everything around us has already fallen apart five times - earthquakes, wars, and just time. And they are standing. Some also hold up a beam from a non-existent roof. Debt is debt.

The practical Italians left the most picturesque columns for tourists, and some were reused. The Exchange building is a good example of this use.

By the way, the Pantheon also leaves the impression of being glued together from two parts. For contrast, I first give the back wall.

Not everyone will guess what it is. And here is the recognizable front entrance.

But we liked more the ancient quarter, where the Theater of Marcellus, the portico of Octavia, and the Boar Forum. There are much fewer people there than at the main Forum. And the area itself is more compact, and therefore more soulful. But this is subjective. Maybe it was just that the weather on that day and in that place was especially sunny and inspiring.

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