“Calvin Elliot, who wrote the twentieth century’s most spirited defense of the usury prohibition (albeit in 1902), traces the origin of the neshek to the biting of a serpent. To make his case, he cites the research of a contemporary with the intriguing name Dr. George Bush. Bush argues that the serpent’s bite ‘is often so small as to be scarcely perceptible at first, yet the venom soon spreads and diffuses itself till it reaches the vitals, so the increase of usury, which at first is not perceived, at length grows so much as to devour a man’s substance.’ This whole notion of biting and slicing and infecting will resonate throughout the history of this subject up until the present. Elliot’s take on the subject has had sufficient staying power that his book was reprinted in 2007.”
-- Jack Cashill, Popes and Bankers
Comments (2)
Do you recommend the book, Paul?
Posted by Chris Floyd | April 16, 2010 10:25 AM
If true, perhaps this metaphor can replace the similar (but inaccurate) frog in boiling water.
Posted by James Kabala | April 17, 2010 11:15 PM