Capitalism and Christianity

Drawing on debates about the religious nature and origins of contemporary European capitalism, this book argues for a distinction between a Northern/Protestant and a Southern/Catholic spirit of capitalism. The first part of the book explores the history of the relationship between capitalism and Christianity. Going back much further than Weber's "e;protestant ethic"e; arguments, it looks at the early centuries of Christianity from the gospels to Augustine and follows the story through the Middle Ages - with special attention devoted to the role of Monasticism and Franciscanism - to modernity. The second part of the book analyses the origin of the "e;southern spirit of capitalism: before and after Luther and the Calvinist Reformation. It highlights the key features which demonstrate that the Catholic spirit of capitalism is, in fact, different from the Anglo-Saxon spirit. This book will be of interest to readers in history of economic thought, history of capitalism, economic ethics and religious history.