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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Mike
Waukegan, US
★★★★★ 5
Works For Desired Use
Color: Black, Size: 4 Panel-136‘’W-Round Pad
I recently purchased the Room Divider 6FT Folding Privacy Screens, 4 Panel Partition Room Dividers, and I must say, it has transformed the way I use my living space. The four-panel design is both elegant and functional, providing instant privacy without feeling bulky or overwhelming in my room. Setting it up was a breeze; the folding mechanism is smooth, allowing me to adjust the configuration as needed—straight, angled, or zigzag. I particularly appreciate the sturdy build; the panels feel solid yet lightweight, making it easy to move around when I want to reconfigure my space. Aesthetically, it’s a great addition. The neutral finish blends well with my décor, and the simple design doesn’t draw too much attention while still offering a sense of separation. It’s perfect for creating a temporary office corner, dividing a studio apartment, or even using it as a backdrop for online meetings. If I had to point out a minor downside, it would be that the divider isn’t completely soundproof—so conversations can still carry through—but for visual privacy and space management, it’s excellent. Overall, I’m extremely satisfied and would recommend it to anyone looking for a versatile and stylish room divider.
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Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2026
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Ansley
Lexington, US
★★★★★ 5
True to size & Use a Drill
Color: Beige, Size: 3 Panel-102‘’-Round Pad, Color: Beige, Size: 3 Panel-102‘’-Round Pad
Love this! Works perfectly for where I wanted it. I did measure my room incorrectly and thought it would be smaller, thankfully it’s not and thankfully it’s not bigger than the room itself. I did like how the whole thing was move-able but it was a bit annoying so I just added extra clips to the left of the middle one and unscrewed the right of the middle at the bottom so it opens like a door, this did make it a bit flimsy but duck taping it to the wall as anchor it works. 100% recommend, but do suggest a drill and a second set of hands to put it together, due to its size it can be a bit difficult to maneuver putting together yourself. Also if you have a clingy cat like I do, and think this will help keep them out, no, my cat who is very large can manage to squeeze underneath it.
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Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2024
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Sam
Chelsea, US
★★★★★ 1
waste of money
Color: Black, Size: 4 Panel-136‘’W-Round Pad
This is a total waste of money. Its only going to free stand if you arent moving it. If you are planning on dividing a room, and then folding these for space and then dividing the room again, itll last a few days. The poles kept coming off of the screws that holds the fabric on the poles together. Was fixing this EVERY DAY. Finally got tired of doing this and just threw it out. Lot of money spent on garbage. Get a sheet room divider, or something that isnt cheaply made. Was simply making an office type space in a bedroom, to seperate the two areas for work, and folding it kept making the poles come off those twisted screws. just not worth it.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 3, 2026
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Alysha H.
Boise, US
★★★★★ 5
Absolutely love this room divider!
Color: Beige, Size: 3 Panel-102‘’-Round Pad, Color: Beige, Size: 3 Panel-102‘’-Round Pad
When they say you can't see anything through it, they are correct. As you can see by the video, the cars are traveling by with the sunlight on the divider and you still can't see any cars passing nor can you see the ones in the parking lot. You can also tell it blocks out the sunlight too which is a definite plus for our store. Quality material on the divider. Material is nice and snug on the poles with no ripples. I also like the base of these, they make the divider nice and sturdy and can be adjusted if floor is uneven. Also the design of the legs allow them to go under your furniture. Also putting them together is pretty easy. Just make sure you when you are putting the poles together to make sure at the top of the pole that the indent screw hole faces out. This makes for a better look. The directions don't say which way to turn and at 1st, I had one, one way and the other was another way as both ways work that way but I wanted a uniform/better look.
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Reviewed in the United States on July 29, 2024
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B. R. Grande
Lowell, US
★★★★★ 4
Works well, need power tool to assemble
Color: Beige, Size: 3 Panel-102‘’-Round Pad, Color: Beige, Size: 3 Panel-102‘’-Round Pad
Sturdy enough, especially when feet are positioned for balance. Works perfectly to create a WFH “cubicle”. Can adjust the size to provide complete privacy or fold back a panel when I want more openness. The fabric panels are not perfectly taught, but pretty close. The only negative is that without my husband’s power drill/screwdriver we wouldn’t have been able to put it together. It would take the strength of Thor to do it with just a manual screwdriver.
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Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2022

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