preview

Dbq Essay On Trade And Merchants

Better Essays

In the beginning of Christianity, trade was considered sinful, while the Muslims thought trade was a lesson of appreciation and hard work. Christians had a strongly negative attitude towards the interaction between trade and merchants. Islamic people, however, had various different opinions on trade in comparison to the Christian religion. However, over time, the thoughts on trade and merchants shifted to a more negative point of view from both religions. The opinions from these religions were opposite at the beginning of time, but they eventually fused into one overall thought and opinion by the 16th century. From the beginning of time of the early development of each religion, there were various differences between the Christian and …show more content…

Document 3 was recorded much later in 1170 and discussed statements made from Godric, a merchant who had a biography written about himself by his colleague. The document discusses the importance of honesty in merchants, especially Godric himself. It also discusses how becoming a merchant focuses on hard work and labor, which allows them to develop an appreciation for the objects they interact with in trade. In comparison with the earlier time period, document 3 also portrays a negative point of view on trade in the Christian community. Godric, the Christian merchant, was so ashamed of his wealth and everything he owned that he gave them to the poor even though he worked for them so determinedly. Because of his negative views that he developed concerning the wealth he obtained, he gave his possessions to the poor in order to compensate for his sins. He still held the fear of not being accepted into heaven because of his wealth and because of his actions towards trade. Document 3 was useful in representing how far merchants will go to make up for their shameful past in hopes of savoring their religion. Because of the actions Godric displayed, the opinion of a negative point of view towards trade and merchants stays the same during this time period in Christianity. The colleague of Godric who was the author of this document could've

Get Access