[ICU812]

You're right that Menger is considered the founder of the Austrian School. I think his reference to the 15th century is a reference to the "Late Scholastics", catholic theologians and acolytes of Thomas Aquinas that tried to reconcile economics with christian dogma during that time period. But they were mostly Spaniards. The name "Austrian" was first applied to the school in a mocking, belittling way by the the Historical School after Menger criticized them in a pamphlet called "The Errors of Historicism in German Economics" which launched the so-called Methodenstreit between the two schools of thought.

[103198]

Austrian ECON Ping

[Vigilanteman]

Correct, but it actually goes back further than that.

The founder of Christianity made several references to capitalism in the parable of the talents, the parable of the harvest, the sower and the gatherer and many others.

He also advocated almsgiving from the viewpoint of personal responsibility but, at no time, advocated forcible extraction of alms to be redistributed in a manner he deemed most appropriate.