Mammon

Question

Let me ask a question about the next sentence.
He had a very good instinct for mass taste and he was an ultimate professinal in a profession built on
rendering unto Mammon what is Mammon's.
context: He is a commercial programmer in TV, in which he judges and decides on which program could get a high
rating when it is aired.
question: meaning of rendering unto Mammon what is Mammon's
I appreciate your help in advance.

Usenet · Accepted Answer

[nq:1]Let me ask a question about the next sentence. He had a very good instinct for mass taste and he ... which program could get a high rating when it is aired. question: meaning of rendering unto Mammon what is Mammon's[/nq]
First off, you have to get the biblical allusions. First, from Matthew 22 (KJV):
16 And they sent out unto him their disciples with theHerodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of *** in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the person of men.

17 Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to givetribute unto Caesar, or not?

18 But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt yeme, ye hypocrites?

19 Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him apenny.

20 And he saith unto them, Whose is this image andsuperscription?

21 They say unto him, Caesar's. Then saith he unto them, Rendertherefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto *** the things that are ***'s.
The notion being that paying monetary tribute to the state is acceptable, since money is created by the state. *** demands other tribute, in particular sacrifices of animals, created by ***.

The second allusion is to Matthew 6:24:
No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve *** and mammon.
"Mammon" is defined by MWCD10 as
material wealth or possessions especially as having a debasing influence
So the passage is saying that the profession treats material wealth as a personified *** (note the capital letter, missing in the Matthew quote) that requires tribute.

Evan Kirshenbaum + HP Laboratories >Of course, over the first 10^-10
1501 Page Mill Road, 1U, MS 1141 >seconds and 10^-30 cubicPalo Alto, CA 94304 >centimeters it averages out to

(650)857-7572 > Philip Morrison

http://www.kirshenbaum.net/

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]Let me ask a question about the next sentence. He had a very good instinct for mass taste and he ... which program could get a high rating when it is aired. question: meaning of rendering unto Mammon what is Mammon's[/nq]
It's from the Bible, and it mixes up two different sayings.

Starting with Merriam-Webster's definition of "mammon":

material wealth or possessions especially as having a debasing influence Then the "render" bit is from a different line in Bible. "To render" means "to give." Jesus said, Matthew 22:21, "Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto *** the things that are ***'s." It was a way of keeping the church and state separate.

What the writer thought he was saying, I can't say, exactly. But from what you tell us, I suspect he meant to say in another way that the producer gives the public what they want. I think a lot of people don't know what "mammon" means, because it's a rare word.

Best Donna Richoux

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]Then the "render" bit is from a different line in Bible. "To render" means "to give." Jesus said, Matthew 22:21, ... public what they want. I think a lot of people don't know what "mammon" means, because it's a rare word.[/nq]
Thnks Donna.
I got it from what you explained above.
It must mean giving people what they want, or airing tv programs they want to watch.
That way tv station could get higher raitngs, and main job of commercial programmer is
search what public want to see.

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]I think a lot of people don't know what "mammon" means, because it's a rare word.[/nq]
Unless one is fluent in Hebrew, of course.
Then again, having spent 27 years too long in a Hebrew-speaking country, my intuitions regarding the extent to which a particular allusion might be understood by the average educated English speaker are sometimes askew. Several colleagues at an advertising agency that I recently left, criticized me for alluding to the Tower of Babel in a piece of copy I had written, claiming they had no idea what it referred to. Among the clueless was a Ph.D. in Ethnic Studies.

Usenet · Answer

Avi! Longum tempus nullo visu! What brings you back to a.u.e?

-Aaron J. Dinkin
Dr. Whom

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]Avi! Longum tempus nullo visu! What brings you back to a.u.e? -Aaron J. Dinkin Dr. Whom[/nq]
Well, I recently left a very, very demanding job that allowed me precious little time for the things I love. Now that I once again control my own destiny, here I am!
It's good to be back.

Mammon

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