Eternity? Is 600 Years Close Enough?

In a move that surprised no one, a Swiss court relieved a farmer of his 655-year-old debt to a Catholic church. The unsurprising part? That a Catholic church would assume that a farmer (who may or may not even be related to the original debtor) would pay a debt "for eternity" as the debtor originally promised or that this Swiss debtor, his family, and descendants would continue to pay the debt for 655 years? No, it's that only in 2013 would it come to a head either way - a) that the church would try to get the debt in writing and "legitimize" it (after 655 years!) and b) that the family would finally say "enough is enough! 655 years is close enough to eternity!"

My favorite part, though, is that the court ruled against the church because "the legal customs practised in the 14th century had ceased to be valid when Switzerland reformed its lending sector in the mid-1800s." As Marshall would say...

[via The Hairpin]