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Comment by crappybird | Hacker News Reader

Should not the church be on top of this list?

I was thinking there would be a very good case for the Vatican to occupy the number one spot.

Whether seen solely as the papal organisation , or as a kind of continuation of the (Western) Roman Empire, these guys have been in day to day business for at least close to two thousand years. And have the archives to prove it. Wanna check up on some royal correspondance from the year 500? They may well have the actual letters stashed away somewhere.

Also: I don't really think the for-profit filter disqualifies them here.

Another interesting tidbit to add here: one of the official titles of the pope, pontifex maximux (high priest), has its origins in the kingdom of Rome, well before the Republic was established (509 BC). Though written records don't exist of that time period, its inception is traditionally accounted to the second king of Rome, Numa (rulership ~715 – ~673 BC). This makes it one of the oldest titles, if not the oldest official title still in use.

2700 Years is nothing. At my synagogue in Southern California we have a couple dozen Kohens, a title in continuous use (with varying and evolving responsibilities to be sure) for at least 4000 years.

The continuity of the Vatican can be questioned on several fronts too.

How so? Regardless of crises, schisms, decampings for Avignon, low points, and more crises, the Pope residing in Rome today is in a very real sense the successor of the guys who set up shop in the first century CE.

This list looks like it includes for-profit only. Also, with the church, it's "company" status is relegated on a per-country basis, usually to gain non-profit taxation benefits. So it's a little murky there.

Churches are some of the wealthiest organizations out there:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wealthiest_organizatio...

And let's get serious, some "church" related activities are hardly not-for-profits:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7y1xJAVZxXg

That list doesn't include states, which are pretty wealthy. And I'd say you should include states as much as churches in the comparison, because the Catholic Church, at least, is historically much more akin to a state or empire than to a business. (I think your argument could apply to the more recently formed churches.)

As for your video link, that's about televangelism, which is extremely recent. Even Tetzel wasn't really in it for his own personal profit.

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