As far back as 100 CE, Roman soldiers carried a satchel known as a loculus among their gear, or sarcina. The word loculus translates to “little place,” and referred to a small shoulder bag made from goat or calf hide, roughly 18 x 12 inches, designed to hold rations and personal items.
Long after the Roman Empire, satchels remained essential. By the 14th century, they were typical in daily life used to carry money and small valuables. Later, during the Napoleonic Wars, satchels gained prominence as carriers of important military documents. These documents, or “briefs,” coined the term “briefcases.” Diplomatic officers, called attachés, often carried these cases, which is how the term attaché case came to be.
Another Latin term for leather bags, bulga, also has a fascinating legacy. During the Industrial Age, the concept of a “budget” emerged as a management tool. The term “budget” derives from bulga and originally referred to a container, later extending to mean the contents within it. England formalized the idea of a national budget in the 1760s, with the Chancellor of the Exchequer presenting it to Parliament annually. This practice established checks on the king’s power to levy taxes and control spending.
The concept of budgeting made its way to the United States during the Taft administration in the 1910s. President Taft was the first to advocate for a proper U.S. government budget. Around the same time, Donaldson Brown, CFO of General Motors and DuPont introduced a business budget formula that broke down resources like materials, capital, and cash balances into measurable categories.
This Sunday, January 26, St. John’s Treasurer, Steve Wilmer, may show up with a loculus, a briefcase, an attaché, or perhaps even a bulga. Whatever he carries, it will hold an important item: our congregation’s proposed 2025 budget. We invite you to join us for worship at 9:30 AM. Immediately following, we will have a congregational meeting, where you’ll see what carries that budget proposal and prayerfully consider its adoption.
Blessings,
Pastor Marc
