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The Bible has several passages that not only condone, but seemingly encourage slavery. How do Christians interpret these verses?
Here are some pro-slavery passages from the Old Testament:
Exodus 21:7-8
“If a man sells his daughter as a female slave, she is not to go free as the male slaves do.If she is displeasing in the eyes of her master who designated her for himself, then he shall let her be redeemed. He does not have authority to sell her to a foreign people because of his unfairness to her.
Leviticus 25:44-46
“‘Your male and female slaves are to come from the nations around you; from them you may buy slaves. You may also buy some of the temporary residents living among you and members of their clans born in your country, and they will become your property. You can bequeath them to your children as inherited property and can make them slaves for life, but you must not rule over your fellow Israelites ruthlessly.
Here's a pro-slavery text from the New Testament:
Colossians 3:22-25
Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for their wrongs, and there is no favoritism.
At their level of development prohibiting slavery would not have worked very well. The Chinese almost tried it, at roughly the period Christ lived, and it was a disaster. As in there are some stories where the ruler who did it had his body ripped to shreds and his head used for something like kickball. Slave rebellions also tend to be disasters. Until Haiti's revolt against France slave rebellions were almost never successful and just led to massive death.
Still that's maybe not a complete explanation. Christianity does tend to value meekness and service to others. Some saints, like St. Patrick, believed Christians should not be enslaved and several places leaned toward the idea Christians shouldn't enslave other Christians. However this was to be done more by appeal or bribery than any kind of strong action and maybe not even new laws. And there was a sense that slavery might be preferable to homelessness or execution. Because in several cases the slaves were prisoners or prisoners of war.
Although people wouldn't say they support slavery nowadays if you asked them "should prisoners be pressed into chain-gangs without pay?" I get the sense the percent saying "yes" would alarm both of us.
Slavery was the dominant economic system in the ancient Mediterranean and Middle East. It was as fundamental to those economies as credit is to ours today. Getting rid of slavery because it was inherently wrong or immoral would have been as unthinkable as getting rid of all banking; even if you aren't a fan of banks, you still need them to make the economy work above a subsistence/survival level.
Slavery was the dominant economic system in the ancient Mediterranean and Middle East. It was as fundamental to those economies as credit is to ours today. Getting rid of slavery because it was inherently wrong or immoral would have been as unthinkable as getting rid of all banking; even if you aren't a fan of banks, you still need them to make the economy work above a subsistence/survival level.
RESPONSE:
I think you are trying to rationalize a Bible endorsed immoral teaching.
The Bible teaches the moral legitimacy of slave ownership and this was used as it's divine approval up until the 1900's.
For example, the (Catholic) Instruction of the Holy Office in 1866 taught that:
"Slavery itself, considered as such in its essential nature, is not at all contrary to the natural and divine law, ... It is not contrary to the natural and divine law for a slave to be sold, bought, exchanged or given. ."
And the Catholic Encyclopedia as late as the 1900's admitted that:
" From the beginning the Christian moralistdid not condemn slavery as in se, or essentially, against the natural law or natural justice. The fact that slavery, tempered with many humane restrictions, was permitted under the Mosaic law would have sufficed to prevent the institution form being condemned by Christian teachers as absolutely immoral. They, following the example of St. Paul, implicitly accept slavery as not in itself incompatible with the Christian Law."
Now, for Catholics at least, slavery is no longer considered allowed by divine law or natural law.
The Catholic Catechism (Q 2414) now teaches that:
"The seventh commandment forbids acts or enterprises that .... lead to the enslavement of human beings, to their being bought, sold and exchanged like merchandise, in disregard for their personal dignity."
(In studying the history of the biblical approval of slavery, it is necesary to separate slave ownership from the slave trade, to which some objection by the Church arose beginning about 1450).
Last edited by ancient warrior; 11-16-2011 at 10:27 AM..
Reason: typo
Because slavery is moral on an absolute scale, as everything God commands is, and our godless society is moving farther away from those perfect biblical morals bestowed upon us by God himself.
The Bible has several passages that not only condone, but seemingly encourage slavery. How do Christians interpret these verses?
Here are some pro-slavery passages from the Old Testament:
Exodus 21:7-8
“If a man sells his daughter as a female slave, she is not to go free as the male slaves do.If she is displeasing in the eyes of her master who designated her for himself, then he shall let her be redeemed. He does not have authority to sell her to a foreign people because of his unfairness to her.
Leviticus 25:44-46
“‘Your male and female slaves are to come from the nations around you; from them you may buy slaves. You may also buy some of the temporary residents living among you and members of their clans born in your country, and they will become your property. You can bequeath them to your children as inherited property and can make them slaves for life, but you must not rule over your fellow Israelites ruthlessly.
Here's a pro-slavery text from the New Testament:
Colossians 3:22-25
Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for their wrongs, and there is no favoritism.
What should one make of these passages?
My friend, it is important when reading the Bible to always try and understand the historical context in which the words were written.
Exodus is from the Greek and means "departure".
The book of Exodus deals with the departure of the chosen people, the Israelites, from their oppression and oppressors in Egypt.
It also lists the rules, laws and customs of the day and time in which the people lived. It is a fact that slavery was an integral part of those times.
But the Bible does not endorse or promote slavery and it is simplistic to read it that way.
Instead, what the Bible teaches are concepts that had they been put into practice would have made all men realize how wrong slavery really is.
The writer of 21:7-8 wasn't saying that slavery is what God wanted or ordered, he was reporting that that is the way the people lived, and these were the rules they'd come up with on their own to live by.
First, one should have at least a minimal understanding of what 'slavery' meant in those days. (Hint: it wasn't the same thing as what went on in the South before the Civil War).
If you had such an understanding, you wouldn't have started this thread.
First, one should have at least a minimal understanding of what 'slavery' meant in those days. (Hint: it wasn't the same thing as what went on in the South before the Civil War).
If you had such an understanding, you wouldn't have started this thread.
Unfortunately this happens a lot, those with no true understanding of what the Bible is, speaking about it like they do.
I liken this to a child trying to read and make sense of a play by Shakespeare when they have no concept what Old English is.
Or perhaps a high school drop out trying to perform brain surgery.
Simply put, in situations like that the person lacks the proper education and tools to do a very good job.
Without speaking the language of the the thing you are trying to interpret or comment on, you won't have much success and will just sound foolish.
In the New Testament, slave-traders are listed among those who are “ungodly and sinful” and are in the same category as those who kill their fathers or mothers, murderers, adulterers and perverts, and liars and perjurers (1 Timothy 1:8-10).
First, one should have at least a minimal understanding of what 'slavery' meant in those days. (Hint: it wasn't the same thing as what went on in the South before the Civil War).
If you had such an understanding, you wouldn't have started this thread.
It was exactly the same thing that went on in the South before the Civil War. You might want to study more.
Exodus 21:4 If his master gavehim a wife, and she bore sons or daughters, the wife and the children will belong to her master, and he will go out by himself. 21:5 But if the servant should declare, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go outfree,21:6 then his master must bring him to the judges, and he will bring him to the door or the doorposts, and his master will pierce his ear with an awl, and he shall serve him forever. Leviticus 19:20 “‘When a man has sexual intercourse with a woman, although she is a slave woman designated for another man and she has not yet been ransomed, or freedom has not been granted to her, there will be an obligation to pay compensation. They must not be put to death, because she was not free.
Leviticus 25:44 “‘As for your male and female slaves who may belong to you – you may buy male and female slaves from the nations all around you. 25:45 Also you may buy slaves from the children of the foreigners who reside with you, and from their families that are with you, whom they have fathered in your land, they may become your property. 25:46 You may give them as inheritance to your children after you to possess as property. You may enslave them perpetually. However, as for your brothers the Israelites, no man may rule over his brother harshly.
Moderator cut: delete
Last edited by Miss Blue; 11-17-2011 at 08:14 AM..
Reason: answering deleted or orphaned posts
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