the Week of Christ the King / Proper 29 / Ordinary 34
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Bible Dictionaries
Slave/Servant
Holman Bible Dictionary
or Slavery was prevalent and widely accepted in the ancient world. The economy of Egypt, Greece, and Rome was based on slave labor. In the first Christian century, one out of three persons in Italy and one out of five elsewhere was a slave. Huge gangs toiled in the fields and mines and on building projects. Many were domestic and civil servants. Some were temple slaves and others craftsmen. Some were forced to become gladiators. Some were highly intelligent and held responsible positions. Legally, a slave had no rights; but, except for the gangs, most were treated humanely and were better off than many free persons. Domestics were considered part of the family, and some were greatly loved by their masters. Canaan, Aram, Assyria, Babylonia, and Persia had fewer slaves because it proved less expensive to hire free persons. Still, the institution of slavery was unquestioned. The Stoics insisted that slaves were humans and should be treated accordingly; Israel's law protected slaves in various ways; Christian preachers called upon masters to be kind, but only the Essenes opposed slavery. See Essenes; Jewish Parties.
A person could become a slave as a result of capture in war, default on a debt, inability to support and “voluntarily” selling oneself, being sold as a child by destitute parents, birth to slave parents, conviction of a crime, or kidnapping and piracy. Slavery cut across races and nationalities.
Manumission or freeing of slaves was possible and common in Roman times. Masters in their wills often freed their slaves, and sometimes they did so during their lifetimes. Industrious slaves could make and save money and purchase their own freedom. By the first Christian century, a large class of freedmen had developed. There was even a synagogue of the Freedmen in Jerusalem (Acts 6:9 ).
Slavery in the Old Testament Slavery laws appear in Exodus 21:1-11; Leviticus 25:39-55; and Deuteronomy 15:12-18 . Most of these concern humane treatment and manumission. A Hebrew sold to another Hebrew or a resident alien because of insolvency was to be released after six years of service and given provisions to start over. If he had come with a wife, she and any children were also released. If the master had given him a wife, she and the children were to remain. If, however, the slave wanted to stay with his wife and children rather than be free, he could enroll himself as a slave for life. A Hebrew who sold himself to another Hebrew or resident alien was to be released during the Jubilee Year. See Jubilee. A slave could be redeemed at any time by a relative. A Hebrew girl sold by her father to another Hebrew to become his wife was to be released if that man or his son did not marry her. A slave permanently maimed by his or her master was to be freed (Exodus 21:26-27 ). A fugitive slave—presumably one who had escaped from a foreign owner—was not to be extradited (Deuteronomy 23:15-16 ). Foreigners could be enslaved permanently, but they had the right to circumcision (Exodus 12:44-48 ), Sabbath rest (Exodus 20:10 ), and holidays (Deuteronomy 16:11 ,Deuteronomy 16:11,16:14 ). One was to be punished for beating a slave to death (Exodus 21:20-21 ).
Slavery in the New Testament Paul and Peter insisted that Christian slaves be obedient to their masters (Ephesians 6:5-8; Colossians 3:22-25; 1 Timothy 6:1-2; 1 Peter 2:18-21 ) and not seek freedom just because of conversion (1 Corinthians 7:20-22 ). Masters were urged to be kind (Ephesians 6:9; Colossians 4:1 ). Slave trading was condemned (1 Timothy 1:10 ). Paul claimed that in Christ human status was unimportant (Galatians 3:28 ). But neither Jesus nor the apostles condemned slavery. Why? Because slavery was so much a part of their society that to call for abolition would have resulted in violence and bloodshed. That is not the Christian way! Rather, Jesus and the apostles set forth principles of human dignity and equality which eventually led to abolition.
Metaphorical Uses of Slavery In most ancient societies, few things were more despicable than to be a slave. In Israel, however, the idea emerged that it was a great privilege to be a servant or slave of God (the various Hebrew and Greek words could be translated either). Many of the heroes of the Old Testament are so called (Exodus 32:13; Deuteronomy 34:5; 2 Samuel 7:5; 2 Kings 21:10 ). Very significant are the Servant Songs of Isaiah 42:1-4; Isaiah 49:1-6; Isaiah 50:4-9; and Isaiah 52:13-53:12 , which originally referred to Israel but were reinterpreted by the early church to refer to Jesus. See Servant of the Lord.
Jesus adopted a servant's role (John 13:4-5; Mark 10:45; compare Philippians 2:7 ) and indicated that His disciples should also (Matthew 6:24; Matthew 10:24; Matthew 24:45-46; Luke 17:10; John 13:12-16 ). Paul referred to himself as a slave or servant of Jesus Christ (Romans 1:1; Galatians 1:10; Philippians 1:1 ), as did James (Philippians 1:1 ), Peter (2 Peter 1:1 ), and Jude (1).
There are three other metaphorical uses of slavery in the New Testament. A life of sin is spoken of as slavery (John 8:34; Romans 6:6 ,Romans 6:6,6:16-20; Hebrews 2:15 ). Legalism is a kind of slavery (Galatians 4:24-25; Galatians 5:1 ). Paradoxically, however, there is also a blessed slavery to righteousness (Romans 6:16-22 ).
James A. Brooks
These dictionary topics are from the Holman Bible Dictionary, published by Broadman & Holman, 1991. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Broadman & Holman.
Butler, Trent C. Editor. Entry for 'Slave/Servant'. Holman Bible Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/hbd/s/slaveservant.html. 1991.
