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University church of Christ

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Slavery and the Bible

by Jeremy Crump

Christians are understandably troubled to learn that slavery was allowed in Israel under the Law of Moses. Moreover, neither Jesus nor his apostles call for the abolition of slavery in the New Testament. How is it that God could make laws about slavery in the Old Testament and why does He seem to give tacit approval to it in the New?

Slavery in the Old Testament

Slavery was common in the ancient world in which the biblical writers lived. Indeed, the institution of slavery was unquestioned everywhere in the world until modern times. A person could become a slave after being captured in war, defaulting on a debt, as punishment for a crime, being kidnapped, being born to slave parents, or they could become a slave voluntarily if they were unable to support themselves. Unlike the African slave trade of modern times, slavery in the ancient world was not based upon race, but cut across all nationalities. Indeed, every race has been enslaved at some point in their history. Treatment of slaves varied among ancient cultures but, in general, the slave owner had total and absolute rights over the slave's person; slaves were regarded as property and stripped of their identity (racial, familial, social, marital, etc.).

Slavery in its various forms was present very early in Israel's history. Israel the patriarch (i.e., Jacob) volunteered to be Laban's slave in exchange for marriage to his daughter Rachel (Genesis 29:15ff). His son Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers (Genesis 37:28). The nation of Israel that came from his seed was forced into slavery by the Egyptians (Exodus 1:8-14).

When Israel became a nation, God gave through Moses laws concerning slavery (Exodus 21:1-11; Leviticus 25:39-55; Deuteronomy 15:12-18). Most of these are concerned with the fair treatment of slaves. Behind every law was a reminder from God that Israel too had been slaves in Egypt and thus they should treat their slaves fairly (Jeremiah 34:12-22). Slaves in Israel were of an inferior status but they were still involved in society to a large degree. Slaves were not regarded as less than human and their masters did not have total control over them. If a master permanently injured a slave, the slave was to go free (Exodus 21:26-27). If a master killed a slave, the master was to be executed (Exodus 21:20).

Hebrew slaves were released after six years of service and given the means by their masters to start over. However, many of them chose to remain in slavery for life (Exodus 21:1-6). On the Jubilee Year (every 50th year), slaves were set free regardless of whether or not their debts were paid. Slaves could also be redeemed at any time by their relatives. Foreigners enslaved in Israel might be enslaved permanently, but they were given the right to circumcision (Exodus 12:44-48), Sabbath (Exodus 20:10), and other holidays (Deuteronomy 16:11, 14). Fugitive slaves who had escaped from foreign owners were welcomed and not extradited back to their owners (Deuteronomy 23:15-16), unlike the Fugitive Slave Laws of the Antebellum South. Anyone caught taking another person captive in order to sell him as a slave was guilty of a capital offense under the Law of Moses (Exodus 21:6; Deuteronomy 24:7) and this practice is condemned in the New Testament as well (1 Timothy 1:10). God is explicitly said to have punished the Philistines and the Phoenicians for taking whole nations captive to sell them as slaves (Joel 3:4-8; Amos 1:6-10; cf 2 Chronicles 21:17) and warns Rome in the New Testament that they will be punished for their slave trade as well (Revelation 18:11-13). The African slave trade of the nineteenth century would have fallen under this criteria of condemnation.

Israel's fair treatment of slaves was unprecedented and unmatched in the ancient world. Their laws stood in stark contrast with other law codes from the same time period such as those of Ur-Nammu, Eshunna, Lipt-Ishtar, Hammurabi, Hittite, and Middle-Assyrian. For a biblical comparison of Israelite to non-Israelite slavery, read of how Samson and Zedekiah were treated by their captors (Judges 16:21; 2 Kings 25:7). The Anchor Bible Dictionary (a liberal-critical scholarly volume) says this about OT slavery:

"We have in the Bible the first appeals in world literature to treat slaves as human beings for their own sake and not just in the interests of their masters... [By comparison] the idea of a slave as exclusively the object of rights and as a person outside regular society was apparently alien to the laws of the [rest of the] ... contrast to many ancient doctrines, the Hebrew law was relatively mild toward the slaves and recognized them as human beings subject to defense from intolerable acts, although not to the same extent as free persons."

Israelite servanthood was designed to keep the poor and disenfranchised from starving. In fact, there were several OT laws given to prevent enslavement of the poor altogether (Exodus 22:25; Leviticus 5:7,11; 19:9-10; 23:22; 25:36-37; Deuteronomy 15:4-10; 24:20-21). Slavery was a last resort for those who had no other means of supporting themselves. It would seem that slavery was never intended to be a permanent institution and was never regarded by God as ideal. The ultimate goal stated in the slave laws themselves is that there would be no poverty and no servanthood in Israel (Deuteronomy 15:1-18). Ideally, each person was to be his own master (1 Kings 4:25; Micah 4:4; Zechariah 3:10); however, that was not always possible.

Slavery in the New Testament

The New Testament writers all lived under the Roman Empire which sought to institutionalize chattel slavery. In the first century, it is estimated that 85-90 percent of Rome's population was enslaved. Slaves were considered their master's property and did not have legal rights. However, they did have the right to start a business and earn money with which they could eventually purchase their freedom (manumission) or purchase property (peculium). This was the world in which the gospel was first preached.

It is significant that Jesus began his ministry by connecting it with Israel's Jubilee Year in which all slaves in the land were set free (Luke 4:18 [Isaiah 61:1]). Jesus came to set all men free - the ultimate fulfillment of all that the Jubilee Year anticipated! Yet, Jesus did not set men free by creating an economic reform plan or establishing a theocratic state that would abolish slavery. Instead, he addressed the heart problems that brought about slavery and other oppressive economic social structures. He preached love, mercy, and service towards others. His intention seems to have been that Christians would influence the world around them through their example and the preaching of the gospel.

In Christ, all human beings are equal (Galatians 3:28; Colossians 3:11; James 3:9) and slaves, just as much as freedmen, were regarded as morally responsible persons (Colossians 3:22-25) and members of Christ's body (1 Timothy 6:2). The New Testament writers reiterated the Old Testament's condemnation of unlawful slave trading (1 Timothy 1:10; Revelation 18:11-13); however, the institution of slavery was not specifically condemned. In the New Testament epistles, masters are commanded to treat their slaves decently and told that God will hold them accountable for this (Ephesians 6:5ff; Colossians 4:1). Christian slaves were told to be submissive to their masters and do what is right even while mistreated (1 Peter 2:18-20). Paul encouraged Christian slaves to seek their freedom if possible but otherwise be content in their situation, knowing that "he who was called in the Lord as a bondservant is a freedman of the Lord" (1 Corinthians 7:17, 20-22).

 Critics often fault the New Testament writers for not directly challenging the institution of slavery. Three things can be said in response. First, it must be remembered that the first century Christians lived under the rule of the Roman Empire whose economy was based on slave labor. To directly oppose the emperor and abolish slavery in the empire would have been impossible. Second, violent political reform was not the Christian method of doing things. Though the message of Christianity directed opposed many of Rome's institutions, there is no indication that Jesus expected his followers to oppose them with force. Third, the New Testament's position on slavery was defiantly countercultural for its day! No other philosopher or group preached the equality of slaves with their masters. For slaves and freedmen to partake of a communion meal together (as in 1 Corinthians 11:17-34) was a revolutionary act which shattered Rome's existing social structures.

Conclusion

Though slavery was not an ideal institution, many ancient peoples believed it to be necessary. The Law of Moses made modifications to this already-existing institution to ensure that slaves were treated fairly and humanely. In many ways, slavery in Israel was actually an attractive means to help the poor avoid starvation. While it is true that the New Testament does not outright condemn all forms of slavery (it does condemn the Roman slave trade), under the new law in Christ all human beings are considered equal in the church.

That this ideal of equality was not perfectly practiced for much of Christian history is undeniable. It is also true that racial prejudice still exists among Christians today. However, the gospel did achieve a gradual leavening effect on society concerning this issue. The abolition of slavery in the Western world can be directly attributed to the efforts of Christian churches and evangelical leaders.Even today, the Christian belief that every human life has inherent value continues to safeguard against greed, oppression, violence, racism and other evils that brought about slavery in the first place.

[FOOTNOTE:The abolition movement in Britain was spearheaded by evangelical William Wilberforce and led to Parliament passing the Slavery Abolition Act in 1833. This act freed slaves in the West Indies colonies and reimbursed former slaveholders - a move which nearly bankrupted the empire. Across the Atlantic, evangelical churches in America soon began the rallying cry for abolition. Though the faith of President Abraham Lincoln is a hotly debated subject, there is evidence that his increasing religious convictions throughout the war informed (and perhaps even prompted) his decision to push forward the Emancipation Proclamation. Lincoln is quoted by Salmon Chase as saying "I made a solemn vow before God, that if General Lee was driven back from Maryland I would crown the result by the declaration of freedom to the slaves" ["Lincoln's Calvinist Transformation: Emancipation and War," Civil War History (September 1, 2000)]. For evidence of Lincoln's growing religious convictions during the war in his own writings see "Meditation on the Divine Will" and his Second Inaugural speech. Also, see the work of Lincoln biographer Ronald C. White.]

Bibliography

Paul Copan, Is God a Moral Monster? (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2011).

J.A. Motyer, The Message of Exodus (Downer’s Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2005)

Muhammad A. Dandamayev, s.v. "Slavery (Old Testament)," in Anchor Bible Dictionary, vol. 6, ed. David Noel Freedman (New York: Doubleday, 1992).

A.A. Ruprecht, s.v. “Slave, Slavery,” in Dictionary of Paul and His Letters, ed. Gerald Hawthome et al. (Downer’s Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1993), 881-83.

D.B. Martin, Slavery as Salvation: The Metaphor of Slavery in Pauline Christianity (New Haven: Yale University, 1990), 1-49.

                                     

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