Speaking about slavery in the ancient world: "A slave was property. The slaveowner's rights over his slave-property were total, covering the person as well as the labour of the slave" (Peter Garnsey, Ideas of Slavery, 1).
Albert Bell observes that the treatment of a slave in antiquity depended on the individual master. For instance, while Pliny says that he treated his slaves in a humane manner, Seneca castigated other Roman masters for the cruel treatment they regularly meted out to their slaves. The writings of Juvenal and Martial also indicate that slaves were generally not accorded humane treatment in the New Testament world. Nevertheless, it seems that Stoicism and Christianity did cause the Romans to recognize the humanity of their slaves: these movements altered their view and behavior toward slaves.
The Stoic philosopher named Epictetus was born a slave, but he was set free after Emperor Domitian banished philosophers from the Italian peninsula. See http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/epictetus/
4 comments:
Not to mention Gregory of Nyssa being the first actual abolitionist, who argued purely from theological and scriptural grounds (drawing from the creation account, and Paul's theology of reconciliation).
Thanks, Roman. See Peter Garnsey's book for numerous examples of early writers who opposed slavery. I believe he includes Augustine and the Cappadocians.
Thanks :), I wasn't aware of Augustine being opposed to slavery ... I've read statements that seem to imply otherwise. But I'll look for that book next time I'm at the Seminary library.
Roman, let's put it this way: Augustine thought slavery was the result of sin. It's part of this world, but slavery was not God's intention. Like many other things that have occurred in this world.
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