Slavery, considered one of the cruelest practices in modern history, sparked significant controversy in the New World. The Bible has been employed to support or reject this practice. Slavery has led to immense suffering, with few institutions inflicting as much pain. According to the Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics (p.596), slavery refers to a person who is owned by another individual and compelled into labor beyond their familial bonds. While slavery takes on various forms, some societies regard women as slaves due to their limited rights. Occasionally, totalitarian dictators designate entire nations as slaves, subjecting tribes or whole populations to subjugation or different types of serfdom. However, genuine slavery can only coexist with freedom when free individuals hold others in bondage.
Slavery has persisted throughout history and remains present today in parts of Africa and Asia. The passages from the Bible have been utilized both to justify and condemn slavery; however, these writings reflect the beliefs and customs of individuals rather than directly representing God’s perspectives. A true Christian would recognize the horrors of slavery and actively oppose it instead of blindly interpreting the Bible as an infallible source.
The Bible’s first mention of slavery is found in Genesis, where Noah cursed his grandson Canaan and all of Canaan’s descendants. This curse was the result of Ham, Noah’s son, seeing Noah naked (Genesis 9:25-27). These verses convey a morally questionable message since they punish the son of the perpetrator, along with his descendants, rather than the responsible individual. It is highly likely that Canaan was not even present near Noah’s tent at the time of the incident. This passage was frequently employed by theologians to justify slavery based on Biblical principles. The descendants of Ham were commonly believed to be Africans, who were supposed to be enslaved for eternity according to this verse. Consequently, Southern slave owners saw themselves as fulfilling the desires of God.
The Greek word doulos in the Bible has a dual meaning, referring to both slave and servant. Its true interpretation is often unclear. In the King James Bible, terms like “servant” or “bondsman” are used, while newer translations opt for “slave.” This deliberate choice of terminology by some scholars may have been intended to hide the presence of slavery in biblical texts, leading to confusion when discussing the topic. While there is no direct condemnation of slavery, two passages have been employed as arguments against it.
In Luke 4:18, Jesus quotes Isaiah 61:1-2 and states that “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised.” It is unclear whether “captives” refers to slaves or prisoners in this quote. Moreover, in 1 Timothy 1:10, a certain group is described as “fornicators, sodomites, slave traders, liars, perjurers…” Different translations of the Bible interpret this verse differently – some translate slave traders as kidnappers or “men-stealers”. The original Greek term used is “andrapodistes”, which combines man and foot suggesting complete control over a person. However, there is room for interpretation regarding this passage.
The Bible’s moral authority has been questioned by some due to its stance on slavery. Despite appearing conflicting, Exodus 21:1-6 provides guidelines supporting slavery in relation to purchasing, selling, and treating slaves. Similarly, Deuteronomy 15:12-18 differentiates between Hebrew and Gentile slaves. These passages state that if a male Hebrew slave willingly sells himself into bondage, he should be released after six years unless he has a family, in which case they remain with the master. Alternatively, a Hebrew slave can choose lifelong servitude to stay with his family by performing an act of obedience like piercing his ear with an awl. Notably, the fourth and tenth commandments briefly mention slavery without explicitly condemning it within the Ten Commandments. It is possible that these explanations were subsequently added by an editor.
During the time of the Patriarchs, God called upon Abraham around 2000 B.C. and instructed him to leave his father’s family and journey to the present-day land of Israel. Abraham brought along his wife Sari, his brother’s son Lot, and all their accumulated possessions, including likely slaves they had acquired. Jefferson Davis, the President of the CSA, once claimed that slavery was divinely ordained. However, archaeological findings now show that ancient Middle East had prevalent slavery adopted from neighboring tribes rather than being a direct divine decree. Isaac and Jacob also owned slaves and had concubines who bore them sons. While there is no specific legislation regarding slavery in Genesis during the patriarchal era, insights into what it was like can be found in the Nuzi Tablets.
The Nuzi Tablets, dating back to Abraham’s time, contain ancient legal documents from the Middle East. These documents address various laws and regulations related to slaves and their treatment. While slaves had some level of legal protection against mistreatment, the Genesis narrative presents them more as integral members of the family. In Genesis 17:9-14, Abraham is required to circumcise his male slaves along with himself and his sons in order to uphold the covenant. This suggests that the slaves were not merely regarded as property but also as recipients of the spiritual blessings associated with the covenant. Mircea Eliade maintains that among the Jews, treatment of slaves was never degrading or cruel (619). Although slavery was seemingly more humane under the patriarchs compared to ancient Greece, Rome, or the New World slave trade, it still existed within God’s chosen people.
The institution of slavery was often justified by advocates using Ephesians 5:6 and Colossians 3:22, which state “Slaves, obey your earthly masters.” These passages were so explicit that Karl Marx referred to religion as the “opiate of the masses”. In Ephesians 5:6-8, slaves are instructed to remain devoted to God in order to receive rewards in the afterlife rather than in this world. During Marx’s time, he specifically criticized wage slavery, where individuals essentially sold themselves for labor. The Christian emphasis on obedience and faithfulness, combined with Judaism’s strict adherence to Torah law, has led many people to believe that the Bible supports slavery. However, one may question why Jesus did not directly address this immoral practice. Herb Vander Lugt provides three reasons for this: “common sense, futility, and priority” (11).
The first reason for the perception of slavery being humane in the Roman Empire is attributed to the “Common-sense factor” (Lugt 11). It had become prevalent to the point that even ordinary individuals possessed slaves. In certain cases, a family slave was regarded as part of the family. However, it is important to note that slaves were also subjected to harsh conditions in mines and utilized for constructing public structures. It is not possible to make a general statement about the humanness of slavery, as any situation where one person “owns” another carries a high risk of abuse.
The second factor discussed is the futility of abolishing slavery in the Roman empire. According to Mircea Eliade, the elimination of slavery could have potentially caused the collapse of the society. Despite being a disturbing notion, it is widely accepted that slavery played a significant role in Roman civilization and attempting to eradicate it would have been a radical and perilous decision. Jesus’ silence on this matter adds to the disquietude.
The final reason given for Jesus’ coming is his priority. Jesus came to accomplish two main purposes: to provide eternal salvation through death and to reveal the Father (Lugt, 12). Although Jesus proclaimed the good news of salvation, these two reasons take precedence.
According to the passage, Jesus deliberately chose not to address slavery even though he had the opportunity to do so while performing miracles. Lugt agrees with other Christian scholars who question why Jesus and his disciples would risk trouble over a matter that was relatively insignificant during that time (11). Lugt further emphasizes that Jesus never involved himself in political matters. However, Jesus did express strong opinions on other subjects such as divorce. In Luke 16:18, He states that anyone who divorces their spouse and remarries commits adultery, as well as anyone who marries a divorced individual. It is worth noting that there is no explicit condemnation of slavery by Jesus or any other biblical character.
According to the traditional viewpoint, Moses is believed to have received the entire Torah directly from God through dictation. This belief continues among Conservative Jews and Christians, although some conservative Christians now hold the belief that Moses personally authored it and that God safeguarded it from any errors. Prior to the 18th century emergence of Bible criticism, most people accepted that slavery was endorsed in the Bible, despite the fact that a majority of Christians vehemently deny that God approves of such an institution. An example illustrating this acceptance is Paul’s act of returning a runaway slave to his owner. It is important to highlight that actions performed by individuals in the early church, such as Paul’s action, should not be confused with Jesus’ teachings. Just because Paul did something does not necessarily imply that Jesus would have done likewise.
During the Middle Ages, serfdom replaced personal slavery in the Christian world. However, in the fifteenth century, personal slavery made a comeback with the Transatlantic slave trade. This resurgence happened during the Renaissance period when Europe was supposedly becoming more civilized and embracing classical ideals. In the eighteenth century, there was a significant Christian debate on slavery. Reverend Furman, a Baptist, believed that holding slaves was established as a right in the Holy Scriptures through both precept and example. Around 1861, Rabbi M.J. Raphall delivered a powerful speech arguing that God approved of slavery. He challenged those who considered owning slaves a sin by pointing out that influential figures like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Job – whom God spoke to – were all slave owners. Nevertheless, black leaders and abolition spokesmen used biblical references to argue against slavery based on notions of injustice and immorality.
Although the Bible contains passages supporting slavery and Jesus does not directly address it, this does not imply that God condones it. The Bible was authored by real individuals and editors, with the New Testament writers primarily targeting a Hellenistic audience who were familiar with slavery. Despite Western European nations and the U.S. eliminating slavery in the 1860s, secular authorities played a major role rather than religious teachings (Cable, 1). Nevertheless, Black abolitionist leaders still employed their Christian faith and the Bible to argue against slavery, drawing inspiration from stories like Exodus and Jesus’ teachings on love. Likewise, during the fifties and sixties, civil rights leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King quoted biblical verses in their fight for equal rights. Their approach involved appealing to Christians’ deeper ethical understanding rather than strictly adhering to a literal or fundamental interpretation of scripture.
Works Cited
Cable, Louis. Does the Bible Condon Slavery?. 1997.
