Paul and Slavery
I am studying about slavery in the time of Paul. My research has led me down a rabbit hole and I cannot find much more research. I have combed through my bibliographies from what I read so far. I suspect after reading about slavery in the New Testament era that Paul was a slave. “Slaves belonging to the households of the wealthy or moderately wealthy in some ways lived a better life than the free poor of the city,” wrote James S. Jeffers in The Greco-Roman World of the New Testament Era. “Unlike the free poor, such slaves normally were assured three meals a day, lodging, clothing and health care.” Many slaves “were better educated than the freeborn poor.” I have read Philemon but want to know how I can discern if Paul was a slave or not. In Jerome’s commentary to Philemon, he records, "They say that the parents of the apostle Paul were from Gischala, a region of Judaea, and that, when the whole province was devastated by the hand of Rome and the Jews scattered throughout the world, they were taken to Tarsus a town of Cilicia." That seems as though they were taken against their will. N. T. Wright explains, “When Paul the Apostle describes himself in his earlier life as being consumed with zeal for his ancestral traditions, he was looking back on the Phinehas-shaped motivation of his youth.” How can I use Logos to determine if Paul was any of the following? A. A slave of Christ. B. A slave as in the 21st century term slave C. Slave as in Jeffers states above. A friend told me to read Slave of Christ A New Testament Metaphor for Total Devotion to Christ by Murray J. Harris, Paul. Pauline Slave Welfare in Historical Context: An Equality Analysis by W. H. Thompson and Slavery in Early Christianity by Jennifer Glancy. Below is what I have read.
Byron, John. A Week in the Life of a Slave. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2019.
Jeffers, James S. The Greco-Roman World of the New Testament Era: Exploring the Background of Early Christianity. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1999.
Jerome. St. Jerome's Commentaries on Galatians, Titus, and Philemon. Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, 2022.
MacArthur, John F.. Slave: The Hidden Truth About Your Identity in Christ. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2012.
Schreiner, Thomas R.. Paul, Apostle of God's Glory in Christ: A Pauline Theology. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2020.
Wiedemann, Thomas E. J.. Greek and Roman Slavery. Baltimore: MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1981.
Wright, N. T.. Paul: A Biography. New York: HarperCollins, 2018.
Comments
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Christian Alexander said:
Paul was a slave.
IIRC being a slave and a Roman citizen were incompatible states .. check whether my memory is correct before chasing too far down this rabbit trail.
Orthodox Bishop Alfeyev: "To be a theologian means to have experience of a personal encounter with God through prayer and worship."; Orthodox proverb: "We know where the Church is, we do not know where it is not."
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I had the same question. Apparently, a Roman citizen could become a slave thru debt. And visa versa, manumission could give citizenship if the owner was a Roman citizen. That led to how Paul could be a citizen, which then led to Jerome and Paul's parents. Murky, murky.
"If myth is ideology in narrative form, then scholarship is myth with footnotes." B. Lincolm 1999.
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This commentary has a great section on slavery: https://www.logos.com/product/7450/the-letter-to-philemon
DAL
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If I remember correctly, this commentary discusses slavery as well.
https://www.logos.com/product/164973/philemon-evangelical-exegetical-commentary
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A magistrate carried out the formal manumission, which granted freed men full Roman citizenship. "Cicero [thought] that patria potestas had originally included some kind of a right to sell one's children, but for the period for which we have sources, the selling of freeborn children or pledging them loco servi were understood as offenses - but with no punishment to parents." The Oxford Handbook of Roman Law and Society, edited by Clifford Ando, Paul J. du Plessis, and Kaius Tuori. Oxford University Press, 2016. Would such a slave be tortured right away if he were suspected? I seem to recall reading somewhere that unless it could be shown beyond a reasonable doubt that someone claiming to be a citizen was not, the Romans would not hurt. Thanks for the commentary advice.
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Christian Alexander said:
A magistrate carried out the formal manumission, which granted freed men full Roman citizenship.
Read Acts 22:25-29
Paul was not granted citizenship by a magistrate through manumission, rather he was born a citizen.
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Thanks everyone for the advice on the forum.
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Just bought this book
Slaves, Women & Homosexuals: Exploring the Hermeneutics of Cultural Analysis
Sadly not available at Logos, but on sale this week with my number 2 Bible software for $15.99. Been in my wishlist for some time.
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Christian Alexander said:
I suspect after reading about slavery in the New Testament era that Paul was a slave.
Sorry for the late reply, a few days have passed since your original post. After reading your thoughts - and the whole thread - this passage from 1 Corinthians came strongly to my mind: "For though I am free with respect to all, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I might gain all the more." (1 Cor 9: 19). This was true - at least at the time of his writing that letter to the Corinthians.
Indeed, Paul did call himself a slave - but a slave of Christ (Philippians 1: 1)!
Great answers, M.J. and Roy!
Check out my channel with Christian music in Youtube:@olli-pekka-pappi. Latest song added on Palm Sunday, April 13th 2025: Isaiah 53, The Suffering Servant of the Lord. Have a blessed Holy Week and Easter!
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Paul Caneparo said:
Just bought this book
Slaves, Women & Homosexuals: Exploring the Hermeneutics of Cultural Analysis
Sadly not available at Logos, but on sale this week with my number 2 Bible software for $15.99. Been in my wishlist for some time.
There are two requests for this book on Feedbear. It's a shame they haven't gotten more traction and Logos hasn't listened yet. One has been there for 3 years. It's an IVP book, so it should be a no-brainer.
But go vote here and here. No way to merge duplicates, so just vote for both of them.
Slaves, Women and Homosexuals: Exploring the Hermeneutics of Cultural Analysis
Slaves, Women & Homosexuals (Webb)
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I'm not seeing Slavery as Salvation: The Metaphor of Slavery in Pauline Christianity | Logos Bible Software mentioned but I may be reading too quickly.
Orthodox Bishop Alfeyev: "To be a theologian means to have experience of a personal encounter with God through prayer and worship."; Orthodox proverb: "We know where the Church is, we do not know where it is not."
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That book is a gem MJ. It was not mentioned. Thank you for bringing it up.
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That book is a gem MJ. It was not mentioned. Thank you for bringing it up.
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