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25 - Christian Slavery in Theology and Practice

Its Relation to God, Sin, and Justice

from Part VI - Contested Bodies

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 August 2023

By
Ilaria L. E. Ramelli
Edited by
Bruce W. Longenecker  and
David E. Wilhite
Bruce W. Longenecker
Affiliation:
Baylor University, Texas
David E. Wilhite
Affiliation:
Baylor University, Texas
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Summary

The condition of being a slave in antiquity, marked by “social death” and “the permanent, violent domination of natally alienated and generally dishonored persons,”1 was so miserable as to be excluded from the ancient ideal of happiness (εὐδαιμονία): “How can a man be happy when he must serve someone as a slave [δουλεύειν]?” says Callicles to Socrates (Plato, Gorg. 491E). Families in the Greco-Roman world often included slaves,2 although manumission in the Roman world was more frequent than once thought.3

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The Cambridge History of Ancient Christianity , pp. 586 - 612
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

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