Articles tagged with: Slavery

Paul asks Philemon to receive Onesimus “no longer as a slave, but as a beloved brother.” Yet he never explicitly commands Philemon to free him. What does this tell us about Paul’s attitude toward slavery, Christian equality, and the social structures of the Roman world?

Modern apologetics frequently attempt to soften the Bible’s stance on slavery by claiming that the institution was merely temporary employment or indentured servitude. Yet Leviticus 25 draws a sharp legal distinction: impoverished Israelites are to be treated as hired workers, while slaves acquired from surrounding nations can be permanently retained and passed on as an inherited possession. It is time to read the text as it is, rather than as we wish it were.