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An Examination of Albert Barnes' Handling of the Bible in the Debate

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AN EXAMINATION OF ALBERT BARNES' HANDLING OF THE BffiLE IN THE DEBATE ON SLAVERY IN MID-NINETEENTH-CENTURY AMERICA by Kenneth G. Cleaver B.A., William Jennings Bryan College, 1989 Th.M., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1993 A DISSERTATION Submitted to the faculty in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Church History at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School Deerfield, Illinois May 2002 Accepted: br~ Dissertation Mentlr ii ABSTRACT Albert Barnes was an influential leader among New School Presbyterians in mid-nineteenth-century America. As a beloved pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia and as a biblical scholar whose commentaries are still widely used today, Barnes undertook an exhaustive study of the Bible to address the foremost social issue of his day-slavery. After considering most passages in the Bible being used in the discussion, he realized that a conclusive argument could not be made, which was based exclusively on proof-texts. Barnes challenged those involved in the discussion not to ignore the Bible or its ability to provide answers to life's difficult questions-an error made all too quickly in modem America-but to find an objective way to measure the validity of proposed applications of those proof-texts directly addressing slavery. Barnes' chief contribution to the American slavery discussion was not merely his exhaustive study of the biblical texts directly addressing slavery. His hermeneutical method brought the discussion beyond the texts directly addressing slavery to a principle-driven approach as a necessary supplement to proof-text ethics. By suggesting that the application of proof-texts be measured against the primary principles of scripture, he found one means by which scripture could be objectively applied to the slavery discussion. In the end, Barnes would conclude that the practices essential to the perpetuation of the institution of slavery so greatly conflict with the primary principles of scripture (such as the "golden rule, "equality, the brotherhood of God's family, iii spiritual growth, and God's abhorrence of oppression), that if the sinful practices were to cease, all that would be left would be a toned-down form of employment. Barnes was convinced that if masters only knew and were sensitive to these primary principles of scripture, they would naturally emancipate their slaves. In the conclusion section, suggestions are made for further study on how the Bible can be used as an authoritative source of morality in modem discussions on civil rights and ethical issues such as racism, homosexuality, abortion, and human cloning. iv To Your Only Begotten Son: Jesus Christ My Lord, My Savior, and My Friend CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS V11l Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION ................ 1 2. ALBERT BARNES AND HIS ORIGINAL READERS IN MID- NINETEENTH CENTURY AMERICA. 11 Who was Albert Barnes? ........................................ 12 Who were Barnes' Original Readers? .............................. 49 Summary of the Contextual Factors That Affected Barnes' Writings on the Bible and Slavery ....................... 50 3. BARNES' EXHAUSTIVE STUDY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT .......... 54 The Role of the Bible in the Overall Discussion ...................... 57 Barnes' Word Studies Related to Slavery ........................... 60 Barnes' Study of the Old Testament and Slavery ..................... 63 Summary of Barnes' Study of the Old Testament and Slavery . 126 4 BARNES' EXHAUSTIVE STUDY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT ....... ... 128 Barnes on the Intertestamental Period and Slavery. 129 Answering the Apologists' Argument from Silence. 130 The Relationship between Jesus and Slavery. 140 The Relationship between the Apostles and Slavery 143 Summary of Barnes' Study of the New Testament and Slavery. 165 vi 5. THE INADEQUACY OF AN EXCLUSIVELY PROOF-TEXT APPROACH IN THE APPLICA nON OF SCRIPTURES TO THE AMERICAN SLAVERY DEBATE. 167 The Deconstruction of a Biblical Argument Based Exclusively on Proof-Texts. 169 The Reconstruction of a Biblical Argument Based on Proof-Texts and Primary Principles. 196 6. THEP~YPRINCWLESOFSCRIPTURE:AN OBJECTIVE STANDARD BY WHICH THE APPLICABILITY OF PROOF-TEXTS MIGHT BE MEASURED............................. 208 Examples of Primary Principles of Scripture ......................... 209 Criteria Used to Determine Which Principles are Best Fitted to the Task of Measuring the Applicability of Proof-Texts . .. .. 238 7. CONCLUSiON......... .............................. ............ 243 BmLIOGRAPHY ...................................................... 253 vii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This year marks my thirtieth year as a student and my thirtieth year as a child of God. So far life's road has been filled with experiences intended to prepare me for a ministry to students seeking God and the truths that ultimately lead to a knowledge of Him. Along the way God has lovingly filled my proverbial toolbox with the tools of the trade. Now the Master Architect calls me and other fellow-laborers to build upon a foundation that was laid by the prophets and the apostles. With an eye on the truths of His Word and an eye on the modem world, God leads us to seek Him as we discern right from wrong, true from false, prudent from imprudent, and effective from ineffective. "Now to Him Who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think-according to the power working inside us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen." (Eph 3:20-21) God has equipped me for this current work through the dedication and sacrifice of many individuals who made a profound impact on my life. My eternal gratitude is extended to my parents, George and Jeanette, who raised me in a Christian home and surrounded me with godly spiritual mentors at Medinah Baptist Church in Medinah, Illinois. My passion for knowing and following the truths of the Bible has been largely the product of the faithful ministry of the Awana Youth Association and its volunteer leaders. It was in Fredonia, Wisconsin, at Camp Awana that God wrought in me a heart for ministry. My Vlll pursuit of academic ministries was largely due to the teaching by word and deed of my wonderful professors and friends at Bryan College, Dallas Theological Seminary, and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. I am greatly indebted to Doug Sweeney for his many hours of hard work, his expertise in American church history and historical theology, and his helpful advice as my dissertation mentor. Without his dedication to this task, I would not have completed this work. I extend my sincerest appreciation to Tom Nettles and Willem VanGemeren who complete my dissertation committee. You have gone beyond what is expected of professors and dissertation readers; you have become my pastors and my friends. There have been dozens of beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, who have faithfully brought me before the Lord in prayer during these past several months. Look and see how wonderful God is! Of all the people God has brought into my life to help me through this task, none is more deserving of honor and my gratitude than my wife, Amy. There is not a day that goes by that I do not thank God for graciously making me the most fortunate husband that ever lived. May God fill you with peace and joy and grant you the rest you so richly deserve. Even when I have come home late at night after working many hours on this task daily, my children have always greeted me at the door with cheers and screams as if I wer~:-l ~~lperstar. Sarah, my darling little daughter, your prayers and your childlike belief in Daddy have paid off wonderfully. I believe in you the same way. Gabrielle, "you are my sunshine, my only sunshine; you make me happy when skies are gray. You'll never know, dear, how much I love you; please don't take my sunshine away." Benjamin, you are the man. When I am with you, I am home. Because of my family's love for me, I am the wealthiest man on earth. ix Last, but not least, [ am humbly indebted to Patrick Smith m, a fellow scholar and beloved brother in Christ whose deep knowledge of the Bible and keen insight into modern racial issues laid the foundation for this entire work. May God richly bless you beyond what you could ask or think. x CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION If there was anyone, single social issue that dominated the hearts, minds, and attention of mid-nineteenth-century Americans, it was the issue of slavery. It was an inescapable topic of conversation, and rare indeed was the person who did not have an opinion on the matter. Slavery was frequently discussed in a diversity of contexts including morality, the economy, philosophy, religion, and the various sciences. Eventually discussions gave way to action culminating in the American Civil War (1861-65). Although Americans have always been a religiously-diversified people, the main religion of mid-nineteenth-century Americans was Christianity. Christianity and the Bible were indispensable influences in the thought of mid-nineteenth-century Americans. It stood to reason, therefore, that conversations about slavery often would often center on the biblical texts that dealt with slavery directly or indirectly. I I Kevin Giles, "The Biblical Argument for Slavery: Can the Bible Mislead? A Case Study in Hermeneutics," Evanaelical Quarterly 66 (January 1994): 12; Kurt O. Berends, "'Thus Saith the Lord:' The Bible and the Southern Evangelical World View in the Era of the American Civil War" (D.Phil. diss., University of Oxford, 1997),9, 19. 1 2 2 In recent years much has been written about slavery. That which has been written about slavery can be divided into two categories. The first category deals with the philosophical, theological, rhetorical, and political aspects of slavery (e.g. the debate on whether or not the institution was proper and what to do about it). The second category deals with the sociological, psychological, cultural, and anthropological aspects of slavery (e.g.
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