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The Exhortations to Slave-Owners in the New Testament: a Philological Study

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The Exhortations to Slave-Owners in the New Testament: a Philological Study The exhortations to slave-owners in the New Testament: A philological study HENDRIK GOEDE The exhortations to slave-owners in the New Testament: A philological study HENDRIK GOEDE B Com LL B B Th (Hons) B A (Hons) M Div M A 12173916 Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements of the degree Philosophiae Doctor in Greek at the Potchefstroom Campus of the North-West University Promoter: Prof. dr. J.J. Janse van Rensburg Potchefstroom December 2010 i ABRIDGED TABLE OF CONTENTS ABRIDGED TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................... i TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................................. iii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER 2: CONSTRUCTING ANCIENT SLAVERY AS SOCIO-HISTORIC CONTEXT OF THE NEW TESTAMENT ........................................................... 11 CHAPTER 3: CONSTRUCTING THE RIGHTS AND DUTIES OF SLAVE- OWNERS AS SOCIO-HISTORIC CONTEXT OF THE NEW TESTAMENT .... 35 CHAPTER 4: PHILOSOPHICAL VIEWPOINTS ON THE RIGHTS AND DUTIES OF SLAVE-OWNERS ..................................................................................... 114 CHAPTER 5: THE ATTITUDES OF SLAVE-OWNERS TOWARDS THEIR SLAVES, AND THEIR TREATMENT .............................................................. 136 CHAPTER 6: THE NEW TESTAMENT ON THE RIGHTS AND DUTIES OF SLAVE-OWNERS ........................................................................................... 154 CHAPTER 7: SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS ........................................................ 214 ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................. 228 OPSOMMING ............................................................................................................. 230 BIBLIOGRAPHY ......................................................................................................... 232 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................... 252 i TABLE OF CONTENTS ABRIDGED TABLE OF CONTENTS .............................................................................. i TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................................ iii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................... 1 1.1 ORIENTATION AND PROBLEM STATEMENT .................................................. 1 1.1.1 Orientation ............................................................................................ 1 1.1.2 Problem statement ............................................................................... 2 1.2 AIM AND OBJECTIVES ...................................................................................... 6 1.3 CENTRAL THEORETICAL ARGUMENT ............................................................ 6 1.4 RESEARCH METHOD ........................................................................................ 7 1.4.1 Methods of investigation ....................................................................... 7 1.4.2 A philological study ............................................................................... 7 1.4.3 Pitfalls in researching ancient texts ...................................................... 8 1.5 CHAPTER DIVISION ........................................................................................ 10 CHAPTER 2: CONSTRUCTING ANCIENT SLAVERY AS SOCIO-HISTORIC CONTEXT OF THE NEW TESTAMENT ........................................................... 11 2.1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................... 11 2.2 DEFINING A SEARCH FILTER ........................................................................ 12 2.2.1 Period under investigation .................................................................. 12 2.2.2 The geographical region under investigation ...................................... 12 2.2.3 Definitions of slavery .......................................................................... 13 2.2.4 Ancient terminology for slavery .......................................................... 15 2.2.5 Aspects arising from the New Testament passages .......................... 22 2.2.6 Conclusion .......................................................................................... 22 2.3 SLAVERY AS A SOCIAL INSTITUTION ........................................................... 23 2.4 THE SLAVE POPULATION .............................................................................. 26 2.5 SLAVES AND ECONOMIC LIFE ...................................................................... 27 2.6 SLAVES AND SOCIAL LIFE ............................................................................. 28 2.7 SLAVES AND RELIGIOUS LIFE ....................................................................... 30 2.8 SLAVES, MANUMISSION, AND FREEDMEN .................................................. 30 iii Table of contents 2.9 SLAVES AND REBELLION .............................................................................. 32 2.10 CHAPTER SUMMARY ..................................................................................... 33 2.11 CONCLUSIONS ............................................................................................... 34 CHAPTER 3: CONSTRUCTING THE RIGHTS AND DUTIES OF SLAVE- OWNERS AS SOCIO-HISTORIC CONTEXT OF THE NEW TESTAMENT .... 35 3.1 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................. 35 3.2 GENERAL DEVELOPMENT AND CHARACTERISTICS OF GREEK, ROMAN AND JEWISH LAW ........................................................................................... 36 3.2.1 Greek law ........................................................................................... 36 3.2.2 Roman law ......................................................................................... 37 3.2.3 Jewish law ......................................................................................... 38 3.3 THE PRIMARY SOURCES .............................................................................. 39 3.3.1 Greek law ........................................................................................... 39 3.3.2 Roman law ......................................................................................... 40 3.3.3 Jewish law ......................................................................................... 41 3.4 LEGAL DEFINITIONS OF FREEDOM AND SLAVERY ................................... 43 3.4.1 Greek law ........................................................................................... 43 3.4.2 Roman law ......................................................................................... 45 3.4.3 Jewish law ......................................................................................... 48 3.4.4 Section summary ............................................................................... 49 3.5 ENSLAVEMENT ............................................................................................... 49 3.5.1 Greek law ........................................................................................... 49 3.5.2 Roman law ......................................................................................... 51 3.5.3 Jewish law ......................................................................................... 54 3.5.4 Section summary ............................................................................... 55 3.6 THE LEGAL STATUS OF SLAVES .................................................................. 55 3.6.1 Greek law ........................................................................................... 55 3.6.2 Roman law ......................................................................................... 58 3.6.3 Jewish law ......................................................................................... 61 3.6.4 Section summary ............................................................................... 62 3.7 RELIGIOUS RIGHTS OF SLAVES .................................................................. 63 3.7.1 Greek law ........................................................................................... 63 3.7.2 Roman law ......................................................................................... 64 3.7.3 Jewish law ......................................................................................... 65 iv Table of contents 3.7.4 Section summary ................................................................................ 67 3.8 THE SOCIAL RIGHTS OF SLAVES ................................................................. 67 3.8.1 Greek law ........................................................................................... 67 3.8.2 Roman law .......................................................................................... 68 3.8.3 Jewish law .......................................................................................... 69 3.8.4 Section summary ................................................................................ 69 3.9 SLAVES AND THE ECONOMY ........................................................................ 70 3.9.1 Greek law ........................................................................................... 70
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