From 3000 B.C. to 476 A.D., various civilizations arose, bronze was introduced, religion
was practiced, Jesus was born, slavery was established, Rome was founded, and certain
intellectuals affected some of the era's important events. When it came to the periods of the Old
Testament in the Bible, the Hebrew community was well-known. Slavery seems to be a subject
of debate no matter where you go in history. Slavery has been practiced since the eighth century1.
Slavery is shown throughout the Bible; the Old Testament makes it very plain how slaves should
be treated, and we may argue whether or not this is compassionate. Slave owners in the Hebrew
and Greek cultures spent time focusing on how to punish and exploit their slaves for their own
profit; Christ needs us to be obedient, but He employs the form of love for the benefit of His
Kingdom.
On the surface, the Old Testament seems to have a strong guild line against Hebrew
people being enslaved. Exodus 21:2-11 explains how a slave should be treated when he or she
becomes free, as well as the conditions that must be met. If you have a slave who enters into
slavery as a "single" man, he must be liberated on the seventh year as a single man2, but he
cannot marry while enslaved and must go with his wife, unless he comes into slavery with a
wife. If a man marries and has children while enslaved, the wife and children become the slave
owners3.
1 Salisbury, Joyce E. and Gregory S. Aldrete. "Slaves in Greece: Ancient World." Daily Life through History,
ABC- CLIO, 2020, dailylife2.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/1425921. Accessed 06 Feb. 2022.
22,3,4 "Old Testament on Slavery (Ca. Sixth Century Bce)." Daily Life through History, ABC-CLIO,
2020, dailylife2.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/1992385. Accessed 06 Feb. 2022.
3
Throughout much of the Old Testament, it was explicit that they were only to enslave men or
women for six years, after which they were to free them, albeit the slave may choose to remain
for life if they so desired.4 If these slaves choose to remain, their ear will be marked as "door or
doorpost, and his master will pierce his ear with an awl." 5 The Lord talked to Jeremiah and
urged him to liberate all the slaves since the seven-year rule was not being observed. The slave
owners listened and freed their slaves, only to return them shortly after. 6 God then freed the
slaves and punished the nation with sword, plague, and hunger for disobeying his command7.
Slave owners in Israel had a relationship with God that held them liable for their slaves' care.
Slavery in Greece was not based on the Bible, and many of the rules and methods of
educating slaves were invented by the Greeks. "Other animals learn obedience in two ways,"
according to Socrates8, "by being punished when they attempt to disobey, and by being rewarded
when they strive to serve you." 9 He is implying that we should reward slaves who accomplish
what we want with no difficulties, but that we should punish slaves who act out or refuse to
listen to our suggestions. Socrates refers to slaves as animals throughout his discussion on how to
teach them. It is also said that by selecting favorites and providing finer clothes and shoes to the
better behaved and producing slaves, the other slaves would be more productive10.
4
55, 6, 7 "Old Testament on Slavery (Ca. Sixth Century Bce)." Daily Life through History, ABC-CLIO,
2020, dailylife2.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/1992385. Accessed 06 Feb. 2022.
6
7
8
,
9,
10,
11
"Xenophon: How to Teach Obedience to Slaves." Daily Life through History, ABC-CLIO,
2020, dailylife2.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/1804435. Accessed 06 Feb. 2022.
9
10
Slavery in Greece was depicted in a way that is quite similar to early American slavery; slaves
were not treated as people, but rather as animals, as Socrates remarked several times. "Training
believed appropriate for wild animals is also a highly efficient technique of teaching obedience,"
he said. 11 The lack of sympathy shown by Greek slave owners is obvious.
When you compare the two types of slave masters, you'll see a significant difference in
how they want their slaves to behave and how they treat them. Slaves in Israel are given the
choice to be set free after six years of labor12, while Greek slaves are not given the option to
escape after any amount of time. Both Hebrew and Greek slave owners were affluent, and the
number of slaves owned by Greek slave owners in Athens indicated their wealth and social
status13. Slavery was a way of life for the Greeks and Hebrews.
Slavery is mentioned in the Bible in a variety of ways. We read a lot about being a fair
slave owner in the Old Testament, but the term slave is changed into a new notion in the New
Testament. "We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body governed by sin
may be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin," says Romans 6:614.
11
12 "Old Testament on Slavery (Ca. Sixth Century Bce)." Daily Life through History, ABC-CLIO, 2020,
dailylife2.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/1992385. Accessed 06 Feb. 2022.
13 Salisbury, Joyce E. and Gregory S. Aldrete. "Slaves in Greece: Ancient World." Daily Life through History,
ABC- CLIO, 2020, dailylife2.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/1425921. Accessed 06 Feb. 2022.
14 New International Version. Bible Gateway, www.biblegateway.com. Accessed 06 Feb. 2022.
We begin to see the term transformed into something that we, as followers of Jesus, may be set
free from rather than something that we use to enslave others. God sent his son to set us free
from sin, which is plainly something that binds us and enslaves us inside our own bodies. God
asks us to help him with his task, but he does it with love and does not force our hand.
This period in history is eerily similar to what we shall see for generations to come. The
process of owning slaves was taken extremely seriously by slave owners, who established very
strict regulations that they would observe. After seeing this, it's difficult to imagine that, despite
their toil, these slaves were treated with no sympathy. While it is true that Hebrew and Greek
slave owners spent time focusing on how to punish and utilize their slaves for their own profit,
Christ asks us to be obedient but employs the form of love for the benefit of His Kingdom. We
receive God's mercy and love, yet we are no longer slaves to sin and may rejoice in our
liberation.
Bibliography
"Old Testament on Slavery (Ca. Sixth Century Bce)." Daily Life through History, ABC-CLIO,
2022, dailylife2.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/1992385. Accessed 06 Feb. 2022.
"Xenophon: How to Teach Obedience to Slaves." Daily Life through History, ABC-CLIO,
2022, dailylife2.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/1804435. Accessed 06 Feb. 2022.
“Salisbury, Joyce E. and Gregory S. Aldrete. "Slaves in Greece: Ancient World." Daily Life
through History, ABC-CLIO, 2022, dailylife2.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/1425921.
Accessed 06 Feb. 2022.
New International Version. Bible Gateway, www.biblegateway.com. Accessed 06 Feb. 2022.
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