Slavery In The Old Testament

Slavery has been a scourge to humanity for millennia. Having been practiced in most cul-tures throughout much of history, it was routinely practiced in the Roman Empire during the time of the Apostle Paul. Slavery in the first century, though common and taken for granted (Barton, Comfort, Osborne, Taylor, and Veerman, 2001, p. 996), was not practiced similarly to how we in the United States generally perceive slavery. Moreover, while the New Testament does not overt-ly condemn slavery, Elwell (1984), states that it certainly, “reorder[ed] the relationship of slave and master” (p. 1022).
The condition and treatment of slaves varied widely in the Greco-Roman world. Slaves received no rights nor were they regarded as equal human beings, rather, as property. Slave own-ers, however, recognized that better working conditions produced better productivity from slaves. Although punishments could be severe and brutality toward slaves did exist, Douglas et al. (1982) note that, “cruelty was condemned by the growing sentiment of common humanity, and in some cases legally controlled” (p. 1124). Wealthy citizens purchased large numbers of domestic slaves
Far from condoning slavery, the New Testament views all individuals as equal. Paul even encourages slaves, not to run away, but, if possible, gain their freedom (1 Cor. 7:21) as Christianity is about freedom and serving freely. Unfortunately, as El-well (1984) states, “the full impact of this did not fully appear until after the Reformation when the biblical truth of the personal dignity of a man was asserted (p. 1022). It is a sad testament that Christianity in the past has supported and participated in slavery and in the brutal treatment of slaves. Far from supporting slavery, the Bible teaches freedom for all. God desires all his chil-dren to be free; after all, He gave His life to set them