Early Judaism and Christianity have many differences that make them unique and separate entities, yet they are similar as well. Both societies faced war, persecution, and famine. Another commonality between these nations is the acceptance of slavery. At the time of Israelite culture and early Christianity, slavery was normally accepted. However, both churches had different nuances that make them different, many of which revolve around Christ. These differences can be seen in the versions of slavery in the Old Testament, New Testament, and the epistles of Paul. In the books of Micah, Luke, and Ephesians, slavery is portrayed in different ways, with Micah against slavery and Luke and Paul more for slavery, which is important because it affects
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In another verse, he makes the master wait on the servant, which would have been an interesting dynamic in the time of the Roman empire, seeing as lords did not wait on their servants. According to Mary Ann Beavis, “For a Greco-Roman audience, a much more ‘subversive’ parable would be one in which…the master rewards his faithful slaves by waiting on them” (Beavis 42). This lesson exists in Luke 12, where it states, “Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them” (Luke 12:36). This verse works against what the Romans think, which makes it even more important. Subversion is used to critique the ideas of a society and make the reader think about their actions and thoughts, which this verse does. In this verse, Luke allows a Roman, proslavery audience to see Christ in a different light. Instead of being like most masters, Christ will help us, and he will serve us if we serve him. Therefore, the reciprocity that exists in this action shows that Christ is a patient and caring master. This gives him a positive character, which in turn could help convert others to Christianity. Like Paul, Luke shows slavery in a positive light in order to reach a broader …show more content…
This makes sense in comparison to Micah’s account, seeing as slavery was common in the Roman society, and was argued to be humane. According to James Harrell, “early Christians, like the apostle Paul, did not condemn the institution—ancient slavery was relatively humane and so wholly unlike modern slavery in the New World.” There were also relatively few slave rebellions, which implies that slave life was more humane than the Israelite period slavery (Harrell 508). This shows that Paul’s audience was proslavery, meaning they would not appreciate anti-slavery messages. Paul could also use slavery as a metaphor for Christ’s relationship with us as well. This can be seen in Ephesians 6. In verse 5 it states, “Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ” (Ephesians 6:5). This shows that the followers of Christ should be obedient to Christ like they are to their masters, and vice versa. In this way, Paul appeases his broad audience, which were many churches in the area, and he teaches that people should be obedient to
In another verse, he makes the master wait on the servant, which would have been an interesting dynamic in the time of the Roman empire, seeing as lords did not wait on their servants. According to Mary Ann Beavis, “For a Greco-Roman audience, a much more ‘subversive’ parable would be one in which…the master rewards his faithful slaves by waiting on them” (Beavis 42). This lesson exists in Luke 12, where it states, “Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them” (Luke 12:36). This verse works against what the Romans think, which makes it even more important. Subversion is used to critique the ideas of a society and make the reader think about their actions and thoughts, which this verse does. In this verse, Luke allows a Roman, proslavery audience to see Christ in a different light. Instead of being like most masters, Christ will help us, and he will serve us if we serve him. Therefore, the reciprocity that exists in this action shows that Christ is a patient and caring master. This gives him a positive character, which in turn could help convert others to Christianity. Like Paul, Luke shows slavery in a positive light in order to reach a broader …show more content…
This makes sense in comparison to Micah’s account, seeing as slavery was common in the Roman society, and was argued to be humane. According to James Harrell, “early Christians, like the apostle Paul, did not condemn the institution—ancient slavery was relatively humane and so wholly unlike modern slavery in the New World.” There were also relatively few slave rebellions, which implies that slave life was more humane than the Israelite period slavery (Harrell 508). This shows that Paul’s audience was proslavery, meaning they would not appreciate anti-slavery messages. Paul could also use slavery as a metaphor for Christ’s relationship with us as well. This can be seen in Ephesians 6. In verse 5 it states, “Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ” (Ephesians 6:5). This shows that the followers of Christ should be obedient to Christ like they are to their masters, and vice versa. In this way, Paul appeases his broad audience, which were many churches in the area, and he teaches that people should be obedient to