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Slavery and Christianity in America
The Relationship Between Slavery And Christianity
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An Introduction to Gregory of Nyssa The classic understanding on Gregory of Nyssa, and his view of slavery, is that in his Fourth Homily on Ecclesiastes he denounces the ownership of slaves but does not go far enough and call for the abolishment of the institution. Peter Garnsey offers an analysis of this homily; he states that "Gregory was drawing on a long tradition of 'liberal' thought in both pagan and Christian circles, stressing the shared humanity of slave and masters and their common potential for virtue and for salvation" but that he stops short of “urging the whole institution be done away with” or even suggesting to his parishioners to emancipate all of their slaves. Many scholars attempt to deconstruct Gregory of Nyssa’s beliefs by trying to discern what, if anything may have influenced his beliefs on slavery. First, he was an extremely intellectual philosopher, combining the traditions of Greek rhetoric with Christian theology, in effect following “his theological logic far beyond the contemporary context.” Nyssa believes, through his understanding of God, that slavery is not a luxury and not necessary for the domestic economy, but that it was antithetical to “God’s actions in creation, salvation, and the church” and especially “incompatible with the Gospel.” To further the scholarly view of Nyssa’s biblical ability, J. Kameron Carter stated that Gregory of Nyssa’s abolitionism was intertwined explicitly with his ability to read, interpret, and communicate scripture. Carter also offers a stark contrast between Gregory of Nyssa and the other Cappadocian Fathers, giving us a context within to place Nyssa’s interpretive ability. He stated that even though both Basil of Caesarea and Gregory of Nazianzus w... ... middle of paper ... ...nal of the Society of Comparative Legislation (1909): 13–16. Schaff, Philip, and Henry Wace. A Select Library of Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church. 5 vols. The Christian literature company, 1890. Stead, G. Christopher. The Easter Sermons of Gregory of Nyssa. Edited by Andreas Spira and Christoph Klock. Patristic Monograph Series No. 9. Philadelphia: The Philadelphia Patristic Foundation, Ltd., 1981. Stramara, Daniel F. “Gregory of Nyssa : An Ardent Abolitionist?” St Vladimir’s Theological Quarterly 41, no. 1 (January 1, 1997): 37-60. Turner, G. “The Christian Life as Slavery: Paul’s Subversive Metaphor.” The Heythrop Journal (May 28, 2010): 1-12. de Wet, C. L. “Sin as Slavery and/or Slavery as Sin? On the Relationship between Slavery and Christian Hamartiology in Late Ancient Christianity.” Religion and Theology, 17 1, no. 2 (2010): 26–39.
Douglass continues to describe the severity of the manipulation of Christianity. Slave owners use generations of slavery and mental control to convert slaves to the belief God sanctions and supports slavery. They teach that, “ man may properly be a slave; that the relation of master and slave is ordained by God” (Douglass 13). In order to justify their own wrongdoings, slaveowners convert the slaves themselves to Christianity, either by force or gentle coercion over generations. The slaves are therefore under the impression that slavery is a necessary evil. With no other source of information other than their slave owners, and no other supernatural explanation for the horrors they face other than the ones provided by Christianity, generations of slaves cannot escape from under the canopy of Christianity. Christianity molded so deeply to the ideals of slavery that it becomes a postmark of America and a shield of steel for American slave owners. Douglass exposes the blatant misuse of the religion. By using Christianity as a vessel of exploitation, they forever modify the connotations of Christianity to that of tyrannical rule and
Brown, Raymond. A Crucified Christ in Holy Week: Essays on the Four Gospel Passion Narratives. Collegeville, Minnesota: The Liturgical Press, 1986.
Slave-owners forced a perverse form of Christianity, one that condoned slavery, upon slaves. According to this false Christianity the enslavement of “black Africans is justified because they are the descendants of Ham, one of Noah's sons; in one Biblical story, Noah cursed Ham's descendants to be slaves” (Tolson 272). Slavery was further validated by the numerous examples of it within the bible. It was reasoned that these examples were confirmation that God condoned slavery. Douglass’s master...
Douglass’ explains his view of religion as “When I think that these precious souls are to-day shut up in the prison-house of slavery, my feelings overcome me, and I am almost ready to ask, “Does a righteous God govern the universe? And for what does he hold the thunders in his right hand, if not to smite the oppressor, and deliver the spoiled out of the hand of the spoiler? (p.48).” He wonders how a righteous God can rule the universe, and yet still allow cruel things like slavery to exist. One of the ways Douglass shows himself to be a Christian, is by quoting the Bible, “Dark and terrible as is this picture, I hold it to be s...
In alignment with what the Bible told them, abolitionist understood that each man represented one of God’s creations and that men were part of God’s plan. If slavery was allowed to exist, then man was interrupting God’s de...
Aquinas, St. Thomas. COMMENTARY on SAINT PAUL'S EPISTLE to the GALATIANS. Trans. F. R. Larcher. Albany: Magi Books, 1996.
In the Greco-Roman period slavery was not determined “by race, religion, kinds of work, clothing, ownership of property, or formal schooling.” In many cases slaves were treated fairly and were valued. The institution of slavery in the 19th century was vastly different, usually always depraving “the slave of dignity and the slave owner of humanity.” It was “a model…for the most extreme forms of exploitation, otherness, and even social death.” Aside from the oppression of early American slavery, this form of the institution was based on race. In contrast, the slavery of the Greco-Roman period was based in large part on class or social status. This difference highlights the fundamental problem with 19th century slavery, which is its explicit racism. Understanding the difference between the modern institution of slavery and the Greco-Roman slavery is very important in applying Ephesians to slavery in
The black slaves in general held to a different form Christianity that was unbeknownst to traditional orthodox Christianity. As discussed in lecture on February 4, 2014, black slaves held to an interpretation of Christianity that placed emphasis on the Old Testament, and all of its hero’s and accomplishments. The slaves also reinterpreted Jesus Christ, figuring Him into the Old Testament context of an Old Testament King like King David, who achieved many victories upon this earth (Lecture 2/4/14). Due to the perversion of Christian teachings from slave master and their erroneous catechisms, the slaves reacted strongly against the New Testament and its teachings. In turn, the slaves would cling to the Old Testament, particularly due to the role that the Jews suffered in the midst of their captivity to the Egyptians in ancient times. (Covered in the Bible under the Old Testament books of Genesis and Exodus) The reality of God coming to the aid of His chosen people the Jews was a theme that encouraged and comforted the slaves, and they gladly adopted this similar idea of being God’s “chosen people.” Also, the slaves held to Old ...
...ing the general public to view their fellow men, as less than what they truly are, their equals. The institution of slavery has blinded the clergy and churches of America, causing them to sit idly by as an injustice is being brought upon God’s people, a god that all men share. Christianity has become a tool in which the separation of whom receives liberties and whom does not becomes its clearest. As Douglass says “ At the very moment that they are thanking God for the enjoyment of civil and religious liberty […] they are utterly silent in respect to a law which robs religion of its chief significance, and makes it utterly useless to a world lying in wickedness.” Christianity has become a tool of oppression for the elite; used to deny unalienable rights to their fellow man, the same rights their own fathers had fought so valiantly for during the founding of America.
...e to the audience that the Bible adheres to the deserved emancipation and support of African-Americans, rather than enslavement and oppression. For example, Douglass preaches, “ A worship that can be conducted by persons who refuse to give shelter to the houseless, to give bread to the hungry, clothing to the naked, and who enjoin obedience to a law forbidding these acts of mercy, is a curse, not a blessing to mankind. The Bible addresses all such persons as ‘scribes, Pharisees, hypocrites, who pay tithe of mint, anise, and cumin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy and faith.” By using Matthew 23:23 to assert American Christians as righteously indignant, Douglass infers that if the White American people are truly Christian, they will obey the doctrines of The Bible and negate their duplicity by showing love and mercy to black people.
McManners, John. "The Oxford History of Christianity." The Oxford History of Christianity. New York: New York Oxford Press, 2002. 28.
In the Religious of Defense, the South justified the use of slavery because the Bible consents to the use of slaves. One advocate of slavery, A. T. Holmes, claims, in his piece The Duties of Christian Masters, that one was allowed to own slaves so long as he treated the slave as a friend—with “good will, kindness, and a desire for the well-being of him” (Holmes 103), or even more so like a generous father, guiding his naïve slaves to Christian behavior...
"EXPLORING THEOLOGY 1 & 2." EXPLORING THEOLOGY 1 2. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 May 2014.
Metzger, B.M. & Coogan, M.D. “The Oxford Companion to the Bible”. Oxford University Press. New York, NY. (1993). P. 806-818.
Bainvel, Jean. The New Catholic Encyclopedia. New York City: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15006b.htm (accessed September 23, 2011).