Currents in Biblical Research Slavery and the Enslaved in the Roman World, the Jewish World, and the Synoptic Gospels
Scholars have recently noted a reluctance in New Testament scholarship to accept and apply the most recent historical scholarship on ancient enslavement to our readings of the biblical texts. The last century has seen developments in historical and classical scholarship that have moved those discipl...
Main Author: | |
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Format: | Electronic Article |
Language: | English |
Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
Journals Online & Print: | |
Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
Published: |
Sage
2021
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In: |
Currents in biblical research
Year: 2021, Volume: 20, Issue: 1, Pages: 97-127 |
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Slavery
/ Roman Empire
/ Early Judaism
/ Church
/ Classical antiquity
/ Synoptic Gospels
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IxTheo Classification: | HC New Testament HD Early Judaism KAB Church history 30-500; early Christianity NCC Social ethics |
Further subjects: | B
Jewish Culture
B Roman culture B Synoptic Gospels B Early Christianity B Enslavement B ancient slavery B Gospels |
Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
Summary: | Scholars have recently noted a reluctance in New Testament scholarship to accept and apply the most recent historical scholarship on ancient enslavement to our readings of the biblical texts. The last century has seen developments in historical and classical scholarship that have moved those disciplines away from an understanding of ancient slavery as benevolent and toward a recognition of the institution's violent and coercive nature. A similar movement can be seen in the study of enslavement among first-century Jewish communities, with recent scholars arguing that Jewish enslavement practices were not as uniquely benign as was once thought. In spite of these developments, scholars of the Synoptic Gospels continue to utilize outdated models for understanding slavery in the biblical texts as a benevolent institution. A handful of New Testament scholars are charting a new course, challenging the rest of us to adopt the new historical consensus and to see biblical enslavement for what it was. Allowing these new critical works to lay the foundation for our understanding of slavery as it appears in the Synoptic Gospels will move us away from tired clichés and toward a more accurate picture of the worlds in and behind these texts. |
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ISSN: | 1745-5200 |
Contains: | Enthalten in: Currents in biblical research
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Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1177/1476993X211050142 |