Who Said What?
While it is sad to say that some church fathers owned slaves, from ancient times up until the “Enlightenment,” the secular, and sometimes even the religious, world often found no issues with owning slaves. Consider the following: “Of course, slavery is hardly only a modern-day problem. It was ubiquitous in Roman times and even further back in Greek history. Plato’s will revealed that he had five slaves, and Aristotle had fourteen slaves when he died.”1 And many “Enlightenment” figures fully accepted slavery. Names such as Hobbes, Locke, Voltaire, Burke, and Hume were strong supporters of human bondage.2 Even Islam, from its beginning right up to the present, has condoned and practiced slavery. Johnston paints the following picture for us:
“From only one religion or belief system historically emerged the conclusion that slavery was absolutely evil: Christianity. In contrast, Islam does not consider slavery to be a sin. Muhammad personally owned and sold slaves. The Qu’ran, Hadith, and Sira (Islamic trilogy) contain the most elaborate and comprehensive slave code in the world. Islam has enslaved more people than any other culture and still practices it in areas of Saudi Arabia, Mauritania, and the Sudan.”3
On the other hand, Christians from biblical times, up to the present, have condemned slavery. Right from the start of Christianity Christians treated slaves with compassion and considered them as brothers in Christ during worship services. Jeffrey Russell commented that:
“Slavery was common among the ancient Israelites, as it was in almost all societies at the time. Christ is not reported to have said anything specific about slavery, but His behavior and His teaching that every human is beloved by God had strong implications…Since slavery was a social reality, the apostles taught that masters should be kind to their slaves and also that slaves should be obedient to their masters.”4
In addition, Russell adds: “Meanwhile Christians pressed for the rights of slaves. Slaves took part in all Christian worship with no distinction between them and free persons; slaves served as clergy, sometimes even becoming bishops. The marriage of slaves was recognized, and slaves and free persons could marry.”5
Since slavery during Christ’s time was so universal it is unfair to have expected first century Christians to have been able to have done much in the way of abolition. John Coffey sums up the situation correctly when he says:
“Abolition could not happen in the first centuries, when the church was too weak and slavery was integral to the Roman economy. As Equiano observed, if Paul ‘had absolutely declared the iniquity of slavery…he would have occasioned more tumult than reformation.’ Yet his letter to Philemon plainly showed ‘that he thought it derogatory to the honor of Christianity, that men who are bought with the inestimable price of Christ’s blood, shall be esteemed slaves, and the private property of their fellow-men.’ Paul had pointed the way; it was for later Christians to complete the journey.”6
And down through the centuries Christians have voiced their disapproval of slavery. In fact, during the first three centuries of Christianity many Christians freed slaves.7 Schmidt shares some early examples of Christians who opposed slavery: “Early in the fourth century Lactantius (the “Christian Cicero”) in his Divine Institutes said that in God’s eyes there were no slaves. St. Augustine (354-430) saw slavery as the product of sin and as contrary to God’s divine plan (The City of God 19.15). St. Chrysostom, in the fourth century, preached that when Christ came he annulled slavery.”8
Again, it is important to remember that the church, on its own, while condemning slavery, could not singlehandedly abolish it. Stark states the case well: “It must also be acknowledged that the Church did not, usually, confront governments head-on over the issue and attempt to force an end to slavery. Granted that popes had threatened excommunication, but in practice the Church settled for attempting to ameliorate the conditions of slaves as much as possible.”9 While secular historians try their best, to not only discredit Christianity’s role in the abolition of slavery, but to even blame Christians as slavery’s main proponents, the evidence is indeed strong that the exact opposite is the case. Johnston states the situation more accurately, in my opinion, when he says: “Christianity has successfully abolished slavery not once, but twice before – in late antiquity and again in the 1800s, with the elimination of the transatlantic slave trade after the American Civil War.”[1]
1 Jeremiah J. Johnston, Unimaginable: What Our World Would be Like without Christianity. (Bloomington, MN: Bethany House Publishers, 2017). p. 181.
2 Rodney Stark, For the Glory of God: How Monotheism Led to Reformations, Science, Witch-hunts, and the end of Slavery. (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2003). p. 359.
3 Johnston, Unimaginable, p. 182.
4 Jeffrey B. Russell, Christianity and Black Slavery, CRI website: http://www.equip.org/article/christianity-black-slavery/
5 Russell, Christianity and Black Slavery, CRI website.
6 John Coffey, The abolition of the slave trade: Christian conscience and political action, Jubilee Centre website: http://www.jubilee-centre.org/the-abolition-of-the-slave-trade-christian-conscience-and-political-action-by-john-coffey/
7 Alvin J. Schmidt, Under the Influence: How Christianity Transformed Civilization. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2001). p. 274.
8 Ibid.
9 Stark, For the Glory of God, p. 337.
[1] Johnston, Unimaginable, p. 182.