Ancient Slavery and Its New Testament Contexts

“Ancient Slavery and Its New Testament Contexts is a crucial rejoinder to persistent trends in modern scholarship and theology of ignoring, excusing, whitewashing, and romanticizing slavery in the New Testament. The volume equips readers with interpretive strategies for centering the wholly human experiences of enslaved people while taking full account of the systemic violence of slavery in the New Testament, its ancient contexts, and some of its ancient and modern interpretations—the harsh realities of coerced labor, racism, physical brutality, sexual exploitation, dehumanization, and commodification. The editors and contributors have translated cutting-edge and ethically reflexive scholarship into an engaging and accessible format for classroom use—a truly remarkable achievement that will make this an indispensable resource for years to come.”
—Tony Keddie, The University of Texas at Austin
 
“Ancient Slavery and Its New Testament Contexts is an essential resource for anyone seeking to better understand the intersections of enslavement and the New Testament. Cobb and Shaner have assembled a cohort of scholars who stand out for their ability to balance cutting-edge research with clear and accessible prose. This volume includes rich engagement with material and literary evidence alongside New Testament texts, carefully curated images that immerse the reader in the ancient context, and discussion questions designed to facilitate classroom conversations. Teachers in ecclesial, college, and graduate contexts alike will find a wealth of resources for their classrooms in this volume.”
—Jennifer Quigley, Candler School of Theology at Emory University
 
“Ancient Slavery and Its New Testament Contexts represents a must-have resource for any introductory course to the New Testament. Contributors carefully demonstrate that virtually any topic in early Christianity is entangled with the harsh reality of enslavement. The captive, missing in most literary, theological, and historical introductions to the field, occupies the center stage here, urging biblical interpreters to reconsider the ethical foundations of early Christianity.”
—Luis Menéndez-Antuña, Boston University School of Theology
 
“Ancient Slavery and Its New Testament Contexts is an important and expertly edited collection that will be very useful to students, interested readers, and scholars. The chapters are well-written and clear, with nuggets of insight grounded in nuanced interpretation and analysis. There is a genuine pedagogical care in how each chapter presents the materials, with discussion questions to ponder at the end, and with helpful lists for further reading. This is a great accomplishment, and such a work deserves to be highly recommended.”
 —Ronald Charles, University of Toronto
 
“This book is an invaluable resource for understanding the complex and brutal realities of ancient slavery, particularly in relation to Jewish, New Testament, and early Christian texts and their diverse audiences. In addition to considering the many metaphors and concepts that deploy slavery motifs in early Christian writings, it examines the everyday realities of the slaves populating their pages. The authors of these essays address common misperceptions while examining how laws, institutions, socioeconomic realities, and societal attitudes regarding slavery influenced Christian teachings and aspirations that continue to this day. I highly recommend this book to students, educators, and anyone interested in exploring this challenging topic.”
—Harry O. Maier, Vancouver School of Theology
 
“Confronting the legacy of slavery in the New Testament is challenging. Ancient Slavery and Its New Testament Contexts gives readers the background and tools they need to understand the impact of slavery in the world of Jesus and the early Christ-followers. Each chapter addresses complex questions in clear and accessible prose, anticipating questions that readers are likely to have. High-quality illustrations bring the text to life. Outstanding scholars, the editors and contributors prove themselves to be excellent teachers—the volume is sure to generate lively conversations in classrooms and congregations.”
—Jennifer A. Glancy, Le Moyne College, author of Slavery in Early Christianity and Slavery as Moral Problem: In the Early Church and Today