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2 - Slavery and Religion in Late Antiquity

Their Relation to Asceticism and Justice in Christianity and Judaism

from Part I - Moral and Symbolic Values of Slavery

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 January 2022

Chris L. de Wet
Affiliation:
University of South Africa
Maijastina Kahlos
Affiliation:
University of Helsinki
Ville Vuolanto
Affiliation:
University of Tampere, Finland
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Summary

Philosophical asceticism played an important role in the opposition to social injustice, oppression, and slavery across religious traditions in imperial and late antiquity in the Mediterranean world. A connection emerges from recent research between asceticism (or at least a strand thereof), the rejection of slavery as an institution, and the embrace of social justice in ancient philosophy, Jewish Hellenism, and especially Christianity in antiquity and late antiquity. When Christian ascetics chose poverty and low status in service to Christ, they were often also concerned for those who were victims of social injustice and oppression. Since at least some Christian – and Jewish, and ‘pagan’ – philosophical ascetics spoke explicitly of ‘justice’ in this connection, we can surmise that at least a part of them embraced asceticism also for the sake of justice.

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

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