Jewish Slavery in Antiquity

by Catherine Hezser

Overview

This book is the first comprehensive analysis of Jewish attitudes towards slavery in Hellenistic and Roman times. Against the traditional opinion that after the Babylonian Exile Jews refrained from employing slaves, Catherine Hezser shows that slavery remained a significant phenomenon of ancient Jewish everyday life and generated a discourse which resembled Graeco-Roman and early Christian views while at the same time preserving specifically Jewish nuances. Hezser examines the impact of domestic slavery on the ancient Jewish household and on family relationships. She discusses the perceived advantages of slaves over other types of labor and evaluates their role within the ancient Jewish economy. The ancient Jewish experience of slavery seems to have been so pervasive that slave images also entered theological discourse. Like their Graeco-Roman and Christian counterparts, ancient Jewish intellectuals did not advocate the abolition of slavery, but they used the biblical tradition and their own judgements to ameliorate the status quo.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780199280865
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	02/16/2006
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	452
Product dimensions:	8.80(w) x 5.86(h) x 1.21(d)

About the Author

Catherine Hezser is Reader in Middle Eastern Religion at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.

Table of Contents

I.The Status of Slaves1. The Denationalization of Slaves2. The Slave as Chattel and Human Being3. Women, Slaves, and Minors4. Hierarchical Equations and Differentiations5. Between Slavery and Freedom6. SummaryII. Slaves and the Family1. Slaves within the Household2. Master-Slave Relationships3. Prostitutes and Concubines4. Power Relationships5. SummaryIII. Slaves and the Economy1. The Sources of Slaves2. The Acquisition and Sale of Slaves3. Slaves as Intermediaries in Business Transactions4. The Location of Slaves in Ancient Jewish Society5. The Manumission of Slaves6. SummaryIV. The Symbolic Significance of Slavery1. Slavery as Metaphor2. Slave Parables3. Slavery and the Exodus Experience4. SummaryConclusions