What I admired about this novel is how Jerry Jenkins includes large portions of Paul's writings into the narrative — mainly in the form of God's direct revelation to Paul in the wilderness. Throughout the apostle's letters, he furnishes numerous details about his strict adherence to the law (as a Pharisee), his conversion experience, and most importantly his devotion to the resurrected Christ. What he did not include were many details of the time period between his conversion and the beginning of his gospel ministry. Recreating those in-between years is what the author has undertaken with this book.…
It is immediately apparent from the journal just how little conscious thought and consideration went through the minds of the slave traders as they exchanged persons for goods such as iron rods. Antera and his fellow merchants were participating in an obvious form of human domestication; treating the slaves as if they were livestock. The slaves were traded for goods daily as if they were just an asset to the merchants, like a bag of sugar. The slaves were bought/sold/traded away like candy in an elementary school lunchroom. No consideration of human feelings went into the transactions.…
Primary documents indicate clear disregard for the well-being of slaves, who enslavers saw as livestock. From an initial observation of deck arrangements , slave traders considered slaves as cargo (Document #3). This image appears as a figure explaining maximum storage of slaves, and traders likely created the document seamen who shipped their goods, demonstrating how to efficiently store cargo for the largest possible revenue. Written documentation enhances this perception by presenting the vantage point of a captive on a slave ship (Document #2). A slave penned this passage to…
Witherington, Ben, III. Paul 's Letter to the Romans: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2004.…
Freed, Edwind D., The Apostle Paul, Christian Jew. New York: University Press of America, 1994.…
Paul’s argument in Romans is foundational to the Biblical/Christian Worldview. Paul brings to realization of what God is revealing to the Christian World. Most Christians do not understand the consequences of not obeying the moral laws and its values. Christians are influenced by other religions because of the lack of understanding the expectations and the fact of being accountable for their actions. Paul is presenting specific directions as how to live a godly life and to show consideration to others. This is imperative for Christians in today’s society as well as it was to the Romans. Acquiring a good foundation in the word of God is important for all Christians.…
Additionally, Paul D’s inability to appreciate Sethe’s decision hinges largely on his inability to define his own masculinity. To Paul D, ownership and masculinity occur as mutually inclusive concepts; without one he cannot hope to obtain the other. During his time as a slave, Paul D’s former owner, Mr. Garner, refers to him and the other slaves on the plantation as the “Sweet Home Men” as opposed to the “Sweet Home Slaves”. Though this may initially portray the Garner’s in a benevolent light, the implications of Mr. Garner’s statement become convoluted. By distinguishing his slaves as “men”, it suggests that manhood does not already exist intrinsically within slaves, but instead becomes a privilege specifically imparted onto the five men of Sweet…
The most likely reason that Onesimus was in trouble with his master Philemon was that he had run away, perhaps even embezzling money in the process (Cho, 2014). Cho also states that he may have been threatened with punishment before this action, which precipitated his flight to talk with Paul (2014). Cho also points out that Roman law allowed for a third party to act as an intermediary to settle disputes between owners and slaves, which it does appear Paul does in this instance (2014). Harris concludes similarly, that it is likely that Paul had been sought as some sort of intermediary, which he does do, after converting Onesimus to Christianity (2014). Paul ends up sending him back to Philemon, with careful instructions to treat him well,…
In Paul’s letter to Philemon, Paul addresses Philemon as more of a friend and the letter seems to be more of friends speaking to one another instead of kind of puts being an apostle second. Paul is trying to tell his friend about his views on the situation of Onesimus. I do believe that Paul is suggesting that Philemon free his slave, Onesimus. I believe this because Paul says, “For this perhaps is why he was parted from you for a while, that you might have him back forever, no longer as a bondservant but more than a bondservant, as a beloved brother—especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.” (NIV Philemon 15-16) To me, I take this as Paul is suggesting that Philemon takes Onesimus back as a brother in Christ…
The novels In the Time of the Butterflies and Persepolis are similar in that, authors Alvarez and Satrapi focus their novels around strong, female characters who are living in an oppressive regime. The main characters in both of these novels all possess unique personalities that motivated them to rebel and take action against the regime's rules and standards. In order to develop these female characters, Alvarez and Satrapi depict the characters moments of weakness and doubt or the loss of religion or innocence. By emphasizing on these moments, Alvarez and Satrapi were able to create strong, dynamic female characters that thrived from their weaknesses.…
Few historians have evaluated the validity of the respective arguments favoring and opposing slavery. In fact, several arguments have received no assessment at all. The purpose of this thesis is to go beyond a simple recapitulation of the pro-slavery and abolitionist arguments. Rather, this thesis will assess the validity of the scriptural arguments put forth by the pro-slavery and abolitionist forces. In order to have a clear understanding of the slavery debate during the antebellum period, it is important to understand the origins of the Biblical interpretations used to promote and defend slavery in America. While the use of the Bible to promote and defend slavery would reach its peak in the antebellum years, this phenomenon did not arise during this turbulent time in America’s history. The seeds of this debate were sown much earlier. As early as 1688, four recently immigrated Germans, fleeing religious persecution, signed what is known as the Germantown petition at a Quaker meeting in Germantown, Pennsylvania. The four men were Francis Daniel Pastorius, Gerret Hendericks, Derick op de Graef, and Abraham op de Graef. The petition emphasized the contradictions that existed between the religious and social principles of those who founded the Quaker religion and the inhumane institution of slavery in which many Quakers actively participated. Throughout the petition, appeals were made to Quaker ethics in order to denounce the slave trade and the enslavement of Africans. More importantly, appeals were made to an important Biblical teaching. In fact, this petition would mark the first “semi-public questioning of the enslavement of Africans in British North America,” that would reference a Biblical…
Drawing evidence exclusively from plantation records, letters, southern newspapers, and other sources reflecting the slaveholder's point of view, Phillips depicted slave masters who provided for the welfare of their slaves and contended that true affection existed between master and slave.[105]…
As noted in the introduction of the chapter, some abolitionists challenged the claim that Exodus 21:20 supported southern slavery arguing instead that it pointed to the existence of an institutional distinctions between biblical slavery and southern slavery. To these abolitionists, this distinction undermined the legitimacy of southerners using the Bible to sanction slavery as they practiced it. A prime example of this perspective is found in the writings of the Rev. Albert Barnes. In his work, An Inquiry into the Scriptural Views of Slavery, Barnes identified two significant institutional distinctions between southern slavery and biblical slavery based on Exodus 21:20. These distinctions rested on the fact that while Exodus 21:20 called for masters to be punished for the murder of their slaves, southern slave laws were designed in such a way that masters could murder their slaves and face no punishment. With the first distinction, Barnes drew attention to the fact that in some states in the South, laws “expressly acquit the master for killing his slave, if it be done when inflicting moderate correction.” To prove his point, Barnes quoted a North Carolina law dealing with the murder of slaves. The North Carolina law stated, “Be it enacted that if any person shall hereafter be guilty of willfully or maliciously killing a slave, such offender shall be… guilty of murder…provided always that this act shall not extend…to any slave in the act of resistance to his lawful owner or master, or to any slave dying under moderate correction.” Thus, in contrast to Exodus 21:20 which called for the punishment of masters who murdered their slaves, the North Carolina law provided masters a convenient loophole through which a master could escape punishment for the murder of his slave. If a slave died under “moderate correction,” nothing would be done and…
Paul’s teachings have been most significant in the change they have created, and they continue to have an extensive impact on Christianity today. Paul challenged the status of Jews, as God’s ‘chosen’ ones, and this changed the course of Christianity. He played a crucial role in establishing Churches and developing Christian communities in places such as Corinth, Galatia, Ephesus, and Phillipi, and his theology was accepted by early Christian communities and laid foundations for later developments in theology. Paul’s teaching have a continuing impact today, for modern day Christians have inherited his theology. His teachings gives…
Henry Highland Garnet, a free African, forcefully criticized the Christianity of slavery advocates. “The first dealings they had with men calling themselves Christians exhibited to them the worst features of corrupt and sordid hearts: and convinced them that no cruelty is too great, no villainy and no robbery too abhorrent for even enlightened men to perform, when influenced by avarice and lust.” (Garnet, 151). This critique raises the question whether slave masters were concerned with Scriptural authority or were possessed by greed and authority. Garnet also theorizes that the abuse and restricted rights of Africans allows slave masters to dehumanize their slaves. While Garnet does not quote any Scripture in his address, his cry for equality and Abolition reveals a theology deeply rooted in Scripture. “God will not receive slavery, nor ignorance, nor any other state of mind, for love and obedience to Him.”…