Preaching Bondage : John Chrysostom and the Discourse of Slavery in Early Christianity / Chris L. de Wet.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

de Wet, Chris L., Author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Enslaved persons--Social conditions--History--To 1500.

Enslaved persons.

Enslaved persons--Family relationships--History--To 1500.

Slavery--Religious aspects--History--To 1500.

Slavery.

Slavery--Philosophy--History--To 1500.

Slavery and the church--History--To 1500.

Slavery and the church.

John Chrysostom, Saint, -407.

John Chrysostom.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (344 p.)

Place of Publication:

Berkeley, CA : University of California Press, [2015]

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Preaching Bondage introduces and investigates the novel concept of doulology, the discourse of slavery, in the homilies of John Chrysostom, the late fourth-century priest and bishop. Chris L. de Wet examines the dynamics of enslavement in Chrysostom's theology, virtue ethics, and biblical interpretation and shows that human bondage as a metaphorical and theological construct had a profound effect on the lives of institutional slaves. The highly corporeal and gendered discourse associated with slavery was necessarily central in Chrysostom's discussions of the household, property, education, discipline, and sexuality. De Wet explores the impact of doulology in these contexts and disseminates the results in a new and highly anticipated language, bringing to light the more pervasive fissures between ancient Roman slaveholding and early Christianity. The corpus of Chrysostom's public addresses provides much of the literary evidence for slavery in the fourth century, and De Wet's convincing analysis is a groundbreaking contribution to studies of the social world in late antiquity.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Acknowledgments

1. Introducing Doulology

2. Divine Bondage: Slavery between Metaphor and Theology

3. Little Churches: The Pastoralization of the Household and Its Slaves

4. The Didactics of Kyriarchy: Slavery, Education, and the Formation of Masculinity

5. Whips and Scriptures: On the Discipline and Punishment of Slaves

6. Exploitation, Regulation, and Restructuring: Managing Slave Sexuality

7. Conclusion: Preaching Bondage and the Legacy of Christian Doulology

Glossary

Bibliography

Index of Ancient Authors

Index of Ancient Terms

Index of Subjects

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 24. Apr 2020)

ISBN:

9780520961555

0520961552

OCLC:

911410269