The Agony of Asar: A Thesis on Slavery by the Former Slave, Jacobus Elisa Johannes Capitein, 1717-1747 [Paperback]

J. E. J. Capitein (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1999

This is the first dissertation written by an African slave. He was brought to Holland by his owner, freed, and educated at the University of Leiden with grants from wealthy burghers. Thereafter he returned to Guinea as a missionary. His analysis presents a sweeping intellectual genealogy of Western thought on the issue of slavery. It begins by discussing the authors of antiquity, using Seneca, Horace, and Justinian to show that slavery violated the principles of natural freedom and equality, and rebutting Aristotle's doctrine of natural slavery. Capitein concluded from Genesis that slavery entered the world as injustice to all peoples, but argued that the freedom promised in the Gospels was spiritual, not corporeal, and therefore had no civic consequences. The book represents the first scholarly work by an African on slavery, connecting Western thought and African experience.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Written by the first former slave to receive a college degree in Holland, The Agony of Asar: A Thesis on Slavery by the Former Slave, Jacobus Eliza Johannes Capitein, 1717-1747, is a landmark work in the history of African slavery, newly translated into English. Contrary to most intellectuals of his day, Capitein believed that slavery and Christianity were compatible, because he viewed freedom as a spiritual matter and not a physical one. Duke University history professor Grant Parker ably guides the modern reader through Capitein's arguments and insights. ( Apr.)
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"A brilliant translation . . . an excellent book." --Washington Times

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Product Details

• Paperback: 120 pages
• Publisher: Markus Wiener Publishers; 1ST edition (November 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558761268
• ISBN-13: 978-1558761261
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,724,040 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Was Capitein a traitor?, August 11, 2002

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This review is from: The Agony of Asar: A Thesis on Slavery by the Former Slave, Jacobus Elisa Johannes Capitein, 1717-1747 (Hardcover)

Jacobus Elisa Johannes Capitein was an African who was taken as a slave from his native Africa as a child. He was provided with a high level education, freed and sent back to Africa as a missionary. He wrote two noted treatises, of which this is by far the more important. Curiously, when he requested (from his missionary superiors) that he be allowed to marry a local woman, they instead sent a white European female to be his wife. Although initially highly thought of by his superiors, there is evidence indicative of increasing friction on both sides as to "ways and means" of converting native Africans to Christianity.

The Treatise. Capitein, in an argument which essentially pits him against Las Casas' much more voluminous treatise, holds that it is perfectly acceptable for Europeans to hold Africans and African-descended people as their slaves. He cites biblical and canonical sources for this argument. Doubtlessly, various persons would consider this to mean that he was a "traitor" to blacks suffering enslavement!

We should, however, note that Capitein excluded cruel treatment of slaves as not being acceptable by the Christian fathers and biblical testament. Further, he lived in a time where arguing that slavery was unacceptable would have led to him being considered an extremist and resulting in his opinion being dismissed out of hand; whereas arguing for moderate treatment of slaves based on religion would be more likely to be accepted. In addition, such a position meant that the masters of black slaves would be less likely to oppose the conversion and, subsequently, education of their slaves! Such Europeanization, as Ira Berlin has noted in MANY THOUSANDS GONE, generally leads to greater independence and opportunities for slaves - and somewhat less harsh treatment than occurred when slaves were "reAfricanized." As a whole, then, it seems that Capitein (or Asar, which may have been his original name or may have been derived from Afer, referring to an African), was far from "betraying" Africans and persons of African descent and was pursuing policies tending toward the amelioration of the conditions under which they labored.