Ideas of Slavery from Aristotle to Augustine (W.B. Stanford Memorial Lectures) [Paperback]

Peter Garnsey (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0521574331 | ISBN-13: 978-0521574334 | Publication Date: November 13, 1996

This study, unique of its kind, asks how slavery was viewed by the leading spokesmen of Greece and Rome. There was no movement for abolition in these societies, or a vigorous debate, such as occurred in antebellum America, but this does not imply that slavery was accepted without question. This book draws on a wide range of sources, pagan, Jewish and Christian, over ten centuries, to challenge the common assumption of passive acquiescence in slavery, and the associated view that, Aristotle apart, there was no systematic thought on slavery. The work contains both a typology of attitudes to slavery ranging from critiques to justifications, and paired case studies of leading theorists of slavery, Aristotle and the Stoics, Philo and Paul, Ambrose and Augustine.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

This book uses historical primary sources to attempt to explain how slavery was viewed in ancient Greece and Rome. This is no mean task, because the Greek and Roman public conversations generally steered clear of the subject. The result is a typology of classical attitudes towards slavery, ranging from critique to justification, and a careful look at the views of Aristotle, the Stoics, Philo Judaeus and Paul, and Ambrose and Augustine.

Review

'This is a very professional book on a topic of perennial concern ... Bright sixth-formers would benefit from exposure to this book, which shows how much can be gained by tackling ancient history and philosophy together.' JACT Review

'Garnsey gives a fascinating discussion of the history of ideas about slavery, varying from the positive to the doubtful but rarely to the outrightly abolitionist. He also provides the key texts (in translation only), making the book remarkably useful since it gives easy access to some of the patristic passages not otherwise readily available in English.' Journal of Theological Studies

'This book is a fascinating and fundamental statement on its subject ... The evident passion of the work and material referenced in the bibliography and the notes ensure that it is a must not just for students and teachers of ancient social, philosophical and church history, but also for anyone interested in the underpinnings of modern slavery too.' Slavery & Abolition

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (November 13, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521574331
• ISBN-13: 978-0521574334
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #364,270 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very well done, February 9, 2004

By 

Michael J. Sopher "Soph" (Green, Ohio) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ideas of Slavery from Aristotle to Augustine (W.B. Stanford Memorial Lectures) (Hardcover)

This book is a revised and extended version of the W.B. Stamford Lectures given by Dr. Peter Garnsey at Trinity College Dublin in 1995. The author examines ancient Greece and Rome and categorizes his "ideas" of slavery into two large divisions: Attitudes to slavery, and Theories of slavery. The first part, dealing with "attitudes" to slavery, range from critique to justification of the subject. The second part examines the "theories" of Aristotle, the Stoics, Theologians Philo and Paul, Church Fathers Ambrose and Augustine, and others. The author draws his conclusion from these philosophers' own writings and therefore is commended on his excellent research.
The author finds that there was no major movement for abolition in these societies, unlike antebellum America, but one should not conclude that slavery was accepted all together. The problem with this analysis is that a majority of the Roman and Greek societies do not excuse or condemn the subjection of other human beings. In reality, any abolition to slavery was kept private or generally ignored.
Slavery is not an idea but rather a judgment that we are human beings and slaves are not. One can see that our own century has witnessed the terrible consequences of dehumanizing other human beings. An opportunity to compare ancient slavery to modern slavery is completely ignored by the author and for good reason, simply because it would have required an entire different section. In conclusion, the "why" is left for us to contemplate, yet one of Garnsey's achievements is that the thought behind or concerning this matter is so clearly revealed in this book.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well worth the money if you have the advanced knowledge, August 14, 2003

By 

TammyJo Eckhart "TammyJo Eckhart" (Bloomington, Indiana United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Ideas of Slavery from Aristotle to Augustine (W.B. Stanford Memorial Lectures) (Paperback)

If you are looking for an introduction to slavery in the ancient world, do not get this book. To fully understand and use this book, one must not only be knowledgeable of the ancient world but also have a pretty good grasp of the many authors Garnsey looks at. Instead of trying to make some grand generalization about slavery in the Greco-Roman world, this book tries to look at individuals and different "schools of thought" in the ancient world. The result is a nice journey through several ancient texts. However, Garnsey does have an agenda and an opinion: slavery is bad, and even ancients questioned it. The second is true, the first is debatable especially in the ancient world.