Slavery in Early Christianity [Paperback]

Jennifer A. Glancy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2006

This is the first paperback edition of the enlightening Oxford University hardcover published in 2002. Glancy here situates early Christian slavery in its broader cultural setting, arguing that modern scholars have consistently underestimated the pervasive impact of slavery on the institutional structures, ideologies, and practices of the early churches - and upon the bodies of the enslaved. Her careful attention to the bodily experience of subjection and violation that constituted slavery makes this an indispensable book for anyone interested in slavery in early Christianity. Includes special chapters on Jesus and Paul.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A wide-ranging and authoritative investigation of early Christian responses to slavery in antiquity. Glancy's research is characterised by thorough attention to the documentary and literary evidence and demonstrates a keen ability to challenge well-established positions. An essential addition to any research library with a focus on ancient history, early Christianity, or theology." --International Journal of the Classical Tradition

"Glancy has given us an energetic reappraisal of the issues, provocative in the best sense even when one does not agree with her conclusions. Engaging with scholarship from the recent past, she challenged me to rethink my conclusions and assumptions."-- Journal of Early Christian Studies

"a fresh and convincing monograph on slavery in early Christianity Her new approach will mandate a significant rewriting of how slaves and slaveholders were addressed in canonical and extra-canonical sources of the early Christian communities. Glancy has made a major and definitive contribution that scholars of early Christianity should not ignore."--Anglican Theological Review

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

About the Author

Jennifer A Glancy is Joseph C George Professor of Religious Studies at Le Moyne College, New York, USA. The Chair of the Bible and Cultural Studies section of the Society of Biblical Literature, she has written numerous articles on issues of gender and culture in early Jewish and Christian writings, and coauthored Introduction to the Study of Religion (Orbis, 1998).

Product Details

• Paperback: 216 pages
• Publisher: FORTRESS PRESS; 1 edition (October 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0800637895
• ISBN-13: 978-0800637897
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.5 x 8.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #827,207 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A welcome addition to both university library and private religious studies collections. December 8, 2006

By Midwest Book Review

Format:Paperback

Jennifer A. Glancy (Professor of Religious Studies, LeMoyne College) presents Slavery in Early Christianity, a highly scholarly examination of the prevalence of slaves and slaveholders among early Christians, particularly in the Roman Empire. Chapters scrutinize how the social histories of emerging Christian churches had their rhetoric affected by the influence of slavery, the life experiences of slaves and what it meant to be a slave in the first Christian centuries. Of particular interest is the figure of the slave in the sayings of Jesus Christ, an aspect examined at length in historical and social as well as a religious context. A welcome addition to both university library and private religious studies collections.

16 of 24 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Try looking at the texts with fresh eyes August 6, 2003

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

Ms Glancy looks at the first century through the eyes of the twentieth and these opening years of the 21st, and is so deeply is so deeply involved with the discussions between Foucaultian and anti-Foucaultian feminists that she can hardly see the old first century texts at all.

This is a pity, because she has good instincts, and now and then they break through the inter-academic jockeying.

10 of 17 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A noteworthy contribution, superbly written, well researched April 10, 2002

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

Dr. Glancy has filled a void in the realm of Classical/religious studies in addressing the issue of slavery in the ancient Christian world. It is a readable, superbly researched text. Every college and university library should have this volume in the collection.