Slavery in the Pauline epistle to Philemon: Theological, social, and economic implications for Nigerian context
The point of departure for this study is the slave identity of Onesimus and the inter-relationship of Paul and Onesimus, Philemon and Onesimus, Paul and Philemon in the Pauline epistle to Philemon with the aim of comparing the resurgence of contemporary slavery in the Nigerian context. The study ad...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
University
2021
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| In: |
Ilorin journal of religious studies
Year: 2021, Volume: 11, Issue: 2, Pages: 13-28 |
| Further subjects: | B
Slavery
B Pauline B and Africa B Onesimus B Philemon B Freedom |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (kostenfrei) |
| Summary: | The point of departure for this study is the slave identity of Onesimus and the inter-relationship of Paul and Onesimus, Philemon and Onesimus, Paul and Philemon in the Pauline epistle to Philemon with the aim of comparing the resurgence of contemporary slavery in the Nigerian context. The study adopts semiotic analysis intending to proffer a solution to the puzzle of Onesimus' identity. Slavery was an acknowledged part of the world in which the biblical authors lived. It was a dynamic part of the empires in the ancient Near East, the Greco-Roman and the Mediterranean world. The Hebrew Bible contains laws regulating slavery and even uses it as a metaphor to describe God's relationship with Israel. The New Testament, engrained in the Greco-Roman world, accepts the fact of slavery. But as psychology transforms, abolitionism became an inspiring force, Biblicists were challenged to reconsider the Bible in the light of the novel worldview. It is problematic that the Bible was used both to support and condemn slavery. The study reveals that Nigeria has also become a transit corridor through which modern slavery thrives highest in Africa. Modern slavery is occurring through poverty, unemployment, hunger and ignorance. One has to reassess how slavery is studied. The paper in conclusion recommends equality of humanity in God's sight irrespective of skin colour, language, tribe, or religion. In general, slavery is viewed through negative eyes for the fact that slaves are not treated as human beings, but as animals or inanimate things in the first century C.E.. |
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| ISSN: | 2141-7040 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: University (Ilorin). Department of Religions, Ilorin journal of religious studies
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