- May 10, 2018
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You'll just have to be patient. Remember, "Patience is a virtue." Besides, I'm not attempting a "gotcha!" Such a gesture on my part is hardly forthcoming since I don't believe that either of our respective viewpoints reflects a fully unified position; so no one is going to 'win' here since no one has the final word and I don't expect anything in the way of a heavenly proliferation of "my truth" or for a form of anti-biblical nihilism to turn overly viral. These issues are always open to further exploration, investigation, analysis, and other considerations.
Anyway, here it is:
2Philovoid's Provisional Definition of “Biblical Slavery”
A social and economic arrangement of and by ancient Israelites during the first millennium B.C.E. in which servitude was instituted within Israelite society and legally imposed in binding fashion by advantaged Israelite persons upon other disadvantaged persons, the process of which usually involved either a voluntary contractual agreement with certain terms of limitation between a master and a potential servant/slave, or an involuntary imposition of indefinite servitude that may have come as an outcome of capture in warfare or as a penalty due to criminal activity.
...and I say this definition is a provisional one, at least as far as I can reconstruct it, especially since its total possible denotation, along with its accompanying connotations, are subject to the ongoing contextual flux of study through a broad spectrum of analytical triangulation using historical, sociological, anthropological, and/or legal data by which to make modern social and ethical evaluations of its ancient structures.
I also say that a definition of “biblical slavery” needs to be seen as a provisional one since its complete and immediate lived social context is partially lost to us in the past. It is also provisional because it will not do for us to only reduce its overall meaning down to a simple lexical, English definition. In reaching this tentative initial definition for “biblical slavery,” I've gathered and referenced the following multiple sources by which to make a fuller, more substantial initial inventory of the various social and legal dynamics that may be found within the full corpus of ancient Israelite legal/religious literature. Of course, more sources may be added for further triangulation and development of definition...
“The English language in the Dictionary.” 1988. Webster's ninth new collegiate dictionary. Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster Inc., Publishers.
Jewish Concepts: Slavery. (2018). In Jewish Virtual Library online. Retrieved from Slavery in Judaism
Davis, David Brion. (1984). Slavery and human progress. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Farber, Dr. Rabbi Zev. (n.d.). The law of the hebrew slave: Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy. Retrieved from The Law of the Hebrew Slave: Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy - TheTorah.com
Koller, Aaron. (n.d.). The law of the Hebrew Slave: Reading the Law Collections as complementary. Retrieved from The Law of the Hebrew Slave: Reading the Law Collections as Complementary - TheTorah.com
Patterson, Orlando. (1991). Freedom: Freedom in the making of Western culture, Vol. 1. New York, NY: Basic Books.
Slaves and slavery. (2011). In Jewish Encyclopedia. Retrieved from SLAVES AND SLAVERY - JewishEncyclopedia.com
Before we move forward, I have to ask you some basic questions (using my common sense). I'm certainly not trying to change the subject. However, prior to proceeding, it seems as though none of the above pertains to Non-Jews, (which is the largest part).
Why didn't Yahweh just state, 'don't own any humans as property'?
Furthermore, none of this seems to address Non-Jewish people? Which would mean non-Jews are to be property for life, and beaten just short of death (according to scripture).
If a Christian nation was to again invoke slavery into law, under a theocracy, please name a Biblical verse which would actually disallow slavery?
I hate to jump ahead... However, I'm trying to possibly save many email exchanges. Because none of your response appears to address the non-Jewish mentioned slaves?
Thanks
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