Bronze Age Celts were Great Enslavers of Germanic, Iberian and Other Celtic People
The Transformation of Torahic Slavery
A Peripheral Issue in Armstrongism
Dedicated to Anne
By Scout
My Quaker ancestors manumitted their slaves as a moral stand in the 1700s. I know the name of only one slave that my family owned and manumitted. Her name was Anne. Her last name was probably my last name. Later in American history, my Great-Great-Great Grandfather owned a farm in Indiana that operated as a waystation on the Underground Railroad. Abolition was a special interest of the Society of Friends. Herbert W. Armstrong also came from a Quaker background and condemned both slavery and the Civil War but, based on a short search of Armstrongist literature, did not seem to write about the theological import of slavery with respect to the Torah. Slavery, as it is described in the Torah, is a model of how some laws were not set aside by the New Testament but were transformed. The management of the Israelite institution of slavery is detailed in the Old Testament but slavery also continues as a transformed Christian concept in the New Testament. The line of reasoning begins with the Torah.
Torahic Slavery in the Old Testament
Slavery was common in the Bronze Age world. For instance, it was not only an institution among the Northwest Semitic peoples, it was common in the British Isles. The Celts were great slavers. They enslaved Germanic, Iberian, and other Celtic people. Slavery had deep roots in the social and economic structures of these societies. Slavery is not just a phenomenon that affects African-Americans. All of us are descended from slave owners or the enslaved – probably both. Mark Twain stated, “The skin of every human being contains a slave." So, due to its wide social scope, it is not surprising that the Torah, as the national constitution of the ancient Israelite state, would have something to say about slavery.
The surprising issue is that slavery is not condemned in the Old Testament, whether the chattel sort forced on Gentiles by Israelites or the indentured type forced on Israelites by Israelites. Slavery is instead regulated in the Old Testament. If you think that the Israelite form of slavery was a kinder, gentler form of slavery, like some apologists have maintained, look at this case:
“When a slaveowner strikes a male or female slave with a rod and the slave dies immediately, the owner shall be punished. But if the slave survives a day or two, there is no punishment, for the slave is the owner’s property (Exodus 21).
This does not specify whether the slave is Gentile or Hebrew. Nor is it limited by gender. Nor is it related to the severity of what caused the slave to be beaten. So, if your elderly female cook burns the supper, you can beat her nearly to death, and if she lives to the next day, nobody can punish you. Your whole punishment is the loss of her services. If you maintain that Israelite slave owners would not do such a disgusting thing, understand that this would be because of their own personal morality, not because they were afraid of the Torah, which is permissive in this situation. The law supports a specific view of human dignity.
Armstrongists believe that the Torah is written on their hearts. This would include the laws concerning the regulation of slavery. These laws do not belong to the category of things that are no longer to be followed, such as the ceremonies and rituals. Armstrongists frequently deny parts of the Torah that they don’t want to obey by saying that the particular law is either a “ceremony” or a “ritual.” And this is generally unchallengeable because Armstrongists have never done a systematic study of the Torah and its applicability. In a sense, the laws, because they exist, advocate the institution of slavery and a certain view of humanity. If one believes that the Torah is written on the heart, the slavery laws will be included. But does the New Testament see slavery from the same perspective?
Transformed Slavery in the New Testament
Certain laws in the Torah exist in a transformed, spiritual version in the New Testament Law of Christ. This includes circumcision, the Sabbath, the sacrifices, and slavery. Technically speaking, they did not go away. They were instead subsumed in Christ. Their physical implementations are set aside as covenantal requirements, but their spiritual content persists in Christ.
So, we find that slavery exists in the New Testament, but it is spiritual rather than physical. Paul stated the following principle in 1 Corinthians 7:22:
“For whoever was called in the Lord as a slave (Greek, doulos) is a freed person belonging to the Lord, just as whoever was free when called is a slave (doulos) belonging to Christ.”
Jesus himself is our model as a slave. In Philippians 2:7, we have the great Kenosis:
“But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant (doulos), and was made in the likeness of men.”
Jesus elected to come to us in a diminished state as a slave. And all Christians are slaves to Jesus Christ. Paul, James, Peter, Jude, and John of Patmos all describe themselves as doulos. This category of spiritual slavery does not diminish human dignity as purely Torahic slavery did. It is offset by the fact that Christians are also God’s children. So, the concept of slavery is up close and personal for all of us. Very likely, our ancestral lineages going way back included slaves. And for those who walk in The Way, they are slaves of Christ.
Slavery and the Personality of Armstrongism
A common sermon preached from the pulpits of the Confederacy was that African-Americans were descendants of Canaan and their being held in slavery was justified. This argument was referred to as the Biblical “Curse of Ham.” The Worldwide Church of God (WCG) was the only modern church that I know of that held to a very similar view. The same argument was made, but the conclusion was left unstated. If there had been a stated conclusion in the WCG, I conjecture it would not have been that slavery was justified but, rather, explainable. I never heard an official of the WCG say that slavery was justified from the pulpit.
(Note: Genetic analysis indicates that Black Africans are not Canaanites. They are y chromosome haplogroup E. The modern-day Canaanites are the Lebanese. They are y chromosome haplogroup J like many other peoples in the Middle East. The Lebanese are very closely related to the Jews. Herman Hoeh’s historical studies on this topic were clearly in error. Hoeh did not have the science of genetics to aid him.)
But the pews formed a kind of notional understanding to fill the void. I had a deacon explain to me at the Feast of Tabernacles in Big Sandy back in the Seventies why African- Americans and Whites sat in separate sections. He stated, “God’s church believes in segregation.” I remember an article by Herman Hoeh in which he explained that people of different races should not socialize outside of church services. If you search around in online Armstrongist archives, you won’t find much about the topic of slavery and its aftermath. We are left with anecdotes for the most part. These anecdotes form the personality of the WCG.
Organizations have personalities. And this is separate from their charters or other formal documents. What the loyal organizational members write about the organization and what the organization’s personality actually is, may be two different things. How the organization formally presents itself is found in carefully authored and redacted documents. What it really is, is typically found in anecdote. The WCG projected, in my experience, a White Supremacist personality. And this personality attracted a certain kind of membership. I don’t know if this appeal was inadvertent or strategic.
Conclusion
Slavery was not condemned in the Old Testament and was carried over into the New Testament in a different form. This continuity has meaning. The New Covenant is a covenant of better promises. One place where this is clearly evident is in the case of the persisting but transformed institution of slavery. The physical slavery of the Torah has given way to the spiritual slavery, an attitude of commitment and dedication, of the New Testament. Slavery is now a spiritual concept that pertains to everyone who walks in The Way. Christians are slaves to God and Christ.
8 comments:
Actually, a modern equivalent of Israelite on Israelite slavery might go a long way in resolving the homeless problem! It wouldn't work too well on addicts, predators, or those with mental illnesses, but it could be effective with the "Will work for food" set.
Actually, probably not a good idea in any case. It would be an example of the camel's nose under the tent flap! Slavery is not something humans can be trusted with.
Thank you Scout for this fine write up. I recently watched a programme on Sky TV about the colonial powers in Southern Africa. Shocking inhumanity shown to the native population by the ‘civilised’ European settlers. Some of the photos of the native peoples in chains was heartbreaking to watch as they were put into ‘service’ for the ‘greater good’. Slavery still exists in places in Africa, Mauritania for example, although outlawed just recently, and in the Arab/Muslim world like Saudi Arabia, although hidden from sight to Western eyes at large. Not a good look for them. My own family and many others experienced it at the hands of the Nazis. The gospel, the New Testament put pay to this heinous practice. He came to set us free, for His yoke is easy and burden is light. Cheers.
Great post Scout (as usual). Years ago I chatted with a few people in a particular splinter group about this topic and they sounded like they were trying to justify American slavery (as they would refer to other slavery in history). In ancient times there were three major times when you could be a slave. 1st, you owed a debt, and you had to repay it. 2nd: you were a prisoner of war, and 3rd you were a criminal and then you had to be a slave for a certain time (and perhaps there wasn’t a jail or prison). Most slaves served up to 7 years and then were let free. However the chattel slavery was something totally different as black people in America had an ethnogenesis.
Years ago, I also remember a minister came down from the south and his whole sermon was justifying slavery in America and how it wasn’t that bad and how we white people are Israelites and are also spiritual Israelites, and he made a point to the black people in the audience that they were spiritual Israelites but not physical Israelites. It was kind of sad. This was the LCG, so I wasn’t surprised.
The solution can be found in the new testament. Love thy neighbor as thyself. And try as we can to forgive each other.
Anonymous 3:38 wrote, "My own family and many others experienced it at the hands of the Nazis."
Thank you. Slavery comes in many forms. One of my German language teachers in college learned German the hard way. He was Russian and was incarcerated in a German labor camp during WW2. He survived and he spoke German very well.
Scout
I can see where there would be a subtle compulsion for Armstrongite ministers to justify slavery. Their God-damned (literally!) religion made totally justifiable slaves of us all, Thing is, we were supposed to be God and Jesus' slaves, not Mr. Armstrong's, the church's and our local minister's. It must have been especially difficult for our African-American brethren, because it would have been like being Black twice! Because of my WCG experience, I always felt a special bond with Black people. I suppose that was the only good thing to come of it.
Yes 4:41
This reminds me of Herman Hoeh's sermon during the Feast in South Africa where he started with the Question: "Why do WE Gentiles keep the Feast?"......joking about his German ancestry....
Nck
Yea it was difficult for everybody (in the end), but as you said more difficult for african americans. But like you said we all were slaves in that system, paying all the tithes and offerings (and 3rd tithe), that's slavery. Then in the end, Worldwide implodes. All that money. The "black twice" is an interesting view because Armstrongisms view of conquering the land of America with the thirteen colonies came with symbolizing the natives and blacks as canaanites (again filtering "christianity" through the OT). So yea there were layers of it. But we have to forgive and move on.
Anonymous 10:04 wrote, "Because of my WCG experience, I always felt a special bond with Black people."
I resonate with your statement. I learned what it was like to be a third or fourth class person (or maybe lower) at Ambassador College Big Sandy.
Scout
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