In my American history class we were asked to write a blog post with a partner about whether or not slavery was accepted or condemned in the bible. Below you can read the research that states where the bible argues for and against slavery. Two points of view in the same fascinating book.
Slavery is either permitted or tolerated in many passages throughout the Bible. It is no secret that most, if not every society throughout history, has accepted slavery at some point in its timeline. For centuries, slavery was viewed as the most efficient form of cheap labor that gave slave owners both money and control.
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Even in the bible, the use of slavery is permitted in various passages. In the Old Testament, Leviticus 25:44-46 allows Israelite's to acquire slaves from surrounding nations. Deuteronomy 15 also discusses releasing Hebrew servants after a certain period of service. Pro-slavery thinkers argued that God regulated slavery instead of outright denouncing it, meaning it could not have been sinful. These verses and passages don’t specifically outlaw slavery, but instead detail regulations for owning slaves.
Other verses, however, flat out accept the practice. In the New Testament, verses such as Ephesians 6:5 and 1 Peter 2:18 explicitly instruct slaves to obey their masters. It is argued that if slaves were directly addressed and instructed to obey their masters, then slavery must have been acceptable within Christianity.
Slavery has existed in nearly every society throughout history, and religious traditions have often been used to justify it. Yet a closer reading of the Bible reveals passages in both testaments that speak directly against the practice.
In Exodus 21:16, the law states plainly: "Anyone who kidnaps a person and sells them, or is caught holding them, must be put to death." Kidnapping and selling a person is treated not as a regulated practice, but as a capital crime. Deuteronomy 23:15–16 addresses a person who has escaped bondage, instructing: "You shall not give up to his master a slave who has escaped from his master to you." The escapee "shall dwell with you, in your midst... wherever it suits him. You shall not wrong him" protection rather than a mandate to return them to captivity. In the New Testament, 1 Timothy 1:8–10 affirms that "the law is good if one uses it properly," then lists those the law exists for: lawbreakers, murderers, and others acting contrary to sound doctrine among them, "slave traders." The book of Philemon has often been read as pointing toward a broader shift, away from ownership and toward brotherhood. Together, these passages form a pattern, not an exception: a consistent stance against slavery within the biblical record.
The Bible is a fascinating book written over a long period of time by 40 different people and yet has a singular train of thought. Although this is the case as seen here slavery is often a topic of discussion and conviction. This just goes to show how polarizing the issue of slavery is.
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