Paul's Declaration of Freedom from a Freed Slave's Perspective - Biblical Interpretation by Robin G Thompson Hardcover

About the Book

This project proposes that first-century freedpersons, with their circumscribed freedom, would have likely understood that the freedom spoken of in Gal 5:1 entailed not only spiritual freedom, but-at least in the Christian communities-individual freedom as well.

Book Synopsis

This project attempts to listen to voices that have seldom been heard. While others have explored Paul's theology of Christian freedom, they have not considered how Paul's declaration of freedom would have been received by those who most desired and valued freedom: the slaves and freedpersons in the Galatian churches.

In this study, Robin Thompson explores both Greek and Roman manumission, considers how the ancient Mediterranean world conceived of freedom, and then examines the freedom declared in Galatians from a freed slaves's perspective. She proposes that these freedpersons would likely have perceived this freedom to be not only spiritual freedom, but--at least in the Christian communities--individual freedom as well.