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 From
LIGHT FROM THE ANCIENT EAST, by Adolf Deissmann, P.320-f., we
have plucked scattered quotations re. an early social practice,
which helps us understand many scriptures. The book (Baker,
1965) may be hard to find.
“Inscriptions
at Delphi have been the principle means of enlightening us
concerning the nature and ritual of manumission with a religious
object in ancient times.... Among the various ways in which the
manumission of a slave could take place by ancient law we find
the solemn rite of fictitious purchase of the slave by some
divinity. The owner comes with the slave to the temple, sells
him there to the god, and receives the purchase money from the
temple treasury, the slave having previously, paid it in there
out of his savings. The slave is now the property of the god;
not, however, a slave of the temple, but a protégé of the god.
Against all the world, especially his former master, he is a
completely free man; at the utmost a few pious obligations to
his old master are imposed upon him.”
“An
inscription of 200-199 B.C. on the polygonal wall at Delphi may
serve as an example: ‘Date. Apollo the Pythian bought from
Sosibius of Amphissa, for freedom, a female slave, whose name is
Niçaea, by race a Roman, with a price of three minae of silver
and a half-mina. Former seller according to the law: Eumnastus
of Amphissa. The price he hath received. The purchase; however,
Nicaea hath committed unto Apollo, for freedom.’ —Names of
witnesses, etc.,follow.”
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St.
Paul is alluding to the custom referred to in these records when
he speaks of our being made free by Christ. By nature we are
slaves of sin, of men, of death; the Jew is furthermore a slave
of the law, the heathen a slave of his gods. We become free men
by the fact that Christ buys us. And He has done so: Ye we
bought with a price,” says St. Paul in two places, using the
very formula of the records, “with a price.” Again “For
freedom did Christ set us free, . .ye were called for freedom.”
— In these words of St. Paul we have literally the other
formula of the record.“
Numerous
manumissions, again, expressly forbid, sometimes under heavy
penalties, that the enfranchised shall ever “be made a slave”
again. We now see how wicked is the intention of those “who. .
. spy out our liberty, which we have in Christ Jesus that they
might bring us into bondage.” And we understand warnings like
this in the letters: “For freedom d Christ set us free: stand
fast therefore, and be not entangled again in yoke of bondage,”
and the still more moving exhortation: “Ye were bought’ with
a price, become not slaves of men.”
We
omitted scripture citations for want of space, but they are
familiar and easily found. Much “light” is cast upon
scriptures by better understanding customs and terminology of
the first century. The “historic setting” forms a part of
the context and should be remembered in interpreting current
articles as well those 2,000 years old.
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