To make a special class of social evil may be rather arbitrary; nevertheless, we make the distinction for the purpose of this study.

Slavery is an example of societal evil. It was never the ideal will of God that one human being should “own” another. Regardless, slavery was a part of the fabric of the antique world, and the Old Testament sought to regulate it and minimize its harshness.

The Hebrews acquired slaves in two ways. First, they frequently made
war-captives their slaves. Second, since property was a family inheritance and could not be sold, a poor Hebrew needing finances would sometimes sell himself into servitude.

It must be observed, however, that the treatment of servants, as regulated by the Old Testament, was far superior to the antebellum slavery of southern America. Slaves, under the Mosaic law, had civil, domestic, and religious rights. If a man killed his slave, he could lose his life; if he maimed a servant, the bonded one was to be set free. Slaves were frequently treated as family members, afforded certain liberties, and even shared in the religious life of the Jewish community. A Hebrew slave who had indentured himself was to be released after six years of service (see Tenney, pp. 453ff.).

The slavery of the first century Roman world was quite a different matter. It was extremely barbarous. It has been estimated that there were some 60 million slaves in the Roman Empire; they were considered a constant threat to governmental authorities. In Rome’s view, a slave was not a person, but a thing. He could be beaten, branded, or crucified.

Many have wondered why the New Testament writers did not boldly condemn this horrible institution. In the first place, it was not the essence of the Christian religion to precipitate a violent revolution — and that is what would have happened if the cry, “Emancipation!” had gone forth.

Rather, it was in the nature of the teaching of Jesus to provide a leavening influence that would enter the hearts of humanity and initiate a disposition of equality respecting human rights, which, in time, would reveal the evil of human bondage. The “Golden Rule” (Matthew 7:12) strikes at the very heart of this matter. William Barclay’s discussion of slavery, in the introduction to his commentary on the book of Philemon, is a masterpiece in addressing this theme.