Slavery in the Early Church

10.1093/oso/9780190073268.003.0008 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 240-258

Author(s):

Mary E. Sommar

Keyword(s):

Twentieth Century ◽

Church History ◽

Historical Background ◽

General Reader ◽

History Of ◽

Specialist Knowledge ◽

Church Law ◽

The Church ◽

Historical Periods ◽

This is the story of how the church sought to establish norms for slave ownership on the part of ecclesiastical institutions and personnel and for others’ behavior toward such slaves. Chronicles, letters, and other documents from each of the various historical periods, along with an analysis of the various policies and statutes, provide insight into the situations of these unfree ecclesiastical dependents. Although this book is a serious scholarly monograph about the history of church law, it has been written in such a way that no specialist knowledge is required of the reader, whether a scholar in another field or a general reader interested in church history or the history of slavery. Historical background is provided, and there is a short Latin lexicon. This chapter summarizes the conclusions drawn in earlier chapters and provides a brief overview of the question of ecclesiastical servitude up to the twentieth century.

Carolingians and Ecclesiastical Servitude

10.1093/oso/9780190073268.003.0006 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 154-189

Author(s):

Mary E. Sommar

Keyword(s):

Church History ◽

Historical Background ◽

British Isles ◽

General Reader ◽

History Of ◽

Specialist Knowledge ◽

Church Law ◽

The Church ◽

Historical Periods ◽

This is the story of how the church sought to establish norms for slave ownership on the part of ecclesiastical institutions and personnel and for others’ behavior toward such slaves. Chronicles, letters, and other documents from each of the various historical periods, along with an analysis of the various policies and statutes, provide insight into the situations of these unfree ecclesiastical dependents. Although this book is a serious scholarly monograph about the history of church law, it has been written in such a way that no specialist knowledge is required of the reader, whether a scholar in another field or a general reader interested in church history or the history of slavery. Historical background is provided, and there is a short Latin lexicon. This chapter discusses slavery in the Carolingian Empire (c. 750–900) and includes an overview of slavery in the British Isles in the first Christian millennium.

Introduction

10.1093/oso/9780190073268.003.0001 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-11

Author(s):

Mary E. Sommar

Keyword(s):

Church History ◽

Historical Background ◽

Methodological Issues ◽

General Reader ◽

History Of ◽

Specialist Knowledge ◽

Church Law ◽

The Church ◽

Historical Periods ◽

This is the story of how the church sought to establish norms for slave ownership on the part of ecclesiastical institutions and personnel and for others’ behavior toward such slaves. Chronicles, letters, and other documents from each of the various historical periods, along with an analysis of the various policies and statutes, provide insight into the situations of these unfree ecclesiastical dependents. Although this book is a serious scholarly monograph about the history of church law, it has been written in such a way that no specialist knowledge is required of the reader, whether a scholar in another field or a general reader interested in church history or the history of slavery. Historical background is provided, and there is a short Latin lexicon. This chapter introduces the question and considers some methodological issues.

Slavery in the Imperial Church

10.1093/oso/9780190073268.003.0004 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 64-106

Author(s):

Mary E. Sommar

Keyword(s):

Church History ◽

Fifth Century ◽

Historical Background ◽

General Reader ◽

History Of ◽

Specialist Knowledge ◽

Church Law ◽

The Church ◽

Historical Periods ◽

This is the story of how the church sought to establish norms for slave ownership on the part of ecclesiastical institutions and personnel and for others’ behavior toward such slaves. Chronicles, letters, and other documents from each of the various historical periods, along with an analysis of the various policies and statutes, provide insight into the situations of these unfree ecclesiastical dependents. Although this book is a serious scholarly monograph about the history of church law, it has been written in such a way that no specialist knowledge is required of the reader, whether a scholar in another field or a general reader interested in church history or the history of slavery. Historical background is provided, and there is a short Latin lexicon. This chapter discusses slavery in the church from Constantine to the end of the fifth century.

Ecclesiastical Slavery in the Germanic Kingdoms

10.1093/oso/9780190073268.003.0005 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 107-153

Author(s):

Mary E. Sommar

Keyword(s):

Church History ◽

Eighth Century ◽

Historical Background ◽

General Reader ◽

History Of ◽

Specialist Knowledge ◽

Church Law ◽

The Church ◽

Historical Periods ◽

This is the story of how the church sought to establish norms for slave ownership on the part of ecclesiastical institutions and personnel and for others’ behavior toward such slaves. Chronicles, letters, and other documents from each of the various historical periods, along with an analysis of the various policies and statutes, provide insight into the situations of these unfree ecclesiastical dependents. Although this book is a serious scholarly monograph about the history of church law, it has been written in such a way that no specialist knowledge is required of the reader, whether a scholar in another field or a general reader interested in church history or the history of slavery. Historical background is provided, and there is a short Latin lexicon. This chapter discusses slavery in the kingdoms of the Visigoths, the Franks, the Lombards, and other Germanic peoples from about 500 CE to the eighth century.

The Classical Canon Law

10.1093/oso/9780190073268.003.0007 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 190-239

Author(s):

Mary E. Sommar

Keyword(s):

Canon Law ◽

Church History ◽

Historical Background ◽

Depth Analysis ◽

History Of ◽

Specialist Knowledge ◽

Church Law ◽

The Church ◽

Historical Periods ◽

This is the story of how the church sought to establish norms for slave ownership on the part of ecclesiastical institutions and personnel and for others’ behavior toward such slaves. Chronicles, letters, and other documents from each of the various historical periods, along with an analysis of the various policies and statutes, provide insight into the situations of these unfree ecclesiastical dependents. Although this book is a serious scholarly monograph about the history of church law, it has been written in such a way that no specialist knowledge is required of the reader, whether a scholar in another field or a general reader interested in church history or the history of slavery. Historical background is provided, and there is a short Latin lexicon. This chapter discusses ecclesiastical slavery in the eleventh through thirteenth centuries and provides an in-depth analysis of the official canon law relevant to the question of ecclesiastical servitude.

The New Testament and Slavery

10.1093/oso/9780190073268.003.0002 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 12-37

Author(s):

Mary E. Sommar

Keyword(s):

New Testament ◽

Church History ◽

Historical Background ◽

The New Testament ◽

History Of ◽

Specialist Knowledge ◽

Church Law ◽

The Church ◽

Historical Periods ◽

This is the story of how the church sought to establish norms for slave ownership on the part of ecclesiastical institutions and personnel and for others’ behavior toward such slaves. Chronicles, letters, and other documents from each of the various historical periods, along with an analysis of the various policies and statutes, provide insight into the situations of these unfree ecclesiastical dependents. Although this book is a serious scholarly monograph about the history of church law, it has been written in such a way that no specialist knowledge is required of the reader, whether a scholar in another field or a general reader interested in church history or the history of slavery. Historical background is provided, and there is a short Latin lexicon. This chapter provides an overview of ancient Roman and Hebrew slavery and discusses slavery as it is mentioned in the New Testament.

The Slaves of the Churches

10.1093/oso/9780190073268.001.0001 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Mary E. Sommar

Keyword(s):

Roman Empire ◽

Thirteenth Century ◽

Canon Law ◽

Church History ◽

Historical Background ◽

The New Testament ◽

History Of ◽

Specialist Knowledge ◽

Church Law ◽

The Church

This is the story of how the church sought to establish norms for slave ownership on the part of ecclesiastical institutions and personnel and for others’ behavior toward such slaves. The story begins in the New Testament era, when the earliest Christian norms were established, and continues through the late Roman Empire, the Germanic kingdoms, and the Carolingian Empire, to the thirteenth-century establishment of a body of ecclesiastical regulations (canon law) that would persist into the twentieth century. Chronicles, letters, and other documents from each of the various historical periods, along with an analysis of the various policies and statutes, provide insight into the situations of these unfree ecclesiastical dependents. The book stops in the thirteenth century, which was a time of great changes, not only in the history of the legal profession, but also in the history of slavery as Europeans began to reach out into the Atlantic. Although this book is a serious scholarly monograph about the history of church law, it has been written in such a way that no specialist knowledge is required of the reader, whether a scholar in another field or a general reader interested in church history or the history of slavery. Historical background is provided, and there is a short Latin lexicon.

Migration history in South Africa as a lens for interpreting God’s mission: Towards a challenge for churches to embrace migrants

Verbum et Ecclesia ◽

10.4102/ve.v40i1.1887 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 40 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Christopher Magezi

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Slave Trade ◽

Forced Migration ◽

Church History ◽

Early Church ◽

The Earth ◽

Migration History ◽

God's Mission ◽

History Of ◽

The Church

This article challenges the church to embrace migrants by presenting migration history in South Africa during the era of European explorers as a lens for interpreting God’s mission. In avowing the aforementioned, it argues for migration history of the European explorers to South Africa as the way God has used in establishing the church in South Africa. However, in view of the subsequent colonialism and slave trade in South Africa that emerged from the period of European explorers, this article recognises the conception of slave trade and colonialism during the era of European explorers as an evil act. Notably, in bringing Joseph’s forced migration to Egypt as a theological lens to interpret some sinful acts that were embedded in the migration of European explorers to South Africa that also resulted in the establishment of the early church in South Africa, it contends that God’s purpose and plans are not frustrated or thwarted by human sin. God, in his grace and love to reach his remnant people with the gospel, utilises various migrations of European explorers to South Africa (regardless of how sinful they are) to advance his kingdom to South Africa. The notion of migration history in South Africa as a lens for interpreting God’s mission is utilised to challenge the churches to embrace migrants because God uses migration or migrants to advance his kingdom to all the earth. The article concludes by calling the church to embrace all migrants because humankind are usually unacquainted with the particular migrants that God is utilising to advance his kingdom.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: This article outlines theological research agenda for migration history in South Africa as a lens to interpret God’s mission. It considers migration history in South Africa during the era of European explorers as a tool that God used to advance his kingdom. As such, it is a theological interdisciplinary article integrating church history and mission. The contribution of this article lies in establishing the emergence of the early church in South Africa as a result of migration, which it utilises as a challenge for churches to embrace migrants.

Using the Past against the Papacy: Luther’s appeal to Church History in his Anti-Papal Writings

Studies in Church History ◽

10.1017/s0424208400002084 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 49 ◽

pp. 132-143

Author(s):

Charlotte Methuen

Keyword(s):

Catholic Church ◽

Martin Luther ◽

Church History ◽

Early Church ◽

The Past ◽

Church Life ◽

History Of ◽

The Church

It is well known that Martin Luther found ultimate authority sola scriptura. The evangelical endeavour which he initiated and exemplified focused on the return to the gospel and the rediscovery of a church modelled according to scriptural lines. For the Reformers, the truly catholic church was that church which adhered most closely to the church established by Scripture. The early church, being chronologically closest to that established in Scripture, was more authentic, not yet affected by innovation. But how were the details of that church to be discovered? Scripture was not always informative on practical questions of church life and ecclesiastical order, and for these an appeal to church history was necessary. Drawing particularly on Scott Hendrix’s study of Luther’s attitude towards the papacy, and the studies by John Headley and others of Luther’s view of, and appeal to, church history, this essay explores the ways in which Luther used his knowledge of church history to define and support his developing critique of the papacy. It focuses on his early writings to 1521, but will also consider the later work Von den Consiliis und Kirchen (1539), a testimony to Luther’s growing interest in the history of the church.