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Slavery in John Chrysostom’s homilies on the Pauline epistles and Hebrews : a cultural-historical analysis

Thesis (DLitt)--University of Pretoria, 2012.

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Other Authors: Stander, Hennie (Hendrik Frederik), 1953-
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Published: University of Pretoria 2013
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access_status_str Open Access
author2 Stander, Hennie (Hendrik Frederik), 1953-
author_browse Stander, Hennie (Hendrik Frederik), 1953-
author_facet Stander, Hennie (Hendrik Frederik), 1953-
collection Thesis
dc_rights_str_mv © 2012 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria.
description Thesis (DLitt)--University of Pretoria, 2012.
format Thesis
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institution University of Pretoria (South Africa)
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:39:45.040Z
license_str Other — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository
publishDate 2013
publishDateRange 2013
publishDateSort 2013
publisher University of Pretoria
publisherStr University of Pretoria
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source_str UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository
spelling oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/25563 Slavery in John Chrysostom’s homilies on the Pauline epistles and Hebrews : a cultural-historical analysis Stander, Hennie (Hendrik Frederik), 1953- chrisldw@gmail.com De Wet, Chris Len Cultural-historical perspective Pauline epistles and hebrews Slavery Pierre bourdieu Michel foucault UCTD Thesis (DLitt)--University of Pretoria, 2012. The aim of this study is to examine John Chrysostom’s views on slavery, specifically in his homilies on the Pauline Epistles and Hebrews. Roman slaveholding is approached as a complex habitus, and Chrysostom’s negotiation with and reimagination of this habitus is examined. The method of enquiry used is a cultural-historical analysis, and the theories of Michel Foucault and Pierre Bourdieu are extensively utilized. Moreover, based on the work of Jennifer Glancy, slavery is approached as a corporeal discourse – one focused on the slave as a body. The discursive formation of the slave-body is further deconstructed into four related corporeal discourses – namely the domesticity, heteronomy, carcerality and commodification of the slavebody. The study commences by revisiting and re-reading Hellenistic, early Roman, Judaistic, and early Christian sources on slaveholding from a cultural-historical perspective in order to reconstruct the main discursivities of the habitus of Roman slaveholding. Then, the first question asked is how Chrysostom understands the domesticity of the slave-body. Based on his exegesis of the haustafeln, it is concluded that Chrysostom negotiates and reimagines the discourse in three ways: a) he proposes a shift from strategic to tactical slaveholding; b) he formulates his theology, especially hamartiology and eschatology, on the Stoic-Philonic metaphor of domestic slavery; and, c) he advises that domestic slaves be reformed by being taught Christian virtue and trades. Secondly, Chrysostom accepts the heteronomy of all bodies, and hence uses slavery as a basis for his ethics. The body is either ruled by God or sin/passions, and the problem of institutional slavery is downplayed. Thirdly, Chrysostom affirms that slaves should remain in their carceral state and stay obedient to their masters, while masters ought to treat slaves justly since they are also slaves of God. Finally, Chrysostom sees slaves as both economic and symbolic capital, and the shift to tactical slaveholding supports his more general vision of promoting a popular asceticism in the city. Chrysostom does not simply accept, ameliorate or reject slaveholding – we rather see sophisticated discourses of negotiation and reimagination of slaveholding to fit in with his wider programme of social and ascetic reform among Christian households. Ancient Languages unrestricted 2013-09-06T22:27:25Z 2013-06-27 2013-09-06T22:27:25Z 2013-04-03 2012 2013-06-15 Thesis De Wet, CL 2012, Slavery in John Chrysostom’s homilies on the Pauline epistles and Hebrews : a cultural-historical analysis, DLitt thesis, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, viewed yymmdd < http://hdl.handle.net/2263/25563 > D13/4/696/ag http://hdl.handle.net/2263/25563 http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-06152013-144852/ © 2012 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. application/pdf application/pdf application/pdf application/pdf application/pdf application/pdf application/pdf application/pdf application/pdf University of Pretoria
spellingShingle Cultural-historical perspective
Pauline epistles and hebrews
Slavery
Pierre bourdieu
Michel foucault
UCTD
Slavery in John Chrysostom’s homilies on the Pauline epistles and Hebrews : a cultural-historical analysis
title Slavery in John Chrysostom’s homilies on the Pauline epistles and Hebrews : a cultural-historical analysis
title_full Slavery in John Chrysostom’s homilies on the Pauline epistles and Hebrews : a cultural-historical analysis
title_fullStr Slavery in John Chrysostom’s homilies on the Pauline epistles and Hebrews : a cultural-historical analysis
title_full_unstemmed Slavery in John Chrysostom’s homilies on the Pauline epistles and Hebrews : a cultural-historical analysis
title_short Slavery in John Chrysostom’s homilies on the Pauline epistles and Hebrews : a cultural-historical analysis
title_sort slavery in john chrysostom s homilies on the pauline epistles and hebrews a cultural historical analysis
topic Cultural-historical perspective
Pauline epistles and hebrews
Slavery
Pierre bourdieu
Michel foucault
UCTD
url http://hdl.handle.net/2263/25563
http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-06152013-144852/