Gender relations and slavery at the time of Jesus?

[Jon Miller]

Originally posted by Traianvs


Supposed, but in reality there wasn't much regularity there. I've read an article on it some years ago, and iirc it just depended on the political situation, and it didn't happen that frequently in the end...

Right, people not following the Word of God. Prophets took Israel to task on this many times.

JM

[beingofone]

1) Women and their rights:

It was said also, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement:
but I say unto you, that every one that putteth away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, maketh her an adulteress: and whosoever shall marry her when she is put away committeth adultery.

-- Jesus, Matthew 5:31 - 32

For the time, Jesus was an active feminist supporter. Under the interpretation of Jewish law a man could divorce his wife for any reason whatsoever. A woman could not, under any circumstances, divorce her husband.

Women had been reduced to property. Jesus brought them up in equality and pointed out that they were human beings.

2) Slavery:

And they came to Capernaum: and when he was in the house he asked them, What were ye reasoning on the way?

But they held their peace: for they had disputed one with another on the way, who was the greatest.

And he sat down, and called the twelve; and he saith unto them, If any man would be first, he shall be last of all, and servant of all.

And he took a little child, and set him in the midst of them: and taking him in his arms, he said unto them,
Whosoever shall receive one of such little children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever receiveth me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me.

-- Mark 9: 33 - 37

And Jesus called them to him, and saith unto them, Ye know that they who are accounted to rule over the Gentiles lord it over them; and their great ones exercise authority over them.

But it is not so among you: but whosoever would become great among you, shall be your minister;

and whosoever would be first among you, shall be servant/slave of all.

For the Son of man also came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

-- Mark 10: 42 - 45

Jesus was proslavery. In fact; it is a requirement for being a follower of his teachings. One who is truly a Christian is the slave of all others.

Jesus said the highest attainment in life was to be a slave of all others.

Buddha said the most noble calling was to be a beggar.

I wonder how slave and beggar look on a resume?

[Straybow]

Re: Gender relations and slavery at the time of Jesus?

Originally posted by johncmcleod
And the gender relations and slavery thing are just part of the bigger question I'm getting at: was the society at this time unjust? Because if it was, than Jesus said nothing (at least in Matthew he didn't) about changing this unjust society, which would prove my point-Jesus was a spiritual teacher trying to help us get close to God, not a social leader who was trying to change and get us to change an unjust society.

Jesus' mission was not to reform society, it was to redeem man from sin. Yes, the redeemed should strive to change society as a whole to be more like the community Jesus' words characterized. But that is a side-effect of changing the elect.