Preaching Bondage: John Chrysostom and the Discourse of Slavery in Early Christianity

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Chris L. de Wet

Preaching Bondage

John Chrysostom and the Discourse of Slavery in Early Christianity

Chris L. de Wet

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English

University of California Press
13 May 2025

Slavery & abolition of slavery; The Early Church

Preaching Bondage introduces and investigates the novel concept of doulology, the discourse of slavery, in the homilies of John Chrysostom, the late fourth-century priest and bishop. Chris L. de Wet examines the dynamics of enslavement in Chrysostom's theology, virtue ethics, and biblical interpretation and shows that human bondage as a metaphorical and theological construct had a profound effect on the lives of institutional slaves. The highly corporeal and gendered discourse associated with slavery was necessarily central in Chrysostom's discussions of the household, property, education, discipline, and sexuality. De Wet explores the impact of doulology in these contexts and disseminates the results in a new and highly anticipated language, bringing to light the more pervasive fissures between ancient Roman slaveholding and early Christianity. The corpus of Chrysostom's public addresses provides much of the literary evidence for slavery in the fourth century, and De Wet's convincing analysis is a groundbreaking contribution to studies of the social world in late antiquity.

By: Chris L. de Wet
Imprint: University of California Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm, Spine: 20mm
Weight: 454g
ISBN: 9780520418370
ISBN 10: 0520418379
Pages: 332
Publication Date: 13 May 2025
Audience: College/higher education , Further / Higher Education
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Chris L. de Wet is Associate Professor of New Testament and Early Christian Studies at the University of South Africa.

Reviews for Preaching Bondage: John Chrysostom and the Discourse of Slavery in Early Christianity

""De Wet’s study is an essential contribution to understanding slavery in antiquity."" * Journal of Global Slavery * ""Offers a major contribution to the history of ideas in western thought, delineating how a core set of ideas, transformed through a Christian lens, led to the passive acceptance of the (gendered) oppression of other human beings.... This is a book to be read by scholars across a wide range of interests and disciplines."" * Acta Classica * ""Highly refreshing and a great contribution to the study of Chrysostom."" * Relegere * ""de Wet’s outstanding monograph is a major contribution to the cultural history of late antiquity."" * Journal of Early Christian Studies * ""Comprehensive, reliable and informative...I predict it will become a reference or even a compulsory reading material for early Christian approaches to slavery."" * Augustiniana *