Slavery Metaphors in Early Judaism and Pauline Christianity

A Traditio-Historical and Exegetical Examination

John Byron analyzes slavery metaphors in the Pauline Epistles by interpreting them from the background of Paul's Jewish heritage rather than Greco-Roman slavery. Slavery to God was a well-developed tradition in early Judaism which developed out of the Exodus event and continued to be reinterpreted throughout history. Jews identified themselves in contrast to non-Jews as slaves to God. In early Jewish literature one can detect a discussion surrounding what it meant to be a slave of God and how Jews should respond to episodes of enslavement under foreign oppressors. In this debate, the figure of Joseph became a paradigm of slavery to God and how Jews were to respond to slavery. Influenced by his Jewish heritage, Paul understands Christ as the paradigmatic slave of God. He interprets the movement from slavery to sin to slavery to God as a second Exodus: By being the obedient slave of Christ believers became the slaves of God.