The Historical Role of Leviticus 25 in Naturalizing Anti-Black Racism
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 3492295 |
|---|---|
| Authors | James W Watts (0000-0002-4872-4986, Syracuse University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2021 |
| Volume | 12 |
| Issue | 8 |
| Pages | 570 |
| Publication date | 2021-07-23 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Religions (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2077-1444 • E-ISSN: 2077-1444 |
| Publisher | MDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT) |
| DOI | 10.3390/rel12080570 |
| OpenAlex | W3186633774 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 21 |
Leviticus 25:39-46 describes a two-tier model of slavery that distinguishes Israelites from foreign slaves. It requires that Israelites be indentured only temporarily while foreigners can be enslaved as chattel (permanent property). This model resembles the distinction between White indentured slaves and Black chattel slaves in the American colonies. However, the biblical influence on these early modern practices has been obscured by the rarity of citations of Lev. 25:39-46 in sixteenth- and seventeenth-century sources about slavery. This article reviews the history of slavery from ancient Middle Eastern antiquity through the seventeenth century to show the unique degree to which early modern institutions resembled the biblical model. It then exposes widespread knowledge of Leviticus 25 in early modern political and economic debates. Demonstrating this awareness shows with high probability that colonial cultures presupposed the two-tier model of slavery in Leviticus 25:39-46 to naturalize and justify their different treatment of White indentured slaves and Black chattel slaves
Ancient history · Archaeology · Biblical studies · Colonialism · Israelites · Political science · Politics · American Constitutional Law and Politics · Colonialism, slavery, and trade · History · Law · Marriage and Sexual Relationships
Law collections from Mesopotamia and Asia Minor
The Hebrew Republic
Who Was the Toshav ?
A History of Ancient Near Eastern Law (2 vols)
“Blow Ye Trumpet, Blow”
“She Shall Not Go Free as Male Slaves Do”
Outline of a Theory of Practice
Slavery discourse before the Restoration
Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof!’ Reading Leviticus 25
Slavery, Sovereignty, and “Inheritable Blood”
Violence and Personhood in Ancient Israel and Comparative Contexts
Critical race theory
New Light on the 'Dark Ages
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,25 |
| Citation span | 2022 - 2022 (1) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |