Here in the modern West the word "slavery" is locked in with images of men torn from their homes across the sea and brought in chains to new shores. Slavery in the first century was quite different from that in some ways, but critics of the Bible, who know nothing of these differences, express disgust at NT writers' descriptions of themselves as the slaves of Christ. In this smoothly-written volume, Dale Martin shows that the "offense" of this self-designation is strictly our problem and our misuderstanding.

A key difference in Roman society is that in essence, a slave and a poor yet free person could be in no different circumstances -- and in fact, slaves could have any given job a free person did, even a position of power, especially as agents for their powerful owners. It is in this crucial sense that the NT writers asserts themselves to be "slaves" of Christ: In asserting this they are not being humble, but rather asserting their authority as Christ's agents. Armed with this basic understanding, Martin explains how many NT passages that use slavery as a metaphor (including the difficult 1 Corinthians 9) have been misunderstood by commentators and readers alike. As always, understanding the social context of what is written goes far in solving many perceived "problems" in the text.

My one reservation concerning this book is that it is, for the price, not worthwhile for anyone who isn't doing serious research on the subject. I'll actually act in my own worst interest here and advise you to do as I did if you can, and buy it at a cut rate some other way. (I managed to pick it up for $1.98, if you can believe it.) But if you have an interest in the metaphor of slavery in the NT, you are strongly advised to make this work part of your collection, for it will be essential to understanding why the NT writers speak of themselves as slaves of Christ as they do.