St. Gregory of Nyssa on Ecclesiastes
The following is the earliest true repudiation of slavery in its entirety. It is distinct from prior repudiation in that previous thinkers that argue for the moral equality of souls while leaving slavery intact as a social fact, or even critiquing cruelty without rejecting ownership itself. Others have made practical renunciations, but not philosophical claims that slavery is inherently unjust. That is why Gregory of Nyssa is distinct: he does not say “be kind to slaves,” but asks by what metaphysical right one human can own another—a question the ancient world, almost everywhere else, simply never posed.
St. Gregory of Nyssa's Fourth Homily on Ecclesiastes
“I got me slaves and slave-girls,
and homebred slaves were born for me,
and much property in cattle and sheep became mine.”
Thus far, the writer of Ecclesiastes has displayed various levels of conceit. He has told us about a valuable house, an abundance of vines, elegant gardens and water features, nicely constructed swimming pools, and extensive, beautiful parkland. Yet, none of this can compare to the arrogance displayed in Ecclesiastes 2:7, because then he goes on to say: “I got me slaves and slave-girls, and homebred slaves were born for me.” Here, he shows that as a human being, he believes he can lord it over people who, in essence, are just like him. ← (1) In the New Testament, the phrase “lord it over” translates the Greek verb κατακυριεύω (katakyrieuō), meaning to exercise mastery over, dominate, or subdue. (2) “In essence” is an important phrase here, as it denotes both (a) the sameness of all human beings (& ∴ calls for solidarity) and (b) the claim that humanity is “made in the image of God” and thereby free.
Do you detect the excessive arrogance? An utterance like this shows that he is exalting himself against God. We know from the words of the prophets that absolutely everything is subject to the supreme authority in the universe (Psalm 119/118.91). But this man counts as his own what truly belongs to God and gives to the likes of himself the kind of power which makes him think that he can be the master of men and women. When he sees himself as so different from those who are subject to him, one can only conclude that pride has led him to go beyond what is appropriate for his nature.
“I got me slaves and slave-girls.” You are condemning to slavery human beings whose nature is free and characterised by free will. You are making laws that rival the law of God, overturning the law appropriate for humankind. Human beings were created specifically to have dominion over the earth; it was determined by their creator that they should exercise authority. Yet you place them under the yoke of slavery, as though you are opposing and fighting against the divine decree.
Have you forgotten the limits of your authority? Your rule is limited to the control of irrational creatures. In scripture, we read: “let them rule over birds and fish and four-footed creatures”. (Gen 1.26) How then do you go beyond what is subject to you and exalt yourself against a nature which is free, counting people like you among four-footed or footless creatures. “You subjected everything to humankind,” declares the scripture through prophecy, and it goes on to list what is under human control: domestic animals, cattle, and sheep. (Psalm 8/7.8)
“I got me slaves and slave-girls.” Tell me what sort of price you paid. What did you find in creation with a value corresponding to the nature of your purchase? What price did you put on rationality? For how many coins did you value the image of God? For how many coins did you sell this nature formed by God? God said: “Let us make human beings in our own image and likeness” (Gen 1.26). When we are talking about one who is in the image of God, who has dominion over the whole earth, and who has been granted by God authority over everything on the earth, tell me, who is the seller and who the buyer? ← “Tell me what sort of price you paid.” There is a righteous anger here.
How can people be sold who have dominion over the earth and everything on the earth? The assets of people being sold must be sold with them. How can we value the contents of the whole earth (Gen 1.26)? If these are beyond any valuation, then tell me, what is the value of the one who is over them? If you said “the world in its entirety”, even then you would not have found anything approximating to the value (Matthew 16.26; Mark 8.36). Someone knowing the true value of human nature said that not even the whole world is worth enough to be given in exchange for the human soul. So when a human being is for sale, it is nothing other than the lord of the earth being brought to the auction room. This means that creation as we know it is at the same time being put up for public sale. How then is the purchaser going to settle the payment? ← This is an incredible argument. He notes that, as man has dominion over the earth (Gen 1.26), each “sale” of a human being is therefore the “sale” of the whole earth.
Did the little notebook, the written agreement, and the calculation in coins trick you into thinking that you could be master of the image of God? What utter folly! If the contract was lost, if it was eaten by moths, if a drop of water fell on it and washed it away, where is there any proof that you have a slave? Is there anything that supports you in being a master? You have somebody who is named as your subordinate, but beyond the mere name, I see nothing. What did such power add to your real nature? It did not give you extra years or any genuine superiority. ← This is the appeal to true authority rather than legal agreement. Clearly, the slave owner does not have the true authority to rule over this other human being.
Your lineage is still human, your life is similar, the sufferings of the soul and the body prevail upon you both in the same way, with you as master and another in subjugation, you are still both affected by agony and delight, gladness and distress, sorrow and joy, anger and fear, disease and death. Surely there is no distinction in such things between slave and master? Do they not draw in the same air when they breathe? Do they not see the sun in a similar way? Do they not both sustain their life by taking in nourishment? Isn't the make-up of their bodily organs the same? Do they not both return to the same dust after death? Do they not both face the same judgment? Isn't the prospect of heaven and hell the same for them both?
So, when you are equivalent in every way, tell me in what particular way you have more, so that you think you can become a master of another human being, even though you are a human being yourself. “I got me”, you say, “slaves and slave-girls,” as though they were a herd of goats or swine.
