| Abstract [eng] |
This Master's thesis examines the paradox of slavery and Christian liberty by studying Paul the Apostles‘epistle to Philemon. The thesis first examines the concept of slavery in the first century of Roman Empire, based on the absolute dependence of the slave to his master which is often manifested in immoral behaviour. It also discusses the concept of the theology of freedom in Corpus Paulinum, based on the Christological dimension and the example of perfect disinterested love. Christian liberty, both in Paul's letters and in most texts of the New Testament is usually defined at the level of inner freedom and is identified as freedom from sin, death and the Law of Moses. Finally, the main elements of the paradox of slavery and Christian freedom in the Letter to Philemon are analyzed. Paul's understanding of slavery is fundamentally Roman, but the apostle's presentation of slavery shifts the idea of slavery from an interpersonal relationship to a transcendent relationship. The concepts of freedom and slavery presented in the Letter to Philemon, based on the ideas of brotherhood and disinterested perfect love, have more of a spiritual dimension, where baptism becomes the essential element that distinguishes the slave of the Roman Empire from the slave of Christ. |
