BTM 186 - Was the Apostle Paul a Slave?
About this episode
Dr. Paul Weaver interviews Dr. Mark Fairchild about the possibility that the Apostle Paul was a former slave and its implications for his theology and identity.
Was the Apostle Paul a Slave? | Dr. Mark Fairchild on Paul’s Early Life as Saul the Zealot Was Paul once a slave? If so, how did his early life shape his theology, mission, and message? In this compelling episode of the Bible and Theology Matters podcast, Dr. Paul Weaver sits down with Dr. Mark Fairchild to discuss his groundbreaking book, Paul's Enslavement: The Early Life of Saul the Zealot. Together, they explore the provocative thesis that the Apostle Paul may have been a former slave—and how that possibility sheds powerful new light on his language of slavery, freedom, adoption, redemption, and identity in Christ. Dr. Fairchild draws from the Book of Acts, Paul’s letters (especially Galatians), early church tradition from Jerome, and the historical writings of Josephus to examine: -Paul’s Roman citizenship and how slaves could receive citizenship through -manumission -The “Synagogue of the Freedmen” in Acts 6 -The meaning of stigmata in Galatians 6:17 -Honor, shame, and status in the first-century Mediterranean world -How slavery differed from modern conceptions of 16th–19th century chattel slavery -Why does Paul use slavery and adoption language more than any other New…
People in this episode
Host: Dr. Paul D. Weaver
Guest: Dr. Mark Fairchild
Topics covered
- Apostle Paul
- slavery
- theology
- identity in Christ
- early church
- Roman citizenship
- conversion
Keywords
- Apostle Paul
- slavery
- theology
- identity
- Roman citizenship
- conversion
- early church
- Galatians
- Book of Acts
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Paul's Enslavement: The Early Life of Saul the Zealot, Book of Acts, Galatians
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