In Chains: Slaves and Angels

In Chains: Slaves and Angels

From Data Over Dogma by Daniel McClellan and Daniel Beecher

April 6, 2026 · 1h 4m · Episode 157

About this episode

The episode discusses the story of Hagar, the implications of slavery in biblical texts, and the concept of chained angels referenced in the New Testament.

This week, we're really into bondage, but not in a fun way. First, we're talking about Hagar, the enslaved handmaiden of Sarai (and later of Sarah). Being enslaved is never a good thing, despite what some apologists might have you believe, but Hagar is done pretty dirty in a few ways. We'll explore not just her nonconsensual heir-making with Abraham, but also her ejection from their house leading to the almost-death of her and her... 17 year old toddler? Next it's something that is in your Bible... but isn't. Multiple books of the New Testament make explicit references to this, and even quote it, but because first Enoch didn't make the canonical cut (with one exception), most readers would never know it. And yet, the idea that certain angels got chained up seems to be out there. So who were these naughty angels? What did they do that was so bad that they deserved to be chained up? What kind of chains can even hold a divine being? And should we all be worried whenever the Euphrates river goes through a dry spell? ---- For early access to an ad-free version of every episode of Data Over Dogma, exclusive content, and the opportunity to support our work, please consider becoming a…

People in this episode

Hosts: Daniel McClellan, Daniel Beecher

Topics covered

  • slavery
  • biblical figures
  • angels
  • New Testament
  • Hagar
  • Enoch

Keywords

  • Hagar
  • slavery
  • angels
  • New Testament
  • first Enoch
  • Euphrates river

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: first Enoch

Places: Euphrates river

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