October 12, 2006

MINNEAPOLIS – Slavery in Early Christianity by Jennifer A. Glancy, originally published by Oxford University in 2002, is now available in paperback from Fortress Press.

In Slavery in Early Christianity Glancy situates early Christian slavery in its broader cultural setting, arguing that modern scholars have consistently underestimated the pervasive impact of slavery on the institutional structures, ideologies, and practices of the early churches-and upon the bodies of the enslaved.

Her careful attention to the bodily experience of subjection and violation that constituted slavery makes this an indispensable book for anyone interested in slavery in early Christianity. Included are special chapters on Jesus and Paul.

"Christians and Christianity do not hover above or apart from everyday life. They are an integral part of the story of the Roman Empire. Christian writings supply key evidence, both direct and indirect, about the social relations of that world. . . . To understand what it meant to be a slave in the first Christian centuries, we begin first of all with the bodies of slaves." – from the Introduction.

"An indispensable resource in serious studies of the social history of early Christianity. [Glancy's] monumental achievement provides a concise conspectus of the ideologies and practices of slavery within the first-century ekklesiai (early faith communities), with patient and rigorous documentation of the rhetoric and wide-ranging effects of the ubiquitous institution on men, women, and children alike. A tour de force, perceptively argued, the volume is illuminating, exemplary, unsettling." – Clarice J. Martin, Colgate University.

"Glancy makes . . . an important contribution filling a gap in previous New Testament research. . . . This book is required reading for anyone interested in ancient slavery, the parables, or the history of the body in antiquity." – Catholic Biblical Quarterly.

"Glancy provides a much-needed corrective to scholarly literature in a field hat has preferred to contemplate slavery on an abstract plane. . . . Her persistent focus on slaves as vulnerable bodies requires a rethinking of major presuppositions in both Pauline and Jesus studies." – Journal of Biblical Literature.

Jennifer A. Glancy is Professor of Religious Studies at LeMoyne College, Syracuse, New York. The chair of the Bible and Cultural Studies section of the Society of Biblical Literature, she has written numerous articles on issues of gender and culture in early Jewish and Christian writings.

Slavery in Early Christianity, By Jennifer A. Glancy, Format: 6" x 9," paperback, 216 pages, ISBN: 0-8006-3789-5, Price: $22.00, Publisher: Fortress Press, Rights: World English.

To order Slavery in Early Christianity please call Fortress Press at 1-800-328-4648 or visit the Web site at http://www.fortresspress.com/.

Fortress Press