Sign-In
Cart
Chains and Hope: Slavery in the Apostolic Age
Paperback
Ancient RomeGeneral Christianity
Publisher: Independently Published
Published: Jun 16 2026
Pages: 216
Weight: 0.65
Height: 0.46 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
A sweeping historical and theological exploration of slavery in the first-century Roman world and the birth of Christianity
In the Roman Empire of the first century A.D., slaves were everywhere-and nowhere. They formed perhaps one-third of the population of Rome itself. They worked the mines, tilled the fields, managed the households, educated the children, and died in the arena. They were the speaking tools (instrumenta vocalia) on which the entire civilization rested. Yet their voices are almost entirely absent from the historical record.
Chains and Hope brings that silent world to life. Mauro Tommaso De Candia guides the reader through the origins, markets, legal structures, punishments, and daily resistance of Roman slavery, before turning to the revolutionary encounter between slavery and the Christian message.
The book moves from the Saturnalia and the mystery cults to Stoic philosophy, from the Jewish tradition of the Exodus and the jubilee to the parables of Jesus, the letters of Paul, and the case of Onesimus in the Letter to Philemon. It examines how the first Christian communities-where slaves and masters prayed together, shared the same bread, and called one another brothers-began to undermine the logic of ownership from within.
The journey continues through the Church Fathers: Origen's vision of inner freedom, John Chrysostom's fiery preaching against the wealthy, Gregory of Nyssa's radical declaration that God made no one a slave, and the concrete acts of liberation performed by Acacius of Amida and Saint Patrick.
But the book does not hide the contradictions. It confronts the painful history of how texts about submission were used to justify oppression, how the Church sometimes collaborated with the slaveholding empire, and how Christian masters found ways to quiet their consciences while still holding human beings in bondage.
The final part traces the paths to freedom: manumission, the peculium, legal strategies, collective liberations, and worship itself as a space where the enslaved could experience a dignity that no human law could grant. Each path is examined in its historical concreteness and its theological depth.
Written with scholarly rigor and accessible prose, Chains and Hope is essential reading for historians, theologians, students, pastors, and anyone who seeks to understand how a faith born in the shadow of the cross gradually transformed-and was sometimes transformed by-one of the oldest and most persistent institutions of human domination.
Today, as new forms of slavery-human trafficking, forced labor, debt bondage-continue to exist, this book is not only a history of the past but a call to recognize that the struggle between chains and hope is far from over.
Also from
de Candia, Mauro Tommaso
Opening a Wine Pub in Ireland: a cultural challenge in the realm of beer
Toscano, Giuseppe
de Candia, Mauro Tommaso
Paperback
Cronache di Salò: Memorie di un Volontario della Repubblica Sociale Italiana
de Candia, Mauro Tommaso
Paperback
Eurojackpot: Tra Fortuna e Strategia: Come analizzare, interpretare e migliorare le tue probabilità di vincita
de Candia, Mauro Tommaso
Paperback
Diventare Disegnatore Meccanico: Manuale pratico per entrare nel mondo del disegno tecnico industriale
de Candia, Mauro Tommaso
Paperback
Patente B: Libro di teoria basato sul Codice della Strada e sul Regolamento di Attuazione
de Candia, Mauro Tommaso
Paperback
Dal Vigneto Alla Tavola: comprendere le fasi di lavorazione del vino
Toscano, Giuseppe
de Candia, Mauro Tommaso
Paperback
L'arte dei numeri: Strategie, curiosità e segreti dietro Lotto, SuperEnalotto e 10eLotto
de Candia, Mauro Tommaso
Paperback
The Role of Private Equity in Companies' Growth: A Practical Case: Chili S.p.A.
de Candia, Mauro Tommaso
Paperback
Incursori nell'Ombra: L'Impresa di Alessandria e l'Audacia della Xa MAS
de Candia, Mauro Tommaso
Paperback
Operazione C3: L'Assalto Mancato a Malta - La Battaglia Decisiva che Non Fu
de Candia, Mauro Tommaso
Paperback
Samsung One UI 7: Innovazione e Personalizzazione nell'Ecosistema Galaxy
de Candia, Mauro Tommaso
Paperback
Catene d'Ellade: Memorie di uno schiavo durante la Guerra del Peloponneso
de Candia, Mauro Tommaso
Paperback
Come Difendersi Da Dipendenti Scorretti: Guida pratica per imprenditori, dirigenti e responsabili delle risorse umane
de Candia, Mauro Tommaso
Paperback
Цепи и надежда: рабство в 

de Candia, Mauro Tommaso
Paperback
Asia e il Barboncino delle Meraviglie: Una storia di amicizia, zampette e piccoli grandi salvataggi
de Candia, Mauro Tommaso
Paperback
Kampfschwimmer: Erinnerungen eines Mannes des Zehnten MAS-Flottille (1940-1945)
de Candia, Mauro Tommaso
Paperback
Digital Sales Consultant per il Mercato Automotive: Guida completa per vendere valore e fidelizzare le concessionarie
de Candia, Mauro Tommaso
Paperback
Catene d'Impero: Storie e Strutture della Schiavitù nell'Antica Roma
de Candia, Mauro Tommaso
Paperback
L'Oroscopo di Paolo Fox: Analisi, Previsioni e Segreti dei Segni Zodiacali
de Candia, Mauro Tommaso
Paperback
Certificazione Unica: Guida Completa per Lavoratori, Aziende e Professionisti
de Candia, Mauro Tommaso
Paperback
Rocco Schiavone: Tra Fumo e Neve: Il Vicequestore Fuori Dagli Schemi
de Candia, Mauro Tommaso
Paperback
Divergenze in Diretta: Carlo Calenda e Marco Travaglio tra Politica e Giornalismo
de Candia, Mauro Tommaso
Paperback
Allerta Meteo: Comprendere, Prevedere e Affrontare i Fenomeni Estremi
de Candia, Mauro Tommaso
Paperback
Oltre il Mito Nero: Le Riforme e le Opere del Fascismo Italiano: Saggio critico sulle iniziative di sviluppo e modernizzazione attuate durante il vent
de Candia, Mauro Tommaso
Paperback
Cinque Verità: Memorie Intrecciate della Guerra dopo l'8 Settembre 1943
de Candia, Mauro Tommaso
Paperback
From Millionaire to almost Homeless: How my mother destroyed my father financially
de Candia, Mauro Tommaso
Paperback
Chronicles of a Taxi Driver in Milan: Ten years of hilarious adventures
de Candia, Mauro Tommaso
Paperback
Da Zero a Indipendente (Volume 3): Costruire Reddito: La Base Della Crescita
de Candia, Mauro Tommaso
Paperback
Da Zero a Indipendente (Volume 1): Reset Mentale: Il Vero Punto Di Partenza
de Candia, Mauro Tommaso
Paperback
Da Zero a Indipendente (Volume 4): Risparmio Intelligente E Sistemi Automatici
de Candia, Mauro Tommaso
Paperback
Da Zero a Indipendente (Volume 2): Fondamenta: Controllare Il Denaro
de Candia, Mauro Tommaso
Paperback
Also in
Ancient Rome
The Children of Athena: Greek Intellectuals in the Age of Rome: 150 Bc0-400 AD
Freeman, Charles
Hardcover
Ancient Rome at the Cinema: Story and Spectacle in Hollywood and Rome
Theodorakopoulos, Elena
Paperback
The Apostle and the Empire: Paul's Implicit and Explicit Criticism of Rome
Heilig, Christoph
Hardcover
Love Thy Stranger: How the Teachings of Jesus Transformed the Moral Conscience of the West
Ehrman, Bart D.
Hardcover
Cicero's Tongue: The Life of Rome's Greatest Orator and the End of the Republic
Edwards, Catharine
Hardcover
Lessons from a Lost Republic: What Ancient Rome Can Teach Us about This American Moment
Berenfeld, Michelle
Hardcover
Why You Think the Way You Do: The Story of Western Worldviews from Rome to Home
Sunshine, Glenn S.
Paperback
Classical Mythology A to Z: An Encyclopedia of Gods & Goddesses, Heroes & Heroines, Nymphs, Spirits, Monsters, and Places
Giesecke, Annette
Hardcover
Jews vs. Rome: Two Centuries of Rebellion Against the World's Mightiest Empire
Strauss, Barry
Hardcover
Jews vs. Rome: Two Centuries of Rebellion Against the World's Mightiest Empire
Strauss, Barry
Paperback
Fausto & Felice Niccolini. Houses and Monuments of Pompeii. 45th Ed.
Schütze, Sebastian
Kockel, Valentin
Hardcover
Rome and the Rise of the West: How the Roman Empire Shaped the Modern Economy
Terpstra, Taco
Hardcover
The Bullies and Saints: An Honest Look at the Good and Evil of Christian History (Itpe) (Itpe)
Zondervan
Paperback
Behind Caesar's Back: Rumor, Gossip, and the Making of the Roman Emperors
Davenport, Caillan
Hardcover
The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire: Illustrations by Giovanni Battista Piranesi
Gibbon, Edward
Hardcover
Major Works of the Stoics 3-Book Boxed Set: Meditations; Letters from a Stoic; Discourses and Selected Writings
Épictète
Aurelius, Marcus
Seneca
Hardcover
Cornelius Nepos, Life of Hannibal: Latin text, notes, maps, illustrations and vocabulary
Mulligan, Bret
Paperback
Escape from Pompeii: The Great Eruption of Mount Vesuvius and Its Survivors
Tuck, Steven L.
Hardcover
The Letters of the Younger Pliny, First Series
Firth, John B. (John Benjamin)
Pliny
Keil, Heinrich
Hardcover
Encyclopedia of Mythology: A Collection of Greek and Roman Heroes, Gods, and Monsters with Collectible Ephemera - Includes 16 Beautifully Designed Pie
Editors of Chartwell Books
Hardcover
Naked Statues, Fat Gladiators, and War Elephants: Frequently Asked Questions about the Ancient Greeks and Romans
Ryan, Garrett
Paperback
Naked Statues, Fat Gladiators, and War Elephants: Frequently Asked Questions about the Ancient Greeks and Romans
Ryan, Garrett
Hardcover
Life in Ancient Rome: Absorbing Social History--A Vivid Portrait of a Magnificent Age
Cowell, F. R.
Paperback
Strange Religion: How the First Christians Were Weird, Dangerous, and Compelling
Gupta, Nijay K.
Paperback
Women's Life in Greece and Rome: A Source Book in Translation
Lefkowitz, Mary R.
Fant, Maureen B.
Paperback
Crossing the Danube: Life Along a Frontier at the End of the Roman Empire
Hakenbeck, Susanne E.
Hardcover
Cincinnatus and the Citizen-Servant Ideal: The Roman Legend's Life, Times, and Legacy
Hillyard, Michael J.
Paperback
Meditations (Royal Collector's Edition) (Case Laminate Hardcover with Jacket)
Aurelius, Marcus
Hardcover
The Early History of Rome: Books I-V of the History of Rome from Its Foundation
Livy, Titus
Paperback
Cicero, Against Verres, 2.1.53-86: Latin Text with Introduction, Study Questions, Commentary and English Translation
Gildenhard, Ingo
Paperback
The Annals: The Reigns of Tiberius, Claudius, and Nero
Barrett, Anthony A.
Yardley, J. C.
Tacitus, Cornelius
Paperback
Carthage's Other Wars: Carthaginian Warfare Outside the 'Punic Wars' Against Rome
Hoyos, Dexter
Paperback