Instructor: Matthew Taylor
Instructor’s Note:
Our conversation on February 24th will be structured around considering the legacy of American slavery, its impact on our present-day economic inequalities, and how to think about the wealth and power disparities that exist within religious communities. We’ll be doing that by looking at a case study from the New Testament, where the Apostle Paul writes a letter (epistle) to a Roman Christian slaveowner named Philemon about a runaway enslaved person from Philemon’s household named Onesimus who is also a Christian. The Roman slavery system, like the American slavery system, was horrible and dehumanizing, but it was also different in a great many ways from the modern, racialized system that operated in places like Baltimore until the Civil War. To help us contextualize this letter, we’ll be reading an article from the British Museum about some of the artifacts that remain of Roman slavery and escaped slaves.
Download Session #4 Homework and Text of Philemon
Paul uses different vocabularies in this letter:
From the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible
1 Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother,
To Philemon our dear friend and co-worker, 2 to Apphia our sister, to Archippus our fellow-soldier, and to the church in your house:
3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
4 When I remember you in my prayers, I always thank my God 5 because I hear of your love for all the saints and your faith towards the Lord Jesus. 6 I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective when you perceive all the good that we may do for Christ. 7 I have indeed received much joy and encouragement from your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, my brother.
8 For this reason, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do your duty, 9 yet I would rather appeal to you on the basis of love—and I, Paul, do this as an old man, and now also as a prisoner of Christ Jesus. 10 I am appealing to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I have become during my imprisonment. 11 Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful both to you and to me. 12 I am sending him, that is, my own heart, back to you. 13 I wanted to keep him with me, so that he might be of service to me in your place during my imprisonment for the gospel; 14 but I preferred to do nothing without your consent, in order that your good deed might be voluntary and not something forced. 15 Perhaps this is the reason he was separated from you for a while, so that you might have him back for ever, 16 no longer as a slave but as more than a slave, a beloved brother—especially to me but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.
17 So if you consider me your partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. 18 If he has. wronged you in any way, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. 19 I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand: I will repay it. I say nothing about your owing me even your own self. 20 Yes, brother, let me have this benefit from you in the Lord! Refresh my heart in Christ.21 Confident of your obedience, I am writing to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say.
22 One thing more—prepare a guest room for me, for I am hoping through your prayers to be restored to you.
23 Epaphras, my fellow-prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends greetings to you, 24 and so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow-workers.
25 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.
1 Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother,
To Philemon our dear friend and co-worker (synergō: fellow worker, companion in labor), 2 to Apphia our sister, to Archippus our fellow-soldier, and to the church in your house (oikon: material building, household, family):
3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
4 When I remember you in my prayers, I always thank my God 5 because I hear of your love for all the saints and your faith towards the Lord Jesus. 6 I pray that the sharing (koinōnia: participation, partnership, contributory help) of your faith may become effective (energēs: productive of due result, at work) when you perceive all the good that we may do for Christ. 7 I have indeed received much joy and encouragement from your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, my brother.
8 For this reason, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do your duty (anēkon: is due, suitable, proper), 9. yet I would rather appeal to you on the basis of love—and I, Paul, do this as an old man, and now also as a prisoner of Christ Jesus. 10 I am appealing (parakaleó: beseeching, encouraging, admonishing) to you for my child, Onesimus (Onēsimon: useful, profitable), whose father I have become (egennēsa: I beget, give birth to) during my imprisonment. 11 Formerly he was useless (achrēston: unprofitable, detrimental) to you, but now he is indeed useful (euchrēston: serviceable, very profitable) both to you and to me. 12 I am sending him, that is, my own heart, back to you. 13 I wanted to keep (katechein: take possession of, hold firmly, lay hold of) him with me, so that he might be of service (diakonē: wait at table, minister to) to me in your place during my imprisonment for the gospel; 14 but I preferred to do nothing without your consent, in order that your good deed might be voluntary (hekousion: willing, spontaneous) and not something forced (anankēn: under duress, threatened with violence/torture). 15 Perhaps this is the reason he was separated from you for a while, so that you might have (apechēs: have in full, possess) him back for ever, 16 no longer as a slave but as more than a slave a beloved brother—especially to me but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.
17 So if you consider me your partner (koinōnon: a sharer, joint participant), welcome him as you would welcome me. 18 If he has wronged you (ēdikēsen: act unjustly, injure, harm) in any way, or owes (opheilei: be indebted, owes legal or economic duties) you anything, charge that to my account (elloga: I charge to my account, impute it to me). 19 I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand: I will repay (apotisō: pay off, pay what is due) it. I say nothing about your owing (prosopheileis: intensified owing, be indebted on a personal level) me even your own self. 20 Yes, brother, let me have this benefit (onaimēn: I profit, benefit, derive benefit) from you in the Lord! Refresh my heart in Christ. 21 Confident of your obedience, I am writing to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say. 22 One thing more—prepare a guest room for me, for I am hoping through your prayers to be restored (charisthēsomai: shown favor, freely given, bestowed) to you.
23 Epaphras, my fellow-prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends greetings to you, 24 and so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow-workers (synergoi: companions in labor). 25 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.
Instructor: Ben Sax
Download Agenda and Discussion Questions for Session #3
Main Question: How does our responsibility to others in society reflect our accountability to God.
Instructor: Zeyneb Sayilgan
Download Course Prep Materials PDF
Download In-Course Materials PDF
1st Discussion:
In Islam, moral and material progress have to go hand in hand when implementing economic justice. Where do we see applications of that in our society?
2nd Discussion:
What do you make of Said Nursi’s understanding of justice and how it should inform our daily conduct?
Video Series on Social Justice
Instructor: Heather Miller Rubens
To prepare for class, please watch this short video (3 minutes) and read the following two texts from Dorothy Day and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
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“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. 32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, 33and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. 34Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? 39And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ 40And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’ 41 Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; 42 for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’44 Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
“The Corporal Works of Mercy are found in the teachings of Jesus and give us a model for how we should treat all others, as if they were Christ in disguise. They “are charitable actions by which we help our neighbors in their bodily needs.” They respond to the basic needs of humanity as we journey together through this life.” – United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
“In these times when social concerns are so important, I cannot fail to mention the Servant of God Dorothy Day, who founded the Catholic Worker Movement. Her social activism, her passion for justice and for the cause of the oppressed, were inspired by the Gospel, her faith, and the example of the saints.”
“Many times we have borne the charge that Houses of Hospitality, this “new wrinkle,” do more harm than good. It is said that they perpetuate chronic laziness and drunkenness. Communists ask us, “How can you say you’re against capitalism when you keep it alive by feeding the poor the crumbs of the rich?” We are told to discriminate on the side of the “deserving poor.”
The “new wrinkle” was old long before we appeared on the scene. Christ once told his disciples, “I was hungry and you gave me to eat,” etc. Since that day, all over the world, pilgrims to holy places, weary travelers, the hungry and thirsty, saint and sinner have been succored in the name of Christ. Hospices, centuries ago, were under the supervision of the Bishops. They were set up in lonely and hostile regions. Lepers by the thousands were helped in the many hospices scattered all over France. The monks of St. Bernard are famous for their hospitality. The work of these monks was started back in 962. The early monasteries founded by Benedict of Nursia designated monks as hospitallers and almoners. The former welcomed guests while the latter fed, clothed, and gave shelter to the needy. There is no record in the history of hospices and hospitality of discrimination.”
“I have been struck by the extent to which caricatured narratives about the purported innate differences between rich and poor have been sold to the electorate by some politicians and media, and have been allowed to define the debate. The rich are industrious, entrepreneurial, patriotic, and the drivers of economic success. The poor are wasters, losers, and scammers. As a result, money spent on welfare is money down the drain. To complete the picture we are also told that the poor who want to make it in America can easily do so: they really can achieve the American dream if only they work hard enough.”
(Philip Alson, UN Report on the United States, after his official visit, 12/15/2017)
1st Discussion:
2nd Discussion:
Dorothy Day challenges the idea of “the deserving poor.” She thinks this idea is antithetical to both the Gospel message (Matthew) and to Christian tradition (Works of Mercy, Traditions of Hospitality). That somehow assistance should only go to certain “deserving” people, and that giving assistance to the “undeserving” will breed laziness, substance abuse, or further contribute to individual moral decline.
On the Media’s series on poverty is grounded in the Talmudic notion that “We do not see things as they are. We see things as we are.” Brooke Gladstone traveled to Ohio to learn from people living the varied reality of poverty today, and to unpack the myths that shape our private presumptions as well as our policy decisions. In each episode, we feature the voices and complex stories of individuals, as well essential context from scholars, to lay open the tales we tell ourselves.