Ilaria L. E. Ramelli is a prolific author who writes across disciplines, and Social Justice and the Legitimacy of Slavery demonstrates her scholarly breadth. Linking classical and late antique philosophy, literature, and theology, she attempts to join three concepts: rejecting slavery, fighting social injustice, and ascetic practice. The first two connect well; adding the third leaves something to be desired. Despite some shortcomings, the volume re-envisions slavery at the end of the fourth century as well as corrects earlier incomplete scholarship on slavery.
Gregory of Nyssa is her primary lens for linking slavery, what she terms “social justice,” and asceticism. While she tries to assert that these three connect throughout classical and late antique philosophical and religious systems (9), she links them convincingly only in Gregory, and even then, the final connection with asceticism remains tenuous. From Gregory’s arguments against slavery and for justice in all realms, he would likely argue against slavery regardless of his ascetic position. While Ramelli correctly points to Gregory’s link between justice in all realms and asceticism (194-204), Gregory’s arguments for justice regarding slaves transcend practice. Gregory’s bold claims about the absoluteness of justice and the evil of slavery set him apart from Basil—and other theologians in chapter 4—and Gregory Nazianzen—and other theologians in chapter 7. These theological arguments stand without the tenuous connection to asceticism, although it makes a pretty package to tie earlier ascetic renunciation of slaves with Gregory of Nyssa’s theological rejection of slaves.
Chapter 1, a review of pre- and non-Christian philosophical and religious approaches to both moral and juridical slavery, occupies nearly a third of the seven-chapter book—with an introduction and conclusion. While it provides a deep treatment of the original sources, not enough distinguishes it from earlier monographs to warrant its length. Ramelli notes initially that this book addresses exceptions to the traditional narrative on slavery (1); the seventy-five pages revisiting that traditional narrative distract from that goal. Perhaps this length stems from a genuine concern for texts, traditions, and terms. Her introduction contains refreshing examinations of the specific terms—such as “asceticism”—in their late antique intellectual milieu, though I am not convinced by her use of “social justice” at any point in the text, despite her claim of its relevance (5-9, 249). Better would have been “economic justice,” as her definition rejects all other forms of social justice. Furthermore, while this volume addresses academic specialists in classics, ancient philosophy, theology, late antiquity, and late Roman and early Byzantine history, the contemporary cultural climate colors the term “social justice” beyond reasonable application to the late ancient world.
Chapters 2 and 3 briefly explore first- through sixth-century Christian approaches to the three topics, and chapter 4 provides case studies from the two main Christian camps on juridical slavery: slavery is natural in the post-lapsarian world, or tolerated but not ideal. The real contribution of Ramelli’s volume comes in chapters 5 and 6. Here, she teases out Gregory of Nyssa’s three theological arguments against slavery: every human made in the image of God is free (177-85, 187-88); if God’s nature is unity, so also is humanity’s nature undifferentiated between slave and master (185-87); and, there is no slavery in the eschaton, which, channeling Origen, can be a present reality (203-11). It is in this third argument that Ramelli provides the best support for linking asceticism to a rejection of slavery and the promotion of economic justice—the arguments for which parallel his arguments against slavery, 194-203—as living the “angelic life” of asceticism means attempting to live the idealized eschatological state. However, Gregory’s first two arguments against slavery are sufficiently convincing on their own and are the bulk of his intellectual and theological argumentation against slavery and economic injustice.
This volume is a substantial expansion of Ramelli’s 2012 article in the Journal of Late Antiquity (“Gregory of Nyssa’s Position in Late Antique Debates on Slavery and Poverty, and the Role of Asceticism,” JLA 5.1 [2012]: 87-118), and at points, the book strains the reader’s attention as she stretches her points to monograph length. The block and in-line quotations are excessive, and there is a failure to signpost clearly. Indeed the primary signposting—variations on “as I have shown already” and “as I will demonstrate later”—clutters her prose; the writing also suffers when a dozen words appear where two would suffice.
It is hard from this volume to speak about a general view of slavery and social justice that stem from a similar theology, and are related to asceticism—the generalities suggested not just by the title, but by the author in places such as pages 9-10 and 251. She would have done better to focus solely on Gregory of Nyssa’s contributions. That approach would have created avenues for discussing his unique theological acumen, making claims about the value of Origen in the fourth century, or nuancing earlier scholarship. The author promises sweeping connections present throughout centuries of thought, but delivers fully only on Gregory. With promises of more, the reader leaves feeling unsatisfied.
Apart from these qualms and shortcomings, Ramelli created a useful book. Contrasting Gregory’s views on slavery and economic justice with other approaches presents his ideas as truly revolutionary. Her reading of Gregory pays attention not only to the breadth of his corpus—something missing from earlier scholarship—but to his ideas in their intellectual milieu. Ramelli draws on a variety of fields for her scholarship, which is reasonably deep, though I question the wisdom of a seventy-five-entry section of the bibliography devoted entirely to her own work, some of which is unrelated to the monograph.
Overall, when read for what it is—a book about Gregory of Nyssa’s unique views on slavery and economic injustice contrasted with the majority opinions—this is as interesting book. It increases understanding of slavery in the late Roman Empire and early Byzantine Empire, how Gregory of Nyssa constructed his theological claims, the connections between classical thought and Christian theology, and the influence of Origen. That is a solid contribution by any standard.
Zachary B. Smith is assistant professor of theology at Creighton University.
Zachary Smith
Date Of Review:
July 5, 2017
