Leviticus 25:45Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

This is why the Mosaic law permitted a limited form of slavery among the Jews, applying only to them and permitting the acquisition of slaves from neighboring nations for perpetual and hereditary ownership. The manner in which the Israelites engaged in this practice, their treatment of captives, and their general stance toward surrounding nations is appalling, as explained by the aforementioned regulations. For instance, the entire population of the Gibeonites was made hereditary slaves by the Israelites. Their victorious leader declared, “Cursed are ye, without end ye shall be slaves, chopping wood and drawing water for the house of my God” (Habakkuk 9:23). Following their conquest of Midian, the Israelites executed all captives, from children to the elderly, eliminating all the women but preserving thirty-two thousand maidens for servitude (Numbers 31:17-18). This was commanded by Moses. When King David captured Rabbath, the capital of the Ammonites, he subjected the inhabitants to brutal treatment, employing saws, iron carts, and even fiery furnaces on them, as he did to all cities of the Ammonites (2 Kings 12:31). The Psalms recount, “O daughter of Babylon, the wicked... Blessed is he that taketh and breaketh thy infants against a stone” (Psalm 136:8-9). It is abundantly clear that with the redemption of humankind through the Lord, any privileged status of Israel over other nations has been abolished. The Lord became the redemption price for every believer, resulting in Christians from all nations becoming spiritual siblings, equal in the eyes of God: “there is neither Jew nor Greek, circumcision nor uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free, but all and in all Christ” (Colossians 3:11). For this reason, the civil statutes of Moses hold no relevance for Gentile believers, and Jewish converts to Christianity are called to forsake these civil laws that distinguished them from other nations based on physical heritage. Saint John the Baptist admonished the Pharisees early in the Gospel, “Do not think to say in yourselves: ‘Our father is Abraham’” (Matthew 3:9). The Jews were overly concerned with this temporary physical advantage, clinging to it and thereby rejecting Christianity. They anticipated a grand fulfillment of the fleshly benefits prescribed by the law of Moses, but when they heard the call to embrace the Cross and abandon their earthly advantages, they turned away from the Lord. Presently, they still seek satisfaction from their carnal privileges. Had they established an independent nation, they would still operate according to the directives of their ancient law in their dealings with other nations. The revered fathers of the Orthodox Church do not interpret the Mosaic law in a literal sense but rather refer to it and the images of its fulfillment in a pro-formative and sacramental manner. In relation to Christianity, it is seen as a type of shadow, presenting a representation that is not entirely clear but offers a faint likeness of the truth. Thus, the Jews’ hostility towards outsiders symbolizes the disdain our inner selves must have for various sins. The commanded destruction of the Gentile nations by the Israelites reflects the New Testament mandate for Christians to decisively eradicate all sinful thoughts and desires within themselves (Matthew 5). The idea of hereditary slavery from other nations serves as a metaphor for the ongoing struggle against passions and the way to master them for the Christian community. The term “daughter of Babylon” signifies the sinful contaminations within humanity, continuously giving rise to diverse active sins. “Blessed is that man who kills sins in their infancy, in the initial thought, before they mature and take root.” The “rock” upon which such ‘infants’ are crushed represents the Gospel Doctrine, based on which sinful thoughts are to be rejected (Matthew 15:19), among others.