Studies on Slavery, in Easy Lessons

by John Fletcher

[Lesson II].—Establishment of Christianity by law, by Constantine, and the rise of Mohammedanism, 261, [262]; the schism of the Greek Church, [263], [264].

[Lesson III].—Nature swarming with life, and life merging in distress and death, [264], [265]; sin the cause of slavery, and the latter as a protection, [266], [267]; slavery in China, [269].

[Lesson IV].—Liberty of less value than life, [270]; the Divine grant to hold slaves, [271].

[Lesson V].—Early church acts and documents approving and providing for slavery, [272]; the canons and the constitutions of the apostles, [272] to [274]; constitution of Antoninus Pius respecting cruelty to slaves, [275]; canons of the Council of Nice and the first appearance of abolitionism in the world, [276], [277]; St. Basil’s canonical writings, [278].

[Lesson VI].—The invasion of Attila and the Pontiff Leo’s successful intercession, [279], 280; Nero’s African slaves, and the white slaves of the Roman Empire, [281].

[Lesson VII].—Church rescripts for the freedom of slaves, and St. Augustin’s mode of manumission in Africa, [282], [283]; Pope Leo’s letters, forbidding slaves to enter the priesthood, and protecting the rights of masters, [284], [285]; barbarian cruelty to slaves ameliorated by Christianity, [286], [287]; canons of the Council of Agdle on slavery, [288]; modes of becoming slaves, [289], [290].

[Lesson VIII].—Muratori on the manumission of slaves in Rome, [291]; colonial and conditional slaves, [292]; arming of slaves in defence of Rome and the glutting of the slave-markets of the world, [293]; canons of the Fourth Council of Orleans, [294], [295]; ditto Fifth Council of Orleans, [296] to [299].

[Lesson IX].—Bishop England’s account of slavery in England and Ireland in remote ages, [299], [300]; Pope Pelagius and the canons of the Third Councils of Paris and Braga, [301], [302]; articles of the Third Council of Toledo, [302], [303].

[Lesson X].—The venerable Bede’s account of the slave-trade of England, A.D. 577, [304] to [306]; Pope Gregory’s purchase of British youth, [306], [307]; Gregory’s pastoral admonitions and epistles, [308] to [311].

[Lesson XI].—Constantine’s edict that none but Christians could hold slaves, [212], [213]; Gregory’s letter to the Præfect of Sicily, [313] to [315]; canons of the Fourth Councils of Orleans and Macon, [315], [316]; Gregory to the Bishop of Luna, and the laws of the empire on slavery, [317], [318].