Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1860-06-01
The Bible and Slavery.

| WuOSc huoW1oub0V VI Su0 0uCySSstS ASN0SS"AA -
imperfect, wearejoice to refer to the dccisio
of one who is himself a Jew, and who ha
studied the institutions Of his people Wit
much more than ordinary zeal. It. is. ou
purpose, therefore, to give, as briefly q
possible, an outline Of his remarks. ID ...e !
/ In taking up the defense Of Moses, las
Sabbath evening, against the charge Of havinl
"legislated for slavery" he alluded to tn
recorded acts of Noses antecedent to hi
divine commission as the leader and law.give
of Israel, as proving incontestably that hi
mind was naturally biased in favor Of liberty
and humanity. Unrestrained at that time b.
divine tuition, the sentiment was rash an,
impetuous, alas! to q fatal degree. Th
argument is important as indicative of tn
direction which would most naturally b'
given to laws with the framing Of which
Moses had anything to do. His hatred o
wrong and oppression was inborn; and {
sentiment that asserted its predominance ir
so marked manner at the first budding o.
his career would hardly admit of suppression
The native temper Of the mind is rarely
eradicated. The tyrant of to-day, most likely
has been tyrant always. 7'=es
Mr.. Liberman, of course, afarms, Is 4
matter of fact coming directly within his OWE
cognizance, that there is no law on the Jewish
statute book granting the right or privilege ol
enslavng any kind of person, in the sense
that slavery IS now understood. There was
q circumstance, taking its rise with the exodus
from Egypt, which made it urgent, it is true,
fJr Moses to devise system of seryitude. A
"mixsd multitude" moved, no doubt, by ties
Of association and regard, (Gen. Xii, SO, J
followed the camp of the Israelites in their
migration, to whom no allotment was author
lied by Jehovah in the division of Canaan.
1t is this class, and not the Jews proper, who
were known as E5e,s (Hebrews), term which
signifies 'Jfons the other side, !" and was used
by Moses always to designate foreigners.
The term "Israelite" is applied exclusively to
the Jews-a very important distinction, as
will at once be seen. rr.-s 20. ,.fasr
The pro-slavery advocates take as the
starting point Of their argument the law
recorded in Exodus xxi, 2:-
"If thou buy Hebrew servant, six years
he shall serve; and in the seventh he shall
60 out free for nothing
Alleging that, while this operates with decided
partiality, being applicable to the Jew only,
it nevertheless recognizes the principle of
buying and selling, and implicitly admits the
right of enslaving the foreigners. Mr.. Liber.
man proves that this law does not apply to
the Jew at all-lst, because the term Hebrew
is employed to designate those that came over
with them, the Egyptians and foreigners; and,
Cd, because, in subsequent law, it is expressly
prohibited to make servants of Israelites.
Lev XIV, 39.) 1t was remarked that the
period of years servitude was one adopted
from custom, as may be inferred from the act
of Jacob, who voluntarily submitted to this
custom in his arrangement with Laban for a
wife (Gen. xxx, ls). The Hebrew in the
present case, it is to be understood, is hired
for that period, at stipulated sum, paid to
him, and the expression Ego out free for
nothing" is to release him from rendering any
consideration for the abatement of one year,
the whole law being in fact aimed to weaken
the custom Of prolonged servitude. But,
aside from the universal acceptation Of this
law among Jewish authorities from that day
to this, it was suggested that it could not
have contemplated the Jew, for the reason
that, laws having always originated to meet
an immediate object, and this law occupying
a first place, there could not have existed an
occasion for any Israelite to become the
servant of another, each of whom had an
equal allotment in the possession of Canaan /;
but to the foreigner-the Hebrew-who was
excluded from possession, servitude was quite
unavoidable, and legislation intended to
protect him against spirit of retaliation,
which might hasten to manifest itself on the
part of the employers (or masters), just
delivered from bondage of 400 years to those
very people who now stood in the relation Of
servants to them, was certainly humane and
wise, and merited the early attention which it
received at the hands Of Moses. It can hardly
fail to strike the reader that this is an
extremely rational, conmon-senss view Of the
matter, and fairly Gusts the pro-slaveryites
from their first position-for, if, IS has been
shown, this law applies to the Joreigners, who,
they say, were to be the only slaves, and,
understood as applying to the Jews, they
admit it cannot enslave them, who, then,
shall be the enslaved! ~-...
In our synopsis, yesterday, of the positions
advanced by Rev. Mr.. Liberman, in reference
to the Mosaic laws of servitude, we confined
ourself to single lecture, that of Sabbath
evening. In resuming his argument, on
Wednesday evening last, Mr.. Liberman
introduced the law following next in order
Ex. xxi, 8: sa& iiau 5sae.a s.a-
"If he came in by himself, he shall 60 out
by himself; if he were married, then his wife
shall 60 out with him - iH sd hsa=
The primary sense of which is sufficiently
obvious, the release allowing Of no exception
to the disadvantage Of either sex. Further
more, theslaw recognizes the most importan
social relation for the servant, and implies I
Condition Of matrimony that does not interfer'
with the liberty Of the wife, as in the Law
next following-Ex.xxi, 4, 5,6: asa57a
ae"If his master has given him wife, an,
she have born him sons or daughters; tn
wife and her children shall be her masters
and he shall go out by himself. psas.s
4 "And If the servant shall plainly say, !
love my master, my wife, and my children
will not 60 out Free q, 2fp 'a9i
Il seThen lhia master shall ihr;rc, 1,;,, "a ~