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The City of God

Chapter 15.--Of the Liberty Proper to Man's Nature, and the Servitude Introduced by Sin,--A Servitude in Which the Man Whose Will is Wicked is the Slave of His Own Lust, Though He is Free So Far as Regards Other Men.

This is prescribed by the order of nature: it is thus that God has created man. For "let them," He says, "have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every creeping thing which creepeth on the earth." ¹ He did not intend that His rational creature, who was made in His image, should have dominion over anything but the irrational creation,--not man over man, but man over the beasts. And hence the righteous men in primitive times were made shepherds of cattle rather than kings of men, God intending thus to teach us what the relative position of the creatures is, and what the desert of sin; for it is with justice, we believe, that the condition of slavery is the result of sin. And this is why we do not find the word "slave" in any part of Scripture until righteous Noah branded the sin of his son with this name. It is a name, therefore, introduced by sin and not by nature. The origin of the Latin word for slave is supposed to be found in the circumstance that those who by the law of war were liable to be killed were sometimes preserved by their victors, and were hence called servants. ² And these circumstances could never have arisen save through sin. For even when we wage a just war, our adversaries must be sinning; and every victory, even though gained by wicked men, is a result of the first judgment of God, who humbles the vanquished either for the sake of removing or of punishing their sins. Witness that man of God, Daniel, who, when he was in captivity, confessed to God his own sins and the sins of his people, and declares with pious grief that these were the cause of the captivity. ³ The prime cause, then, of slavery is sin, which brings man under the dominion of his fellow,--that which does not happen save by the judgment of God, with whom is no unrighteousness, and who knows how to award fit punishments to every variety of offence. But our Master in heaven says, "Every one who doeth sin is the servant of sin." ⁴ And thus there are many wicked masters who have religious men as their slaves, and who are yet themselves in bondage; "for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage." ⁵ And beyond question it is a happier thing to be the slave of a man than of a lust; for even this very lust of ruling, to mention no others, lays waste men's hearts with the most ruthless dominion. Moreover, when men are subjected to one another in a peaceful order, the lowly position does as much good to the servant as the proud position does harm to the master. But by nature, as God first created us, no one is the slave either of man or of sin. This servitude is, however, penal, and is appointed by that law which enjoins the preservation of the natural order and forbids its disturbance; for if nothing had been done in violation of that law, there would have been nothing to restrain by penal servitude. And therefore the apostle admonishes slaves to be subject to their masters, and to serve them heartily and with good-will, so that, if they cannot be freed by their masters, they may themselves make their slavery in some sort free, by serving not in crafty fear, but in faithful love, until all unrighteousness pass away, and all principality and every human power be brought to nothing, and God be all in all.

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De civitate Dei (CCSL)

Caput XV: De libertate naturali et de seruitute, cuius prima causa peccatum est, quia homo malae uoluntatis, etiamsi non est mancipium alterius hominis, seruus est propriae libidinis.

Hoc naturalis ordo praescribit, ita deus hominem condidit. nam: dominetur, inquit, piscium maris et uolatilium caeli et omnium repentium, quae repunt super terram. rationalem factum ad imaginem suam noluit nisi inrationalibus dominari; non hominem homini, sed hominem pecori. inde primi iusti pastores pecorum magis quam reges hominum constituti sunt, ut etiam sic insinuaret deus, quid postulet ordo creaturarum, quid exigat meritum peccatorum. condicio quippe seruitutis iure intellegitur inposita peccatori. proinde nusquam scripturarum legimus seruum, antequam hoc uocabulo Noe iustus peccatum filii uindicaret. nomen itaque istuc culpa meruit, non natura. origo autem uocabuli seruorum in Latina lingua inde creditur ducta, quod hi, qui iure belli possent occidi, a uictoribus cum seruabantur serui fiebant, a seruando appellati; quod etiam ipsum sine peccati merito non est. nam et cum iustum geritur bellum, pro peccato e contrario dimicatur; et omnis uictoria, cum etiam malis prouenit, diuino iudicio uictos humiliat uel emendans peccata uel puniens. testis est homo dei Daniel, cum in captiuitate positus peccata sua et peccata populi sui confitetur deo et hanc esse causam illius captiuitatis pio dolore testatur. prima ergo seruitutis causa peccatum est, ut homo homini condicionis uinculo subderetur; quod non fit nisi deo iudicante, apud quem non est iniquitas et nouit diuersas poenas meritis distribuere delinquentium. sicut autem supernus dominus dicit: omnis, qui facit peccatum, seruus est peccati, ac per hoc multi quidem religiosi dominis iniquis, non tamen liberis seruiunt: a quo enim quis deuictus est, huic et seruus addictus est. et utique felicius seruitur homini, quam libidini, cum saeuissimo dominatu uastet corda mortalium, ut alias omittam, libido ipsa dominandi. hominibus autem illo pacis ordine, quo aliis alii subiecti sunt, sicut prodest humilitas seruientibus, ita nocet superbia dominantibus. nullus autem natura, in qua prius deus hominem condidit, seruus est hominis aut peccati. uerum et poenalis seruitus ea lege ordinatur, quae naturalem ordinem conseruari iubet, perturbari uetat; quia si contra eam legem non esset factum, nihil esset poenali seruitute cohercendum. ideoque apostolus etiam seruos monet subditos esse dominis suis et ex animo eis cum bona uoluntate seruire; ut scilicet, si non possunt a dominis liberi fieri, suam seruitutem ipsi quodammodo liberam faciant, non timore subdolo, sed fideli dilectione seruiendo, donec transeat iniquitas et euacuetur omnis principatus et potestas humana et sit deus omnia in omnibus.