Reading the Slave Girl of Acts 16:16-18 in Light of Enslavement and Disability
In: Biblical InterpretationSearch for other papers by Katy E. Valentine in
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Abstract
This article analyzes the story of the exorcism of the slave girl in Acts 16:16-18 in light of recent studies in the field of disability. I show that the ancient world considered spirit possession to be a disability, and the slave girl is doubly vulnerable as one both possessed and enslaved. Her oracular status, however, gave her a limited amount of authority in her context, which was erased in the exorcism by Paul. The loss of this disability then increased the risk for the slave girl by angering her masters. The slave girl is a “narrative prosthesis” in the text; the story is interested primarily in her disability, and once her disability is removed, she disappears from the text. The story of the slave girl offers us insights about the power of embracing disabilities as valuable identities and sources of authority.
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Reading the Slave Girl of Acts 16:16-18 in Light of Enslavement and Disability
In: Biblical InterpretationSearch for other papers by Katy E. Valentine in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Abstract
This article analyzes the story of the exorcism of the slave girl in Acts 16:16-18 in light of recent studies in the field of disability. I show that the ancient world considered spirit possession to be a disability, and the slave girl is doubly vulnerable as one both possessed and enslaved. Her oracular status, however, gave her a limited amount of authority in her context, which was erased in the exorcism by Paul. The loss of this disability then increased the risk for the slave girl by angering her masters. The slave girl is a “narrative prosthesis” in the text; the story is interested primarily in her disability, and once her disability is removed, she disappears from the text. The story of the slave girl offers us insights about the power of embracing disabilities as valuable identities and sources of authority.
| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 6397 | 611 | 30 |
| Full Text Views | 201 | 12 | 2 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 368 | 31 | 4 |
