Reading the Slave Girl of Acts 16:16-18 in Light of Enslavement and Disability
Katy E. Valentine
Biblical Interpretation August 27, 2018 DOI: 10.1163/15685152-00263p04 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Citations | 5 |
| Key points | Argues that the ancient world treated spirit possession as a disability, that the enslaved girl in Acts 16:16-18 was doubly vulnerable as possessed and enslaved, and that Paul's exorcism erased her limited oracular authority and increased her danger by angering her masters. The author contends she functions as a "narrative prosthesis," disappearing from the text once her disability is removed, and that the story illustrates the value of embracing disabilities as identities and sources of authority. |
Abstract
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.