Roman Slavery
1. After a Roman battle, the conquered soldiers who were not killed or who were not to be paraded in triumph, were immediately sold as slaves. This was also true of the men, women, and children of cities which rebelled against Rome.
2. When looking at historical figures, like Pompey, we must separate the concepts of "greatness" (i.e. 'magnitudo') and "goodness" (i.e. 'benignitas'). Pompey was "great" in that his actions and influence reverberate throughout history. He rose to notoriety from complete obscurity. He restored the rights of the poorest Romans by reestablishing their tribunes. He rid the Mediterranean Sea of pirates. He brought roads, clean water, and sanitation to many new Roman provinces. However, Pompey was not "good" in a modern, Christian sense of the word. He was part of a universal economy of slavery. Freedom for anyone other than a Roman citizen was absolutely foreign to him. He killed thousands of Jews in his conquest of Judea. In short, we can't root for Pompey, or any political figure, as a "hero." He did "great" things, not morally "good" things.
2. Slavery still exists today. In some countries, children are sold (or "contracted") to pay off debts. In nearly every country on the planet, women are forced into sexual slavery. Non-Muslim women are even sold at slave auctions in regions controlled by the 'Islamic State'. We must remain vigilant and active in the fight against slavery in the modern world.
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