All Paul’s readers would have been familiar with the first-century Greek process for freeing slaves. The word “redeem” describes this process. Sometimes the slave caught the attention of a wealthy free person and for some reason or other- compassion, affection, justice- the free person decided to free the slave. The free person would go to the temple or shrine and deposit with the priests the sum of money required for manumission. The priests would then deliver an oracle: The god Apollo has purchased this slave (from his or her owners) and is now free….The exslave who all his or her life had been treated as an inferior…was no longer subject to such an evaluation. The person was free No price could be put on his head again. The person was valuable not to do something, but to be someone.”Eugene Peterson, Traveling Light