A social scientific study of the significance of the jubilee in the New Testament

Abstract

This social scientific study of the Biblical jubilee focuses primarily on the jubilee as a metaphor within the framework of engaged hermeneutics. The jubilee was a symbol of transformation and emancipation. The article shows the significance of the jubilee in the New Testament as interpreted within the context of the reign of God and salvation in Jesus Christ. The liberation from enslavement pertains to all levels of human existence, including socio-economic and political interrelation-ships. The study demonstrates conflicting perceptions of land tenancy in an ancient economy that resulted in the exploitation and enslavement of peasants and their families. The constructs of the advanced agrarian society and the pre-industrial city are used as heuristic models for the interpretation of data.