doulos was a person without standing or rights. English Bibles tend to shield us from the full force of the word doulos because of an ages-old tendency among Bible translators to tone down the literal sense of the word—translating it as “servant,” or “bond servant” rather than “slave.” But service and slavery are not really the same thing. A slave is someone who lacks personal freedom and personal rights—whose very existence is defined by service to another. This is total, unqualified submission to