Foreword
THE AGONY OF ASAR
an introduction to the life and work of Capitein
I. A life: servitude and aftermath
1. An orphan in the Netherlands
2. Unhappy returns: Elmina, 1742–1747
3. Potentially parallel lives: Equiano and Capitein
II. The West Indies Company and the Dutch slave trade
1. The birth and slow demise of a seaborne empire
2. White man’s burden: Christian mission
III. Capitein’s writings in overview
1. Missiology
2. A scholar and an African
IV. Capitein’s dissertation in context
1. A history of Ham’s curse: Christianity and slavery
2. Antislavery sentiment in the Netherlands
V. Conclusions
Defining slavery: ownership and social death
JACOBUS ELISA JOHANNES CAPITEIN
Political-theological dissertation examining the question: Is slavery compatible with Christian freedom or not?
Preface: To the reader
Chapter One, which defines slavery and proposes the subject of inquiry
Chapter Two, which explores the ancient origin of slavery and shows that nearly all societies made use of it
Chapter Three, which proves that slavery and Christianity are not antithetical
Appendix 1.
Two prefaces to Capitein’s translation of religious texts
[The translator] to the Christian reader
The publisher to the reader
Appendix 2.
African intellectuals in 18th-century Europe
Appendix 3.
Capitein and his world: a select bibliography
Abbreviations used in the endnotes
Notes to the introduction
Notes to capitein’s dissertation
Index
Maps
Map 1. The Atlantic world in the early 18th century
Map 2. The Guinea coast
Map 3. The Netherlands