Christian Theology - Media Sabda Org

among the Romans, that the apostle alludes in this place, Gal. iv, 5, as
well as in various others in his epistles.
Among the ancient Romans every house had its altar, its religious rites;
and its household gods. All these, being considered the most sacred, were
ever to be continued in that family; and, on this account, if the family
were in danger of becoming extinct, through want of children, adoption
was admitted, that the family and its sacred rites and gods might be
preserved. This was one of the laws of the very ancient "twelve tables,"
so celebrated in the history of ancient Rome.
When, then, a child was to be adopted into a strange family, his father
took him, and presenting himself and his son before the magistrate, and
five witnesses, who were Romans, he said, "I emancipate to thee this my
son." Then the adopting father, holding a piece of money in his hand, and
at the same time taking hold of his son, said, "I declare this man to be my
son according to the Roman law, and he is bought with this money;" and
then gave it to the father as the price of his son, &c.
Every Roman had the right of life and death over his children, even as
they had over slaves. In the case of adoption this right was surrendered by
the natural father to the adopting father; and the person adopted entered
into this new family as if it were his own naturally. He took his adopting
father's name, and a legal right, not only to food, raiment, and all the
comforts of life, but also to the inheritance. All the relatives of the new
family bore the same relation to the adopted, as if they had been naturally
his own; and in all privileges, rights, and legal transactions he was the
same as if he had been born in that family.
But he was still amenable to the laws, and must be in every respect
obedient, attentive to the family honour, and to its interest. In case of
rebellion against the parent, he might be put to death; for the adopting
father had the same authority over the adopted son as his own natural
father had.