John 8:36. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
It was a custom among some of the Grecian cities to permit the son and heir to adopt brothers, and thereby give them a share in the rights and privileges enjoyed by himself. To this some think reference is made in the text. Others think the reference is to a Roman custom by which the son, after his father’s death, might, if he chose, give freedom to the slaves that were born in the house during his father’s time.