This Strange Story
Jewish and Christian Interpretation of the Curse of Canaan from Antiquity to 1865
Seiten
2008
University Press of America (Verlag)
978-0-7618-3879-1 (ISBN)
University Press of America (Verlag)
978-0-7618-3879-1 (ISBN)
This book addresses the claim that an American antebellum era anti-African reading of "the curse of Canaan" story originated in rabbinic literature. By tracing the curse of Canaan's history of interpretation from the beginning of the Common Era to 1865, with particular emphasis on the neglected medieval period, this work examines this long-held false claim.
Although Jewish readings of the curse of Canaan appear in medieval Christian commentaries, no Jewish references to skin color are repeated in Christian exegesis. Therefore, the book argues that the anti-African antebellum reading develops in response both to abolitionism and the biblical text's establishment of a social hierarchy that divides humankind into slaves and masters.
The pro-slavery reading is an extension of Christian allegorical exegesis of the curse of Canaan, in which Shem, Ham, and Japheth represented different groups of people depending upon the interpreter's historical context, usually Jewish Christians, Jews or Christian heretics, and Gentile Christians respectively. Southerners and their allies simply changed the typology, making Shem the ancestor of brown people, Ham the ancestor of black people due to a reading of his genealogy in Genesis 10, and Japheth the ancestor of white people. The new typology justified African slavery as a divinely ordained and sanctioned economic system, just as the old typology justified Christian supersessionism.
Although Jewish readings of the curse of Canaan appear in medieval Christian commentaries, no Jewish references to skin color are repeated in Christian exegesis. Therefore, the book argues that the anti-African antebellum reading develops in response both to abolitionism and the biblical text's establishment of a social hierarchy that divides humankind into slaves and masters.
The pro-slavery reading is an extension of Christian allegorical exegesis of the curse of Canaan, in which Shem, Ham, and Japheth represented different groups of people depending upon the interpreter's historical context, usually Jewish Christians, Jews or Christian heretics, and Gentile Christians respectively. Southerners and their allies simply changed the typology, making Shem the ancestor of brown people, Ham the ancestor of black people due to a reading of his genealogy in Genesis 10, and Japheth the ancestor of white people. The new typology justified African slavery as a divinely ordained and sanctioned economic system, just as the old typology justified Christian supersessionism.
Stacy Davis is Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Saint Mary's College, Notre Dame, IN.
Part 1 List of Abbreviations
Part 2 Foreword
Part 3 Preface
Part 4 Acknowledgements
Chapter 5 Introduction
Chapter 6 Textual History and Exegesis
Chapter 7 Interpretation of the Curse of Canaan, ca. 100 BCE–1050 CE
Chapter 8 Jewish Interpretation of the Curse of Canaan in France and Spain, ca. 1075–1350
Chapter 9 Christian Interpretation of the Curse of Canaan in Western Europe, ca. 1075–1350
Chapter 10 Modern Western Exegesis of the Curse of Canaan, ca. 1500–1865
Chapter 11 Conclusion
Part 12 Appendix
Part 13 Endnotes
Part 14 References
Part 15 Index of Texts
Part 16 Index of Names and Subjects
Part 17 About the Author
| Erscheint lt. Verlag | 5.4.2008 |
|---|---|
| Verlagsort | Lanham, MD |
| Sprache | englisch |
| Maße | 154 x 232 mm |
| Gewicht | 372 g |
| Themenwelt | Sonstiges ► Geschenkbücher |
| Geisteswissenschaften ► Religion / Theologie | |
| ISBN-10 | 0-7618-3879-1 / 0761838791 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-0-7618-3879-1 / 9780761838791 |
| Zustand | Neuware |
| Informationen gemäß Produktsicherheitsverordnung (GPSR) | |
| Haben Sie eine Frage zum Produkt? |
Mehr entdecken
aus dem Bereich
aus dem Bereich
Der Junge, der Maulwurf, der Fuchs, das Pferd und der Sturm
Buch | Hardcover (2025)
Penguin (Verlag)
CHF 38,90
100 Fragen an meine Mutter | Vom Autor des SPIEGEL-Bestsellers 25 …
Buch | Hardcover (2024)
park x ullstein (Verlag)
CHF 34,90
