Africa and the Bible

by Yamauchi, Edwin M.

• ISBN13: 9780801026867
• ISBN10: 0801026865
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2004-03-01
• Publisher: Baker Academic

Summary

The "curse of Ham" has been used to legitimize slavery. Both Ethiopians and Arabians claim the queen of Sheba. Could Moses and Jesus have been black? Edwin Yamauchi explores the historical and archaeological background of biblical texts that refer to Africa and traces the results of past interpretations and misinterpretations. He covers such topics as the curse of Ham's son Canaan, Moses' Cushite wife, Simon the Cyrene, and afrocentric biblical interpretation. Along the way, he dispels myths, interacts with current theories, and provides readers with sound judgments as to what the Bible does and does not say. Readers interested in the connections between Africa and the Bible will enjoy this insightful book. More then eighty photos, maps, and charts are included.

Author Biography

Edwin M. Yamauchi (Ph.D., Brandeis University) is professor of history emeritus at Miami University, Ohio. He is the author or editor of numerous books, including Persia and the Bible, Greece and Babylon, The Archaeology of New Testament Cities in Asia Minor, Harper's World of the New Testament, and Africa and Africans in Antiquity. A co-edited work, Peoples of the Old Testament World, won a Biblical Archaeological Society Award.

Table of Contents

Illustrations	9	(4)
Foreword by Kenneth A. Kitchen	13	(2)
Preface	15	(4)
1. The Curse of Ham	19	(16)
2. Moses' Cushite Wife	35	(42)
3. Solomon and Africa	77	(30)
4. Tirhakah and Other Cushites	107	(42)
5. Rome and Meroe	149	(12)
6. Why the Ethiopian Eunuch Was Not from Ethiopia	161	(22)
7. Cyrene in Libya	183	(22)
8. Afrocentric Biblical Interpretation	205	(10)
Appendix: Martin Bernal's Black Athena Reviewed	215	(6)
Bibliography	221	(46)
Credits	267	(4)
Scripture Index	271	(2)
Author Index	273	(8)
Subject Index	281