The Talking Book: African Americans and the BibleYale University Press, 2008 M10 1 - 295 pages A striking narrative of the Bible’s central role in African-American history from the early days of slavery to the present The Talking Book casts the Bible as the central character in a vivid portrait of black America, tracing the origins of African-American culture from slavery’s secluded forest prayer meetings to the bright lights and bold style of today’s hip-hop artists. The Bible has profoundly influenced African Americans throughout history. From a variety of perspectives this wide-ranging book is the first to explore the Bible’s role in the triumph of the black experience. Using the Bible as a foundation, African Americans shared religious beliefs, created their own music, and shaped the ultimate key to their freedom—literacy. Allen Callahan highlights the intersection of biblical images with African-American music, politics, religion, art, and literature. The author tells a moving story of a biblically informed African-American culture, identifying four major biblical images—Exile, Exodus, Ethiopia, and Emmanuel. He brings these themes to life in a unique African-American history that grows from the harsh experience of slavery into a rich culture that endures as one of the most important forces of twenty-first-century America. |
From inside the book
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... Douglass, Richard Allen, and the abolitionist firebrand David Walker all assert that “heathenism” was predominant in the slave community.7 Never- theless the impact of Protestant Evangelicalism on African- American culture and ...
... Douglass frequently heard his mistress read the Bible aloud , and it was this experience , as he later wrote in his autobiography , that “ roused in me the desire to learn . ” " 25 Later Douglass would complain that under the slave ...
African Americans and the Bible Allen Dwight Callahan. Later Douglass would complain that under the slave regime “ men and women were obliged to hide in barns and woods and trees from profess- ing Christians , in order to read the Holy ...
... Douglass and the Presby- terian minister Henry Highland Garnet engaged in public debate over a campaign to solicit funds to provide Bibles for slaves in the South. Their confrontation was a rematch of sorts. The two had first debated in ...
... Douglass knew better. Douglass stands as a brilliant exception to the iron rule that slaves are the silent partners in the business of history. Unlike most slaves under all slave regimes, we have his own words from his own hand. Douglass ...
Contents
1 | |
21 | |
41 | |
49 | |
5 Exodus | 83 |
6 Ethiopia | 138 |
7 Emmanuel | 185 |
Postscript | 240 |
Notes | 247 |
Subject Index | 275 |
Scripture Index | 284 |