Israel's Poetry of Resistance: Africana Perspectives on Early Hebrew Verse

by Hugh R. Page Jr. (Editor)

Overview

Noting that Israel's earliest responses to earth-shaking changes were cast in the powerfully expressive language of poetry, Hugh R. Page Jr. argues that the careful collection and preservation of these traditionsnow found in every part of the Hebrew Biblewas an act of resistance, a communal no to the forces of despair and a yes to the creative power of the Spirit.

Further, Page argues, the power of these poems to craft and shape a future for a people who had suffered acute displacement and marginalization offers a rich spiritual repertoire for Africana peoples today, and for all who find themselves perennially outside the social or political mainstream. Here Page offers fresh translations and brief commentary on the Bible's fifteen earliest poems, and explores the power and relevance of these poems, and the ancient mythic themes behind them, for contemporary life at the margins.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780800663346
Publisher:	1517 Media
Publication date:	08/01/2013
Pages:	120
Product dimensions:	5.80(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

Hugh R. Page, Jr. is Professor of Theology and Africana Studies at the University of Notre Dame, where he also serves as Vice President for Institutional Transformation and as Advisor to the President. An Episcopal priest, Page holds a bachelor's in history from Hampton University, two master's degrees from The General Theological Seminary in New York, a doctorate in ministry from the Graduate Theological Foundation, and master's and doctoral degrees in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations from Harvard University.

Table of Contents

Preface ix

Part I The Bible and Africana Reality

1 Wilson Park, Homewood, and Early Hebrew Verse An Africana Perspective on the Albright Tradition 3

2 Diasporas and Adaptive Strategies in Early Hebrew Verse and the Africana World 15

Part II Early Hebrew Poems: A Compendium of Africana Readings

3 Zora Neale and the Lawgiver in Conversation Exodus 15 and Moses: Man of the Mountain 21

4 The Song of Deborah Harriet, Ben, Jael, and "Jah Work" 29

5 The Destructive Power of the Almighty Grenada, Ivan, Soufrière Hills, and Psalm 29 39

6 Playing "the Dozens" and Community Formation Rethinking Genesis 49 and Deuteronomy 32-33 47

7 "Somebody Done Hoodooed the Hoodoo Man" Junior Wells, Balaam, and the Persistence of Conjure 65

8 "Something Got a Hold of Me" 1 Samuel 2 and Aged Black Bodies 77

9 Harmolodic Blues and an Esoteric Mash-Up Reengaging 2 Samuel 1; 22 (Psalm 18); 23; and Three Ancient Psalms (68, 72, and 78) 81

Part III Preaching, Teaching, and Living Early Hebrew Poems

10 Early Hebrew Poetry Engaging It in Africana Congregational Settings 113

11 Recovering Poetry as Way of Life in the Africana World, the Church, and Beyond 119

Conclusion: Early Hebrew Poetry and Spiritualities of Resistance in the Black Atlantic 125

Blues Note: A Poetic Afterword 131

Bibliography 133