Stony the Road We Trod: African American Biblical Interpretation

by Cain Hope Felder

Overview

A hallmark of American black religion is its distinctive use of the Bible in creating community, resisting oppression, and fomenting social change. What can critical biblical studies learn from the African American experience with the Bible, and vice versa? This singular volume marks the emergence of a critical mass of black biblical scholars. Combining sophisticated exegesis with special sensitivity to issues of race, class, and gender, the authors of this scholarly collection examine the nettling questions of biblical authority, blacks and African in biblical narratives, and the liberating aspects of Scripture. Together they are reshaping and redefining the questions, concerns, and scholarship that determine how the Bible is appropriated by church, academy, and the larger society today.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780800625016
Publisher:	Augsburg Fortress, Publishers
Publication date:	06/01/1991
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.68(d)

About the Author

Cain Hope Felder (1943-2019) served as professor of New Testament language and literature at Howard University's School of Divinity from 1981 until his retirement in 2016. He was the author or editor of several books, including two other Fortress titles: True to Our Native Land: An African American New Testament Commentary (2007) and Race, Racism, and the Biblical Narratives (2002).

Editorial Reviews

This is a splendid collection of 11 essays by African American biblical scholars; the introduction puts the essays, and the consultation out of which they grew, into context. The essays consider biblical authority, African American sources for enhancing biblical interpretation, and the issue of race in the Bible. They also offer reinterpretation of specific biblical texts, while revealing the role blacks played within the Bible. These essays are important for both scholars and general readers, making the book essential for many libraries.

Library Journal