3. Translating Rabbinic Texts on the Curse of Ham: What We Learn from Charles Copher and His Critics

Alpert, Rebecca T.

doi:10.31826/9781463235512-004

Cited by 11 publications

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“…Furthermore, the racist interpretation of the curse of Ham is not confined to a single religious tradition but spans all three Abrahamic religions alike (for Christian interpretations, see (Peterson 1978;Haynes 2000Haynes , 2002; for Jewish interpretations, (Goldenberg 2003); for Muslim interpretations, (Evans 1980, pp. 26-34;Bashir 2019); for debates about the Rabbinic origins of the racist interpretation, see (Copher 1991;Aaron 1995;McKenzie 1997;Alpert 2013)). Arguably, no other sacred text in Christianity, Islam, and Judaism has been misused and abused in the interest of racism more than the curse of Ham in Gen 9:18-29.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Blessing of Whiteness in the Curse of Ham: Reading Gen 9:18–29 in the Antebellum South

Park

2021

Religions

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This essay examines the antebellum history of interpretation surrounding the curse of Ham in Gen 9:18–29. It explores how modern notions of scientific racism were read into the story as a de facto justification for the transatlantic slave trade and the institution of slavery in the antebellum South. However, more than simply being used as a prooftext for racist agendas, the curse of Ham provided a biblical foil for circumscribing a racial hierarchy where whiteness was positioned as superior in the figure of Japheth. By considering key features of the racist antebellum interpretation, I argue that the proslavery rationalization of Christian antebellum writers is rooted in a deracialized whiteness that was biblically produced and blessed with divine authority.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Blessing of Whiteness in the Curse of Ham: Reading Gen 9:18–29 in the Antebellum South

Park

2021

Religions

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Reimagining Hagar

Junior¹

2019

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This book offers a reception history of biblical Hagar. Despite the limited description of Hagar in biblical texts, she becomes an important figure in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. While many interpreters often treat biblical characters as White or as non-Black, this book investigates how, when, and why some interpreters choose to identify biblical Hagar as a Black woman. It centers on treatments of Hagar by African American biblical interpreters and focuses attention on how professional and non-professional interpreters identify and engage issues of difference, including gender, race, ethnicity, and status. Building on the work of African American classicists and biblical scholars, Reimagining Hagar discusses the African presence in biblical texts and issues of race within biblical studies. It details the portrayal of Hagar in nineteenth century pro- and anti-slavery literature in the United States, in African American vernacular traditions, and in religious studies and biblical studies scholarship. Engaging an array of literary and artistic sources, Reimagining Hagar illustrates that interpretations of Hagar as Black emphasize elements of Hagar’s narrative in order to connect her with or disassociate her from particular groups. This book traces some of the key points within the emergence and development of this unique understanding of Hagar as a Black woman.

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Junior

2019

Reimagining Hagar

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3. Translating Rabbinic Texts on the Curse of Ham: What We Learn from Charles Copher and His Critics

Cited by 11 publications

References 0 publications

The Blessing of Whiteness in the Curse of Ham: Reading Gen 9:18–29 in the Antebellum South

The Blessing of Whiteness in the Curse of Ham: Reading Gen 9:18–29 in the Antebellum South

Reimagining Hagar

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