:frican OriginS Of The Major
PW"estern R eligions"
1t?, I~
,
African Origins Of The Major Western Religions Published 1991 by
Black Classic Press Published with th e permission of the author. Cover art by Tony Browder, rendered from the original cover design by Yosef ben-locha nnan. We are indebted to both Malik Azeez fo r preparing the Select Bibliography and a ni Ford for preparing the Index for the B.C.P. edition of this work.
Nri~an
OriginS
Of The Major
"Western Religions "
(el1970 Yosef ben-Joehannan All rights reserved Originally published by Alkebu-l an Books Asscciates Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 9G--82689
By
Yo sef A,A. b en-Jochannan
ISBN G--933121-29-6 Printed on acid free paper to assure long life Founded in 1978, Black Classic Press specializes in bringi ng to lig ht ub~,nlll ' and sign ificant works by and about people o f African descent. If ou r boo!..·, are not available in your area, ask your loca l bookseller to order them. OIlT current list of tiUes ca n be obtained by wriling:
Black Classic Press c/o List P.o.llox 1341 4 Unltimorc, M!) 21Z03
1
.
,
IN lANA UNIVER~ITY ~A S
r.l OOWoINGT Otv
•
AFRICAN ORIGINS OF THE
MAJOR 1!~'1ESTERN RELIGIONS"
by: yosef be n-Joc han na n
Dedica ted To: t he innocen tly r ecen t born and those yet- to- be bo r~ African and African-American infan ts who must one d ay tak e th e~r
p l ace in mank ind's world as the i nheri tor s of the reli gions
thei r forebear e rs created, hoping that they may be come the forces o f change t o bring t h i s wor l d to it s equili b rium once mor e • • •
Cha ir man, Afr ican Studi es Department: The Har lem Prepar ator y School of Ne\\' Yor k N.Y.C ., N.Y .
Vi s iting Pr ofessor of History: State Un i ver sity college at N'e\\' Paltz., New Pa ltz, N. Y. Ad j unct Ass o c . Pr ofe ssor of Hi s tory: Pac e College, New York (Ne w Yor lc. C ity and l'Je stc h es ter Campus).
Instructor of History: Haryrnount Co llege, Tar r ytown, Ne\"! Yor k . F or~erly Cultural and Hi s tor i cal Consultan~ to the Per man e n t Afr ic an I'1i ss i o r.. s of the Un ited Na t i ons Or ga ni zatio n.
iii
.&'OEH
PR EFACE • •• 1 -
iv
INTRODUCTION • •• v -
xx~
SHANGO: A SotmCE OF APR ICAN RELIGIOUS.
Chapter I ••• pp. 1 -
72 •
.3T. AUGU STIN;::: AFRICAN INPLUBrICS ON CHTI I STIAN I'l'Y.
Chapte r I I ••• pp. 7 3 - 137 HOSES : I\PRICAN INFLUBNCE ON JUDAISH.
Chapte r lI I • • • pp . 1 38 - 1 95. BIL1\ L : AFrnCAN INFLUENCE ON 'IS LAM.
Chapter IV • •• pp. 1 96 -
245.
KING , r-l0HAl·1!1r;O,
DIVI NE , I"f.AT'l'HE\-JS , AND GAJWE.Y : Re li gious Ne ", Di mension s . Chapter V •• • pp. 246 - 297 .
All F a ith i
f 1 S ~t
a ll Faith is Tr u e Tru th is t he sha tte red mirr or~ In my ri ad b it s j wh ile each be l i e v es elfin h i s l i t tl e b i t the \.. h ole to ow n
CONCLUS ION: • • • pp. 2 98 - 310 . IJOTE:S: •• • 9p .
31 1 - 342.
BIBLIOGRAP HY: ••• pp . 34 3 -
355 .
F rom : • '" God: R.a - Sun God o f th e Ni l e . Sun b ur st .0.
THE: KASI DAH of HAJ I ABU e l - YEZDI ( as tr a n s!. b y
Sir R i chard P . Bur ton )
= Symbol of the f ir st principles of rel i g i on . Coff i n Tex ts .
PyramJ..d \" i th All See in g Eye . ? = God: Oarnba l la!1 Ouedo , Voodoo . ~'l cst Afr ican . Roo,-,ter. f = Key of Li fe o f th e l·lys teries. Gr and Lodge of Lu xor . Ankh, Nil e Va l ley Cr oss. + = God : Jesu s Chr i sto Chr i stian i ty .. Cross , i'Jesternized Vers i on . a! = God: Trad i tiona l Afr ican r e l i g ions. Cr oss, Ni l e Va ll ey and Cen trq l Afr 1cQ. • :: God: Ya\"e h . He b r e",ism ( J ud aism). S ta.r of Oavid. :: God: Alt l ah. I s l am . Crescent of T i gr i s and £uphrate s .
iv
•
v
n OOK OF THE: DEAD PREFACE: 8 veryti me I r e l igio n I
had the good f o r tu ne
to r ese a rc h into someone ' s
foune. " God" to be t.he i ma ge o f
the r e li g ion belongs;
no t col o n ia l.
j
He-ver end Dr- . Nart i n L u the r above ) i n tr o duced in to i t
The col on i a l i s ti'! re fer r e d
conquer e d i n t he sense o f in thi s case,
~l ave~
tr oo p s and land , but of
~_~ \\I!"I O
and
I,andh l. .
have seen the shackles ,,'hi c h
those of their min d. Be cau s e o f
their mental
enslave~e n t
to
th ese three .
AS
been f orced t o abando n the ir mJn
Cl person of Afr i c a n or i gin , I
fe el th at i t
is
shall sno,,} t!1at Judaism ,
Chris '.:: ian i ty ~ an d
In
that th e
"Sem i t ic " ane. "Hamitic " -
in c h arac t er a n d in t ent .
( :') y p t) , Kush (Eth i op i a) an d Nu:O ia CSu da n) .
50
Isla m are
other
~uch
om
"Ne(,;'roes " - o f
the Upper
no " Judaism , Chr i st.i.<1 nity " or " TslOif.'\ " oa w]h ter
and gr e ,'lt- ') .L' und - r) 111 1 1\ I ( ' I'" ,, 1
" l'1y ~'::(' r ic!> l! )l
a l l .br l ·,
P,. ' -li" ion , Tl.S ;;llC'l'.J H in III ' vi
III lIt
"1,"1/
in" ,ind "P"L"lI'nlu "
Lil~
1:: 'YP( ; L\n
'~xl
In II,c'
IY
':1 }. th
t he flo.;)
0 f;'
the Nile River a nd all i t ::.
kli th them they brOll ,;,ht re l i g ion G and Greec e , ca me i n t o bein ry .
I
the
indi,}cn o us Afr.i c ans o f Sa i s ( ~ gypt ) , is no t c o in cid e:1ta l , 1 11~te"'d , it: c o mmon t o th e herit age l'Jhic h began alo n t:] the
iC l'I t
I ,
l ake s " o f Centra l :\fric a an d th e h e a d - v/uters of the Nile a ~i ::;h m." n in lh i:.; ..... or k .
'rhp(E" a t''! p e o p c
1.: !
I\tl- i c a n G d " ,\ " :1n .. 1
b,.i " " out l L (l,lt h :, 11.[
th
~;t nation in ~~u rope ,
" " ""It
an d o n e - h \JOth· ,
(thr:> dau gh b'''r , c"ran d111(~
parts .
rl~ of Ues t , Centr al , East and South Africa wi th tha t o f
Nile Vall ey a nd CentrClI ,\ f r ic a not fOl'.r - tho"...!s~nd
" t;:rea ~
The s imi lar ity o etHee n eX ist ing reli gio us practices i n
the s o-call ed
(I- , OCO) mi l es l on g Nile Ri ver int o Sai:;; equally U 1I.:!rc c oul d
the
t
But the fact stil l remains with respect t o the
mi s=rated north alan!) the mo r e than
t he land s a r o und t he ;najor
'~h ;losophy, all of vlh i c h e Xi ste d thousands o f yC!!ars b e f ore the
part ic ularly
o f re lig ion , that there I,} o u l d have been n o t::syptia n
c ivi l i z ation (H igh - C u lture) h ad t h e Af ri cans -
in
thct the "I:lysteries"
That c i v il i za t i on in i\lkebu - la n L'l.ir ic u ) tra velled
south to n or
, \r,lponen t
nomen c latures o f co n t e mpt i n t h e deve l oL')ment o f
Sais (E g ypt ).
1'his is :Jhovm
d.r~:'i!! 5~ f Central Af ri ca and al o ng th e head -hlat ~rs of the Nile
The sole purpose is t o deny the
r el i g io n and t h o u ght in ancie n t North Afr i c a 0rig i ~
t l cans Hho once OCcup i ed
I vcr .
ar.lOn<1
th is vo lume , al ong v/ith the fac t
rn deve lo pe d from th e anc i en t r eligious rites of the i nd eCteno LlS
If
a :re E_¥=ist
"Afr i cans South of the Sahara" and "Bantu,"
text o f
\)11'
e;{is t ence of t'r'la t \-Jhic h most Eur o peans and i::ur ope a n-Americ un s "~ , "
th ey are t h e c rea tor s of the "Hys t e r ies o f S a i s "
i1 refor e,
?,s th ey a re p re sently
these r eli Qi o ns -
the i n dis e nous kfri c a n pe o ple £>
" 'ligi o n s," are i n fa ct 'i:: he fore r u n n ers of Nile Vul l l?Y re l i ~ i onsj
Surope an as the ti t I e , " 'dESTr':RH R.ELI GIONS" sUCJgc s l: .;
aP9lied t o the early . founders o f
ca l l
The t rad i t i 0 n al r eligi on s o f
Hid their desc enda n ts \
as mu ch I\iric an a. s t:"ICY are As ia n i n "'rigin, 2, nd in nc Sl2nse ~'jhat - so - ever
And e '(en thou gh Dr . Kin g t ri e d t o invoke the "an c e str al
p
t h i s f i eld , \'/ner e s o ma n y no n - J\fr ic ans
h ave bef ore me entered to s peak und \')r i te abo ut me . dc inl) : I
la\'/yer an d
' ~)pear t o be Ela.E_~~_~L~~~ct io~ .
Judais~,
indisen()u::; r e l i g i ons , ne e d to kn o lt,' the i r roll? i n eit;,er of my ob l i !}a t i on to enter
the e le me nt of "n o n - vio l ence" he
I,' o'c ship" metho d of c.l. ll i n g u po n the " so i r i t ','/or l d" ( in i :hri s t ianity - " Sa in ts") , -1 l ik e h,; s G~d' _ Jesus "' '' C hri st , he \,/as ~lot t o be h eard by a n irrel i g ious na t i o n o f peop l e \~h o se Gods
the Africans and Afri can- American s '-Ilho
have for one reason or another
(n o re la ti o ns hip t o th e
~ t a t e~ m;n - f1a h a t ma (" the Sacred On eil) r·1o handas Kar amchand
OO'Jnd t h e ir b odies r e mov e d f or over o ne- hundr ed yC? ars, but not
Christianity, and Islam,
Ki n g , Jr .
rop ied f rom th e Hindu t each e r , ph i losophe r ,
to is not e ssent ial ly o ne o f conqueror nor is i t one of th e ..'!~.~~er ~;
J.
Th e r evelatio n s in this \wr k show tha t the Re ve r e nd Mar t i n Luth e r 's2 r evol t aqa; - ... n st Pap l Roma n Chr i st ia n i ty , as Hell as ,Tuda i sm and Is l a m, rema ined s t ag na n tly rhe t oric until t he
th e peo p l e to 'I/hom
tha t is pr oviding its phi l o s oph i c a l
conce!l t s are indi lJ enou s
a nd OS I RI S .
j
lnd o.1y .u' o und Ue WI/r Id wh o have suffered
~ lo1rl y tr nm r.l! r () pe~n bel lcl h y
,r1r\
r':ucop c .:s.n -i\mcr ic '-1. n i mperia l is m _ a ided
lhp 1".ni ' ·1'8 "I
.11Idd i ~II' dnd Cilc l:.;L L'1. ni t y _ '
a ctiveJ.y e nr] a ged i n sl avery by s an c t ioni n 9 its in st it ution
Dori s Mos e ly f or h er gener al contr ibuti o ns and ch ec king t he en t i re
th.r ou<]h -b"i st e:d quotat i o ns from the i r: min ven 5ion s of t hc t uhic h is c a l led li Th e Holy an d Suc red
S cr iptur~s _1I
7
ma nu s cri p t
The_re l'ore,
i mr,wr tan c e; bu t t h er e
I.~ a s
h isto r y of man ki nd 1.>Jhen t he y '.'J ere o f s hm·m t hat most e ur ope a ns a nd
ea sy flow o f infor mat ion , has be e n ex t reme ly h el p f u l
never a p e.r i o d i n t he ' no i mp or t ance .
Suro~) e an -I1.m er ic ans
I
It
th ey c ho o s e to ca l l
f1 y ma ny f rie n d s a t the v ario us c ent e r s o f con t a c t a nd
have cons i s te n tly
" Gr eek Phi los oP:ly ,,8 a nd 11 1:Jes ter: n
Re l i g ion s ; ,, 9 ti t l es
of dir e c t Cauca si an C'jhi te ) orient e d
eth ni c s u p e rior ity_
Th e mere t i tles by t h e Mse l v es s ug ge s t
excl u siv enes s of Euro pe an and Europe a n- Amer ic an on ly .. 1 0
It
is r ec o g ni zed, h mJ ever,
( ~lh ite)
learni ng i n H:-rl ern , especi a ll y t hos e ."h om I me e t c on s t a n t l y at
t i1~
es tabl ish ed order of th in g s
is n Clt bein g ser v e d .. sho\·.' t ha t
1
p eoples
t he Countee Cullen
t he Net-J Yor k City PUb l ic Li br ar y, cnd the Lec tur e
i he
l i t t le mor e t ha n h lO years nee ded to p re 9are this wor k ..
'I'!~ '.:r e are c o untless others , ,·, ho in ma ny differ en t \'Iay s, I i 1\debted to;
to Br o c k t he boat"
Vo l t h ough knmli ng t hat
Ol o nz o Sc h omb ur g Collection o f
:;cr i e s of th e Library, h a ve b een more than a n inspira t i on f or t he
s uf f ici en t reas on t o s ge C"lk ou ·t; a ga ins t t hi s typ e o f a c ad e r.li c
of
t he Ar t hur
Ilranc h o f
that th is mG.Y n o t be
d i sh o nesty , a cc or din g t o t ho 3e Hho ,·!ish no t
in man y
" t her ..lay s . is
u s ed the same infor!7.ation r:e ve a.l ed in th:5.s \-Jor k d is g u is ed a s whe t
My youngest d augh ter
Co ll ette Makeda, 1tJho read t h e manuscript with r e g ard s t o its
i niormati o n of th e na ture f ound i n this Nork may b e c o nsi dered o f c ur r en t
f or i t s s c h ol a r ly ex c el lenc e.
II
tr I.I t h "
I
ili s tas k..
to t h em , I Ho pef u lly,
ara
also extend my joy in th e cOP"lple tL-m of t h i s \-! ork me an s t o them the beg i nni n g of
.\ i..'e t ter 'mder5ta nd i n'J o f
t h e con ·tr ib u t ions o f
't fr.';i <:: an o[" i gi n to th e entire
th e pe op les of
~'Ior ld civ il iz a ticm .
But t he mai n pur p os e of t h i s \".'ork is to
th er e i s ano t her
p ha s e
to t l"'le IJrea t ne s s that is stil l
Yo se f be n - ,J o channan
" NOTHER AFRICA; " t he MO'l'f{8R OF Nfl. NKIND , a sort of "GAR DEN OF EOE;N , "ll a l so t o provide a n other p erspectiv e in i\ f r ic a ' s najor
c o ntr i bution to 'dorld civil i z at i on Hh ich may we l l ass i st i n re arran g i ng t he p re sen t a n d f u t ur e ten e ts o f r e ligious th o u gh t . £,Ri:DIT : A , . . ork of t his d i mension could no t b e possi b le \'li t hout th r' a s si stance f I'om o th ers. r e g ard is ex t e n ded to instructor, a t
Mr~
My sinc er est a ppreci <'l ti n i n t his George Simm onds , my ,,! :; ('lIc i '1t.c
th e Harlem Pr epa r atory S ch o t , ) •• ; r·lo-\J \'"(w!:,
re-c h e c ki n g the (i ()cume n t s and r.Jc t u al If\! " I 111 II I , 'TI • . Inrl 10 vi ii
i oe 11 bHi
ix
IN'rRODUC'I' I ON
~amou f1aged into the author shi~ of those who did leas t
" Nn pos i ti v e rel igio n that has moved ma n has been able to start Hit]' a tabula rasa , and e xpress i t sel f a s i f r e l i gion were beginnin g fo r the first ti me, io f orm, if not in substance . The ne\"! sys ter.l ri1us t be in co nt ac t a l l along th e line Hith the ol d er ideas and !)r a ctices ~'Jhich it finds in ~)os s ession . 1\ ne',. s c heme of f a itn can find a hear ing o nly by a 9 pea1ing to r e li gious instincts and susc e pt ib i li t ies that already exist; and i t c ann ot reach thes e \·t1thout takin g accou n t of the trad iti o nal f or ms in \,t hicll al l religious feeling is e mbodied , a n d \'iithout speakin!] a 1an ~uage \yh ich men a ccust or.led to tj1 e se ol d f0rms CeO unde!:::;tand • •. • "
I'hern , but most t o continue them as the'r ~ o wn exc 1 usive domain.
But: t-tr . Spith ' :
r'cligion a nd peoples , "ias an indi g enous Af r ican (Black or ~Ir'~ro~, ,../ould create a catastrophic consternation am,")n g
l i!C olog ic a 1 racists and b r ing dO';1O all sorts of "a n'ci - Semiti cu .,urges by the salile p eopl e I' II"
ot
the peoples \-lith t1hom it had contac t in its eilr 1 iesi:. deve lo 9-
~ .'
'Thi s
~'!Ould,
/\s i an predecessors
~'J ere
the ones that really began the
re li gions \.,hicl1 a r e tOday called "Juda ism" (H e br e ..,Jis m) ti anity and Is l am"
(r'1oh ammedism) - forme r ly
"Chris_
J
~'Jou1 d
have no d i ff ic ulty i n r eco gni z ing t:-"al
nuch of \',hat they read in their ? or ah (Je\'/is h Holy nook or Five. Boo!<s o f Noses )
J
(Huslir:l) ]{oran o r Qur an , ori '.: i ;'l , as ,·:e l l as
I\si~'l n,
C ~1r i f1t ia n
IVllr: ' ::; Sour c e beo.. in s
~/Ou l d
be conceded t o b e of Af r ican
and adopted l ater by r:u):'o;Je?.ns and
Cur. ope an - ,\merir:a n s be f m:e they ar r i v e d in the
: 'r:ll' l jC il $
-
the
, , ! I
T h lo· S ,'/ 0u ld no t
5 to ~
them
in Una nda·, a1 s o t. h a t 'J
th e r e
ar:'e bom Niles
'-lit
-t hou sa nd miles 1 0 ns , f lo':.05,nry n or thl')ard s through Suda n L:d
I ~('ranea n (E~y?tian) ;jea . "?hey se en to forget thtit the
·1 1'1'
i
fi i1e ' s r.win So urce o f
'<J r·l
\'1""tP..c '-'
at !...i1ke 'tana,; and
l,lH( l s -
I.
,nl1
I nl"
I Ii
t ..
lHver • .;tlso
5
co,'."e "- ,_-'rom th e ,s th iopi an
that t:'e o t;1er S0urce
C'I[
the Ni l e _
tarts i n the Etrl io~ i .:n Hi~hlands and
int o :';udan - ',', he re it j () ins b o th the Blue and ,; hii:e Hiles. 1'11 /: " '/;:1 C;OrU1.\:; tHl':: I!'J.'..j " sp o ken of in each of
,"CRlI 1{.;I. I(~l ON.3
III
the so-ca l led
mo:;, l Cnde nf eth'cs ar e based upon ...
[)~il() :... opJlic 1 (leVI lC)~)m~:nl:s by the ind:lJenous
MDinl1!J 0 "
Uw !: o- c.lll"'<1 " r~,. rrOl ' ~; "
\110 " '1, mlq~;" _ ()£ the Ni l e
II
'11011
I
;I(,U 'l'
r"
' ~'ll J, •••
r
I '. "
lIlrl " '1'11011
Jlli\l ' 11/0'1'
xi
y.
•
I
and t.1J " pt ( S.J.is) and f in a.l1y e:mpty i ng i n t o th e
11 i ll vlti
these rc1i (Ji ons are b'.\'::;:ht , rl'j cc! i n Jl c)f 11 h"11
i::gypt , in
', £hite €l no the Bl ue ; a nd t h at t.he ':Jh:Lte Ni le i s nore than
n ', -
and ,\ ::;i a n pe 0 :9lc5 ' con rllJu1 ion l;()
B e Cau'; e
/It
,t
Sc i 0nU.s t ) 2.nd Hos le m
t he s ame instanc e,
saying that "r1oses ~/a 5 fOu nd f 10at in q dO'.m t he Nil e River 2a 111 . , b ulr ush ba S]<e t,1I conveniently f o:c~:e tting tho_t t he Nil e
Chr i stian Holy Bible (any version - Rom a n
Ca'':h o1ic or Pr-otestant and
·Jh? "y .
II.m
If Nha t has been sa i d so far could b ecome common kn m/l edgc , the gener a l public
i t t hat " cr·l"-o"s"e"s,,--,,,::.>_.,-,s'-.C~o~r'cTlc..=·~-"~~E:!: ~n qy P 't" , at
'm()te from any .o lace near .'\"_-r ...' Ca. . . ~
IUd
;r~·:oha metism . "
equally a s s t r enuous 1 y t'JOuld
1f):: t Euro pe an- American minds , is some s or t or a mythic a l place
o f course , gi ve credit to tho se Af rican and ',"ho
1..ih o
n l' !)ettiog that E ..... .... .Y.o t is i _" , . I\fr'.... ca .
vJords cO:.lld b e e;{tended t o include, that. • •• ' no major relit;ion of t od ay i s exclusive o f mor al and ph iloso phi c conc epts o f any
t ime that 1I~ ,. of the Hebr e w (Jewis h )
To say at' thi s
The above is th e mann er in ',.!hich Rober ts on Smith be':!'on h is classic study entitl e d "RE:LIGI ON Of '£Hf:: St:[·jI 1'£S . "
to start
S T'A t . E L • • • ,ec
,,2
,,)eee use d in Eg y pt (Sais) and Ethiopia (Kush
Cou n t Co n s tantine Franc is Cha s sebeu f DeVolney, vJho
or Cu s h) thousands of year s before the birt h of No ses of the
' c cson ally v isited Egypt in 1 789 C. E . from h i s native Prance
Hebre\.,. (Jew i Sh) Tor ah .
( L urope), wr ote i n h is book , RUIN!; OF Et1PIR ES - p ubl ished in
Yet these b ;lo la\'Js, incl u ding all of
1e 0 2 , t h e f o ll ow ing :
the other ten tha t make up so-calle d "'lle s\::ern Reli g ions'" basic mora l codes, are stil l b eing t a.u g i) t as if the f i rs t t ime
The earth, under these h o l y l ands, produces o nly thorns and b rier s . Ma n so\.,.eth in angu is h , a nd reapeth tears a nd cares . l.Jar, famine oest il e nce, a ss ail him b y turns . And ye t are'n~t the se t he children of the prophets? 'Th e Mussu l man Chri st ian, Jew, are they not the e l e c t c hildren ' of GOd, l oaded \'Jith fav ors and miracle s ? '.lhy, t hen, do th ese privileged rac es no l o nger e njoy the same advan t ages ? ilhy are these f i e ld s sanctifi ed b y the b l ood of martyrs de or iv;d of th e ancien t fertility ? i'lhy hav e tho se' b lessi ngs bee n ban i shed he~7e, and tr~nsferred for so many ages to other naL~ ons and d~ ffere nt clime s ?
t hey e ver carne to the kno\·jledge of mank ind was \"hen they Here
allegedly
II
g iven to I10ses on Hau n t S inai . 1I
At
l east, th is
is the mann er in whic h they are prese n t ly taught in Europe , the ,\me rie as and whereve r European and European-Amer ie an r e li g i o us and ec onomic control s are in ev id e nce.
It will be shoHn that t he stateme nts so far ' ma y ' hold tr ue '£ti t h regard to the almost succe ssfu l attempts t o make al l
Co u nt Vo lney's qu estio ns could be as k ed of the Af r i cans t.Jho
ph ilos o p h ical c oncep t s in th e major r e ligions cited as
'"
Itd .=;, 11 a n d a hos ·t of other d egr adi ng , l~·hose ancestors
beginni n g Hi th the usu ally mentione d " Greek P hil oso phy" and " Gree k P h ilosopher s .
fI
, I ' , c espo n sib le for t he d eve l opment of t he religions mention ed
In thi s sense t he Greeks are treated as
if they were in no \"Jay vJ hatsoever inf l u enced or taught b y the Sgypt ian s , Ethiopian s, and other
t" • <.- i n;
indi g enous Af r iean s a long the
t h e c re ation of t h e Gr eek nation.
startin g vlith the \'I ors h ip of the S un God - RA , t hen
G.i n g o n to t h e Gods hr
Nil e Va ll e y - \<Jhenc e th e phil osophica l c oncepts, nm-} called " Gr eek Phi losophy H, were orig inated -
t o day be in g called " Ne gr oes , Bantus, Hottentots, Bu shmen,
thousands of year s before -
IIJe hov a h , Jesu s Christ" and I1 All a h . if
fir st ques tion must be : Hmo.} much long er are we to r ema in o uts ide of the re li g i ons . . Ie originated in our tr Hys ter ie s " in Eg yp t a nd o ther Hi gh-Cultures a.l o n g the Nil e?
In t his re gar d, P rofes sor
'rhe a nS\oJer in t h is c ase \-,lould be s imple .
G. G. N. Jame s, in h is bo ok entitled I1 STOLE N LEGACY,II states
At least, the
IIJl IO:' of Afr ica can still po int to suc h r e li g i ous \'I orks as
on the ti t l e p a ge : "The Gr e e ks v!ere not t he authors of Gre ek Phi losophy, but the p eople of Nor th Af rica, common l y called the Eg yp t ian s . lI
or· le d in the BOOK OF THE DEAD (tr anslated from its o ri g inal III 'o)q l y p h by Sir E .
A . Walli s -Bu d ge) ; FACING fo lOUN'r KENYA
by
Strange as i t may see m, the a n c i ent I:: g yptia n s are b eing •
c a l led "Caucasian" by mos t E uro p ean a nd j·:u oprao.n-I\mc rlc an educators; purposefu lly i g norin g Herod I;u ' II .cr Lp Li o n n! in his book , THE HI
TOR IE S -
I
t l ,t. c d i t i on , Voln t~y ' s Rui ns of Emp i res , p. h ·C" Comp,:my , Nel,ol '¥o r l" 1950.
7, Truth
Llh'lll
Dook (I. xiii
:x i i
•
Jomn Kenyatta, the edited vjOrk s i n Janhei n z Jahn' s MUNTU..
Of
Re li g ions.
II
In his book, MUNTU : The New African Culture , pag es
course there are countless others that sho..., the variety of
29 - 30, as tran slated by l'-larjorie G.cene , Grove Press , Inc ., New
depth 1n the p hil osoph ical concep ts of African traditional
York , 196 1, from its origina l work in German en titled _
religions - Judaism, Christianity and
I sl~ ,
presently being
analyzed.
HUNTUS, publi s hed by Eug ene Diederichs Verlag, Dussel dor f, , 1958j !''lr. Jahn gives the fo 110\oJ1ng acco unt on Voodoo:
I n the BOOK OF THE DEAD., the origin of "Heaven" and HHe ll" are cle arly seen to be noth ing more than places, pOor ones at that, of ttle indigenous Afr i cans of Egy pt' s uNETHER i'JORLD II and "MYS TERIES" developed along the Nile Valley, all of \'IIhich stemmed f rom civilizations that preceded the b irth of the first Haribu (Hebrew of Jew) - Ab raham (Avram or Abram) ce nturie s befor e the creation of the first Hebrew nation - Pa l est ine.
Therefore!
in t his toJork , the God RA is shown to be the " • •• jealous God ••• t! wh o \·/an t s " ••• no other God s bef o re me ••• ,1! e tc . This, th e Hebrews copied in Egypt and changed i n the follOloJing manner; Thou shalt have no Gods before me, sayeth Yvah.
OLD S OF THE CULT
Voodoo! 'fJord of dark vowels and heavily ro lli ng <: onso nants! Voodoo! r1ysterious nocturnal sound of drums in the Haitian mountains o f abominations they have read abo ut! Voodoo, ldo la try, sorc e ry; Voodoo, epitome of all impiety, a ll depravity and terr o r, witches' Sabbath of the infer n a l pot'Jers and ineradicable heresyl it/hat is it all about ?
Some people have tr ied to der vie the word from the dance of the Go l den Calf (veau d'or) , and i t has also b ee n rela t ed t o the heretical side of t h e Ualdeusians (Vaudo i s) \"/ho vlere rep u t ed to practice witchcraft.. In fact, the ~;I h o le prac t ice of v/itchcr aft in the Hid-dIe Ag es \'IIas called I v aud oisie. '
7
In t h e case of the Reverend Placide Temp l es ' book , BANTU PHILOSOPHY, t h is Roman Catholic priest fai l e d miserably to dispe l the confu s ion in his O\oJn mind to prove t hat there ar e basic philosophica l concepts in trad iti o nal African r el igions on an equ a l
I .
level o f s piritual consciousness to Judaism, Christianity
or Islam, yet he continued to show h ow much better Christi a nity8 (his OHn religion) is than any of the so-call ed "Bantu!! religions and "Bant u ll thou ght s he e xamined. Janheinz Jahn, who claims no special re lig iou s affiliation or preference i n his \oJork, attempted to sho\'J many basic phi losophica l e lements in a few traditi ona l African religions \·, hich are compar ab le to ·the three re li g i ons cal l e d " Hestern
The word is \'/rit ten in many dif ±'erent !'-/ays; Va udou, Vaudoux, Vodoo, etc. , but i t comes from Da homey in ~·/est Africa, \'/ here i t means ' g enius, protective spirit' j in the Fon l anguage i t is ' Voduh' and in EHe lVudu.' The name of the cult, lil::9 the cult its e lf, is of Hest Africa n or i g in, for the Hait i ans for the most part come from there . The r eas on Vlhy i t v,as the re li lJ i o u s conceptions of Dahomey in particular tha t · cu~e t o prevai l in Haiti is apparent from a Lon don r epor t of 1 789 "J hich tel ls us tha t t en t o tNelve thousand slaves were expor t ed yearly from th e Kingdom o f Da homey~ Th e En g lish e xpor ted only se ven to ei ght hundred of the se, t h e Por tuguese about three thousand and the Fr ench the r e ma inder, in other \oJ ords more tha n six to e i ght thousand a y ear, v/ho \.Jere s hi pped to t h e Pr e nch Anti lles, above a ll t he Saint Dom inique , as the pr incipa l ? renc h colony of Haiti \"as then c a lled. The cu rlie ~t ind icatio n of the survival of Afr ic an cu l t s i n 1Ia.1tl \'Ie O\'/ C to a n anonymous Frenc h r epor t , \oJh lc h S y c : ' Th e slaves are strictl y forbidden. to PCoiCt.iCO t1 1e d hce which in Sur inam is
xv
xiv
•
In t h e Vood oo ceremony t he fir st loa to be i nvoked is Le gba. He is t he l ord of roads , a nd streets, the Hermes of th e Voodoo Olympu s, the pro t ector of crossroads and door s, t h e p:cotector qf t he herd~ Hi s wi fe Ayi zan, is t he Goddes s o f t he markets and t he hig hest goddess of t he Arada Olympu s. Legba's s ymbo l, his veve, is the cros s - a cross w h i~h has, h owever, on l y its form, not i t s mean~n g , ~n common wi th the Chri stian c r oss . Th e ver tl.c al boar d mea n s the deep and the he i ghts, the str e et of t he loas, the inv is i b l e ones The f oo t ,? f th is ver t i ca l \-,or l d-axi s is root ed i n t he 'Ilaters of the dee p.. Here o n the ' island under t he sea ' i s Guinea, Africa, t he l ege n dary home' here t h e l oas h ave their per ma ne nt p lace s , fr om'which theY, has te n str aight upward t o the l iving . Ever y vert ).cal~ a b o~e a l l every s tee, and especiall y the po tea u- m~ta n l.n t he ho unfor t , s ymbolize s the 'tr e e of the Gods' whic h uni te s th e damp ear t h from t.Jhich a l l t h ing s spring, with heaven . '£he horiz ont:.al bar of the c r os s signi f i es the earthly a nd the human wor~d. Qnly at t h e c rossroad, \.; h e r e the h uman a n d div J.ne axes r:leet , does with d.i..vinitie s t ake p lace . And this c r ossroa d is guar ded by Le gba .. In Dahomey and Niger ia he i s t he in terpreter of the god s who tran sla tes the request s and pr a ye r s of men in to the ir language . I n Hait i he has t he fu nc t i on of openi ng the bar rier e that s e pa r a t es me n f r om th e l oas. He i s invoke d in the vanva l ou - · rhythm a nd d ance.
c all ed " Via tee -Mama ll and in our c oloni e s " t1ae d! Agua" (~/ater I'lother). They, therefore, malee a grea t secr e t o f it and a ll we k n Oti is that it h i gh l y i nf lame s the ir'lmag ina tions. ~hey make immense efforts.to do evi l th i ng s. Th e l eader of the p l ot fa ll s ~nto
s uc h tr anspor ts that he l oses c onsciousness .' Moreau d e Sa i n i.: - t-1er y , an en l i gh ~en e d sc:: ho 1ar , la':Jye r , and po litician \!hO \v a 5 bor; n ).n. I1.c;.r t l.nique a nd practi s e d 1 a"; f or nl- ne ye ars lon Ha l. tl. be f or ~ playi n g an important part i n the French r evo ~ utl.on, em p l oyed the l eisure hour s of the North-Amer l.can exile for c ed o n h im t hrou g h his q uar r e l toJ i th . Robe sp i e r re in des cribing in deta ~ l th7 ~ eo gr aphl.c a l r
Q
social, a nd poli t ical condit ion s lon Hal.tl..
In his \-l orks o f ~everal vol umes this re l at ive of t h e Empr e ss Jos ephine de scri bes , . amon g other th in as a Vo o doo cere mony. ' Accord l. ng to the Arad~ Ne gr oes Voodoo means a gre a t superna lural be ing, a snak~ t hat knO\"IS t he p~st an~ t he present , and thr ou gh t he medium o f th e h l. gh pr~estess a nd of a Negress , f oretell S t h e f uture • . These h lo are cal l ed Kin g and Queen , Haster and N).stress, or P ap a a nd Nal'oa . I The meet i ng t akes p l ace J he says, only secretly a n d a t ni ght, far from profa ne eye s . Tl"le ini t iated put on sandals and \~ rap t l"leJ?selve s in r ed cloths. Th e Kins and Que e n Hear glXdles. A ches t , t hrough t h e boards of wh ic h or~e <:an see t h e sno.ke, ::>erves a s a n alt ar. The £a :Lth :r ul Drese n t the i r v.' is hes , t he n the Quee n lea ps ':lP{")n the c hest, f a l l s a t once i nto a tr~nce! ~e~ ). ns ~~ prop he sy and g ive s her commands . ,'i acr ~f)'C l. a l g ~~ ts a r e bro u gh t; t he Ki ng a nd queen re c e ive them. J. ll e r eceipts are used t o meet t he expenses of the commun i ty and to as s i s t nee dy member.s . TIlen f o lloH::; an oath s i mi l ar. to th at at t he o pening o f the ~ meeting and 'a s fearf ul as the f irst, ' an oath 0_ secr ec y and obedie nce.
The mu s ic and song o f t he dance ar e very s i mi lar in p ur pose to tha t of the so- ca lle d II stor e fro n t c h urches " of Har lem . t he f o ll O\'li n9 fro m Jahn I S de scr i p tion
hi s book shO\oJ ve.,;y clearly the commo n re lation sh i p beb,r een
traditio na l concepts i n J udai sm, Christi a n i ty, Islam and voodooi sm which mos t twent ie th- century moderns do not know exis t. continues o n :
above~
Aitibo Legb aLuvri l aye pu m~'/ e Papa Legb a , luvri baye pu mwe Luvr i baye pu m' kapab ratre A tu bon Le gba ouvre la b ar ri ere Dour moi Papa Legba , ouvre la barriere p our ' mo i Ouvr e la bar riere pour me fa ir e c a p ab l e de r e ntre
Jah n's d e t ails of a "Vood oo ceremony" o n pages 42 a nd 43 of
Th U G
The r e are ma ny more stanza s to th i s so n gi h owever, the reaG on f or n ot
S ho ~'ling
t he ent i re so ng, i s du e to th e fact that
He
I:he ma i n purpose of noting
i t \oJas not to l earn t he entire song,
o nly to ge t an insiqht i.n t Q the proj ec 'c ion o f man and h is God I: ;
seen i n the Voodoo eel; 'rnoniLl.l
dance a nd song. xv ii
xvi
•
.,
n.o t o nly hm~ th e y see each o t he r in r e li g ious roles
On the island of Cuba, not '1;:00 far fr om Haiti , Vood o oi s m bec omes lIManiquismo" - a name which carr i e s 1n t he mind o f most European-Ame ricans t he syno nymou s me aning s of
t he y a ls o deny t he existe n c e o f eac h other's "God ."
b ut hOvl
j
Of Cours e
the ind i ge nous Af ricans , t h e s o-cal l e d ItNegroes, Ni ggers , !/ etc.,
"~l!
magic,1r tls atani sm," !'idolatry," "heathen super s ti tio n , " e tc. 9
a nd t heir d e s c e n d a nts ar e not e v en enti t l t ed t o h ave t he res pe c t
Fernand Ortiz, one of t h e foremost writer s on this sub jec t
of be i ng c apab l e o f c re a t i ng a reli g ion with Common ph iloso phic al
knmJn to European-Ame ricans, disclaim e d any religiou s or i gin
i d e a lis m, muc h less having a God ~1hich d oes no t
'...,hatsoever for "Maniquismo U in his book, LA AFRICANIA DE LA
e ndor sement of thos e Eur o pean and European-Ameri c an j udges who ar e
~ruSICA
in char ge of t he de p arbn e n t of c er tifica ti on of fi t ne s s and
FOLKLORICA DE CUBA, La Habaoq , 1950.
Ortiz c all e d it:
A secret s ocie t y, a kind of a free ma s onry , t o wh ic h only the initiate, who ha s SNorn his allegiance, may belong.
s e cur e t he
qu alifica ti on of reli g ions a nd Gods . Since there are no African or Afric a n-Ame rican s a llowe d on th e ' Board of God certi fiers , '
Ortiz , . . 'ho is of Roman Catholic Chris t ian or i g in,
du e to t heir inf erior c ol or a n d rac e, t he tr a d i t ional Afr i can
overlooked the fact th at Christianity is s till a "secret
ce lig i o n s mu st t h en r e main " s ecret societies, II \1hile the
s ocie t yU in many lands today ; and tha t i t too v,as once so
:ertifi e rs' reli g i ons -
labe led everYV/here.
rec ei ve
It was, and still 1s, a r e li g i o n to "Ih ic h
Bu t Orti z 's posi t ion is typically what happens whe n
' unb ia s ed anal y s i s' of a n o ther person's religi o n . \~ha t
in f erior ity, and only can they
e xpect t o s e e God i f the y ab and on th eir pa gan God a nd he a then
an e xpo nen t o f One (or no) relig ion pre t ends to 'drite an
If one is to take Ortiz' s premise a s the eri ter ia for
' t he good God and r elig ious s ea l o f approval' j a ll o t her s
~re dam~ed to t he pa ga n dep th o f
only t he "ini tiat e s," who have sworn t heir all e giance , may be lon g .
Jud a ism, Chri s tianity , s ometimes I Slam,
is
I
cQ li g i on f or on e of the a pproved relig i o n s , pr e fe rabl y Chris ti an ~ ty . The Afr i can s a nd t heir de ::> cend a nt s (Blac k Pe op le ) e verywhere
11e ed nott d e fe nd th eir t rad ition al r el i g i ous ph ilos oph ie s and
a "relig ion O a n d wha t i s a "seCret s o ciety," t hen t he b apti s m
ph ilos o pher ::; upon t he a pprov a l of Eur opean and European - A.il ,erican
( Chris te ning) and confirmation rites of the Christian initiations
:.; t a ndar dsj neither s h a ll t his \oJ or k even t ry t o so do.
must b e omItted , equally circumcision of the Je\1S and Mo slems ,
Uccause wi th i n t h e thre e most a cc epted re l igi ons in Eur ope and
als o , the exclu s i o n o f women from direct worship wi t h t heir men
t he Americas - J u da i s m, Chr is tiani ty and Is l am, often c al l ed
in Or t hod o x Judai s m a nd I s lama
"·, {e.Gte:c n Re li g ion s ," Afr i ca ns hav e been the f o u nd er s of said
Or, are these not "secr e t ri tes?"
Ar e t h ey no t sp e c ial re qu ireme n ts in ';Ihich only 'lS\-Jornll
I
a l one ma y r i gh tfully i n dul ge?
nf year s ,
The op inions a n d ex pres sions alread y shown ar e 'but a mere
Why?
c llg ions a nd t h eir teachings .:l l ong '.... i t h t h e As ia ns hu nd r e d s t n some Ca~Os thousands of ye ars befor e t he y ""er e
nOHn t o t.he peo!J l es of
F;uro po ~
'fhe fa ct th a t wi t hin the la5t
samp l ing o f hm,' rel i g ious per s o na l i t ies see each o ther s ' reli g ion,
xi x
xviii
•
three to four hundred ye ar s the ro l e of the indig e nous Afric a ns
Judaisr.t, \vh ich tOday h as very little or n o re a l i nf luence
i n thes major re l ig i o n s has been care f u ll y and pu r posefu ll y
o n any l arge se gme nt of the Af r ican peop l es anY",here, d ue
denied, suppr ess e d, a nd i n most cases , omitted , wi ll not stop the
primarily to the inhuman p r ess ures oroug ht u pon the i ndig enous
·' truth" about t heir i ndigenous Afr i can or i g i ns f r o m com in g to
Hebr e ...,s of -Africa o y Chr i stia n ~nd Islam i c miss i onaries i n the i r
the surface.
co n version crusades, ~·/i ll never theless be carefu ll y examined
I n l i ght of a l l t h at has been so far s t ated ,
further reve l ation of the gener a l and spec i fic r o l e cer ta i n
Hith r egards to its prev i ous contro l and influ(;:nce o n many
Afr i cans had in t he fo unding of a l l
indigeno u s Afr ica n societ ies ; equa ll y for i t s indig enou s Afric a n
t hr ee r e l igions - Judaism,
Chr i st i a n ity a nd I s l am - is be in g r e to l d ; al l
in t h e obj e ct i ve
of " setting t h e re cor d straigh t," or r e v ea ling t he tru th. Hopef ull y, f r o m t his work , kn
or i g i ns wi ll be h i gh li g hte d . As t he c lamor f or
" v iol e n t " or " n o n- v i o l e n t '! a c t i on lO
challenges the mora l fibr e o f
th i s Ang l O- Saxo n Greek-centr i c -
maj or indigenous Afr ic a n co n tributors and the i r desce ndan ts in
oriented Un i ted states o f Ame r i ca, ma n y noted re li gious
the f oundi ng and deve lopment of Judais m, Christiani t y ( an exte n siot
"prop!"1ets" with i n the major Bl ack communities asserte d themse l ves
of Judaism) a nd Is l am (an extens i o n of Judaeo-Chr i stian i ty)
as "spi ritual l eaders," a ll of whom believed they had r eceived
~"ou l d
.<:; OJile sort of a call ing :from a Caucasianized " God. II
spread to those wh o do not no\-1 know t hat the religion
Th e mo st
they practise and the God they worship ar e as much Afr ican
noted of these are listed i n the o r der i n wh i c h they appear ed
(B l ack) as they are As ian (Ye ll ow a nd Brow n ) and/or European (J,.olhil.
on the national or i nter nati o na l scene, thu s, Father (I?eace)
Since Chr i st i anity, the Eur opea n-American version o f it, is the major r e li g io n i n the Ameri cas -
the Caribbeans
Divi ne, Rabbi ': Jenb... orth Nathe\"/s , Prophet "Sweet Dad dy" Gr a ce , Prophet El ij a h Mohammed, and the Rever en d Dr. . Hart i n Lu the r
i n c l uded - it is the ce nter o f focus to wh i ch this "lor k must
Ki ng, Jr.
mai nl y a d dress i ts elf ; mor e over, beca u se the vast ma jori t y o f
r1arcus Hoziah Gar ve y.
Af rican peop l es a nd t heir d esce ndan ts - both i n the we s ter n
ye t it was he who br ought a diff e re n t d i mens i on to Afr i can -
Hem i sphere a nd Africa - are c r it i ca ll y co nd i tione d a nd/ or
Amer i can Christianity which no other Bl ack ma n in t h i s are a
affected by i t.
To th e se must be a d ded the n ame o f the Honor ab le
£ t h e worl d has e ve r
Is l am, the major contender wi th European a nd European-
He was n ot a mi n i ste r
o f the gospel ;
a t ·tempted.
The men above, a ll o f Af rican or i gin , have prod uced a n
American orie n ted Christ i ani t y for t he mi nds of the Africa n
I mme asurable impact on that which i s l abel e d today "J udeo-
and Afr i can-Amer i can p e op l e, 1;/ill of necessity receiv e partic ulru
Christian ·civilization" and "w hi te - power - structure ll (goverrunent)
considerat i on with r egards to its foundation - which i s so i n te n se l y African (Eth iopi an i n particu l ar) in
str u ctu re~
" me s wh i ch ar e used sy n o n ymously ';-/ i th the "Unite d oS tates of Amcr icc;l . '! x xi
xx
•
In the case of Father Divine , h e gave Je s us Ch ri st much more of a humanistic posture than any of
his con temporar ies.
o f e ith e r
three so- called "!'-·Je s tern Rel ig io ns" - Juda i sm, Chr ist-
ian i ty and I s l am, the lat ter
three must accommoda te the f irs t
On the other ha nd, the Prophet Elij ah Hohamme d, reportedly of
two by adop ting ma n y aspe cts of th e ba s ic tenets in order to
a former Baptist preacher background , debunked European-
keep the new c onver ts.
Amer ic an sty le Chris t ianity and Judaism as cur rently practised.
be ing me n tioned her e, it is v irtua ll y i mpossib le to fi nd a n
Not on l y has the Prophet removed his fo llO\l/ers froro \"ihat he
Afri can conve rt in Afr i ca I"/ho ha S surrendered a ll of h is or her
call ed ,
tradit i ona l cult ur e a nd r elig i o u s pr ac tic e s - especia l ly c u stoms
...,
The h ypocr i sy of the lihi te devi l' 5 rel igion etC. ,
For this reason, and ma n y o t h er s not
assoc ia ted wi th ances tral wors hip and orac l es - for Europ eansty l e J udaism and Chr i stianity or Asia n Moham e t isrn (Islam).
but he a l so mod~rnized t h e Mos l em Koran (Qu'ran) to suit the needs of the Asia t ic Slack peop le s •• • etc.,
Because of the same reason most Afr i can-American forms of J uda ism, Christia nity a nd Islam take o n concepts and e motional
accord ing to the message being g iven to the IIdead Ne g roe s" his
o ut l ets not commo n among their European-American re lig ious
foll owerS desire to save.
contem poraries o f
of I s lam" -
Th i s is a basi c te net in the I!Nation
t he correct name f or the so- called "Black Musl i ms ."
The Honourab le Ma rcu S Garvey, la te Pr esid e nt-Genera l of the Univer s al Negro Impr ovement Associa t ion , Inc.
( U ~ N ~ I . A . ),
t he three so-called "to/estern Rel i gions .
\I
rTowever, n o attempt wha tsoever wi ll be made to p r ove wh eth er Ab r aha~,
Mos es , Je s us Chr ist, Mohamet, 8i l a l or Ol edamr e , and
a ny other Gods a nd pr ophets . . Jere Bl ac k, i'/h i 'c e, Yel low , Srown,
sta r t ed a new Christian p h ilosophy , and made J esus Christ a ppear
Re d or t ec hn icolot'j e xc ept i n
Bl ack for the p eo p l e who v.orshipped him througho u t the Harlems
been made to appear Cauca3 iani zed, a nd in fa c t , are lc.no",n t o
of the n\1e stern world."
be Afr ica n or of African o;.· i g in .
Garvey took his image from t he Jesus
cases \I/here they a l r eady have
Th i s \r/or k sha ll not attempt
Chr i st depicted i n t he Ethiopian Koptic
1: 0
oldest Christia n Church and nation in existe nce .
r.c ligiou s mes sagej nor sh a ll it r efrain f r om any area heretofore
This work ' S ultimate goa l is to show the d e fini te links
convey a ny spec i a l po li t i ca l , cu l tura l , ec o nomic, moral or
ons i dered to b e controvet"sia l and a nti·- established ord e r b y
between Ju JU , Voodoo, and other exclusi v el y indi ge nou s
C('L' ta in ethn ic, reli g i ous or pol i tica l g rou p in g s.
tr aditional African religion s "li th Judais m, Christiani ty a nd
'Itlrk
I s l am, among othe r r e ligions mare commonly k no\'10 to the Euro pean-
• crta. in tha t
Amer i ca n s, and of course, to those o f other eth ni c groupings. It wi ll a l s o s how that ".he n Ju Ju and Voodoo , as well as othe r
~'1ere
If this
to r ece i ve the endors ement of e veryone, the n i t i s i t has s aid n oth i ng meaning f u l , by v ir ture of t he
uh j ec t ma. t t er al o ne . i\FRICAN
On.IGI N~
Ol~
'fil E f 1r\J H
[n~LI \ ;I ON $
ADOPTED BY 'fH E
traditi o n a lly Afr i can re l igion s , me et the con ver sion efforts x xiii
xxii
•
discovere d in the pages of r ecor ded hi story ; a l so t hrough personal
appr oac hed, and subsequently obtainedj i f t his be not ';;h e reason
1:cnO\oJledg e and by t h e auth or; • •• this is a ll i t
f or works such as this, but instead o nl y i ts his t or ic chronolo-
is in t ended
gic a l findings, then t h is wou l d h ave been a \"aste of good t ime
to accomp lish .
a nd acad e mic research o
Sc ho larly excellence is t he goal this work attempts to achieve.
The role of t he Africans (some t imes c alled "Negroes, B<1ntus ,
Thus, it is written on a level somewhere beh-Iee n the
college sophomore and the generally articu late reading public,
Pygmie s , Ho t tentots, Bushmen, Niggers" and a h ost of other such
wh ich is the primary academic prerequisite for this course of
de grading terminologies) and their descendants in the f i eld
study.
of reli gi on, as in all other a re as o f h uman endeavour, is too
For the rea sons already stated there are very few footnot e s on the pages of the
text~
The major notes ar e given at the
often ignored , and in too many cases , com p l etely denied.
Because
of this existing condition it is necessary , if f or no other
rear of t h e book in sections entitle d: "Notes for Chapter No. 1
l-eason, to bring to the forefront, once more, a feH of the
Shango , II etc.
Africa n (B l ack) personal i t ies that preceded the Reverend Dr .
Th is method of documentation affords the reader
a free flow of the informa t ion "Jithout having to be immediately
rtdrt i n Luther Kin g , Jr. 1.n trying to pu t religion into relig ious
distrac t ed by footnotes, of ...,hic h the average reader mayor may
c ongreg a t ions and institu t i ons . ll
not be interested.
/ll\1n y of them as the peop l e wh o Her e most responsible for t h e
By t he same token, the necessary notes and
I t is also n ecessary to sho\.,r
documentations are sti ll availab le t o the much more inquir ing
lH'ig ination of t he philoso phical conce p ts by which European-
student or general reader \·/ho may d e s i re to become in vo lved in
1\....IC.c ic a ns
£urther research , or just to the a u t hor1 s sources of
; 111 o f
informa 'cion and references.
1'1d losoPhy .. u l
At specific points in the \"J ork,
and Afr ican-Arner i cans ar e gu i ded as flmora l codes,"
\.Jhich t oday i s calle d • •• " \>Jes t ern Reli gi on" 2
The events of the dea t h o f Ni nis t e:c El Haj j Malik Sha bazz
however, it became necessary to inser t in brac kets certain documentary or re lated no t es and evidence as part of the in t egra)
Cfl~l lcollTl
whole of t h e f ree f l ow ing information, all of which dea l t ',·lith
lJ _
- X - Little) and t he Re v e rend Dr. Martin Luther Kin g,
c aused certain del a y in t h e c omp l e t ion of this ,.; ork \·Jhich waS
I-e t h an t hree year 5 in pr eparatio n.
recorded even t s; oth erwise the quali t y and uniqueness of th i s
In
vJ ork "'J ould not h av b een maintained.
\I()r lc in i ts e arlie s t
La stly, another major objective of this vlOrk is to make the
I
vjsed to meet:. th e above events; a nd by do i ng so , t h e en t ire "nu!;:cript has had t o be rewr itte n in many p laces .
I
presented .
.11rTII.!t\!>ion h a!> enhanced
(presen t ) in order that the new (future) can bo b C!:J t xxiv
•
plann ed,
Th ose \\I ho knN I of th is
3ta ge n will notice that Chapter V has been
pas t relate to t he living present by meanS of t h e ma t er ials The old (past) should be rel e vant to t he contemporary
and Hi'Jes t ern
Th is ne w
t h e current v,"\l ue of t he material con t ent " xxv
SHANGO: A SOURCE OF
However, it Hi ll be noted that none of the p ersonalities ment ioned in this ...jOrk is rated over any of t he others.
If
!~RIC AN
RELIGIONS
CHAPTER NUl1BER ONE
this were done, the purp ose for which th is vJork i s created would have suffered beyond re pair.
"Pagaism, Voodooism,
In closing, a nd with
1f~itchcraft,
Fetishi sm, Bl ack Magi c,
respec t t o the major contributions of all of the Africans
Obyah a nd Oledamare" are a ll but a mere sample of the many nar:les
and people of African origin ment ione d herein, the fo ll owing
relegated t o a feH of the righteo usly sacr ed religions of so lely
African saying is given:
trad i t ional indigenous African origin - accord ing to most
.. • An offspr ing v/ithout a s pirit past is a being without an ancestra l tie ........ ....... .. .. .. .. au thor unknown
Eur ope an and Europea n- Ame rican ed ucators, th eolog i ans and general missionaries \'Jho believe \.dth in themselves tha t
t l1ey
have been ordained by some God or the other to save mankind fro m
\I
themse l ves.
n
Al though
this messianic obsession i s in
itself disgusting enough, these labe l s have become more and more extreme ly offensive to the peop le s of African orig in ,,,110 cherish their anc ient traditiona l reli g ious heritage that has s urvived Asi a n, Eur ope an and Europ ea.n-American slaver y and co l onia liza t ion.
As such, this cha pter, hopefully , endeavors
to po i nt out some of the f undam ental l y in dig enous Afr ican moral, spiritual, and philosoph i cal concepts i n these religions ~lhi ch
are unkno ...m t o mo st foreign ers, as vlell as to the vas t
majority of th e s ons and dau ght ers of the true "Garden o f Ede n" - fl.lkebu - lan , which the Gr eeks and Romans renam e d " Africa,
II
,\long with other such nomenclaturesa Subsequen t 7~O ,OOO
B~C~E.,
to the da\'Jn of Zinjanthropus boisie, approximately and possibly b efore t l1 is date,
AP.t: i c a n peopl es -
the i nd i g enous
the so- called "Ne groes , Bantus, Bushme.n,
riotLentots" and others be aring such labels of i nferiority s tat us
p1 c e d upon ther.. by th o i.I: glo. ve filil8lc rs and colo nizer s from Asia 1
xxvi
.
and Europe - have be en honoring a "superi.or force" or "being. "
used i n said- Afri can t rad itional reli gious practices to t"h i ch
Sometimes this r'force" or Hbeing" is e xpressed i n its mate rial
Chr istia n and Ho s l e m mi s sionaries object , serve on ly t o remi nd
s ense, or in its un- seea b le u nion i n the "Spirit (Nether) v10rl d"
the fai t hfu l of "divine pr esence"
- equa l
to the Christi an "Hell" and "Heaven", Husli!':l
"P ar ad l se.~'
j
and they are no different
in meanin g t han t he ex h ibi t ion of a Hog en Dav id a r ound a Jet'"
a n d Jew is h "Hereaf ter. "
5
neck , a Cruci f ix h ang in g on a Chri sti an I s chest, o r a Ka I a ba
Because of th e concept of a "Spirit t'1orld" i n mos t of the
(b l ack stone from Ethiop ia ) concealed on a Mos l em's per son: l
t raditiona lly ind i ge nous Afr i can religions th ere are a l so " good"
all of \·lhich nee Unatural ll (ma ter ia lis t ic ) "objec ts! ' to remind
a nd IIbad" or r'evil" ancestor s a nd / or "omens . "
them of t heir Gods.
Thes e could be
trans lated i nto " good" and "bad" ang els a nd devi l s. Christian De vil
Thu s : The
Citations of an examp l e o f the above r emarks ar e to b e
' His Sa t a n i c l\1ajesty' - wo ul d be as muc h a God
f ound in the " libati ons l '
(sacr if i c i a l drinking ) still being
as \>lould b e Jesus Chr i s t , All a h Or Yvahj hOvleve r, he wo ul d be a
pr a c t i sed by the indi genous Africans of tradit i o na l l y Afr ic a n
"bad \! or f allen God; " bad," not in the se n se t ha t
re l ig i ons .
the an c e s tor
The extent o f this c ustom is seen in the fact th at
h i mse lf wou ld h ave been o bnoxi o u s, but in t h e order of h i s past
"the greatest of the F at hers of the Christian Ch u rc h" _ St.
as " good" or
Augu s tine (an indi genous Afr i c an), the most noted of Chris te ndom's
"bad" t hing s - equivalent t o the role of a "bad"
Satan (the Devi l , or Fallen An gel) with respect to a " g ood"
"mor a l ists," c omrnented o n its us ag e in rel i gious devoti on qu ite
Jesus Christ , Jehovah Or Allah.
fa vorably.
For th e Afr ic an's contenti on i s:
I t 1s no le s s s acred , Augustine fe l t, than t he
i f God alone can mak e a ll ·· things, and co ntr o l a ll t hin g s -
dr ink ing
incl ud in g !':lan, then there mus t be a t
memory of the Las t Su p pe r
least one " g ood" God and
o f "line during the Chr i stia n s ' t'Ho l y CommUnion " i n (over Se der )
r
or a Rabbi
takin g
one "bad!! God; or the one God is b o t h " g ood" and "bad" in the
his si ps of wi ne on the Sabba th Eve (Omeg S habat
same instance.
'(·:: t t hese fundar.len t a l r.1a i ns t ays i n most traditional ind i genou s
Con trary to most European and European- Amer ic a n- sty l e
Priday evening).
.' ( r i can rel ig i o ·... s tenchi ogs have been empl o yed in the " Nys tery
Christian dogma ·tism, \'Ih ich expounds the rac i st belief tha t
':y:;leras " of North, East, lles t , Sou"!.: h, md Centr a l Afr i ca more th an
" Black Af rc i an" (Negro, Bantu, etc .. ) trad i tional r eligions are
t
sole l y "vis ualis t i c and i do li stic," the fact is tha t most
.... hicb is thou 5ands of ye acs befoce t he Afcican of Zgyp t _ fl10s e s _
indigeno u s African tra dit i o na l r e li gio ns of pr e - Slavery and
. nf)).J0 5 edl y lef t h i s n at ive 110me land on th e Nile River bank.s to
pre-colonial European and Europe a n-American periods that
' r · "l 0 l: t l ~ ·the Afric a n -Je H!> of Cgy p'..: in Cani3.a n.
survived are as f und ame n ta ll y philosophica l and spiritual as
" t'm, t h e libC'r"Clt. inn of C.~nu a n hy Lhc Hebr e ...ls ~Jcu ld be an act of
t h e so-cal l ed "idealis tic re lig ions. rl
The na lur'vl clbjcc -t: s
1l.!' c e-th ousand y e a rs be f ore th e bir th of th e Hebr el-J reli g ion ,
II1l't 't. l u lia rn
Strange as i t may
ncl of 1J"'H'Ici d' lI \tc.l .i. t 1..:\I-:.o n p l .:tcc in lilt:' 19t h or
2 3
•
20th cen tury C aE.
Neverthe le ss, the mere fac t
that peop l e hav e
said that God (Jehovah) ordered t h is colonia l izat i on o f one
" Take ye and eat this , Chr i st's body . .. " ," etc .. fo r \·,ine (alcohol) it
gr oup of people , h e made, by a noth er, seems to j ust if y sai d b arbarism in the minds o f most, eve n tod ay .
is :
" Dr ink ye t hi s, Chr ist 's blood .. . .. , etc ..
If the Egyptians
The priest -or mi n ister's fir s t drink (libation) before he dips
shou l d c laim tha t God ordered them in to th e same area taken f rom
the hos t (Chri st's body) in to the wine (Christ's blood )3a
the Noabite s , Hit ti tes, Jebus ites, etc . , the same as he o rd ered
a nd cal l s u pon God (C hris t' s father) which i s s imilar to
the Hebrews sometime ago, o ver three-thousand years ago , wh o
invok ing the spirit of the Yorubas of West Afr ic a 's God ,
\~ ill
Ol edamare, and h is Orisha s ( minor Gods) .
believe them ? To say that t he indig enous t'/est Africa n s I invo l vemen t
in
Th i s is clear l y stated
in the •• • tlTake ye th is My bl ood, and dr ink in My memory , " etc. ,
the us e of alcoholic beverage s (palm t.,. ine) f or li bations
a typ i cal l y
(re l igio us invocations or secu lar
performed by Africans o r African-Americans 1n voodoo . 4
"paga n s" and the " u ncivili z e d,
II
toastings) i s the c ust om of
Hh ic h is too ofte n said, is to
II
pa g a n is t ic" and II ca nnibalistic u ceremony if
ceremony not simi lar to the a nc i ent c u s tom \"he n the Druids S of
l abe l equall y al l "l'l e s t erner s" \.,rho drink \.,.ine ceremoniousl y
Norther n Europe allegedly
i n Hebr e\'.1 or Chris tia n ritu al s of b eing g uilty of t he same .
,\te their brains to capture t heir spiritual a nd physical
Then is it God l y t'l hen a '.'Jhite man dri nks wi n e in a chur ch or
t; trength ? "
synagogue , but u nGod l y in the Case o f a Black man ? In Vood oo ceremonies , Liba tion
2
certai n ri tu als beg in and others end .
before the praye r of sacr ifice,3 al so marks the entrance o f
Christian
ce ~ es,
drank their e nemies' b lood and
Afric a.
- who i s similar in rank to a
fi om an Catholic Bisho~, Protestant Archbis hop, Jewish Chie f
lIou nga n (pr ies t) and Mambo (pr i es tess) a t the begi nn ing of t he the
nLing of the mang es (sacrificial food)
as the badgian (acolyte,
,,(," a ~ si stant to the High Priest) Shakes th e aSSon (rattl e made
This custom is as common among the ~lJest
•
1(abbi, or 1-1os l em Grand I ma n) i s aided by hi s subord inate
( Ho l y of Hol ies) -
Af rican-Hai tia ns as it is amon g the t'l hydahs of
•
.Jhe n the Papa loa (H i gh Prie st
F or examp l e, the Libation
r i tual durin9 the cer em ony th a t precedes th e p l ac in g of
Papa l oa (High Priest)"
II •
Is th e re any major di ffe r ence between t he practi ce:
mar k s the per iod '",hen
sacri f i cia l f oods on the mai n a l tar _ Ba g i
Is this
In
es pecia l ly dur i ng Hol y Commu n i on, i t is
I, Om a ho ll ot'Jed gourde with dr i ed corn kernel in s ide)
thr ee
I !mcs whi l e t he of his congr ega ti o n respond by bow i n g
cus t omary for the attendants (mass boys, priests, etc . ) to set
I hI i.e heads ; and \·,hen a Roman Catholic Bishop i n his ceremo n y
the altar with b re ad (host) in preparat i on of the r ecital of a
liar l nt) t he Ho ly Comm union ; or '''he n a pr ies t
I'!,)aga n ll
ri ',;ual that dem a nds:
acts as the
\{ hop ' ::. d.colytc a nd !iha lc(,f; th': c h imer (incense ho lder) and the II1.mc.:: ..:J iqn.! l
t he congr gu. Llo l\ to bm·/ t)I Cir h ead::; to prayer,
4
5
wh ile in the pursuing mome n ts that fol l ow the choir soft ly and
Spiri tual s!l) as r e li g iou s e n ter ta irunen t by tr u ly b l ack- fac e d
sol e ml y si ngs as h is "li ne ( libation) is carefu ll y pour ed for
minstre l s (flNiggers/ e tc .).
him b y h is acol yte (badg i a n) ?
Are the " Ne gro Spir itual s" 1n any vJay a deve l opme nt al
I s the burn i ng of Svleet incense in Voodoo ritua l s "un_Godly, " b ut "Godly" in Jewis h , Chri stian,and ISlamic ceremonies ? this is true, then "vJester n Relig ions"
If
ince n se is the ri gh t way;
outgrowth of European-Ame rican- sty le Christi anity?
Or , are
they not an extension of ind igenous Afric a n tr a d i tional r e ligi o us chants th at underwent European and Eur opea n-American_
a nd maybe the choir in the ir re li gious ceremonies - wi th it s
sty l e Jewish and Chr istian influences? ' The l atter is d efin ite ly
organ and / or piano backg rou nd music - is a l so the o nl y one to be
the case.
rated " God l y. "
de ni e d by those Hho wi sh no t
I f "We stern Re l igions'"
choi r s are t h e onl y ones
a pproved by the authorized Gcds, it is o nl y natural
~hat
the
things
Of Course this conclusion lllill be ver y hea tedl y to be lab eled - among oth e r
"pagans, savages , uncivilized, canniba l s , " etc. But
Voodoo choi rs with th e ir background o g un (triangu l ar instrumen ts
the fact s till remains th at J u Ju, Voodo o, loJ itchc raft, and Magic,
beate n by sticks) a nd tambours (series o f drums)6 - mus t be
nI l b a Sic e l e me nts wi t hin the So-ca lled "Hester n Rel i g ions t
rendered Il un_Godly .. "
been e mphasized in the Afri can- American (B lack ) owned and
\'ihy?
Becau se a g rou p of powerfu l men
(E ur opean and Eur opean-Americans ) vJ ho dominate and control
"
have
c ontroll e d synagogues, churches, and mosques.
r el i g ious propaganda orda i ned it so.
The h i s t ory of th e African- Americans ' belated entrance i nto
Go d - or 'lodum, Jehovah, Ol edamar e , J esus Christ, Allah,
/·; u.ropea n-American- style Christian Prote stantism and Roman
and Saba Loas, neither on e i s le ss the d i vinity t h at e n ter s a nd
r~tho licism is 1n it s e l f evidence that the Af ricans, who were at
se i zes the righ t eous in a Pente costal, Bapti s t , or Voo doo
t he t i me cha ttel slaves of European and European-Amer ica n Jewis h
ceremony because He o r She is called by ei ther one of these
rind Christian s l avemaster s, ~", er e not wa n ted by t he in-groups
names mencioned .
(t he s lavemasters) o
Sou l Churches
ll
In a.ny of t he fundamenta ll y so-ca lled " Save
of Afr ic an- American and European - Amer ic a n
Cou ld i t have been p os s i b l e t h at those
I\l r icans (who \oJe r e not a\-Jare of the fact t hat their fe ll ow
sponsorship, one can easi l y n ote that Voodoo a nd J u JU ha ve been
11'1 d i ge nou s Africa ns - s uch a s Ho s es, St . Augu stine, 511a l and
co- opte d in many of t heir f orms in to t he J ud aeo- Chr istian settiwI
,1t.11ar.:> - pr i ma ril y made Judai sm , Chr i stia ni ·ty ,and Islam t he mass
that is common to Chr is t i a n s and J ews in the Un ited S t ates o f America.
With in this phenome nal developme nt,
the so- cal l ed
"Negro Spir itual" i s the most common a nd acceptable "pagani stic inc antat i on ll to European-American J e ws and
Chr l ~ t i ans.
vlhy?
'l.:Hlizat i ons they are) Hould have a.dopted the existing form s re l i gious "Jors hip t heir s l ave mas ter s were us ing t o e ~ s lave It't
in toto ?
Not at all ZO.
The mere fact tha t t h ey were
IIcclb ly excl ud ed fr om 1111 f"ormD of Jewish, Chris i;i .l.n } a. nd I s lamic
Because t hey see such Afr i can-Amer i can i ncan l lion!:; ( "Negro 6
7
(Ii Hestern Re l ig ions" ) re l i g ious wors h i p ; and tha t t he y we::-e even
er r oneously called HNe gro Spirituals , " inste a d of
p ers e cu t e d and prosecu ted for a ny a t t e mp t at pr a c t ising e ithe::-
i ncan tat ions ,
on 'thei r 0.,,10, is fur the r pr im e fac ie evidence t ha t there is
t ha t
a distinctly different Juda i sm, Christianity, and Islam developed
were o ri gin a ted by t he Europe an slavemasters, so was " Negroland"
by t he Afric an-Americans that is not at,tribu tab l e a nd/or
(See BLACK MAN OF THE NILE, by Yosef ben- Jochannan, Alkebu-la n
app lic ab le to, and by, Europea n-Arne ric ans ~
The uniqueness
For examp l e, t he Af r ica n-Ame r ica n Has
for c ed t o develop a n appetite for ears, tails and feet .. "
\'Jhy?
"chitterling , ham hock s, pig ' s
Because all o t her par ts of the pig ,
C h tints ~
t he slaves wer e Af rican s
j
It i s to be r e membered
no t " Neg roes .. II
IINegroes"
Books, New York 1 1970; Chapter I, pp . 1-48 , and pp .. 266-268.
of t he ir CODmon ea tin g habi t s repres e nts no major dif ference s between the two groups .
or Voodoo
Af:cican
There was nothing "Negro" about the development of the " Spir i tuals . "
They wer e deve loped by million s of Afr icans j
not o ne of whom was a "free man" j not one a "citizen"; not one a "human being " und e r t he la\.,.s of Grea t C.E ~;
Britain up until
like al l other edible animals, were r ese rved f or the European
1776
a nd European - J\meric an slavemasters - Christian a nd Je~'Jish -
\'Jar of inde pendence from Great Britaln, nor after the ir F e deral
in a nd o ut of religion .
Constitution was wr i tten , and from t hence through the 14th
Religions,"
In t he case of the so- cal led II He stern
the Af ric a n s were even d e n ied the r i g h t
t o re a d any
nei ther were they so considered a f t er the American
Ame ndment of said docume nt in 188 5 Co E . j
7a
and to a very gre at
boo1< Hhatsoever, t hat is, including the J ew is h or Chris t ian
extent not even today in 1970 - more than 35 0 years after the
'THoly scriptur e , " much l es s the Mo slem' 5 - ,"'hich was not t o l e r ate d
f i rs t g roup o f Af rica ns were broug ht to the United states o f
among the coloni sts , even after they be came independent as t he
:\ mer ica as indent ured and chatte l s laves . Further proof lies in t he fact t h at Af r i ca n s on the
United states of America . One mus t that the Africans, although crushed in
I':uropean and European-Amer ican s l ave farms , p lan tatio n s , or in
t he ir every attempt to participa t e ""Ii t hin the culture of the
the businesses and big hous es sang the ir 'African Spiritual s'
be stial environment of s' aver y, did communicate with eac h other
.l nd chanted their other Vood oo and Ju Ju praises to Afr ica IS
os Hhere t hey labor e d, throul)!1 in the cotton f i e ld s an d other p l a c ~
God s long befor e they cou l d even un de rstand what the Gods of
Voodoo , Ju Ju , and other richly spit' i tua l and re ligious de vo t ion '
their Europe a n and European-American captors and s l avernas t er s
t hey deve l oped in their indigenous home l and - the continent of
wo~e
Alkeb u-lan ( Afr ica) ~
W' !J d ifferent to the Jesus Christ presented to them in Et hiopia
The bestiality of t heir slavemaste r s
fur t her made 't hem lear n each other's re lig ious son gs and T7 iS cong l omerate o f re l i g ious e xu l tati on , ther efore ,
chants.
l a t e r d0" c lop m u l~d~ ""h ic h i s t oday became the back g round f or the
\,
a ll abou t.
Lo.r; ~
Th is Eur opean-sty l e Chris t i an God (Jes u s Chr ist )
He was introduced to the Roma n s in
" F ar e de Ul etc and
"~j e ll ,
~'!hitc:::
f~\rc:
de
"'J e:ll~ ~ . , "
Rome~
etc~,
may be to most
pe o ple:J in t.. hc Uni L.c d s'tates of J\merica today 9
8
•
some sort of poetica ll y broken English ~ and definitely broken in its Eng lis h.
Ye s!
Cer tainl y poetic ,
(S)
Biblical Egyp t had always been taugh t i n churches and synagog ues a s a myt hical place where Africans (wh om t he s lavem a s ters renamed fl Negroes" ) did not exist .
(C)
Thev were brai m'll ashed into believing that the· enslavement of the Afr i can JeNs by their fellow Africa n worshippers of the God Ra was an act aga inst t he ir God (Jehov ah of the Jews, and Je sus Chr ist of the Chri stians)j but t heir own s l avery, on t he othe r hand , was "the will of God . 1I
(D)
And t ha t their own enslaveme nt was for their own benefit, since "sl avery saved them from being eaten by their much more cannibalistic uncivilized pag an fellow African s, who were not as fortunate as they were8~o • •• hear the mes s a ge of God'~Jesus Christ).
Yet , it came from a
"Negro Spiritual" that had its origin i n t he sava gery of the J e wis h l ess and Chri s tianle ss slavemasters' sadistic c ruelty and genocide upon the ir helples s and defenseless African slaves . "Fare de \'Iell , fare d e well" that t he blm-Js from the master ' 5 bull-whip, with its metal pellets, would not maim another Africa n slave i f he (or she) was not l ucky enough to die from the blows instead .
This is !'Ihat these wor ds that were composed
during the world's worst era of genoc ide by one gr oup of mank ind' s inhumanit y tm'.1ards the other (European and European-Am er ican
The hatred imp l anted into the preceding words with r e gar d
physical and mental enslavement of the African peoples in
to Moses and his troubles with his f e llow African , Pharoah
Africa, t he Caribbean Isl ands,and continen tal Americas) ~er e
Rarne s e s I I , is sti ll s ung with greater ion :tn AfricanAmerican Churches than song s of their own enslavement - such as
saying .. "Go down Moses, way down in Egypt's land, te ll ole Pharoah let my people go ..... origin.
, tI
8
etc., may i n its elf suggest Jewish (Hebrew)
Yet, in fact, i t was the poetic expression 'v/hich vias so
"Ole Man River " and "Lift Ever y Vo ice a nd 5ing.,,9 ~.: ophisticated
In most of the
so- called "middle class" minded "Negro Churches"
- such as the "Negro" Presbyterians , Anglicans, Roman Catholics ,
common in the Afr icans' rebe llion o f their dis gus t and contempt
l. utherans , Moravians , e tc . , these song s seem to be banned by a
for their Christian and Jew i sh slavemasters t hat 'v,ere being
kind of gentle men's agreement to , hope full y, bury their his t oric
exul t ed .
PIl :5 t memor ies of chattel s l avery .
But, 'vJhy did the s laves use the nam e of a fe il OYI
In ·this manner, the
indigenous Africa n - Moses ( a Haribu) - in their appeal for
he neficiaries of slavery, their s lavemasters ' descendants , can
freedom, and could not see t he justice in the ir other fel low
'~ G L ly
Af rican - Phar oah (King) Rameses II's reason for exiling his
1d \'.1ealth, goes sti ll unpa id .
fellow indigenous Africans of the Hebr ew relig ion (Jews)? Because of many rea s ons, most common of whic h are : ( A)
for get the fact that the s laves ' labor, which created
"Lift Every Voice and Sing •• • , " etc. , begins the once 4.mOUS "Negro Na tiona l Anthem" t.hat wa s c omposed by t he late
They did not know that Noses was an indigenous African, as they ~ e re _
I
t r
t an-American - Jamcc vleldo n Johnso n .
Ho ../ever, it is still
Infj !l ung amo ng the: l cs!3 .G ophl :..;ticatt.!d Afr i can-Americans (Blacks )
)lho r1hd
no solace in
il:~
con t inue d oxc l\.ls i on :i.n Eur op a n-America.
10
11
•
But, today it, too, has become a part of the Voodoo and Ju Ju
t he entire world, had also revived Voodooism and Ju J u- i sm -
'African-American Spiritual' of the cultural revolution.
e ven to the point of provok in g the love of the God Oledarnare
too has been relegated to be su ng only upon occasions
It
~I/hen
the
a nd His Orishas (m i nor Gods). ~
Thi s ana lys i s may not find many
African-American is overshadowed by some white cou ld of misery -
believers
such as the cold-blooded murders of the Minister Malcom X
Dr . King was typical in his approach as any Voodoo preacher
(81 hajj Malik Shabazz) and the Reverend Dr . J.lartin Luther King,
of today.
Jr .
But it must also give way -to the much more popular
its proclamation s ; but the fact remains that
When Voodoo priests tak e a rooster in their divine
" . ... \rlhen I Die I'm Gonna Walk Al Over God's Heavu n , Heavun,
encantation and begin their dance to the God Damba l lah Ouedo
Heavun •• • , II etc ... , vlhen the fallen brother or sister African-
one Can hear the same in the spiritual crescendo of the
American is a close and personal friend or blood relative.
Why?
tambourine and piano-playing that accompany the religious
Because the latter song preaches resignat i on and satisfaction
d ancing with in the African-American testimonial that Dr. King
with s lavery; whereas the former slightly suggests a bit of
preaChed ; particularl y when Obyah and Voodoo spirits take hold
protest on the part of a people who are still
1Z their
state of
of the ir worshippers - to the extent that t hey floating ly move
mental s l aver y, yet consc ious enou gh to muster a bit of protest
i n t o the ecstacy of religious trance.
in t heir stru gg le for self e steem .
I. nvolvement has been adopted by thou s ands of European-Americans
Voodoo and Ju Ju chants, and testimonials, can be heard in the pr e aching of the Last Sermon on the Mount that echoed: Free at last! Free at last! Great God Almi ghty, I'm Free at last .... " "I've been up to the Inountain top , and I I ve see n the Promised Land •• • ," etc .
Th is form o f Voodooistic
o { varied brahces o f Christianity wh ich are today called "sects II Dy t heir much more " sophisticated" brethr en, who prefer to ..,\1.ntain their emotionless dried-up middle-Class ana l ytical
j..
I nc hin gs of se l f-proclaimed "theologians" and !Tphilosophers, II wh o teaCh beyond and above the understandin g of their pariShioners,
But with a crashing booming BANG f r om an assassin's weapon of I1II'tJ.nly to show their academic ski ll s , rather than deal with their violence the life of the man on the mountain - a by-product of
t ~ !lowersleart h l y
needs.
Voodoo and Ju Ju , along with European and European-Americanized " SOlT.L! \I J udaeo- Christianity, the Reverend Dr . Hartin Luther Kin g, Jr ., ..... ( , 1'\
wa s "Free at last • ••• "
•••
This
over~layed
and mali gne d "exotic word" has
removed from its Voodoo orig i n into a n "O ld Black Mag ic lllO
Th.is man, vlho h ad me lodiously master ed ", I "Wi t chcraft" ni ght-clubbing atmosphere , and from there to
his Af rican chants, found only in the African-Ame r ican (so-calle d nNegro" ) Baptist Church and other fltestimon ia l!! sharing . and
'h
morc popular and contemporary, but most contemptible , Ill n q of "Black Comedy."
YC. L; II ,s OUL" was originally the
"Soul releasing " African forms of Chri ::: t i nn e xper i ence around 13
12
•
express~on
used in the reli g io us ceremonial dance that once
In ge neral , that which is presently ca lled flLimbo Dance"
entered, in a debased form, the European- Americ an en t ertainment
carne down to con t emporary Afr ican-Americans by Hay of African
wor Id from the Car i bbean as the "LIMBO DANCE. II
Chr is tianity which was adopted after Christinai ty Has infused
The "Limbo," a religious ce remonia l dance per f ormed by
wi th Ju Ju-ism and Voodooism in lvest Africa and the Caribbean Isl a nds, before its arrival in the Uni t ed S t a t es of
t he priest of the Obyah ri tes in preparation for the adoration ceremoni es adulating masculinity before the initiation proceed i ng s of a young boy to be into "manhood ,
II
circumc~zed
Is i t not strange t hat in IIS a ve Soul
and start his ro ad
or l1Sanctifiedll
dancing the dancers' knees are never cr o ssed ?
is as sacr ed as a Jewish Barmitzvah or a
Christian First Communion.
l1
America ~
Yes !.
Bu t only
t o t h ose who do not know that "crossing the Knee s l1 in a voodoo
In this ceremonial exhibition, it
dance is as much sacriligious as o ne trying to do a goose-step
is s aid that:
d uring a Jew ish or Christian r eligious procession before the
Man displays his greatest sense of power in his ability to coord inate in perfect unison h is mind and body in g raciously rhyt hmic movements, and as such reach perfect meditation with h i s God throug h the intervention of ancestral spirits from the spirit world .
Ark of the Covenan t or the Al t ar. of Communion..
The history of
thi s most sacred reli gious t radition came dawn to the African~ /
~erican
and the African- Car ibbean f rom generations s ucceeding
le nerations (through action) even though not a sing le word was But, why did the overlords and slavemasters from Europe and Britain ban t he "Limbo" in Africa and the €ar i bbean Islands 1
lW!rmitted to be ''1ri t ten down ; all of which \-; as lIinspired by God, n Ihe Afr i can God - l1VoodWn. 11
One se e s the same corollary
Because the y feared its II paganisti c inunorality" and the "Black
.1n the Jewish , Chr ist i a n , and Nos lem traditional r eligiou s l.IJ.agic IV it was supposed t o emit.
They saw it as a form of du nces or movements o f
llheathenism l l
;
of course, wi th a bit o f cannibalism thr own in
for g ood measure,
the priests , rabbis, ministers,and ima ms ..
'('his tradition , the "Limbo Dance ,l1 ~ s as much the order of a
this reaction being typi ca l of the so-called (:od of Africa -
t hrough his l1 ins pired Holy Prophe t sl1 that were
trChr istian Missionaries t1 that afflicted M ri ca and t h e indige nou r: I
Africa n peoples and the ir descendan t s for over the past 4 76 year :.
.1led upon by Hi s l1angels,l1 as the Gods of Europe and Asia ", h e l led upon Abr aham~ Mose s, Jesus Christ, and I1oharne t.
Or is i t
(1 503-1 970 C. E.l" 'hdl God, too, is gu ilty of l1racism,?f1 • 1503 or 1506 C.E. \4aS the year t he Right Reverend Bisho p Bartolome de Las Casas of .t he Roman Ca thol ic Church had t he Kinq and Queen of Spain and the Pope in Rome inst i t ute t he infamous "s l ave trade." Their fir s t victims being 1-10ers who had refused t o become Chri stian s af t er they we re topp l ed by the Christians . The first number to be sent to Las Casas vIaS 4,000 . The origiu;"l s l ave por t was located on the Isla~ of H y t l) (H a .i t.i), which the Spaniards had already renamed I1H:i.sp an.101 . 11
14
And that He , She or It,
• uld never call upo n an Af rican to be one of t he "Prophets 711 tI ybO it 1s t hat Oledamare, In("
the God of the Yorubas and millio ns
o f I-les t Af ric a , is no t ·the equal of Je h ova h, Jesus Christ
Allah.
15
•
If the European and European-Ame rican can see beyond his
1. Evolues: I preserve th is ter m un tran s late d for lack o f a suitable En g lish equivalent . It signifies thos e who hav e ed o u t o f -the trad itiona l ways of life and tho ught of t h eir O'1ln ethnic group and have take n over t hose of th e West o (CoKo)
( or her) mm narrow be li.e f th at he alone is p erf e ct ; and that mankind did not h ave to call upon him to sav e humanity for a ny God whatsoever, then, a nd only the n, is it p oss i b le fo r him to see the influenc e Ju Ju , Voodoo ~ Ma gie , Obyah, t'Ji tchcr a ft ~ and most other forms of other p e oples
I
re lig ion a nd God t ha t
preceded the creation of Judaism, Chr istianity, a nd I s lam , had on them in their own beginning, a nd nOw . In his book , BANTU PHILOSOPHY, the late Roma n Ca t ho lic priest _ Placide Temples _ wrote;ll
Hereif!. lies the bas ic problem i n 'rJh ich so many Euro pean and European- American-style Chr istian a nd As ian Moslem mi ss ionaries a nd th eir Afr ican converts, also J ewish educators (Rabbina te), f ind t hemselves hop e l ess ly
en t hralled .
tri ed to be 'limpartia l," he sa id .
Reverend Temp l e s al so
His claim be ing the same as
a ll others who professed J udai sm, Chr isti a ni ty or Islam, and at the same instance, pretend t hat t heir
O \'1fl
prejudices can be
s c ho larly subdued s ufficiently to make "impartial" analysis of IN SEARCH OF A BANTU PHILOSOPHY 1.
Life and death determine human behavior .
It has been often remarked t hat a European who has given up , during his li f e, all pract ices of the Christian religion , quick ly returns t o a Christian vie""poin t when suffering or pa in rai se the problem of the preservation and surv iva l or the loss and destruc t ion of h is bein g. Many sceptics tur n , in their last momen t s , t o seek in the ancient Christian teaching of the vJes t , the practical anStoJer to th e problem o f redemption or destruction. Suffering and de ath are ever t he two gr eat a post l e s who lead many wanderers in Europe at the ir las t moments to our traditional Chr is t ian wisdom~ In the same '/Jay among our Bantu ""e see the evolues , t he "civilized ," even the Chr i stia ns, return t o th eir former ways of b ehav ior whenever they are over t ake n by moral lass i tude , dang er or s uf fering . They do so because the ir ancestors l eft t h em the ir pr act ical solut ion of t he g reat prob lem of humanity , t he prob l em of li f e and death , of sa l vation or destruc t ion . The Bantu, on ly converted or civil ized s uperf iciall y, r eturn a t t he instance of a determining f orce t o t he behavior ac t i vist i ca ll y dicta ted t o the m~ Among the Bantu and, indeed, a mong all primitive p eoples, life and death ar e the grc~t a p o sL l es of f ide li t y to a magica l vi e w of l i£("1 a. nd o f rec ours e t o tr adi t ional magical pr.l.tic ": .•
16
A.f r i ca I s trad i tiona I rel i g ions.. t: idicu lous ly preposterous..
This premise is without a doubt
And i t
i s seen in its ug l i est pretext
b y most Afr i ca n s a nd Afr i can- Americans who are most affected by lL ~
Ho'r} c an a per son bel i eve i n one God and be impar t ial in his
I' c:-lises of another God o f a dif f erent philosophy than his own: 'r he po ssess ivenes s o f Reverend Father P l ac ide Te mples is I)(",::; t seen in h is cl a im that : "In the same wa y among our Bantu, 'rJe gee the e vo lues , the "civilized,1I even the • • •• ,'I etc. "Our Ban tu" was not e v e n g iven II ~ a troent
'~h e
usually dishonest
of the quota tio n marks ~ whiCh would have to some
L' lO t, concea l ed the Revere nd I s personal bias and obvious and I"Il 'ar o nt racism concer ning the word "civilized .. '1
Hcv erend Temples opened up his wor k on the ver y first ~ft ,
rl'
~ ec ond
oC
(p~o:.:> ;;
paragraph, exhibiting what app ear s to be the same racism and rel i gi ous b i gotry his \oJork was
PI ' ')'" dl y r..: or-rec t ing . 17
The titl e o f Chapter I , " I N SEAA CH OF A BANTU PHILOSOPHY,
\I
(al l ver s io ns) ; and the Tor ah and Bible the Hos l ems la"ter
is i tse lf at le as t provoca tiv e, if not openly insult ing to the
ad opted from t he Chris tian s and Jew s to prod uc e "their
overw h elming ma jority of the peop l es of Africa -
At least, t he
popu lation o
t h e indigeno u s
Here 1 s a professed "man of God !! who a ll egedly came
to Afr ica t o "civili ze and Christianize the he athen y et , he h ad to l ook for a UBan tu Philosophy .. "
Afr icans" j ll a
One can understand
ph ilo sop~y
F ather Temp l es cou l d no t
Kora n ~
f i nd i n
•
his " Ban tu-God" ( or Gods) is uni q u e i y or iginal to any o f so- ca ll ed ''V,'estern Rel igio ns . "
the
It \"-/as deve l oped a l ong ""i t h
other tr adit ions and exper i enc es the indige nous Afr ican s had,
th e semantic prob l em , bec ause t he name " Bantu" in itself is a
rather t han upon European and Europe an-Ameri can-st y l e
creation of t h e racist colonial sl avemas t ers .."ho? like h i mse lf 9
Chri s t ian doctrines \>Jhic h had not h ing in common \;lith
came origi n a lly f rom Europe, and l a t er on, The United S t ates of
So u "th or Central African c i v ilizations before the European
America~
(Whi t e Han) arriv ed a t
This type of a r r ogance ca u se d ma ss g e nocide to be
commi tted a gains t
th e indi g enous Africans , the s l aver s , and
~-1 est ,
t h es e areas of Afri ca ( Alkebu -lan).
On the other h and Jack l1ende l sohn , a Unitarian Mi nister,
c olon5.zers renam ed "Bantus" - a long with o t h er names such a s
1 1" the se cond "Prefac e!! of his book e nti tled _ "GOD , ALLAH
T'Ho t ten t o t s~
AIlD J U J U,
Hami t es, Pygm ies , Negroes," e tc .
But Reverend
II
us ed a n en t i rel y differ e n t approach in 1962 than
P l acide Tem ples \"Ja s very well aw a r e o f >chi s par t of history with
Temp l es d id in 1 9 54 .
respect to his fellaH co l onialist istrat ors and European-
J ..
styl e Chris t ian rn is s ion aires with wh om he served , a nd t hose t h at preced ed h im ; a ll of t hem k nolt/in g t oo we ll t he correct name s t h e i nd igenous Africans called t hemsel ve s when the y firs t arrived in Africa.
Nevertheless the y forced t he Africans t o a dopt what
they c h ose to cal l
"Christian names" -
s uch a s !IJames, Geor g e,
P h illip'" and other such name s used by Br i t ish and
Europ~a n
kings , \"ho \.;oer e som e of the \"Jors t characters in world history. Any group or pe opl e ".;oi th a concept that created a God wh i cl l t h ey have not seen , spok en to, or met , mu s t h a v e beg un from a p hilF3soph i ca l prem i se ~
This i s se en in t h e nUyster i es" the
J e ws (Hebrews) co pied from th eir fe l low AfriQaps of Egyp t
..
(S ai s) to produce their first Tor ah, which t h e Chr i s t:lan s subsequently copied fr om the Jews t o e,.·.,od :
He op e ned o n pages 9 and 1 0 with t"he
1 10wing remarks: 1 2
U"IOir " Ho l y Bible" 19
18
•
Questions o f profound sign i f icarx:e for Africans and for the sentiments of ItJesterners about Afric a are: i'lhat is the fu ture of Christiani ty as the re li g ious commitment of Africa's ri s in g leadership: What is the fu tur e of Is lam i n the same c ontext? Wh at normal base do African ~li t ists see b eing bui l t under t h e newly i n depe ndent s ocie t i es? t1hat do African in te ll ectuals me a n when t h ey appeal to trad i t iona l African spiri t ual values as such a base : If ma g ic 1s an inherent part o f such traditi o nal val ues, how does i t affect moral and i ntellectual developme nt ? Id hat kind o f religious a nd mora l training does the African intelli gen tsia advocate as par t of the educational process?
the pattern of something-el se dissimil ar to t hat \~ hich he ItJr o t e i n the first para graph of h i s"pref ace u sh mYn underscored for e mphasis o The e xtract from t he "Prefac e,iI pages 9 and 10 , as hi g hl ig hted by the last ques t ion.
Thus:
How does all of t his rela te to the allure of Communi sm as an al t ernative s piritual f or ce? ~vould it not be log ical that the ind i g en ous Africans sh ould , now ,
r.'e late mor e so to t heir Own tr aditional ffJu Ju n reli g ion wi th its bu ilt-in Communalism, which is much mo re h ig h l y adva nc ed in ter ms of human r e la tions tha n that which i s tOday Ca lled If d emocr acy "
\'lhat does tbe con cep t of the separation of church and s tate mean i n modern Africa n society? How does reli g ious commitment relate to the over a ll style o f l i fe of Afr i c a n l eadecs?
!' or the ir own religiou s solutions ?
Why i s t he question "lith
"e la tion , t o the Africans ' freedom a lw ays Communism more than ",) pital i s m, I s lam, Judaism or Chr i stiani ty - includ ing
i·Jhat vital relevance is there , if a ny, in the tr aditional Afr i can structure of "time, II the unsee n, spi r it wor ld ?
lillitarian sim, neith er of wh ich is co n ducive t o any of t he Ind igenou s Afric an civilization s in ex i stence ?
How does a ll of thi s r e l a t e to th e a llur e of Communism as an alternative spiritual force? Before commenting on Mendelsohn's "Preface , II it is necessary
TO:
"'t he s mall circ le of me n and women i n eac h African society,1I which Reverend Mendelsohn knows in his mind
feltJ i n number •••
11
is
needs cor r oboration.
conc~ iv ab l e,
11 • • •
are still
but not nece s sarily true, and
The ba l ance o f h is s tate ment i s jus t
another missio nary's conclusion
px:ce pt Communism, t o prove itsel f in the eyes o f the Afr icans
On pa ges 2 1 and 2 2 Revere n d Mendelsoh n stated the fo ll mJing :
That s mall circl e o f men and wo men i n each Afric a n society, who hu n ge r for what is essent i a l ly African, even a s they th i rst for the best of the "mrld's learni ng a nd mo dernity .. They ar e stil l £e\V in number, and are having no e asy t ime of it.
J
l ore lg n II-isms" has had at l east four hundred years in Africa ,
lid has utt er l y failed ..
to cite vJ hat he had to say in his dedication:
etc.
Each of these
tha ~ appeac ~
What of the Christian mis s ionary movement? I ts slow bu t steady progress has no\.,.. r u n head long int
rr j ud g ed to s uit
20
21
•
If the good Reverend be lieves t h at this is no t tr u e, he should
co lonial ism, chattel s l avery, and now neo- colonialism 5 were ,
read s by h i s own forer unner s in t he missionary field ;
and are, partners of European and European-AMerican-style
especially liTHE PLANTING OF CHRISTIANITY IN AFRICA , " by CoOP .
Christianity. "Africa I S Tarn ished Cross" is the name selected by Mendel-
Grove, New York, 1 948- 58 ? 4 Vols.
sohn for the chapter in toJh ic h the preceding quotations are
The Reverend cont i nues: But there are also bitter words - word s repea ted endlessly across the breadth of Africa . liTh e Chr istian missionar y movement was an attempt to quench t he African spirit. It tried to turn Afr i cans i nto European Chr1stians. It k icked down our cu l ture to show us which side God is on .. II
shown.
"Tarnished Cross11!
European and Euro pea n-Ameri can-sty l e, is at al l African ?
Th e
ind i gen ous Afric a n Pl?op le s did not import th is sty l e of I t came ther e "'J i th t h e s l avemasters
IlWherever the white man stlll has the upp er hand, the missionaries remain strangely tolerant of r acial d iscr imination .. !1
lin d its co-colonialist mate
"The missionaries drag their feet \>shen it comes to training Africans for church leadersh i p and authority. "
re j ected for what it has proven to b e, in fact, i n the eyes
li The missions have been indifferent, even hosti le toward African nationalism . There1s been no real sympathy for the political aspirations gr ipping young Af ricans. fI
Chr is t ianity - f ormerly the "Ko ptic (Coptic) Church, the oldest
Lo disavow..
invovlement in Africa as an a djunct to colonialism, cannot understand why Afr icans would turn to any ism
iI 'I'dr n i she d Cross_II "Religion In Afri ca Tod ay, " the subti t l e of
ism!T fr om the <Wove all e ged comments , h is slumber is very deep There is not an African old enough to reason who is not
aware of the truth in the above charges; even Africans who have unfortunately ed what. is be ing peddle.d as "Christian i t y " in Afr ica to this v ery day by "men of the cloth" f r om Europe
rTNative Cler gy" _ know these facts ..
'r l
Mende l sohn ~ s
Afr ica have bee n l ow l y rated by the missio naries, as sho1tm in
!./
u
Yet Ethiopi a n (Afr i can)
Chr istian Church in t h e . . 'or ld , is sti ll r espected, and has no
other than
the so- ca. lled toAfric a n
Because it too 1 s now under attack and being
I nn~~ , f o l lo\..J s t h e u s u al o rde r in \oJh1ch t h e traditional re l i g ions
"capitalism" and Eur o pean or E.uropean-American- style "Christian-
and the Un1ted States o f America -
Why ?
- imperia li sm, which it nows desires
r the Africans and t h eir ne\oJ nations ..
If Mendelsohn, at this late date in Christian missionary
22
Nhy i nsinu ate that t he Christian Cross,
Chr istianity into Africa.
"Missionaries are unrealistic about polygamy. II
indeed.
But should it not be Europe and European-America's
lit')
pattern fol l owed in h is !:Jook I s title - "GOD I ALLAH AND .JU. "
III
Si nce Af ric a is the ma in theme or subject of the entire
." k , why not JU JU, GOD,AND ALLAH? 1.( ..0
than JU JU and ALLAH?
Iw ya f o llO\..J everyone-els e ? "i'\lnf"nL:;
or
F ur thermore,
1l\ItI L:; II
~'/hy
should the Afr icans
Th e a nswer is alr eady shown in t he
the a l leged A£ric ono: repeated to Reverend Mendelsohn ,
(II he Gcem:;; not to compr h n.
y k.now t:.h<Jt: isnperial i::.m.
And 1 s Jesus Chrlst any more
by hi;:;
1-0
1 1Q\"
II .. n ro , who arc not
mi. ~G ionarl e 5
t Fl \c(;n
It is seen in its contemptuous who ;; ti ll contend that the
I I Ly r. lcy pllol-n
N il o
pre.:1ch death
23
•
and not life, are IIcannibals, h eathens, pagans , one step near man , '11
determination to r u n our own affair s. ! n t hat sense , missionaries have done their job well, a nd we thank them. Their devotion, including often enough even the s a crifice of their live s, has built schools and hospitals , and widened the hori z ons of our reli g io us beliefs. Still t hey mu st .g o . Not that the needs of Afr i ca in education, medicine , and spiritua l growth are now met.. Par from it . II
and the likes of such comments and labels. Commenting on t he expulsion of the French Roman Catholic Bishop - the Right Reverend Gerard de Ml11eville h 'J ho got booted from the Republic of Guineas 25 August 1 962 by President Sekou
Un fo r t unately Revere nd I1endelsohn did not iden t ify any of Toure after he had served sixteen years of indulgence and "the Africans" Nho supposedly made these profound statements of French colonialism without once ever opposing it, and pr aises for the ' mis sionaries .
ox
African s who were no t aware of the
four years after the people of Guinea under the leadership of systems of education in Africa b efore t he coming of the i'/hite man their president won their indepe ndence from , wh ich he could not adjust to) - Mendelsohn stated on pages 165 and 166
f rom Europe (and l ater the Americas) in search of food, mediCine , ed ucati on,and other means of human comforts.
But , again , the
t he following : This b ut one more in a continuing line of of flaring signals indicating that the Christian missionary e nterprise in Africa is in serious trouble . Regardl e ss of how valuab le the missionary contributi on to Africa has been , and might continue to b e, the sentiment s pread s among African leaders that the effort is no l onger appropriate to their contine nt.
quotation marks act to remove the Reverend's Hppare ntly only ..
0"10
reactions ,
However , his remark s s e e m t o be in response
LQ President Toure's statement of 27 Augus t 196 1 , in which he III..
id: I' . ... no Catholic prelate will b e accredited to Guinea, unless he i s an African • •• 1i
One must need say that Mend e l sohm believes t ha t the President Toure ' s prohibi tion was rather mild in comparison African le ader ship at one time or another considered European and European-AIner iean-style Chr istian miss i onaries
II
appropr iate. II
'0
t he general feeling of other Africans in high positions , Hho
h"vc witnes sed the courtship and marriage between Christian He may be surprised to k now that they are there, not because they IIL::;i onaries and their churc h to the co lonial s , wer e or are Ilappropriate, I' instead because they were, and stil l 'lid of course to the heads of the various Christian orders in are, ed by the military migh t of the nati ons of Europe flu lr
that impose d t hem upon the indigenou s Af r i c an peoples .
national h eadquar ters of the national gove,= nments to I;/hich
And thal unfai...]jng loyalty - I;]hile c laiming God's (Jes us Chris t 's)
t his imposition was used to stomp out
m a ~y
indige nous tr adition lI(l()t:~c ment .
AIrican r e ligions of t housands of years dur a tion.
This is best seen in t he case of all missionary
He continues I
mtp:; , by virtue of the colonial and neo-colonial power s '
neverthe l ess: IJIIIOL· l l:y - t hrough f orce or eco nomic s tronghold on the African " •• • Missionaries should not {eel despondent about th is," say Africans . " Th lnl¢.llcctual and religious loaves they have c IS upon the waters have retur ned in the form of no 110n1111 ....11\ and our
I lonG, which are fur lhcr perpe t uated in each case '-'lhere t here , , 1J'.l nctioned state roligio n , C]c ncra ll y that which "!:: he former 25
24
•
colonizer set u p b efore l eavi ng physic a lly - of Chr is t ianity, Europ ean or: E'. .lropean-Arner ican-sty l e .
As a result, th is type
any other
of r e ligiou s structure and the Europeanized Af ricans ;.Jh o
:If for no other
0
h ave con ti nu ed •
more i n the his ·tor y of Afr i c a , becomes as much a recogniz ed
God s "JEHOVAH, ALLAH 'I and I' JES US CHRIS T"
Unfortunately the ilS
Reverend Nende lsohn is not the only "Chr ist ian" 'Vlho wants to
l'his re cognition is ac t ua ll y say ing that OLORUM i s the "Master
mi sson ar y se es new hospi ta ls, sc hoo l s, med ic ine, and o t her s u ch Qf
material v a l ues being of greater i mportance t o the African s than This is
It would be
and Jane type of Stanl ey and Livings tone mythologyo
hundr e d years al so
i nc lude s th e so-called !tlr/e s tern Reli g i on s
a nd i n particu lar
those which ar e still be i ng ed o ff a s I!Christian i ty, 11 whicll in rea l ity are nothi n g more than the rel igiou s accomodation
sy stem of economi c indivi du al slm. "
~i
\'Ioll· 1
Again, i t i s qui te unfor-
tunat e t ha t the Africans 'are so much under ated by Cornmunis tG 1111·1 Cap i t ali sts alike , e ac h b e liev in g tha t h is way is th e only
\ '/ oI Y
to t he anS\oJer to mankind t s pr obl e m, c.=!.ch for qcl:.l:.i ng that ea c h man , i ncl udin g Afr icans, can t hink {'OC l lLml'J 1! ; 26
.1 n(l
':()OS.u
Al so, t hat "0LEDAI1ARE IS TH E GOD OVER ALL OTHER
Yes, thi s , the Afr i cans of this relig i o n ho ld true,
t!"IoJ.t
"God-inspire d men . II
A noted Af ri can scholar
Illd au thor dealt \-lith thi s s ame problem i n the f o llow i n g
things that ;'ler e Europeanized for o ver four
the "Free
And, of co urse, that He also ru l es o ver
r!1ai ntain s a wre tc hed "spirit wor ld !! for thos e that fai l
"ccording to their
One ha s t o lear n t h at the re-Afr i c ani:z.a tion of Afri can
what is also ca l l ed ·today " i'Jes t ern d emocra cy" o r
.Jeho vah and/or Allah.
1l1edamare .
f oolish to take t ime in refuting this ancient co loni a list Tarz,, 11
s"
the Nether World" (o;.mer of Heaven) as muc h as Jesus Christ,
"ver y man in t he un iver se f rom h is "joyous heaven" ; just as He
pr ovidin g one is to acc ep t the pos ition t hat tha Africans had none o f thes e fac ilities before c oloni alism.
they wer e i n Africa f rom th e beginning of ttle infamous
\'Jh ic h too map.y Chr isti a n miss ion ari es cannot yet accept.
Like most of hi s colleagues, th e
t he p ri ce the Africans h ad t o pay for these t h ing s.
are elsewhere, and
:; lave tr ade until po litica l independenc e in Africa, a fact
s ee Chr istianity i n Afri ca at all cost s , irrespective of the Afr icans opinio n about it .
Ther e fore the Africa n God OLEDAMARE , on ce
" S UPREHE BE:ING" i n Niger ia and other parts of Africa a s the
re asons, this is one of t he major o nes wh ich the present leader ship prefers not t
God th at mad e the Africans slaves for over four_
hu ndr ed years.
operate them are ob li gated f or con t inu ed leader ship and contro l by the former s l av em aster s and co loni zers .
gun powder, not Jesus Chr is t, Al lah, Jehovah , Marx , Mao or
it
\1 11
l l ct l ogue: "You say t h a t th er e is one s u pr eme God who made heave n and ear th, II sa id Akunn a o n one of Mr. Brown IS vi s its. " I'Je also be lieve in Him a nd ca ll Him Chukwu. He made a ll the world and t he other gods 0 II " There ar e no other oods~ 11 sa id Mr~ Brown .. "C hu kwu is t:.he only God .in d all the others are false. You carve a piece of ''load _ like that one, " (he po i n t 02d at the rafters from wh i ch Akunna ' s carved :Ikenga hun g ), Iland YOu call it a god. But i t i s still a piece o f "/ood,," "Yes ," sa id Akunna . "It is i ndeed a pi ece of wood . The tr-=! e from l·,hic t1. it came ;'/as made by Chu kwu, as indeed 0 1 1 miner g ods were. But
27
•
He made them for His messengers s o t h a t we could approach Him through t h em. It is like yours e lf . You are t h e head of th e churc h .. !!
The dialog ue con t inued al o ng the line tha t i s s t ill commonly >.l sed by Christian, f'loslem, and oth er forei g n m:i.s s ionari e s in
UNo, " protes ted l"lr. Brown. my c hurc h is God Hims elf. II
liThe h ead of t heir atte mp t to b e lit t l e the traditional Gods of Africa while ,
"I know, or sa i d Akunna, "but there must be a h ead in this world among men. Somebody lik e yourself must be the head he re. 1I liThe head of my church in t hat sense is in England ."
a t the same- ins t ance, h onor ing their o ~,J n God s of Europe, Asia , and the Unite d States of AmeriCa - J e sus Christ a n d Al lah in par ticular.
"There are n o other god s , II said Mr . Brol... n. "Chukwu is ·the only God and all other s are false. You carve a piece of wo od • • • ", etc., etc.
The above drama took place in the classic work, THINGS
This story relates how a European mi s sionary firs t entered a particular v illage in Eastern Nigeria during t he early 1900 I S and tried to change the peoples f rom their own tradi t ional African God that served them faithfully for thousands of years for his OIom God from Europe, of whom these Afr icans knew nothing.
Mr . Achebe continues ; 14
rryou say t hat there i s one s upreme God \llho made heaven and earth," said Akunna on one of Mr. Brmm 's v i sits ~ "vie also belie ve in Him and call Him Chuk"'lu~ He made all the ..,lOrld and the other Gods ..-"
"That is exactly what I am saying. The head of your church is in your country. He has sent you here as his messenger. And you have also appointed your own messenger, and servants . Or let me take another example, the District Commissioner . He is sen t by your king .. II
FALL APART, 13 by Mr. Chinua Achebe of Nige ria, west Africa.
In this regard
V1.t" . v l~ it.
Bro ~'m
repeated e ver y thing he had s t a t ed above i n this
Here, as one lo ok s back a t t he last f ive parag raphs on
MJe 25 ,
it is s een t hat t he indi g eno us Africans d ef ended their
11') i ons \oJ i th as mUCh vigor as did t he f o reig n Eur o pean- style 'hris tian mi s sionaries," like Hr. Brol,m , try t o sell t heir ' s . " . Achebe con t inues further in the next paragraphs; I S " They have a queen , II said the in t erpreter on on his ot·m .
It also deals vlith the value of t he living "Oracle"
(prophet) in African life , as a g ainst the b e lief in appea ling t n "Yo';lr q u een sends her messenger , the District He .finds that he canno t do t he Hork alone and 70 he appoint s kotma to hel p him. It is t he s ame w~th God, or Chukl'Ju. He appoints the sHlaller gods to he lp Him b ecause Hi s \'lOrk is t oo 9-r ea t f or one person." Conuniss~oner .
"saints" (dead people) in European and European- American-st yle Christianity .
But the crwc of the above dialogue is seen in t l'I"
fact that the missionary had the audacity to come into Eastern Nigeria and condemn t h e peoples ' God, calling i t " ••• a piece o f wood."
Not bei n g abl e t o convince Hr. Akkuma (the African) t ha t h is "J"I::SU:; CrmIS TIt -
He f org o t tha t the y could see the ir God, at leas t ,
\'Ihich vIa s more t ha n he could say f or his..
Moreove r, they knc h'
wh ere t o find t h eir's when they wanted hi s se r vice; but could h.
h'as a supe ri.or divin er
t o " CHUK\'JU ,
II
III ~" ..m ( the Europcol.n fr o m Eng land ) resorte d t o economic ( b'hite ) I •
wh ie
\·/ .l~
alwa y !> av i labl e t o t h~ colonialis t Christian whip A£riC, II"\:J \tho \ ~o\.ll d no t con vert into line.
find his wh en he wanted ser v ice?
".('" r lc
28
1. lib lhOd 0 .1 fOJ.- ccd convcL"sjon ..,Ia::: a l \,J a y:; used \·/l"Ienevcr the
l.
29
missionari es ' log ic about their
E ~~ opean - sty led
b londe J esus
II .. . .
reli gion and education went hand in h a ndc. "
The se are
Chr i st fail e d to conv ince and convert the African s through
t he words ViC. Ach ebe used to describe the ma n ner in ",h i c h Mr .
non-violent persuas ion.
l3r ol;1 n Has ab le to capture the a ff ection of the Africans to hi s
f1r . Achebe c ontinue s; l 6
"In t his way t Hr . Brown learn ed a go od deal abou t the religion o f th e clan and he crune to the conc l us ion th at a frontal attack on i t !;,ould not s u cc e ed. And so he b uilt a school a nd a li tt le hospital in Umuf i a . He !;/ent f r om f amil y to family begg ing peop l e to se nd the ir ch ildren to hi s school. But at f irst they onl y se nt their slave s or sometimes their lazy childr e n. Mr. Brown be gged and ar g ued and prophesied. He sa id that the leaders of the l and in th e f uture \'/o uld be men and women \~ho had l e ar n ed to read a nd write. If Umuf i a failed to send her children to the school , s trang ers wo uld come from other p l aces to rule them . Th e y could already s ee that happen ing in the Nat i ve Cour t, where the D. C. wa s sur r o unded by strangers who spoke his tongue . Most of t hese strangers came f rom the distant t own o f Umuru on the bank. of the Great River where the ~J h i t e man f irst went.
God - Jesus Chr i st .
I n other word s; i f the Africans h'anted to
cat they h ad t o have the requ ir ed educa ti on and skil ls o f their imposed COlonialist maste r s i n the " ••• ne w gover nment ••• "
To
,ecure suc h needed food a nd educ a tio nal skills they were forced ~ -o
f all in t o the waiting outstretc hed arm s of the miss i o narie s
who s e reli gi on, European-s t yle Christianity, they had rejected . 'l'Ile y were ca ug ht by th e a ge-old Afr ic an proverb that says : Jump ing f rom the l og to the f ire is a fat al so lu t ion t o the prob l em . One i s to assume that the
Euro~ea n
God - Jesus Christ in
lilts specific c a s e - inspired His mi ssionaries to us e \'Ihatever In the end, Mr. Brown r S ar g'Ul!\ents b e gan to have an effe ct . More p eople came and l earned in his sc hoo l, and he encouraged them with gifts o f singlets and tot.o!els. Th e y I-I ere not all young , these people whO c ame to learn. Some of them were t hir ty ye ars old or more . They l'lorked o n th eir f ar ms in t he morning and \i en t t o sChool in the afte rnoons . And it was not long befor e the people be g an to say that t he \llhi t e man 's medicine \'I as q uick in .. larking . Mr. Brm."n' schoo l produced quick resu lts. A f e"l mon th s in it \i ere e n o ug h to make one a court messenger or a cour t clerk . Those Hho stayed longer became teachers; and f r om Umufia la borers we nt forth into t he Lord's vin eyard. New churches \"er e established in the sur rounding vi lla ge s and a fe Vl schoo ls with th e m. From the b e g inning reli gion and educatio n went hand in ha nd.
toln t ion o f His "'l'EN COMMANDM ENTS" ( which Hoses was supposed t o I,
rec eived o n Hou nt S i n ai , b ut i n f a ct co-opted from the
y~
I;)i: ive Con fess ions")· they f el t fi t ting in a ny c onversion
til
1 tu,l Li.on , pr ov id i ng it led to t h e a c qu isi t ion of neloJ converts .. \v''l!.; t he preferred man ne r
Il .n il won c on verts from th e Gods - J u J u, Ol edama r e, Chuk\-1u , olhc['~
'1 1 \
'AY
in every par t o f Afr i ca f rom the be g i nni ng of the
trade t o t he p t"e sen t l ate 20 t h century.
lIlod i!.: Mr. Brmm' s mi ss i on
c~tainl y
HO\olever , th i s
oversh a dowed by cha t te l s lav et"¥, !;/hen
gr e ~J
from s trength t o stren(] tl, because of i ts linl( wi t h the ne"J istration; i t ear ned a n ew social pr estige . Bu t Mr. Brown h imsel r ",as breaking down in hea l th . At f ir st he i g nored til " \varning s ign s. Bu t in t he end 111r . Brown had to leave his f lock, sad a nd br oken.
I
h
rtt'!;
uy thp mill ions !;Jer:e b eaten into a ccepting Curopean-
r' hl" l :Jl. ia nlty by
t h (~ .i.r:
slavemasters - many of whom were
1 III d rnlni.5i:crs o f the ch urc h, many also being cap t ains o f
f" l nLi on ..h ip 30
in !;,hich God (Jes u s Ch ris t) and
be lw~r.n
Hoses and t he " NeC)ative Confess io ns" hi::; wor lc. 31
11. Ii 1 n Chtlptcr 11.1 o r
slave ships and
o~~ners
of same..
The most n otoriou s of the slave
The "'Jhi te man,· a new phenomenon in the Bant u wor ld, could be conceived only according to preexisting categories of Bantu thought . He was, therefore incor pora ted into the universe of forces, in the position ther ein y.1hich '·Jas congruent with the logic of the Bantu on to logy . The technological Skill of the \-Ihi te man impressed the Bantu. The white man seemed to be the ma ster of great natural forces. It had, therefore, to be itted that the '~hi te man '~as an e l der, " a superior hUman force , sur ing the vital force o f all Africa ns . The vita l force of the white man is such th~t against the Umangall or the app licat ion of active natural force "s as the disposition of Africans 'vIas without effect ..
ship owner s a nd cap t ains \-Jas the Reverend John Hawkins of the Church of England (Ang lican Church), whose flagship was named JESUS CHRIST de LOBIC .. 17
But one must that there was
also another Europea n- sty le Christian missionary , the Most Reverend Bishop Bartolome de Las Casa s of the Roman Catholic Church , who in: circa 1503 or 1506 C.E. was responsible for the institut ion of slave tradin g from Africa to the "New 'dorld .
1I
Here in lies a basic error on Temples' part~
The first of such African slaves Nere the dethr o ne d Moors f rom
He obviously
Spain, more than 4000 of whom were shipped to the Island of
underestimated the ethic s of the African s, which he like all of
Hayte, wh ich the Spaniards had already renamed IIHi span iola. 1117
t \lC other colonialist called uBantu s, " -
Looking back to the Reverend Placide Temples book , BANTU
Il...t; ang ers , in which reverence for another' s r e ligion is too
PHILOSOPHY, one sees certain fu ndamentals which a r e said to be
;'1
the basis for Ju JUt Voodoo, Shango, Damba llah Quedo , and all
I
:ce ssion o f
other African, European , As ian a nd American religions; yet t hey
I
tu' u
cannot be accepted as such by European and European- America n
rIIwn no t ye t done.
r e li g ionists.
V/hy ?
than his own image of
l. n mist a ken by fore i g n missionaries as being "the Africans'
himself~
His God is no better
If he feels that
II
fear .. "
The same holds true for any foreigner in
midst who may be able to perfo rm material feats which they
Because one man sees the other man's God
or reli g ion as be ing inferior to his own.
hospita li ty to all
Outlining what he chooses to call "The General Laws o f 1/ 1 1 n1 Causability,"
Temples listed the f ollow i ng : 19
I. Man (living oc deceased) can directly reinforc e or diminish the b eing of another man.
an African is
less than a European or European-American, he must a lso assume that his God must have also made t h e same conclusion . the Jews are alike .
II • • •
th e chosen peop l e . ... 1I
17a
But, are they lithe chosen people"
Such vital influence is poss i b le f r om man to it is indeed necessarily e f fective as between the progenitoc, superior vital force - and his progeny - a n i n ferior for ce.. Thi s interaction does not o~cur only when the recipient object is e ndowed, i n l:' e~ p ect of the endow ing SUb j ect, with a superior {occe, which he may ach ieve of himself, or some vita l external influence, or (espec ially) by the Qction of God .
Therefor'"
lnunj
for Jews and Christi,)11 for t he l10s1ems ,
Hind us, 8udhists, Yorubas, or even Christians 'vJho claim no Jewish ethnological tie \vith the so-called IIJ C!\.,ris h race one hears so much about of la te ?
Emphat i cally no t.
conj unction with this point the Rev<.'!r<.'!nd Plac1.dc
u17b
In
'!' empl c~
• mp!.:J \y • hi mse l f
note d !
II
OJ. "whi te ma n . If He \rJas only expressing his pr'or l cls " my 1...h . Did n ot the so-called u8antu lt have a 11 1 t'h "While Ha.n l" Sho uld t he Africans he called " Ba ntus" ,I}("\) " Black: me n ? " 1:5 i.t n o t true t h a t 1. white" i s as much n:, " bl l!~ K ? 1! Wl1 Y U'l..l3 type o f r a cis m i n religion?
"r.h· )o
II1I
I
1\
33
•
II . The vi t al human force can d1rectly influence i nferior force-be ings (animals, ve getables or mineral s) in t he ir being itself .
Christian, or I s lamic.
III. A r ational be ing (spirit, names, or liv ing) can i nd irect l y upon another rati onal bei~g by . communicating his vital influence to an ~nfer~or force ( a n1mal, vegetab le , or mineral) thro ugh the intermediary of ...,hich it inf lue nces the rat ional being ~ Th i s influe nce will also have t he c haracter of a nece s sarily effe cti ve a c tion , save onl y when the object is inherentl y the stronger force, or is reinforc e d by t he inf luence of some t h ird party, or preserves h imself by.recourse. to in£er~or force s excee ding t hos e which h 1S enemy ~s e mploY1ng.
llburnt offerings, " which are i n ever y sense the same as in most
The Third Book of Hose s, Levitic u s , speaks of the pagani s'tic Voodoo, JU ~u Jand Shangc or Obyah f easts.
1. The Lor d ca lled Mose s , a nd spoke to him from the tent of meeting, saying, 2. Speak t o t he oeop l e of I s r ae l , a nd say t o them, when any man of yo~ br ing s an offerin g to the Lord, you shall bring your offering of cattl e from the herd or f rom the flock·.
3. If hi s offe ring is a burnt of f ering fr o m the herd, he sha ll offer a ma le without blemish ;he shall off e r i t a t the door of the t e nt of meet ing , th at he may be accepted before the Lord; he s hall l ay hi s hand upon the head of th e bur,nt offering, and it sh all be ac cepted for him to make atonement for him. 5 . Then he s hall kill the bull before the Lord j and Aaron's sons the pries t s shall pre sen t the blood, and throw the blood around a bout a gains t the altar that i s a t the door of t he tent of mee t ing. 6 . And he s hall flay the burnt offer ing and cu t it lnto pieces; 7 . and t he sons of Aaron t he pr ies t shall put fir e on t he a ltar, and la y ",oa d in order upon the firei 8 . and Aaronl s sons the priests shall lay the p ieces, the head, a nd the fat, in order upon t he wood tha t is on t he al tar; 9. but i t s entrails a nd i ts legs he shal l \.Jash ".lith Nater. And the prie sts' shall b urn the whol e on t he altar, as a burnt off er ing, an offering by f i re , a plea sing odor to t he Lord.
Temples had to journey all t he !;Jay to Afric a and i valve himse l f in a major s t udy in order that he might understand if ther e is a philosophical bas is for a,ny African traditional reli gion.
Thus Leviticus states : 20
Upon what ba s is could the Africans res t t heir
traditional religions other than a spLcit ual philO sophy? However , Temples 1 t ype of missionaries are s till ac t ive in the Harlems of the United S t ates of America ; as they are still f requented by so-called "Christian" and l1Islamic ll mi ss ionarie s, all o f '" hom expre s s freel y t heir utter cont empt for t he Af ricanAlTlericans' right to pr ac tice Voodoo, Mag ic , a nd J u J u as they
10 ... If h is (]ift for a b ur nt offering is from t he flock, from the sheep· or goa t s, he shal l off er a a male witho ut blemi sh j 11. and he shall k i ll i t on the norths ide of th e altar befor e the Lord, and A.aron' s sons the pr i e sts s hall t hr ow its b lood against t he altar around about . 1 2. And he shall cut it into p iece s , with its head and i ts fa t , and t he pr iest .shall lay them in order upon the wood that is on t he fire upon t he a l tar; 1 3. b ut t he entrails and the l egs
ar e b ei ng pr esently practised in the thousa nd s of ll Store Front Churches ll wher e Oracles 19a called 11prophets" c h ant Chris t ian songs, dispense Voodoo herbs and conduct bur nt offerings while they ma ke anoi nting oils j al l of whic h one can f ind in the Hebrev.l (Je\.J i sh) Torah , Chri s tian Holy Bible , and l-los l em Koran . \'Jhile s weet burnt-incense fill s the air of the I1Stor e Fr on l Churches 11 a nd 11 0r acles· 1 move into t heir incan t ations t o communi cate with the "Spirit i'Jor ld" the v/ ords arC' Chri.stia n but the ceremony Voodoo .
u :;tom 1s still be ing ma intained by the Beta Israel (Black
III
mnnt. , Ne w Year ) il nd Pa s s ove r)_
The b le ss ing of charm::; an(J "no i n tmen t wi th
oi l s a nd myrr h are a s much Voodoo i !;tir
•
fliLu
.W I ! or Fa l asa ) of Ethiopia , East Afr ica . They per f orm this I 1 t o on Xum Kippur, R0 3h Hashanah , a nd Pes ach (Day of
,1.
I
h Y ,\,(c :Judaic ,
35
he shall wash in water. And the priest shall offer the who le, and burn it on th e altar; if i t is a burnt offering, an offering by fire, a pleasing odor to the Lor d. In Leviticus, under the l1LAW OF PEACE OFFERINGS," it is
32. If he b rings a lamb as his offering for a sin offering , he shall brin g a female withou t blemish, 33. and lay hi s hand upon the h ead of the sin o ffering, and kill i t for a sin offering in the p lace where they kill the burnt offering. 34. Then the priest shall take some of t he bl o od of t he sin o ff erin g ~... i th his fi n ger and p ut i t on t h e horns of t he altar of the burnt o ffer ing , and pour out t he rest of its b lood at the base of t he altar. 35. And all its f a t he s hall remove as the fat of the lamb is removed from the sacr ifice of p eac e offerings and the priest s ha ll bur n i t o n the altar, u p~n the offerings by fire to the Lord ; and t he pr ies t s hall make ato neme nt for him for ~he si n which he has committed, and he shall be f or g~v en. In the Uni ted States of AIDer ica pa l ms a re still being burnCI I as "burnt o ffe rings " o n Ash \'/ednesday of each year. and the sign of the Crucifix painted with the ashes from the p alm on the f ore h ead of each of the fa i thfu l i n a !!pa gan cermo n yll that i s older than the Christian rel i gio n .
The ceremony of t he I1 hurn t
of f ering " and "burnt palms ll are as o ld as t he ori g in of its Voodoo origin, just as the sacrifice of the II first male larob 'l of its unb lemished mother was an ancient Egyp tian c e r emo n ial t ho usands of years befor e an
Egypt ian named Moses even knew he was go i ng to be bor n , much l ess rece i ve a set of laws at Ht. Si na i .
This cere mony is e'111 011
to the rooster th at i s sacrific ed to the God - Damballah Ouedo in Voodooi sm, or the God - Oledamare - of the Yoruba r e lig i on to p l ease His Or i s ha s (minor Gods) .
36
f re y Parrinder, states that t he 0090ns of western Afric a , around t he bend of t he Niger Ri ver, s o u th of Tombut (T imbu k t u or T imbuc t oo) , have -a r e ligi o n t ha t i s comparable i n mythology and spirit-
also written : 21
tradition f or cleansing th e so ul
In t h e book , AFRICAN MYTHOLOGY, t h e a utho r - Rever end God-
ual i ty to Judaism, Chr istia ni t y, and Isl am (the so-called rrWes tern .~ el i g io ns ")
•
Exp lain i ng th e Dogan's religion , \'Jhich Reverend Parrinder Li a id was revealed to him by one
of the i r
sages named !lOgotemme-
1i o n permiss ion from the Eld e rs (heen), he wrote : 22 I n the beginning of the one God, Aroma, created the su n and mOon like pots . his first inven~ tion. The sun is whit e hot and surrounded by eight rings of red c op pe r , and the moon is the same shape wi th rings o f white copper. The stars came from pel lets of Clay that Amma flun g into space~ To create the earth, he squeezed a lump of clay, as he had done for the stars, and threw it i n to space. Ther e it spread o ut f lat , wit h the nor th at the top, and its br anched out i n dif ferent direction s lik e the body , lying flat wi th its face upwards . Aroma was lonely and drew ne ar t o the female earth to u nite himse l f \.,r ith it . But his a ge was barred by a red termite hill . He c ut t h is down and union took place, b ut the inter f er ence mad e it defec tive and ins t ead of twins being bor n, whic h would have been natural, a jac~al was b orn i ns tead .. T h is jaCkal vias a trouble to him afterw ards . The myth justifies f em ale cir cumc is ion , which is practised by the oogo n and many oth e r African peo ples . There was fur ther union between God and Earth and t wins were bor n . They were li ke water and green in color . The ir top half was hum an and the bottom half snake-like . They h a d r ed eyes and forked tongues, s inuous arms without ts , and their bodie s covered with s h or t gr een hair, shining l i.ke water. They had ei ght member 5 and \<J er e bor n p e r f ect. The 5e t~ o spiri ts we r e called Nummo, a nd t he y wen t up to he aven to get instructions f rom God, s inc e he wa :..: their fat h er and the y '.Jere mddc f rom h i 5 C:3sence wh ic h is t h e life - force of the "Wor- ld, from wh.1ch c:omes all motion and en e r gy. Th1 ::; Lor ee: 1 :!:l wa b·r a nd the Nummo are in all water,
37
.
.
or s eas a nd rivers and storm s , i n fac t they are water. They are also light and emit it consta nt ly .
and void, and dar kness was u pon t he fac e o f the dee p; and the Spir it of God was mov i ng ov er the f ace o f the wa te rs.
Nh e n t he Nummo s piri ts l ook ed d own from the Sky they saw Mo t h er Earth, n aked and i n di s order. So they came down bringing the bu nches of fibres from h e ave n ly p lants which t hey made into tow b unc hes to c l o the the Earth in front and behind l i ke a woman. The fibr es were mo is t of t he essence of the Nam rna sp irits. By means of t his clothing t he Earth obtained a languag e , elementary but sufficie nt for t he beginn ing .
3 And God sa i d , "Le t ther e be ligh t j" and th ere was li gh t . 4 And God saw t h e l i gh t was ~oodj and God se pa r ated the l i gh t f rom the darkness. 5 God called t he li gh t Day, and the darkness he call ed Night. And ther e wa s evening as there was mornin g one day .
The jackal t deceitful f ir st born of God, \-Jas jealou s o f hi s mot her's possess ion o f language. He s eize d t h e fi ber s kirt in which the langua ge was e mbod i ed . Th e Earth resisted this sinfu l attack and hid in h er o wn womb, symbolized as a n ant hill i n which she chang ed into an ant. The jackal p ur s u ed her, and alth o ug h the Ear th dug down d eep, she was not able to escape. The j ackal s eized h is moth e r's skirt, gained the power of speech, and so he is able t o reveal the plans of the Supreme Be i ng to diviners. The re sult of th is u nf il i a l attack was tp~ defilement of t he Earth, and Amma dec ided to create live beings wi.t h out her.B u t when he had formed t heir organs t he Nummo sp i rits saw that there was a danger of twin births d i sappear ing . So th ey drew a male and a fe ma le outline on the gr o und , on top of one anoth e r. And so it was, and has been eve r since, that eve r y h uman bein g has two souls at f irs t, man is b i-s exual . But a man's female soul i s r e moved at circumcision, when he becomes a true man; and the corresponding event happens to a woman at exc i s ion. The myth s continue wi th the coming o f t he firs t man, and th oug h they stil l refer back to God , t he y \rl i ll be cons i d e r ed later under a s e p ara te headi n go Nea m'/h i 1e t he g ifts of God to man occur in a number of my thS. I f the above story, wi t h
~ll
of its uni vers ality
i n t he ,;
plana ti on of man ' s ori g i n , i s a my th, wha t is the story abou t IIAdarn and Eve" a n d "crea t ion" in the F i rs t Book of Moses (Gent: sis) fo110w i ng?23 1 In t he beg i nni ng God crr- a t.. (I t Il l' he a vens and the earth, 2 The e ar1...11 \"' 01 :. ",,1 tllO~iI !.Orm 38
6 And God said, "Let t here be a fir mament i n the mids t of the waters, a nd let it se perate the wa ters f rom t he Yl ater s ." 7 And God made the firmament and seperated t h e wa t ers which were under th e f irmamen t from the waters wh ic h were above the f i r mament. And i t 'vias so . S Gbd called the firm ament Heaven . And there was ev ening and there wa s morn i n g, a second day o 9 And God said , IILet the water s under the hea vens be ga th er e d t.ogether i nto on e place, a nd let the dry land a p pear ." And i t was so. 10 God called t h e dry land Ear th , and t he waters t hat \>Iere gathered t o g ether he ca l led Seas. And God saw t hat i t was g OOd . 11 And God sa i d, " Let the Eart h p ut forth vege t a tion , plants y i eldi n q s eed 9 a nd fr u i t trees beari n g fru i t in hlhich is th eir seed, each a ccor d in g to its k ind , upon th e Earth." And it wa s so . 12 The Earth b r ought forth ve ge t at ion , plants y i eldin g seed ac c or ding t o t h eir own ki nds, and t r ees bear in g fr: ui t in wh i ch there is seed , each ac cord i ng to it s kind. And God saw that i t was go od. 1 3 And there was eve n i ng a n d ther e wa s mor ni ng, a t h ird day . The s t o r y cont inues with t he mak in g of "li g ht, se asons, I,lr:-: , birds, sea monsters, o th er liv i n g cr e atur es, " et c " But in I '., · 24 it beg i ns to take on animals a nd other fo rm s ..,:hic h man " .,~: . wit h da i ly . Th us the making of c attl e, ma n , et c . : 24 And God said, "Le t the Ea r th brin g fo r t h livi n g c r ea tures accordin g to the ir ki ndsj cattle and creeping thi n gs and beasts of the £arth a ccording to the ir kind s." And i t was s o . ~J'.J And God ma de the b easts o f the Earth a ccording to their: ki nds a nd the c &ttle to thei r kind s, a nd eve r yt h i n g that creeps upon t he g round ac cor.dinl) to its k ind . And God s a w th a t was g ood.
'·'n l l o . .Ji, n'1 the "cr eati On" of everything- else the Je ...l'is h Je t'l u i:.:l ... l'!l n J e suG Chri:; t , and Nor:lem Allah, wit h th e h elp o f
39
one or more persons, crea ted
e ver the man ca l l e d every l i vi ng c reature , th a t wa s its nam e. 2 0 The man g ave name s to all c a tt le , and t o t he bird s of the air , and to ever y be a st of t he f ield ; but for t he the man t here wa s no t fo u nd a h elper f i t f or him . 21 So t he Lord God cau sed a de ep s lee p to f al l upon t he man, and whil e he s l e pt took one o f his ri bs and cl os ed u p i t s plac e with fles h; 2 2 and the rib which the Lord God had t a ke n from the ma n He made into a woman and brought he r to t he man . 23 Then th e man said ,
man - called IIAdam," ac cording to
t he following : 26 Then God said , "Le t u s · make man in o ur own image a f t e r our own li k eness; and let him have dominion over t h e fis h of t h e sea, and over th e b ird s of the a i r, and over t h e cattl e , and over a l l t h e Earth, and over. ever y creeping thing t hing t hat cree ps upon the Ear th.1l 2 7 So God cr e ated man i n h is own ima g e , in t he imag e of God He created h imj male and f emale He c reated t hem. 28 And God blessed th e m 9 and God said to t h em , "Be frui t ful and multip l y , and fill t he Earth and s ubdue it ; and have domin i o n over the f i s h of t h e sea and over t h e b ird s of t he air and over every l iving th i ng t hat moves upon t h e Earth . " 29 And God said , "Beho l d, I have given you e ver y plant y ielding seed wh i ch i s u pon the face o f all the Earth , and every tree with se e d in i ts fruit j y ou shall have them for food. 30 And to every beas t of the Ear th , and to ever y b i rd of th e air, a nd to everythi ng th at cree p s on t he Ear th , every t hing that has t h e breath of l ife, I have g iven every g reen plant for food." And it was so . 31 And God s a w e v erything that He h ad made, and b ehold it wa s very good . And t here wa s evenin g and t here was mor n in g, a sixth da y .. Still n ot satisfied with what he had already created, God dec ided to c r e ate a woman c al l ed "Eve\\ for His IIAdam .,\2 5 The a c: \ continue s
i n the following manner ,
a ccording to the s t ory:
15 The Lord God too k the man and put him in the Garden o f Eden to t ill it a nd ke e p it . 1 6 And th e Lord God C01iU\"la nde_d the man, s a y ing, UYou may freely eat o f every tree of t he g arden; 17 b ut of the tree of knov l e d g e of g ood and e v il y ou s h all not e a t, for in th e day t hat you e a t o f it you shall die ." 18 Then th e Lord God said , lilt is n o t good t hat the ma n should be a l one; I will make him a helper fit for h im . 19 So o u t of the grou nd th e Lor d God formed e very beast o f the field and every bird of t he air , a nd broug ht them to man to see what he would c all them; a nd wh a t-
• "US!! is plural ( moce th an one) . Who W<:I!; God ~pca ki n g to w h '>11 II sa i d "LET US MAKE MAN IN OUR OvlN IMAGE . ~ . . ... ," e tc. It cou li:.1 11( .1 have be en J esus Chri st as some i;r;i. d Lo i ociic::.,\to ; h~ was 1'10 1 111 '1
!!This at l e a s t is b one of my bone s a nd fle s h of my fle s h ; sh e s h all be call e d woman , bec au s e she wa s tak en out o f Ma n .. \! 2 4 The re f ore a man le a v e s his fath er a nd hi s mothe r and cl e aves t o his wife , and th ey b e come one f l e s h . 25 And the man and h i s wife were both naked , a nd were not a sh amed . From this p oint on, many t h i ngs happ e ned; bu t t he ul0 3't i mporta n t - so far as this cita t ion i s conc e rned , a • • ~ "Serp.on!; t empted Eve • • • ," etc ., i n t h e Gar den of Eden; Adam a nd Eve ' Iw n
1I ..... ate the f orbidden fruit ... . , '1 etc .. ; they f ou nd out they
W"L L!
!t . . . .
n aked 1 a nd covered their nakedness .. ..
II u y c h a sing t hem"fr om the Gard en of Ed e n; 1"
f°<J I"Ia nt a nd delivered her
' II"
\. drde n of Eden into
e t c. ; God follow-
Eve repeate dly bec ame
three oldes t ch ildr e n, al l s ons . Thus:
and Ab e l , the f ormer k illed
\f\C
\I
c 1 "
lI o • •
the latter and
the land of
N od~
was
drive n from
eas t of Eden .Qo , "
I '., where he " ... . knew h is wife and sh e c once i ved and b o r e Enoch ..
hi . t·nl.:.i re drama did not in an yw ay inc lude Eve 's third IIIIU'1
ly (!>no u g h, God must have made more people beside
, louwh r;r It
Ive
son~
Seth .
Adam a nd
in order for Cain to have found h ims e l f a wif e when
i n Nod . I t c ould not hav e be e n his mother, th e only wo-
,. III t he wo(' l d at the t ime a cc ording t o t he s tory, b ecause she h;Jnl"ll:... h d with him;
nui I 'll
t
lm
01
CaLl i ' ::;
and she d i d not have a ny daught er u p
b a n rd :.; hmc n t:. 26 41
40
,
.
?
I,
Before anal yz ing thes e myths o t h er God sh ould be :before
examined~
the c r eat ion of ma n by an -
For t h i s J omo Kenyatta,
bec oming Pres iden t of the Repub l ic of
ca , wrote the fo llowing i n the mo st
Kenya~
and tak es bu t little in ter es t in ind i viduals in their daily walks of life . Yet a t the c r is es of th e ir li ves he is invariab l y ca ll ed upon o At the bir~h, ini tia ti on, m~riage, a n d death of every G ~ku yu, communicatio n i s establis he d on h i s b ehal f wi t h Ng a i . Th e c eremo n ies for thes e four e v e nt s l eav e no doubt as to t h e importance of the sp iri t u a l ass is tance whi ch i s esse n t i a l t o them ..
l ong East Afri -
authorita tive book on the
s ub j e ct en tit l ed - FACING 110UNT KENYA . 27 I t i s a deep sea rc h ing
Of the Gikuyu's Holy Place (wh i c h i s ~h e equiva l e n t, in deed,
anthro po l ogical work wi t h wbich he tried to acquaint Europeans and European- Amer ica n s of the tr ad i t i ons , beliefs,and cust om s of
o f any Hebrew sy nago u ge , Chr i st ian church or Is l amic mosque) Mr .
his own e t hn ic group in g - t he Gikuyu p e ople .. He wro t e :
Ke n yat t a wrote : 28
THE CONCEPT ION OF A DEITY
Apart from th e off icial abode of Mwe n e -Nyaga at Kere-Nyaga on the north, t here are minor homes such as Kea - Njahe (the moun ta in of the Big Rai n ) o n the east ; Kea-Mbiro~or o (the mountain of Cl ear Sk y) on the south; Kea - Nyandarwa (the mountain of S l eep in g Place or Hide s) o n t he west . Al l these are re garded wit h reverence as g r eat p laces a n d mysteries symbo li c of God Hanage na or i or wa Ngai . T he Gikuyu who h as no'lltempJes made wi th hands, " s elec t s h u g e t rees, ge ne ra ll y ffi? gumo or motama ye and mOkoyo tr ees, wh i ch symboll.se the mo unta ins . Under these trees he Ir/or sh ips and makes hi s sacri fic e s t o 11\... ene - Nyaga . These s acred trees are r egar ded i n the s a me mann e r as most Christians r egarded churc hes _ as the "Hou se of God. II
Th e Gikuyu b elieves in one God , Nga i, the c reator a nd giver of a ll thin gs . Nga i moobi wa indo c iothe na mo hei kerende ind o ciothe. He has no fat her, mo ther , or c ompa nion of any ki nd. Hi s work i s done in solitude . Ngai ndere i t he kan a ny ina, ndere ge thia ka n a gethe thwa . He lov es or ha t es p eople accor di n g t o the ir b ehav iour . The creator l i ves in the sky. Nga i ei k araga ma t ui ne, but has temporary home s on earth, si t u a t ed on t he mo unta i ns, wher e he ma y rest dur ing h i s vis i ts . The visits are made wi th a v i ew to carrying out a kind of Uge n e r al inspection," ko roora th i, and to bri n g b l essi n gs a nd p'lm is h..rnent s to t h e p eop le6 Korehere and o k i gu ni kana g i tei. The common n ame used in speaking of the S u '" p reme Be ing is Ngai j thi s name i s used by thr e e neighb oring tribes, t he Masai, t he Giku yu) a nd vlakamba .. In prayers and sacri f ice s Nga i is addressed by the Gik uy u as ~1w ene- N yaga (p osse ss or o f b rightn ess ). T his nam e i s associate d with Kere -Ny aga ( th e Gikuyu name f or Moun t Kenya) , vihich mean s : Tha t which possesses b ri gh tness , or mou n ta i n of brig htnes s.
On t he o ri g in of t he Gik uyu peop l e, Mr. Keny atta s tated :29 Ac ~or ding to. the triba l l egend, we a re told that ~n the beg~nning o f t hings, when mank ind s t a rte d t o p opul ate t he ear th , the man Gik uyu, th~ fou nd e~ ?f the tribe , was Ca l l ed by the Mog a~ (th 7 D ~ VLder of the Universe) I and was give n as h ~ s share the l and with raV i ne s, t he river s , the f ore s t s, the game and al l the gifts that the Lord of Nature (Megai) bes tow ed on ma nk ind. ~t t.he same time, Mogai made a big moun,4U n wh1c ~ he call e d Kere - N¥aga (Mo unt Kenya), as Lh 0 r e~ t~ng pl~ce when o n Ln spec tion tour, and d:1 a 51g n o f h 1 S wonders . He t h en took the man Cl kuy u t o the t.o p o f t h e moun tain of mys tery , and ~ h owed ~im the bea u ty of the co u ntry that '-10qll 1. h ild 91 v e n nim. Whi l e ::;t i l l on t h e top of t.hp moun tain, t h e Mog a i p o i nte d o ut the Gikuyu ~ apo t f u ll of l iq tr ~ ( mikoyo), right in the l:U " Lr~ or t h e coun t ry. Atler the Mo ga i h ad ",hown Ule (j j kuy u t.h c rmnol" rna of th e wonder fu l I dod II had b("n t) i v QJl , h e c omm a nded him to
The moun tain o f b ri ghtness i s be l ieved by the Gi k uyu to be Nga i 's o ff i cia l re s ting-place, and in th eir p ra yers they turn towards Kere - Nga i . and, with their ha nd s r aised t owards it, th ey offer t h eir sacr i fices, tak i ng the moun tain t o be t h e holy ear th l y dwel ling - p l ace o f Nga i. Ke ny ororokero na kehuroko kia Mwe n e-Nyag a - li ter a l ly, lI~e nd in g and resting - or dw e l li ng - p l ace of God. II The Being thus d escr i b ed c,Ll1 no l tIe ~;C'en b y ordinar y mort.a l e yes. He :I !: ,1 d1 1l. nt. n,...lnr'!
42
43
,
descend and establish his homoste&.d on the si!llectad place. which he nalIIed Mokorwe lA Gatbang&. Be!ore they parted , Mogai told Giku,yu th&t , whenever he was in need . he should make a saar1.f1ce and raise his hands toward Kere-1"yaga (the mountain or I:IlYBtery). and the Lord of Nature will come to his assistance.
The young me n a greed to t h i s co ndition , for t hey c ould not r es i st t h e beauty of t he Gikuyu daughters, nor t he kindness wh i Ch t he f amil y had showed th em . Th is pleased t he parents , for t he y k ne w t hat t heir l ack of sons was not g oing to be recompensed. The daugh t e r s, too, were ~le ased to have mal e compa nions , a nd after a short time all of them were married , and soon estab lis hed their own f amily sets. These were e d together under the name of Mhar i ya Mo omb i, i.e. Hoombi's fami ly group, in honour of t heir mother Moombi .
G1Jruyu did as was commanded by the Mogai, and when he reaohed the spot . he found that the Nogai bad provided him with • beaut1J'ul wii". Giknyu
'""'Ill
nB.1I2fKi Moombi (oreator or moulder) . Both Uyad h&ppl1y, c.nd bad nine daugbters and DO sons. G1la1yu was very disturbed at not ha.ving a male heir . In his despai r he cs.lled upon the Hogai to advise him on the situation. HI3 responded quickly and told Gikuyu not to be p6rturbe
tre.,
Gikuyu d1.d. as he was directed by the ¥..ogai or Ngai . and so it ha.ppened that when Gikn,yu re'blrnad to the saored tree , there he found the promised nine young men who greeted. him warmly. For (I, tew &'lmenb he ooul.d not utter a word, for he wag ove~hel.mecl with joy .. · When be had r aoo'Vered. fJ"om his emotiona1 &xci tement, he took t.he nine you tbs to his homestead and introduced them to his f~ .
The nine s mall families con tinued to live together, with the ir pare nts (Gik u yu a nd Moombi) acting a s the head s of the Mbari ya Moomb i . As time went on, eaCh f amily inc r eas ed r a pidly, and Gikuyu and Moomb i had man y g rand and great - grandchildren . When Gikuyu and Moobi d i ed, their daughters inherited the ir movable and immovable property whi ch t hey shared equally among them. Further examination of other i ndig enous traditional African t .' l i g ion s should not be nece ssary at t h i s time. One shou ld be ab l e, ., Ihis p:>.int to o bserve t h at the extent of my thology re g arding "cre \l l on Ol within African r e ligions i s no more or no l e ss than within Jllt:l " lr, m, C hristi an ity, and Isl am . Yet, no one in e ithe r religion . ou l tl conc e de that the other i s as much Go d - crea ted as his or
It
I ~ ;.
'J
vu . " As suCh, all that he is assoc iated with must be superior
Why ? Becauseof' Man's driv e to b e the IIm as t e r of all he sur-
o f o t hers who do not belong to hi s in - grou p.
! "" t IM l
The strangers Y9l'e entert&1ned and hospitably tr.at.ed according to the 800181 CU8tol'l1~ A ram val!! ldUod and a Millet gruel prttp.lreci tor their food . While this 14S being D".ade r ee.d,y I the youths WI"e taken to IS. strea.m nearby to wash their tiroo limbs . After t b is . they bad their maa1, aod · OODvorsed merrily with tba famil.y and then went to bed.
'Ph
biological ex planation of how a s on came to the fami ly
d HOO/ll b.l. - accordi ng to the Gi k u y u - i s not on l y logica l , b u t 1"
II
Ltl
, 1., l lI l y Early the next ItIOnUng G1.ko,ytl rose and woke the young men to Mve their lIlQr:n1ng moal vith him. wh6ll they finished e&ting. the question of mtt.rriage \.'8.S diseussed . Gikuyu told the young _ n that i f they rlshod to marry b1.:5 daughters h e could give his consent only i f they agr eed. to 1n hLs ~Gme.ta.d under a mat~chat 5,Y,te m.
11,.
It::: application for be ~r!J
twentieth - c entury th inki ng man . It
more to reali.ty than God tak ing " earth" or "clay"
lid t ill u lcli n q man into e x i 5 t e nce. But the Giku y u' s s tor y is sup• •'I V " my tholog ical paqanis mj" wherea s, the "earth" and " c lay "
.I!
11 )(.'
J
W'::;
o the Moslems, is " • •• God45
44
,
.
inspired words" ed down throug h " .. . . Hi s hol y p rophet s an d
ees s ar y
in II Cauc asians ll of Europ e a n d European-Ame rica .. At lea s t th is
"Jrite rs .. " At l east , these are the teaching s o n e hears f rom the Is lam~
earthl y re pr e sentative s o f J udaism , C hr i stianity,a n d
c a pacity of th e "lar ge brain" wh ich is onl y to be f o u nd
I'lh y ?
s eems t o be th e basic premise upon wh ich tradi·tional Afri.ca n re-
Becaus e of the s a me eg otism me ntioned be forei a long with i t s n a t -
li g ions h ave been d egrad ed b y mos t who now lab e l th emselves
ural
" Westerner s" in p l ace of their formerly pr e stigious .. . ~ !
outg rowth - moder n racism -
them t o t h e extent t h a t
that i n filtrat e d a n d c orr u pted
sians . ,, 29a
" God" is see m in o f " b l a ck" a n d
"wh ite . "
Up on furth e r examination of t he Dogan's God , one no te d t h at
Since e ac h theo l ogian is within his own a uthori t a t ive rig h ts
i n the c reation o f heave n and earth "clay " was al so used . But ac-
to inter pret the allege d "Hol y words of GOd,fi t hat is de pe ndi ng u p on wh ich God i s being used at the time -
cor d in g to the same Oog ons, man was not made from "c lay ,'Tbut : " ••• the star s came from pellets 3~.E cl ay that Amma" (God) "flung i nto spac.e oO "
the"holy word s " - can
s a y a nything the e Xh or t er desires ·· God lt to have s a id . I t i s furth er r ev eal ed that: I nevitabl y, the f ollowi ng q uestion a l wa ys arises: " I f J e sus IT . ~ . Amma was lon ely and drew n e ~51 to the f emale Earth to unite h i ms elf with i t .. "
Christ i s not the onl y One and true God, then wh y are s o many people Christia n s ? " Of c ourse t h i s question wor ke d t he other way
Th e same sexua l relation s hi p betw een God a nd a f e ma le exis t~d in J udaism , Christianity and I slam;
when ther e wa s no Jesus Chri s t , then t h ere mu s t ha ve bee n n o Chri s tian
G od~
But amongst Christian s this t y p e of log i c is
as see n i n the followi ng ;
" 0 . • Th e n God s a i. d, let us ma ke ma n in our i mage af ter our lik e ness~~., TI e t c . '
c on~
f u sin g and ~ th e refore, "sacr ilc g1 ous. II I f "sacr i le giou s ," it i s ObviOU S l y, Go d would n o t more t h a n likel y "pagan ."
l i k e ly make man in hi s "own i ma gell
~~i l~ h ano t her male~ But t h is tr a ditiona l myth s eems to be common th~l
The pr e mise o f a Good or Ba d, True or false, religion i s
\
J1I 00
9 " We stern pe o p le s . " Wheth er or no t the tr a d i tional At r ican
car d inal p r o blem wh i ch makes it almo s t imp o ss i b le for many r e " I i rr ion s ' "US" a s anima l o r thing, i t is ahJ ays IIf emale . " This
j
searcher s to r e port f r eely , and withou t bias, on their
findin g ~
I)-c" lle d "primitive " o r a bou t
" pagan" rational iz ation wa s, and s till
th e traditional African Go ds with i n Voodoo , JuJu, Ob yah, II ,
:;,;d. d to b e n a t ur a lly " i ns t inct i ve o " And n o high degree o f
Mag ic, Wi t c hcraft , and all other traditioQal Afric an religio ns rt , • I1 r1 e mi<; s ophi sticati o n wa s necessar y for anc i ent ma n to h ave le g ate d to "Animi s m" by Eur o p ean a n d European-American-style
( hn~('CI su c h a rationa le . Yet , ever Y't,.. h ere in Af ric a 1I0r ig ina l
Chr i s tian r e l ig ioni s ts , Jewi s h "chosen people," and Moslem Jih .... t1 j
I il L"
1 ~l :J h own to h a ve had a " moth e r .
II
ists and other p a ter na l and maternal "pr otector s " of the i r Afr '!l 'I')W c oncept o f a nd Afr i ean-Ame ri c a n ("Negro" ) c h i ldren. l' his mu t;l t
I
c o urse, b ec ause pe ople o f African or i'l i n .:s
I PI;t O ~1 1 ' u l y
" Sacre d Trees" wi t h in t h e relig i on s of t h e
be dG:rne , 0 1 1 c k t he
I "IIMi o f N1C]iJc ia
I
Gi kuyu o f Kenya , Nbund u s of A.ngol a ( Ngol a) ,
fl "
47
46
.
.
Twa (the so-called "Pygmies") of the Congo, and Burundj bodied with "soule!! Because "trees" do eat,
according to the Dogons of Hest Africa .
are em-
In the beginning God created t he heav ens and the earth . .. .. , " etc.i 5
move,a nd do other
things l ike most animals - ma n included; as suc h most indigenous accordina to the Jew s, Christians;and Mos lems of the United Africans reco gn iz ed them as havin g Hspirit. tI This is the reason States o f America .. some Af ricans can be seen pr a ying f or forgiveness whenever they
N9 ai ,
must cut dONn a tree . This custom gives rise to the reason why
etc • .;5
most Christian missionari e s from Europe and European-America mistakenly assume that lI.
~
.Afr i cans worship trees .
the creator and giver of al l things . .. . , "
according t o the Giku y u of Kenya, East Afr ica .
II
But, what makes
the creation of either of these God s of west Africa and East
A IIspiri t " is not Ilpagani stic" when "\"'esterners
ll
appl y i t
A.fr ica (Anima and Ngai) any less than the cr,eation by the God s
to mano Yet, i t is \o.ihen Afr icans suggest that " • •• there is a
of North Africa and \vest Asia (Yvah or Jehova h and Jesus Chr ist) ..
spirit worl d " in which t heir ancestor s ente r after death , and
I n each of t he three examp les shown,the Gods o f Af rica and Asia
'vlhich g uard them. If
If •
•
•
God is a spir it," a t times
j
and man
i!;
created the "Sun, Moon, Heavens,
Earth~'
and
I'
all th i ngs .
II
The
the spitUng"ima ge of God, II then on e should easil y see why anc c:Jt
Gods born in Asia, Je sus Chr ist and Al lah , adopted what th e God
ors bec ome II s pirits" in African traditional religions. Obvious l y.
of North Africa - RA (the Sun GOd)- ed on to the African Jews
the Afr icans seem to be e mp loying the same mythological concep I
ucf ore their Pesac h (over ) t o es tablish the ir own God -
built in t o the so-called IIWestern re l igions" (as wri tten)
j
wh C: l .
as most Europeans , European-Americans (Jews and Christians), As ians (Hoslems) wou ld prefer
~h at
Chris tia nity~
The course
sa id "pag anis t ic customs"
'II
Juda is m,and Islam without
"Saints , Spirits, Pro p he ts, Ghosts , Angels ;' and a host of othl'l f antastics whic h are s o commonl y f ound withi n Voodoo, JuJu, MoI,,1 and the entire gamut o f what is being called Afr ican 'Tpaga i::; m" and "animism j" and of course one cannot f or g et the much mor e usual - "heathenism" and lIcann i ba lism .. 1I
the S u n and, Noon l ike pots! his f irst invention • • ~," etc·i 2 48
of t h e latte r
chain of events spanned a period
i} 1
approximate ly 1 ,854 yearsj i.e . c1232 B.C.E., Hhen Moses tr i ed
fO
f lee his native country Sais (Egypt) a nd cop i ed the l aws h e
,tlopted from h i s fe llow i ndigenous Africans o f Sais, I ,
~..,h ich
he al-
q e dly re-established a t Mt. Sinai. 36 In 1 CQE . f ellow Jews be~HI ·
,u0
d is enchanted
wi th t h e way th ings we re progressing f rom t he
c1232 B . C.E . in the wors h i p o f Yvah and c rea te d a new God in pc.r son of one "Jesus Christ. II But Jesus Chri s t
'If'
'1 11"; If
In the beg inning the one God, Amma , cr eated
Y~ah
(Jehovah) •
a n~l
could be extracted from t h eir own reli g ion's IIHoly Book." Bu 'l , do this would leave
"
I
t o bring a new reli g ion ••• r. t i t •••
11
, lT
did not
etc .. (Chr istianit y) , .. . ... only to
(Juda ism) . 37 It was onl y J e s us Chri st ' s martyrdom
Itli h, t her e by, created the IIChr i stians" OWl,;C!.' 01"
II • • •
(the Gr eek "Kristos, or
the anoi n Led one ) . Bu t in 622 C . E.
(or A.H . 1) -
"the Ye ar a fter
the He gi ra!! - Hoharnet o f Ar a bi a, a f or mer camel
d r iver, condemned bo t h J ew s and Chr is t i a ns f or fa iling the "One
',\ 0 f rom Ethiop ia ( Ku sh or Abyss ina) n a med Had z art Bilal i bn 40 Rahba b . How d o a ll o f
Go d!! he c a l led " Allah " (from t he a n c i e nt Ar a b i an Go d des s Al ' lat that wa s wor sh i pped in Ara bia for thou sa nds o f years before Mo-
t h e s e a v enues t o the God s re l a t e t o African-
", mer i c a n s throu ghout the Americas a nd their Afr i c a n influenc ed
h ame t ' s b ir th) 3 7 a and establ i s h e d I s l am at the Oa si s of Ya thrib
,o-called " we ste r n Relig ions?" Th e y h av e cr e ated a s ense o f re-
Medi n a, a nd t h e reby , re - establi s h ed the c ontinuat i on o f t h e UMy s_
Itg iosity
teri es, 1I J u d ai s m,and Chri s t i anity in Me cca d u r in g 6 32 C"E .
,rligiou s se tting s. Th i s same se n s e of r e li g ion i s reflected in
(A .H .
10) . 38
I l le
wh ic h i s not to b e f ound wit h i n any Europe a n - Americ a n
" Blue s ll
t h e sor row f ul t es timonial t hat found i t s wa y into
-
4a
In examining that \.'1 hich ha s be e n mi s nomered UIrJes tern Relig -
" l ilZZ.
ion s ," one f inds no European or Europ e an-Amer i c an playin g any
I I
rol e wh a ts o ever i n the creation of any of t h e "God - heads. " And
I
t her e is no indicat ion tha t any of t h e drama s o f c reation t ook plac e i n a n y part o f hav i n g took
E urope ~
All of th e d ramas , s o f ar men t io ncII,
p lac e in Asi a - rH n o r
ian Pen i nsu la o f
~oJ ester n
(today ' s r-lidd le East ) , t h e Ar..ll
Asia, Nor th Af ri c a , west Af rica,and
Afri ca. Th is, of c ourse, i s not t o i mply tion' by a God o f t hat none o f
( or in) Europe . Wh a t
t h e God s, p roph e ts ,or
t ha t
<.Inkl ln , bo t h Afr ic an- Americ a n s, Can s ing the "S tar
I ke no European-Americ a n c an , wi t h " S oul .. " But b eh ind th i s VooIo ~ l :;tic baC k g rou nd is a Bapt i s t, Are tha ' s 1, ' )W I\
' " br o ug h t up in very s imilar backgroun ds of c h urch and choi r.
" ~ I
ttl
the i r r e cor de d orig in .
.J.
I n Jud a i s m, af ter Abr aham, Isaac,and
c o b, i t wa s f'loses and hi s., f e llow i nd igen o u s h fr i can-Je1'lS o f E'I 'I! a nd t hose i n Ku sh ( Cu sh ' or. - Ethi'Opia} wher e Mose s married o rlo' hi s many wives - wh ich mad e hi s sis t er ( Mir i am) a nd b rothe r o n) pr o t es t. 39 Is l a m had Mohamet - whose gr a ndfat he r was o f
(o j
l A.1 (..11
ori g in, a nd h is closes t a d vis or a nd r- o - foun(.l .... r o f Is lam ... ,l.n 1\
50
11 1
t he Bla c k, or Afric a n-American, Ba pti s t b a c kground ( l ike
flfcic an l-1ethodist Epi sc op ate) t he basic elements ~\ lways
e rn Re lig ions, " "/as indi ge nou s to Eu rope ( a Cauca s ian , or Hh.il
d i ge n o u s Afr icans in t he l eader s hi p rol es fr om t he fi r st d ay
Christi a n Mi nister \v hO saw t o it t h at she "/as brought up in
I" ., hn ,and man y o t her we l l k nown Bl ac k s in g er s o f equal billing
f o u nde r s o f any of the thr v"
man ) . I t is furt h er saying, t h at Ju da i sm and I s lam , both, h all I lL
fa the r , a ver y we l l
c hur ch ' s choi r. Mahali a Ja c ks on , als o ,D inah Hash in gt on, Sar a h
it doe s say, however, i::
rel ig ion s - Judaism, Chri s tianity, a nd I s lam ... the so- called "w'
Span g led
q,ner" ( th e Na t iona l Anthem ' of t h e Unit e d S t a t es o f America )
Ell ,I
cr,·..,
the r e was no
Be c a u s e o f t h i s influe nc e Mahalia Ja ck s on and Ar etha
tl
1, I
~1~i
in voodoism
domina ted all for ms of mu sic by Afric a n-Amer i can s ,
i t h as controll e d t he
II
s pir i tu a l" a n d "Blues
I "
and o f
" J azz. ." I n Hai t i , Cub a , Trin i d a d , Puerto Ri c o , J a ma i ca,and o the r
i s-
nf t he Caribbean (h'e s t Indi e s ) - al o ng wi th t he South Amer j _ dn)i) nd - Voodoo, J u J u ) Shan g o , Ngai , Oamballah Oue do , Obyah, '" ' li e c o mpe t e i n t h e ope n f or t h e mi n d s of Europe an-Americans, 1If\ lIfofli
, I
Afr i cunc , Afri can-Amer-i.ca ns , a nd the ind ig enou s people s
<.:(1
II
i ndia ns") . Becaus e o f t.hi s t h e Roman Ca t hol i c Chur c h 51
and other Christ ian "sec t s , to includi n g Protestantism, ...Jere forced
h a v e professed to be ab le to:
to embrace much of t hese tra d i t io na ll y "African sp iri tua lis t-.. ie
". a dperf orm evil deed s through Black Magic in reli gio n aa a ," etc.
myst icism a" Not only have t hey a d opted said tradit ional African reli giou s customs, they \oSee also f orced to ad opt many traditi on al re ligious cu stoms of the indigenous peoples .
"l,atchcraftf! i s as much sc ientific as the religious r ite s of
r1r.J~ Mary Baker Eddy f s !!Christian Science ol140a Its !!Witch DoctorsH ,ro as much
In the Black communities of the United States of America the tr ue centers of un-
I
inhibited Vood o i stic express ion s . There , on e can purc hase al l
Ion meet with revered acc e ptanc e and tolerance by J ews, Chr istia ns,
md Hos l ems alikea On the other hand " Voodoo and other indigenous
sor ts of roots; from " Lov e John the Conqueror!! to "Blood Roota II
~'r l ca n traditional re li g io ns must su f fer the disgusting designa-
Oils are equally available , from "Snake Oil" to p lai n old Pal m
I Ib
Oi l . " "Grave yard dirt " and " Afrlcan Red Clay" can be had at a little extra cost . IIMe tallic charms" ar e b l e s sed by "proph ets" and other divlners ; just as medallions and cruc ifixe s are blessed by
of 'fOccul t," to say t he l east; and
ll
Mogen Dav i ds by Jewi sh rabbis. Burnt incens e also fills t h e alr
mus t settle for an OCca -
Irmu. l Ste inwa y Ha ll Auditorium or some off limit place where land-
seldom could rent oth er than for manu factur ing lof ts a
!UI (1:3
Even with all of the clamo~r for I s lam? and t he flight from
n~ 1
Roman Catholic priests, Black stones (Kafaba) by Mosl em imans,
scie n tis ts' f as the Chr istian scien t i st .f prac ti t ion-
r ::.. !! Yet, the "Reading Rooms " of the Christian Science organiz a-
I
loca l "store front churches" have become
I'
'lid 11t..: rn and Chri stiani ty,
a small but ever i ncr eas ing band of
, ICd.n- Ameri cans turn to one of the religions of thei r fore as Africa n and Afr ican-Arner ic an s p ir i tuals and other impor ted rf ' ligiou.s songs f r om Brazil, t h e Car ibbean Is lands, and west Africd p lay to the softly dim -li t room ful l o f worshipers waiting to
d her:; -
the Yor u bas of West Afric a - and g i ve praise to God _
I
(
t\. ' IIl •.U:C
and others). Thou sand s mor e turn to Oamballa h Ou edo
c nl 1II I
Voodoo through their with pries ts from Haiti, Cuba,
municate with the "Nether 1.rJorld" (Next World. Ances tral t-Jorld). 1 L, a n d oth e r
Needless to say, charlatans h ave invaded the world of t he flMy.s teri es," wh ich some find to be extremely financiall y lucrative . Here also !!Bladc Hagic!!· i s abused by too many who do not kno .....
" 'l oOd
parts of the Caribbeans, South Amer ica and Afri--
n umber of l oca l African-Amer i cans have also become
I. tt l C':.;.ses a nd priests of h igh rank and recogn i ti..on among inter,foll \d l brother hood of the ir f aith .. These priestes ses mar ch
\<Jith wha t they are f ooling a Thes e hi g h l y sophisticated indigen o lL t n the fine rie s o f
111'1
Afr i can traditional religious rites h ave been deemed "Wi tchcr a I I f" by il l wisher s and the ignorant ; mos tly because such charlali) l1 ..
, ot h Avenue, Harlem, New Yor k C ity, once more o n Sundays; just Of
• The term s "Witchcraft" and H\lJitc h Doc tor,ff neithe r of wh i c l1 1 common to people of A f ri ca ~ origin, are the c r eations of tt-lO::; (' who can f ind no t i me to re spectfull y inve s Lig a t e f or the .sOllee ~II truth and en l i gh tenm ent . 52
t heir office wit h their priests along
\t-H1h..; ,
rabbi s , imans, ministers, nuns,and others dress up
111 11: hn bi. t .::; of (I
the so-cal l e d rrWe s teol Religions." Wi t h the
l h,..·ir o ff i c e s e mbr o i o cr e
i n their clothing
or other ob53
jects of said authority held in their hands, they
lead the
new doctrines, morality, history, s cripture , and unive rsalism . ,,4l
faithful in the playing of skin and \"ind instrumen ts at var :i-f!:':'" Such seemin g arrogance only tends t o convey that umorali ty "
places in the "Harlems" o f the United States of Amer ica . Wha t made these Afr ican-Amer icans r eturn to the tradi tiona l
a nd t he other values he ment i oned we re not in Africa before the ,l ppearance of h is peop l e -
the Europeans and / or As i ans from Arab-
religions of the ir Mo ther land - Alkebu-lan (Afr ica by th e Greeks and Romans) - and turn
their backs on Judaism, Christianity , and
Is l am, in spite of all the adverse prop ag anda against them? The
La. Therefore,
that ..... h ich is being revi ta lized among the African-
(Imericans is foreig n , rather than Afr ic an . Yet, i t existed hundeeds of years before the African - Bilal - made Islam what it i s
ans ...,ers are manYi some of which follows : t oday; and before that •.... hen Tertullian , St~ Cyprian , St. Augustine~
"A search f or indent ity ; A sense o f pride; A de termination to have their own thi ng; A sense of be l on g ing; To be ab l e to say, " at last, ·'this is mine , . . Jhich I have created and have always kept s acred . II
lod other Africans mo dernized Christi anity; and of course ~103 CS ~ade
These things are very well tr ue; f or what i s "pride" w'i thoul
the "Neg_
Ill ti ve Conf essions" - he co-opted from his fellow Africans of the l"lgi.on o f
I ,\
ownership (commu nity at
Judaism a r e ligion from the document
when
the God Ra.
pr i vabe) ?
Another aspect of t h e rena issance in ind igenous African
The biased pr esumption that the i n di ge nous Africans had to
tr ~ !>I .
ditional religions presen t l y spreading over the Af rican-American commun i ties, especially i n the nor t hern and eastern urban cente r
li t
the arrival
of t he European col onia l ist missionaries to
" ' Juire "mora li ty, cu l ture, scriptures~ and un iversalism" is a 'II
judgment -, that is incons istent with ancient traditiona l
dq e
of the Un ited State s of America is t o be found in the fo ll owinq
and customs governing every as pect of indigenous African
IIW I'
words: ·"utlltnal and re l i g ious living . For example; the "mono gamy" versus And God created man in His own image, and His own l ikeness • • • ,!! etc .. II • • •
But for the first t ime in over f our-hundred years AfricanAmericans hav e rIa Black God" or "Gods" to whom they cou l d rel il l ,· like the European-Americans related to the "White God vided by Michaelange l o and all o f
ll
image pen
!1 lY IJ;) my" issue wit hin African - Christianity and Judaism high -
,lit
~
! : ~ri.1 elis,
1\
uny as being
t he theolo g ians of the variou
1.0
semi narie s and yeshivas - whom t hey found in JuJu, Voodoo , Damb Ii
I .
lah Ouedo, "Black" Hagic1and o t h e r s . This revival, however ,
r
consistent with t he Doctor of Divinity's statement, that:
JI
" . . .. In modern times new r e ligions have come into every part of Afr ica . Is lam and Christianity bring S4
,
the point in question. Hhereas European, America n , a nd Judaism and ..Christia ni ty have now classified poII
immoral" , even though there are no written Com-
this effect in the "Holy Books;" b ut t he vast ma j ority
I co n pe oples of the same reli g ions h ave retained it .. The
.l it
peoples have asked , includi ng those who are Jews ( I srael· ht~ i~L1..l ns,and
Mo !;: lem s:
Why iv polY lJamy " imlOorill " now, and i t was no t \"'\1(.'0 Abr a ham .l nd ,,1 1 o f th e other rlproph C!t:.~ 1I es-
S5
tab lished its "mora l ity : !' Did God order c hange?
the
imag e. HO\oJ ever,
fl l.-ln
they ...Jere not Ni lling to show \>Jhy po.lygamy
, . moral in their own "Ho ly scr ipture s " and not
"moral" in the
On the o t he r hand t h e Afr ican s, i ncluding off icia l s within Al ricans " Holy scri ptures." And in so crushing the Africans p othe
lai ty
and clergy of Christianity, nO\-J demand that: Iyq a mou s societies t hey als o s h ow ed a perve rted p i ctu r e of their Polygamy must again bec ome accep~ab~e to t ho se who se t the rules and more s w1th1n Roman Catholicism and Pro tes tan t ism .
"WI~
God - Je sus Christ, Nho was p r ese nted to th e Afric an pe oples
I I , th e worst exa mple of a p ro s tituted Christian t e ac h i ng a nd
Tho se ind igenous Africans involved with Judaism, the ttBlack Jews
42
ipture any where. Jesus is Shown as a "celiba t e," who show s
I
of Ethiopia -
the Beta Israel or Falashas, have ref used to ::;ense wha t -so-ever of the masc ulinity a male is supposed t o
I"
make any cha nge to suit Jews from Euro pe and the Uni ted S t a t es or
He wa s alway s shown with an
II .V".
America who have succumbed to thi s " Ii/esterntt social and moral cu r.'Ii
ton- !!monogamy" -
t hat had i ts or ig in in
~
They h ave sup-
aura of homosexua l i ty, t o the
nl of ahJays be ing afraid to be around \vom en, a nd o f course
~""y5
ove rwhelme d by men; all of this e ff ort be i ng carried o ut
ported the Yeme n i te Jews ,4 3 now in Israel, aga inst the Europeanw- d er to s hO\;I how muc h be t t e r
II
American and Euro pea n tt pov.rer s tructur e tt within the or t hodox rab--
' 11 yq,l mis
binate of Isra el on this issue.
i n mos t "Wes tern
. , " 'L l)
"morality ~ "
I t als o sup ports the entire
II'
socie t ies") ~
(the common behavioral Neither have they s h own tha t
lw o other God-h eads , J ehovah and Al lah , hav e endorsed the
c ivi l and social struc ture of t he vas t ma jori ty of famil y l iv!lll'l a nd the philosophy for life i n most African societies. Its
t. Never-t he -l ess , they did not te 11 the legal monagal'!l.-
wi l.h his il l egal polygamous harem
!
Polygamy is a fu ndamental part of most indigenous Afr ican reli gi on s ' "myth s 'l c. nd
it is t o be a celibate t han a
,1; Ly o f polyg amy ove r monogamy.
in t ~J
I.
This cannot b e denied, a s
ever yo ne of th e " prophe ts" and o ther "holy men" i n t h e
1110
rup t ion by European And E: uropean-Arner ican-styl e Christian mi s:.:; I, .. I I, ( He br ew) Torah and the Moslem Koran prac ticed polygamy , ari e s , who at te mp t ed to stomp i t out beg inning f rom thei r
i nvo l V
II
',o] c)mon of Isr ael be ing the master harem kee pe r of them a l l .
ment with t he s la ve trade and the fou nd ing o f colonialism in t il •
continent of Afric a, caused un t old suf fer i ng as million s of ± Iii ilies
were destroyed - t hereby
the destruction of t h e entiru
fib re of many clans , tribes ) and in many cas es, nat ions. Why ? F OI the sole p urpose of impos i ng value s a nd standards, which incil!'! ed monoga my; all of which th e Europeans a nd Europea n-Amar i c: a llu .
pr ovi s ions in the He br ew , Chris t i an, and Moslem IIscri p-
C.
I'
c.
,I r- ,Ili n g with a man's duty to his wi ves within pol ygamous
'III
' Li::;O rul es g over n i ng the man ner in whic h each wife is to be
, , (I ,1I1d trea t e d -
I ·.. l!1 1 lH ' r c slaves and t heir ma s ters cohabite d ",i th the m and r:u;c q n a nt~
\ Ii.
III
III
" 11
because of some u known reason, bel ieved t ha t some God or God tJ endowed them with the rights 1:0 :::. c t
the en t ire world in thcl r
whic h also included the tr ea tment o f wo-
t
I.
Y " .•.
ti l
Ll)(~.rc
was n o :.;c.ripture .
~
•
~
II
in a ny Afr ica n
rel i g~
n y Lh c c xi ::;ten c(' o f r col i gi o us scriptur e in Koptic and 57
56
•
Gheese in th e oldest Christia n rel i g ious group in history !-: tjy>ti an and Et h iopi an Chri s t ian churches i not ear l iest reli gi ous script - hiBroglyph s- from
t he
lil
to me ntion man' s
years a f t e r
11 ue
North Afr i c a , a
t he events they were reporting occured2 Is it not
th at th e s o-cal l ed "scr iptures" were being t a ug ht by t h e
l orerunners that sta rted these rel ig ion s , mos t o f whom were not
scri pt t hat bec ame the bas is for all r el igions follo\o-l1 n g i or th u
Ve n
Hriti ng t h e Twe people o f LibeL"ia , west Afr i ca, once u sed f or a l
II hl ;
purposes - stopping only ". . hen the y were converted t o Islam and
lin c ipture s ," a nd al l oth er re li g ious "scriptur es " of other non-
adop t ed Arabic in place of the i r
own language, by
f or ce ~
In the
consciDu s
Itl
its religious sig ni f ica nce among t h e masses, doe s not necessar il
I T
I\x .).bic "script" I vcd
tradition of h alf-truths, my t hs, belie fs ,and p artial histor y.
'tI' 1
Fu lan is o f Sierra I ....
and the Dj ukas of S urinam (for merly cal led "Dutch Guiana") o f
Damballah Ou edo and oth er traditional African rel igi o us riteG .
I
that such teachi n gs (history p hiS myths) bef ore, and unt il, 58
w ~ _r;e
\>11
then ]"In!
Must one assum l.' no·t
"~;cri pt llr c : . "
they wer e wri l:. t c t1 by p C!opl e ,. . ho ) i. v rcl h l,; llIflJ
-
the SO -called Christian mission aries included _ during
i x.IICr usades" in Africa and Asia, ha s never been don e by any 11 \
rel ig ious group under the pretense of f ollowing the ir
I I 'lllr (:~; .
eans and Europ ean-America ns i n cl l.ldedG Before t he ir Jewis h, Chi J I
that pr oselytizing t hrough
I I \ ' . y force (armed violence ) , as emp loyed by t h e E:uropean colon-
\,
Euro i ~
th i s is providing that he
l ll La acc o u n t - which he did not -
,\
le .s~;
handed down from one to the other in the indi ge nous Afri ca n n'
in to writing by a l le gedly "God ins p ired men."
c e presented also as Eur o pea n- styl e Christian mi ss ionarie s
'...:L .i.n his ob5 e rvation. However, •..
ings ("scriptures") they wer e rehearsed a nd memorized,
which the g ood Doctor o f Divi nity _
I f ! Qq c th er as a combined inst itution of imper ialism), he is
th eir common scripture in Voodoo, Black MagiC, Obyah, Hi tc hcr i.,Lf ! ,
ti a n,and Moslem (the so-called "ilJesteL·n Religions") rel i g iou G
II
e nd Parrinder - also claimed African rel.!!;Jions lac ked b e f ore
1Il1p~J
South America; also hundreds o f other nation s, t he masse S r ecj\.
ligions than they were amon g a ny other group o f pe ople -
~
.I tc i v a l of the European s as s lavemas ter s and colonizers, both
Afr ica ; Agi kuyu of Ke nya , East Afie,l,
"S c ript u re , " in the loose sense of the wor d usa ge, was no
f rom whence the ir charac t ers (alphabet ) are
As for "universal ! t y,
hav e t o be in wri t-;;'en f orm, as all "scripture" stems from oral
~'.I est
For it mu st be re-
, ,- .i pt , II a nd cauld have existed in their presen t form were i t not
their own "Scr ip t~ 1! Ye t "scriptur e , ,, 44 as i t i s c ommonly used in
one a nd Akan, al so o f
thr oughout the Planet Earth ..
I mbcr ed that very f ew "European l anguages" developed their own
the roo t I! sc r ip t," t here ar e very feyl European languages \<.Iith
j
the time t h'lt they ',."ere "God inspired men? " If
t h en t h e s ame recogniti on is due Voodoo and JuJu re ligious
' til f'l pe an people s
s tr ic te st usage o f lh e ". . ord or scr iptur es , II wi th re la t i on s hi p to
Am ong t he Yorubas of Nigeri a, l"est Africa
at
,.,
II
And t ha t none of the indigenous Afr ican reI i gi ou s led their
(' v e t:"
adher e nts
in the ex t erminat i on of mi llions
II I - I ' 1:~ .:md p lace d them into chattel slavery beca us e they did !lp t J uJ u, Shango, voodoo , or any otl"er African reli g ion Or .. I. -1'h l ::; is not to [;21 Y, however,
1141 not
j
lqh t
w ,JI;"';'
that the indig enous Af ri-
a mong Lhc:.msclvc ::; , and that many had relig59
ious implica·t.1ons .
Like all o ther
groups, inc lud in g the Europea n:,
Ions of Africa sha l l co nt inu e t o be lIuniv ersal ist" i n t h eir ou t-
who are still fi ght ing amon g thems e lves in Europe in ways unimag-
I nok on t he n ee d s of man f or a common re lig ion ; t hat is i f
inable
I ',
to t he aver a ge Af ric an,
the Africans -
t oo - have foug h
eac h other . But the Af ricans never ed in f orced conversion 0
needed. And v; ho is to decide that a ll of manki nd is to wor-
hi p "On e God?" Wh o has been g i ven the answer t o a lI t
others to any of their relig ion s \.,. hic h are o f s olel y tradit io nal I indi g enous character. Why ? Because in e a c h case such is f or bi dden
such
The God - 0 1edamar e , o f
the Yoruba religion, is emphatic in
hln demand tha t:
by r e l ig ious "scripture" ed do·m in or al tradition. Only in
" •• • every man mu st heed My Or i s ha s <minor Saba Loa on t h e otherha nd
this sens e they may hav e fa iled to show the type of "univer salily
GOdS) ~11
c la i med:
" . • ~I am the God of a ll Gods, and Master of all that moves , stand still , and ever was ~ • • , " etc .
the good Reverend was seel{ing to find, and obviously could not f ind anywhere in Africa . Yet, each and ever y African reli g ion 11'.1
If the last two Gods were not un iversa l in t h eir declarations b e en accessible to anyone Hho wi s hes to e mb race one or the other. I t II as much equivalent righteousness as the Jewish, Ch risti an, For example: As power ful as t he Empire of Ethiopia once t·/as, eV"n tlo;.l em Gods (Jehova h, Jes u s Chris t , Alla h), all of whom a l-
I,d
to the point of expandin g her colonial empi re to t he Ga n ges Rivf I' d l y s ta ted : in India , Asia, she did not f orce her relig ion upon the Indian " •• • I am a jealous God, thou s hal t h ave no oth er Gods b efore me •• ~ ," etc .45
peop l e s he conqu e r ed; t he sa me not being t r ue I.-Jhen t he var ious ~iha t
Europea n empires conquered the same are o f Asia and others. Th i: type of arrogance on the part of the Eur o pea n miss i onaries,
th ~lt
is i t that makes the las t
t hree Gods of t he so- cal l ed
l" l· n Re li gions" command " true au t hor i ty" and the others IIfalse -
they wer e ordained to save the war ld, was never one of t he humh "
I " Man . Yet each of t h€:se God-heads (A f rican, Asian) has been
f ailings of the Ame ricans,and they hav e many.
I
If "universality"
involves what th e l e aders of European
•
,lfIll ~d to b e I
peoples o f Africa from the 7 t h t hrou gh 20th . ce ntury C.E. in tlw II
must remain r e li g ious i solationis t s. Bu t, if on the oth erhand, means carrying t heir message to those who are f ree ly
willin ~
heed, then and on ly then, JuJu, Voodoo , Oledamare , Ba ba Loa , bal lah Ouedo, and all other i ndi genous tradj.tion al Gods and r ;' ll
60
o ne and o n l y tr ue God, ru ler
d
Ill n
I
)n
I
of
th e un i-
o f the bas i c rel ig ious foundat ions without wh ich
t,.,I t)1l1d be no Judaism or Islam is
I'
the Af r i cans, hope[ u II
II • ••
etc . And that"all other Gods " ar e inferior to them .
I\nl1 U'c r
Europe a n-Amer i ca n-style Christianity and As ian Is lam did to
name o f "Jesus Christ" (God) and " Allah,
••• • "
t he
II
c ircumcision,,,46 a sacr ed,
r L' lig ious r i te in each and eve ry i n dige n ous tradition :..; oc iety -
includ i ng t he ancie nt Nile Val l ey Africans
rltd i nto Sa i s ( Egyp t ) i n order that the Hebrews coul d ntl rlo.l~ :; i t
, 11\ •
to ot hers under t he ir influence. The only
bt tHf'e n ;) 11 o f
' II lnq
.!d:E!£.
(Lhe a
lhe::;(! relig ions with r egard s to"circum!..!
111I.!
in i .iilte mole , or iu s ome cases
61
fe male ,has t o be for the ceremony to be perfor med) . On the other hand~
this rite -" circumcis ion"- is car ri ed to the female in man y
"mythologi cal exci.sion" or sex transpl ant i t was both "oJ a ys _
\t IS Itt
lI e to fe male and fema l e to male? !s i on
African socie t i es as part o f the tradit ional religi ous ceremon i
r espect iv ely~
throug h circumci sion a nd ex-
If t he Judaeo- Christ ian Gods (YahHeh a nd
under the name of " excision,,,47a ri te that is uncommon i n eithCl
JI " -;US
of the s o-called
l Ook "a rib from the man" (Adam) and "made a woman ll (Eve); why
"~'Je st ern
Rel i gions." Of course European-styl e
Talmud ic Judais m, Christia nitY,a nd Isl am frow n upon
lI ~xc i.sion"
a "he athen practic e."
(Chil dr e n 01
But the Hebrews - Be ta Israe l
,1
i t i mpo ss ible for a ny tradi ,tiona l African God to do a much ."'e reasonable feat through Ilcircumcision" an d/ or Pexcision '! " Be-
the House of Israel), misno mer ed "Pa lashas or Falasa, of Eth iopl East Afri ca - one of th e olde st groups of "rorahd i c
(traditi onal
Chr ist)" made man from the c lay of the ear th! " a nd then
q:;e
i t wa s not
so stated in the "Holy scriptures" Ylritten b y
tllopean Jews and Christia ns, a nd i n tha t whi ch "las later writ-
ists) Hebrews today - still practice "excision." !iJhy ? Beca u se
b y Arab Moslems I
there ar e no proh ibi tions mentioned or i mplied in the ori g inal
.mg ely enough even Abrah a m's ( the f irst Hebrevl o~ J e ..,J) "cir-
Pive Books of Moses - commonly ca lled " TORAH"
wh ich the Chris
tians'versi on call e d nOLD TE STAf1ENT. 1I J ehovah , Je s us Chris t,ano Al lah are all moo t on the issue of "exc isionj " wher eas JuJu,
cls ion"(th e method of which the Hebrew l earnt from the Afri~
I
II
VfN
dOo , Oledamare, Ngai and other Africa n Gods are qu i te d ef inib·
of Egyp t) mad e his conversion from alleged " heathenism" or I
"tn ism " to Ilpu ri tylt ( Hebr e~.,rism); " circumcision" being one of IIln jC
in its approval.
! lIons upon mill ion s o f I h~'1J!; ands
"But man's fem ale soul is removed at circumcision when he becomes a true man; and the correspond ing eve nts happen to a woman at. excision • • • ," etc .
I ,
D.D .. , in his book - AFRICAN r-1YTHOLOGY,
48
reme mbered that in the City of Ur, Cha lde a (C h aldees ) ,
Ila 0: both "cir cumc isi on" and "excision" \vh ic h they had 01 II I rom the Africans o f Egypt and Eth i op ia ; both of t hese
illusions in the "Adam and E;ve in the Gar den of Eden " drama 1!1
-'
this critique which the g ood doctor sees a s " my th" in the C,·H.. ' African religions, bu t
to wh ic h he i s completel y blind. II
tra nsplan t I t \V as from m;}lc t o f nm 011 c i
62
I n th c c " " r
I,t!, dt the time be i n g the leader:' of world c ulture . Th is " Wol:.l car r ied on b y way of Abraham I s son - Isaac J and his '_.IU
in his ow n - Christianity (Unit ari anism). It i s to be remcml, ,'1 that "God" (the Hebrew or J ewish Jehovah) " took a rib from ! ,I I 49 and made EveH., " etc . (mythical rraqic ). 1 11 t h j :-; my t hologi ca l :;1' ).
of years b e fore the bir th o f the first Hebre\>/ _
Ahra ham was born , the peop le t h ere were already using the
as h e attempte d to li t
scribed the D090ns belief in creat ion . Yet one can see th e Sil l1l'
t h~
indi genou s Afr icans , for thousands up-
II 'm, h ad to throu gh "circumcis i on"or " exci si on.1I Yet i t
The above quotat i on comes fr om Reverend Geo ffrey Parrin(\.
of
bas ic ceremonies in a man be coming a Hebrew ( J ew) .. But
I
,H
0 1 t h e ;,11;
II"l
d"cob,49 neither of whom were Caucasian a s one is ma.de thf"5C lii:l ys. The d e!~c e ndan ts o f
the se first HebreYJs had
111'1' l he nume Wh O!'1 t. h ny arri ved in Egypt a.nd lived alon g
(,(
u,,~ N il, l~ RivC"t'
( GJ n c a nd vJhi t e ) and t he ,l\tbara River .
63
Th ese " purific a t ion r ite s " (circumcision and e xci sion ) \"er e in-
Chri st a n d All ah ), r ules S Uf'!r eme ove r
("!.O ilS
t egral p arts o f e very Af ri c an c i vi li za tion (Hi g h -C ulture ) th r ouqh
I01:'d ing to th e f o llowers
o ut th e ent ire c on t ine n t of Al keb u- lan ( Africa) , in pa_r tic u lar
"'I
II
( ac-
the Yor uba- spe aki ng
i eans o f Ive st Af r ica, th e Afr ican- Caribbean s a n d t he Af r ican -
tw ' c l ean s i n t he Uni ted Sta te s of Ame r i ca ; e spe c i a l ly at the ir
alon g the mor e t han 4 ,1 00 mi le - l on g Ni l e Ri ver , a ll of which h ave been writte n on var i rus papyri
I
o f his worship -
th e univer se
If
in exi stence in mu s eums all
I,rpl es i n Har lem, Ne w Yor k Ci t y , Net" Yor k ~ Her e in 1-:arlem ¥oru-
1M pr iests and pri e s t esse s can be seen in the ir habits o f "Ihi te
over Eur ope, the Un ited State s of America, Br ita i n , Nor th Af r ic,l and Eas t Afric a (Et hiop i a) . Is i t that the Gods o f Egyp t a n d
I\d o the r c olors - a cc o r di ng t o their rank .
o ther
H'1:
par t s of Alke b u -lan di d n ot know wha t t hey were doin g be -
~ a y;
" ALAf' IA " thei r
partin g
O~elcom e
" ALA F IA " the ir greett o all ; a nd , f ar eNell ) .
for e Abraham wa s born, became a ma n , and then foun d h is new God
-G.)l.azrn a l ec h em or Sh al o m -
'fa h \veh
h>t d i ffe rence "! La n gu ag e s .. The fi r s t is str i c t l y Af ric an; t h e
(Jehova h, Yavh, Al mig h t y God ) - wh o h ad t o con f i rm t h a l
in Arabi c a n d Hebr ev) . Hhat i s the
vJhat the Afr i ca n s we re d oi n g is c o rr e c t, i .e . " circumci sion" ,
onu Afric a n-As i an mi xture j the lat ter s tr ic tly Asian;
n ot " exc i s i on? " Or i s it n ot t rue t hat the " my God i s better
!
your God "
hy pocris ~ "
h~ rn eur o pean or Eur o pe a n-Ameri c anj
It q ; o ns being di Scussed in
i s what makes one story " myth o lo gy " and
ye t
not one
the y are of t he maj or
t his \.Jork .
other" s acred writings ( s cr ip ture ) b y in spired me n o f God ? "
CJby~ h ,
is it
l ;... lei.m , e t c. ! are a ll n a mes of rel ig i o :"Js i n whi ch mankind ( a ll
not equal ly tr ue tha t
no t "I kn owli it i s so?
they al l s a y, "I b e lie ve ,, 4 9 i t L ..i
I n genera l , Hhat mak es the Eur op ean, Ell!
I I
the p r ~t ext of
11 1 i,; o n o u r
as " Cau c as i a n s ll for many ge ne r ations in the Un i t e d S l,)1
I
in Sa id " racism" a nd 'lr e li gl.DllS bigotry, " yet they c onti n ue
It
I!
whenever those whom they tend to de grade counteract .
G d of
6~
( Y , d "I\O/ .1 1
\"he neve r
the kil l in g i s cal l ed " ttJAR li _
i s be s t h ig hli ghted when
g r o u ps carr y i nCl t he same re l igious labe l beg i n t o IIU II I',
wh o ' /+11<'
birth to the Gods o f Judaism a nd C:h r;i n l l niLy nnel I :il a m
!!
lh: b eh avior [) oJ. l:: t c :t'n of huma n s
o ther Gou ONE
s i de • • .
O[ " n at. i o n al i sm lO and "pa t r i o tism to God and cou ntr y."
J
bro t h e r of the God Ra, t he repr e s e n tat.1 v
carryin g t h e true mes sa ge of God . " Eac h
1 t h Lime t houG il.nds , sometimes milli o n s , ar e slaugh t e r e d in
j oined the:ir new fe l l ov! II CaUC 3 S,l,ll n
HO l edam are -" God of the Or ishas - Go d over al l
11 • • •
I 0 ~ hl n k o f ki l l ing a fe llOl'J h uman be in g.. Each cl a i mi n g t h at
But stranger t han f icti on, mi llion s o f th os e who cou ld not r(" 1
er
l i fe itse l f . Her e in am on g th ese n a mes va -
lliu'l " .. .. t hou sha l t n ot k il l • •• , 11 etc., whenever o ne p er son
oth e r wi s e c a l l e d by its f i rst n omenc l a ture - " WHI TE SUPR EMACY . "
o f Ame r ica,but c a n d o so now,
fo r
)ro ups o f ma nki nd d ai l y murder ( c otmli t g enocide) each other
j: .
very s i mp l e .. It i s p l a in a nd simp l e RACIS I1 and RE LIGIOU S BIGO'J I
i ster
"B l ackll r·ia g i c , Juda i s m, Chr ist i a n -
inc l uding white ) tr ie s to fi nd the a n s '.Jer to t h e unk nm-m r C'~ p o n s i ble
,1
pean - Arne rica n , and As i an " I be l ieve " divine (Godly) a nd that Af r ic an and Af r i can- Amei" ica n de v il i sh (un Godly )? The ans wer
•
Voodoo , J uJu , Ngai I
II
ll1cmc.clvc!:; i e a Cll
"r
: ~ide
c;:la iming I'God ' s" e n dorsement ..
thl~ dilctT\J'l1Q. in t.hc bib l I cal $ (J .l i t
b f::!. t wc.e n Judah and 65
Isr ae l
(Pa lestine ) , t h e civ:i.l "Jar between He brews, with Yilh.,./eh
~t s
o f a griculture, masonr y, sculpture , pa i ntand t h e l i ke we r e q u i te unknown o The Egyp tl. a n ~ , moreover: I wer e, never great explorers, . th el.r exped itl.ons bel.ng c onfin ed to t h e upper reac hes of th e Ni l es or the Re d Sea c oa st or ~t f arth est ventur i ng across the I thmus o f S uez l.nto the Sinai. Pen insula . Con sequen t l y even the coun try of Syrl.a wh ic h l ay imme diate l y bey ond t he wed ge of Sinai r ema i ned for t h e m an alm ost unknown l and until t he p eriod of th e NevJ Empire whe n Thotmes b roug h t i t s western e d g e under the dOUb l e crown. ~ng
(Jeh ov ah , Al mi ghty God) on both sides; Germans again st Eng l ish (both Christians), "'lith Jesus Chr i st on both side s; Turks ag a inst Arab s (both Mos l e ms) , with Allah on each s ide . civil Har, i n
~"le ~ t
Yet in
N i g e~i a ' s
Afric a, i t. vas Ol edarnar e , Al l ah vs .. J esus
on tl.121r sides , and he l p ing each G
Chri~ t
In this l atter case t h e Gods -
Ol edamar e and Allah de f eated Jesus Chris t
(the cen tr a l gove r nment
forces defeat ed the break-away Eastern Re g ion f or ce s), the final out come should have th en i ndicated that preva i l ed . "
Or does t he
Jehov a h o r Jesus t-l in s 'j lINigerian - Biafran
!:lar~1
II • •
•
iT .. . . .
the villI of God had
will of God ': onl y "prevail " \.;hen
in t h e Unit ed s t a t es of .Amer i ca,
Ibo race,ti "God " d i d not " prevail . 1t
t1hy r:
~-Jith
Be c ause the pr evai li ,j '
t hey dre a med up f i zz l ed ; jus t as t hei r
c enter of the \-lOr ld , themselves t o be t he only civili zed be -
'l •.,t ~
. • • ," etc., accordi n g to t he above repo rt by
Y et 1 a nd s ti ll)
wrote :
IH '
II
theory of
Smi th, h e wro L
THE GR EAT NOTHE R
From remote antiq ui ty, the Eg yptian knev] \"e ll e no ug h t he y could n o t i ndica t e up o n t h eir map s tho actu al location o f mou ntain s which uphe l d the sky . They main ta i ned t h e cosmolo gica l f i ctio n becau se i t wa s el astic , the invi s i b l e pi llars of heaven be in g eas i l y pu shed f ar ther afi eld as know l ed Ge o f nevi lands was brou g ht horne by v en t ur e som e \>Iartder' I Ye t i t If/as with a cer tai n j u ~: t ic c tlt\lt t h e me n of l iJ l Ol d Kin gdom conside red t heic co untr y Lo ~e t he c e n t · I of t he wor ld, themse l v es 1:0 be t.he only c:iv iliz d bei n g s , i or a t Lhc :far t h :;t 11mlt!l of t. h e ir trnve l s t hey fo u nd only bnr.our la n a t wh o!'Q Lhc :Cinar
All religions o ri g in ated in Af rica . II S I
Tu .i nd u lge in ex ten s ive detai l in g of the diffe rences or simI
li t
ies betvl ee n tha t wh i ch is being called " ~J este rn Re l i g i o nsll
I h('J !~c
I
\-l ar" in t h e Un ited S t a t es o f Amer ica .
Smi th ' s position in his o wn book _ RUINS OE' EMPIRE ,
qql(.)t:' ts Mr .
-these same peo p le c a nnot se e their ONn "race
vJ~
Smi t h" Thi s
'>-Ihom t hey mode led their own r el i gio ns .. Count C~ C o Volney
, ! ·tI\
Th f.!
the Ea s tern Regio n be in g of a_noth er "rac e ."
I n the bo ok, HA.N AND HI S GODS, by Homer
r1r .
l~n ( J ewis h, Chr i stian or Mo s l em) peopl es f o ll owed the Afr i cans
Northern, :'Iester n,and Southern Ni g eri ans being of one !Irace" an ·I f el lm" Nig e r i ans o f
o f t he Old Kin gd om considered the ir coun t ry to be
!u ite a r evelation , when one co nsid ers t hat t he European and
God di d not contempla te the type of ending s aid \.;ar took . ~I/arlt
, ,-
From the reac t ion to the so-ca lle d
res pect to the a lleg ed It g eno cide of t he Niger ian r a ce over t he
"race
II 9 • •
could on l y r esu l t in a f r u i tle ss game of r hetor i c. How ever,
' I
"H I
stil l rema ining solely t rad itiona l and indig enou s to
I
b e made ver y clear that t h e Af rican s, those who are very
,n'1n i.:',ant of th eir h istorical h e ritage, do not hol d J uda ism,
II
t L lnlt y or Is l am i n any hig her esteem than t h ey h o ld the i r
' e 'lqi o ns whic h h a ve no t been corrupted by t.,
[uJ. lu.t:'.:l l
col onial -
ge nocide. It i s . t heref or e on l y be fi ti n g that Mr .
I. :~Tnit h ' S b ook,
1'' ''
5 1 avery,
MAN AND HIS GODS, be q UQte d i n this regard s
5
Once morc. rh usly:
I:: PI W CUF: I\ !J
-h e L.l.l l e n
n g cl , ma n VJ ou l d b e 11;Q c;r ous ..
67
degree to which he recognizes this and acts accordingly is a measure of his biological maturity.
As an intelligent animal, he has reason to be proud because he is the first who can ask himself, "Whi ther , ItJhy , and 'i'1hence?!! and confident because he can know himself as a creature of earth who has risen by his awn efforts from a low state . If he would rise higher he must be true to earth , he must accept that he is its creature , unplanned , unprotected and unfavored, co-natural \~ith all other living creatures and 1,\li th the air and water and sunlight and black soil from which their dynamic pattern has been fabricated by impersonal and indifferent forms . In every wish, thought and action he is seeking to escape the same protoplasmic disquietude that. impels the meanest flesh crawling beneath his feet~ He must find his values and his ends enentirely within this frame of reference ~
This chapter is being closed with 11
lr
But he who has purposes and plans must take a choice , no other can make it for him. A proper view of man finds no place for a pr iori 'shou hl ' or 'ought' or any categ orica l. .im p ~ a t ive, bu t only for this : that i f a m ~tn so acts , t h
etc . , as taken from the BOOK OF THE DEAD, the 125ili Chap·ter -
l ty between that
~\lhich
is toda.y called the IITEN COMMANDMENTS
"I' MOSES" and source of its origin - the "HYM OF ADORATION TO THE I I Il
C l
OSIRISj" as follows: 55 1) 2) 3) 4) S)
wrong: He wrote: 53 As an intelligent creature he explores his world and here is the first value that is uniquely his : he is more intelligent than any other creature , and from intelligence fired by curiosi ty comes knowledge , and from knowledge come power and the manifold satisfactions by \'.Ihich he sures all his fellO\.\I creatures. The sequence has led him to abondon the forest and the cave for the purposes and plans . But the need for knowledge has burdened him with the ethnic of tru.thj to lie willingly to himself or others, to that which is suspect , however tentatively he holds to truth, is to forfeit his opportunity and jeopardize his dreams .. This is the essence of all philosophy: to cherish truth for its uniquely human value to search for it, to test and retest it by conscious effort, to communicate it, to be guided by it, to base upon it a ll purposes and plans .
as he t1rote : 54
, II
, b o knovJn as the IINEGATIVE CONFESSIONS. II One viill see the simi-
of the anS\'.Ier to the argument between 'which religion is righ l
wa~
the last act of the
lx ian drama, the weighing of the 'heart' in the scales of Thoth • •
MrQ Smith continued \~ith his "Epilogue H as he cited the
In the following paragraph MrQ Smith's conclusion
II • • •
6) 7)
8)
9) 10) 11) 12)
13) ~4)
15) 16) 17) 10 ) 19 )
:'0) t ' · ·1
.' 1 )
:!2 ) J )
2 1) .2 ~ ) u )
iJ, 7 )
ilt)
q)
I have not done iniquity~ I have not committed rObbery with violence~ I have done violence to no man. I have not committed theft. I have not slain man or ,,\loman .. I have not made light the bushel . I have not acted deceitfully. I have not purloined the things which belonged to the God. I have not uttered falsehood . I have not carr ied away food. I have not uttered evil "iords . I have not attacked man. I have not killed the beasts which are the property of the Gods. I have not eaten my heart (i.e., done anything to my regret). I have not laid waste ploughed land. I have never pried into matters. I have not set my mouth in motion against any man. I have not given way to anger concerning myself without cause. I have not defiled the ,,\life of a man. I have not committed transgression against any party . I have not violated sacred times and seasons . I have not struck fear into any man. I have not been a mo.n of anger. I have not made myself deaf to words of right a nd truth. I have not s lir red up strife .. I have not made no man weep~ T have not commit t e d,.. acts of impurity or sodomy. 1 na ve: n ot p a te n my t1'. . . nrt. 1 i :a v c \'1 0 l_ nbu~e d no man. 69
30) 31 ) 32 ) 33) 34 ) 35 ) 36 ) 37) 38) 39) 40 ) 4 1) 4 2)
I hav e n ot a c ted wit h v iolen ce. I have n ot judg ed has t i ly . I hav e n ot taken ve n gea nce u pon t he God . I h av e not mul t ip l i ed my s pe e c h overmuc h . I ha ve no t a cted wi th dec eit, or wor ked wickedne ss. I h a ve n ot cur se d the ki n g. I have not fou led water. I have n ot made haug hty my voice. I have no t cursed the God. I have n o t be hav ed "li th ins olence. I have not soug ht f or d is ti nctio ns . I have n o t i n c reased my "J e al th except ·,; i t h suc h th in gs as a re my O\"n poss es s ion s. I have n ot t hough t sc orn o f the God who is in th e city .
t t" ·se on e -hundred and fo rt y - seve n (147) "CONFESSIONS" _ ca lled ",'UMl'1ANDMENTS" - was whe n God a l le ged lYI ' g a ve t:.hem t o Moses at Mt ~ \ Hai 7 " Becaus e each re li g ion that fo llowed th e o ther in t hi s r e-
lio n c o -op ted most of the myths a nd trad i t ion al do gmas of the
t l"l is tor i c al tradi t io n . From t he Nil e Val le y African s Hi g h- c ultur e s, c ommon l y called I", .i li zat ion s
Note that th is " Dram a " t ook p lac e approximatel y mor e t han
I 11 0 n. "
d ri ven out o f ',ve s tern Sai s ( Egy p t ) to t he Ea ster n limi t s - r·1t .
,11\ .m d o th e r
b~\I
j
S~ 1
"
baka -
cen t ur y B.C . E. It wa s
~rep ar e d
by
~ : hl
Templ e of P tah. I t "JaS Phar o ah Sh abaka's a ttempt to pr es er ve , . , word s of h i s ver y mu ch mor e anc i e n t indi g enous Af ri can
anc e: .~ f I
Ir/h os e de s cenda nts a r e t oda. y c alled "Negroes, Ban t us, Pygmi c :.. , II lo tes l! and other such n ame s . I t t ha.t
i s e s tima ted (b y Egy ptologi:.1
1
t h e mes se n ger
of Yahw eh (Je hov ah) ,
years b ef ore the Mos lem ( Hu slim) Proph e t o f Alla h t h en, is i t
t old t ha t
I
Gha na, Me l le (Mali), and S ongha i
(So n gha y ) ; and Ku s h
I,
I
-
•
!dUli1 , for mer l y "Abyss in ia" by Arab col on ialis t s lav er s); al s o Olj.lY 's Som a li as), Ea s t
t
lH\! "I Il: .iQn
"
Afri caj thou sa n ds of year s b efor e
of the Hebrews ( Jew i sh ) IIADAr-1 AND EVE" and t h e
c.; UJ-:N" my th .
OJ"
"
" v l d (' (Ic e p oin t t o th e f act that. man k ind' s f ir st at tempt
t II
1n9 '-h at " t her e i s a God" is wh en he beg an t o wors hip lhe God "R A ," t he f ir s t "God" of th e lnd . igenous Afr i
'"
'"
f>l oham~t.
t h e first time ma n WLl. G Cl ive n only " '1' 1<;// "
(r enamed " RhOde s i a " b y Br i t is h colol)ia l in the \';est Afr i can
2 57 5 yeQl
fore the birt h of the Chr i stia n s ' God - Je sus Chr i st, and .i ,
Ho lies i n Zimbabwe
fUIl :iLcrs ) ... !1onomo tapa, S o uth Africa;
the orig inal s cr i pt was writte n ar o u n d 1,300 ye ars b e.lOI
Hos e s ( Moshe ) -
the GREAT LAKES REGION ~ 56 Thi s
(" c a c hed its z en it h i n S a.i s (Egyp t) _ Nor t h Afri ca, i n th e
II! l "
"'J {
the Et hiop ian (K u sh i t e) Phar oa h of Egypt - f o u nd e r of f ~ 1
trad i t iona l Gods and re li g ion s of anc i en t Al kebu-
·.!J:1e from the s a me sourc e -
( r enamed Eg ypt by t he Heb rews a nd Gr ee k s) . This st one , i tse ll. 8~
But t hey a l l bega n in the "MYST ERIES. " They all came
JuJ u , Vood oo , l'1agic , itJ1tc hc raft , Shango, Ngai, Darnba l l a h
J{a.. ,
S inai - by Pharoah Rameses II be tween cl 225 and 1 232 B. C. E. Au
s l ab (s tone) in the ru ins of the Tem p le o f P tah a t Memph is ,
ma nkind a d o p ted t ha t Wllic h i s t o da y cal le d"re -
I r H~ I\ ")e
and f if ty ye ar s ( 1 , 300 to 1, 350) bef ore Mo ses wa s s u p posed ly
acc o u nt of this d ocument was discovered .."r itten on a black
1 "
;lfl Alkebu - la n (th e con t i n e nt th e Gree k s and Romans re named
o n e-thou sa nd three -hundr ed years to one- tho us and three - hundred
on ly dates back to the
- Jud a ism, through Mos es ~ be ing no e x c ep ti on to th is r u le
me r
n'l
'"
~ Qdd y G o.~ l ed " NE GR OES, NI GGERS , BANTUS, AFR I CANS
'rill': : ;AHM l\tl , !
OLACK APRICANS , PYGMIE S, BUS HME N , HOTTEN-
!1/. I ["i TIl l.:: !;TR E:E'J' f
m :NIGN NEGLECT ," and man y other suc h
70 71
d e g rad ing t erms o f
th e s l ave trading a nd colon ia l days whe n t he ST. AUGUSTINE: AFRICAN INFLUENCE IN CHRISTIANITY
Afr i eans \-Iere subd ued by t he Europeans under the pretext of " PLANTI NG CHRISTI ANI TY I N AFR ICA."
that th e same had hap pe ne d to the Af r i cans befor e the arriva l
(The " Christian Ch urc h Pathersll)
It shoul d be nee d l es s to say hundred~
Ch apter
of years
Two
of the Christ ian s from El.trope, \vhen the The death o f
filoSlems f rom Arab i a i n the 6 t h Centut"y C.E . \"ri th the ir j ih a.ds -
t he l ast and g r e atest of the indigenous Afr ican
"Christian Churc h Fathers" Holy i'/ars - scourge d th e 1 an d 5 Of
Nor th and East Afric a.
The
HebreHS (Je \<Js) ca n take no comfort from these expo s ure s , as tho y
Sa in t Augus t ine, Bishop of Hippo
(J~ 4- 43 0 C.E ~), North Africa , wa s the ma jor event in Christenhi st ory whic h star ted the d ec line of power and con tr ol by
01, ; 111 ' 5
too aided the C hriztian s and l1os1ems in the e nslavement of the
1!,1' i ndi g enous Af ricans i n the Christian Church , especiall y the
Ar i ca n peoples; a t 1 eas t the He b rew s provid ed man y o f the
'J/()r th Afr i can Church" ( t he "Mother Church") .. \vri te r s \,.,ho morally justi fi ed th e ens lavemen t of the Africa ns St. Augustine was born at Taga ste, Numidia, Nor t h Afric a ,
t hroug h the ir warped .i nter pretations of t he Hebr e "" Torah ( Ch ris t i an Old Te s t ament ) - as evide nc e in the h'ri t i ng s o f 6 t h century C.E. Baby l o nian 1'a l mudic scholar s
in BLACK HAN OF THE
R. Gr Clves ;
NIL
(see q u o ta ti on ~
ha n nan; fr om E, by Y. _ be n-"toc ~
HE~~t!::!§) .
th e-
R.
Patti
November 3 54 C . E . , a t t he t ime Numidia was a Province of the l III!I,\n Emp ir e . Augustine 's bir t h having occured exact l y f orty H :. after
Emperor Consta n t ine -
" the Great"- b ec ame sole r u l er
8r'1jl
,
1ho Roman Empire of t h e We s t
and adopted Chris tian symbols
,I rr having dropp ed hi 9 IlDivine" role. Consta n t i ne - "the Gr ea.t ",
wa s cal l ed , moun t ed t h e Roman Thr one in the y e ar 312 C .. E .. la ,
h
•
th an one - hund red (lOO) yea rs a f ter t h e indige nous Af ricans ( I1Ne_ ".) 1, ;. )
of
th e Empire of Kush (Eth iopi a)
r
Eas t Afri ca , had al-
Ill y p.:; tabl i shed Christianity as t he o ff icial r e li g ion of t he ir
'll . Au g usti ne's birth fol l owed th e marty r dom of one o f Iwo i ndigenous Af rican "Church Fathers" -
IIOll ttl
II~
72
I
the
St . Cyprian,
the
Car t hage ( 249 - 25 8 C E . ). Cypr ian was t he Af rican mar 9
Il h oll e r e d t h e se famo us las t word s; " ••• De o gra t is •• • "
b<: t o God) upon be i ng to ld th at t h ere was an ord e r
stat-
" r L p l (>0.:·; ('5 Lha t 'r h.r Gc lu:.; Cyprian" ( hi s full name) 73
digenous Afric ans k n O\oJ n as t h e
Ilb e behea de d with the sylOrd_!I
three most imp ortant ITChurch Fathers'
of Christendom, Te rtul lian .
stomp ou t Christia n ~t y d u ri n g , a nd b efore Cypr ian f l e d in t o
luri ng t h e y ear 1 5 5
hid in g (under grou nd ) to con t inue h i s teach ings o f
' I,e most outstanding sc holar s in rhetoric, Latin,and Gr e ek." Hi s
the anc i ent
He was born in
Carth~ge
This order was ~ ssued by Roma n author i t ies , who were try ing to
sometime
I n his era, h e was rev ered as " .0 .on e of
C~E"
versions of t h e "Gospel o f Chri st"; not as i t has b een corru ptc(\
l11us tery of these disciplin es l ed him into becoming the head of a
t odayo Th i s wa s during the reig n of Emperor Galeriu s, who later
rl(mtanist communi t y in his own homeland 's capital city of Cartha g e . i t was his depth in, and love for, La tin which caused him to
I lll
on iss ued an Imperi a l Edic t g ran ting to lerance to the Chri stian
Ik e i t the official l anguage o f
commu ni ty .. Mrs . Ste v"art Er sk i ne (c onsidered an !lauthori ty " on
11\
this ph ase of Christian Ch ur c h h i story), in her book - THE VAN-
(nn
QUI SHED CITIES OF NORTHERN AFRICA, p. 8 0 , with regard s to t he
outgrowth of the North Afri c a n Ch urCh) and Oris t endom in genS
1'1 l .
I
Al th ough li sted last Tertulli a n , a c on temporar y of the most
martyrdom, wrote that st. Cypri an fac e d death in 110nour as :
fllt'd of t he indi genou s African e mpElXrs of the Roman Empire -
"He died ma g nificently, g iving t.wen~y-five pieces of gold to t h e exe cu t ioner~lI.J
IIlj mus Severus ( 146 - 211
The same type o f praises could have bee n h e a ped upon other gr'"'I" I
Af ric a ns" lJ}ho made Christian1ty (a l t h o ugh Europeanized ) what 1\ today ; such as Namphamo -
• Ilet ore dealing with the role of 'rer tulli a n in the makings of
'!'III I"
! l ;lOity, it is necessary to pr ojec t
I " ,\
A Lr lca as a power-block during t h e
I
0111£1
IU I~
I
1"
n j,1
..
ju s t befor e t h e peri o d o f Chr i stiani ty 's
LJ:y into Rome - due t o Constantine li t h e Gr eat" conversion c e n t ur y -
t here were many Hebr ew ( J ewish) "tribes" t h at
II
:i:ndO g c nous A f r i c a n s, in Ll"dti 1,/or l:, :lpec1.llc;J l l y r efers
! n n cCbc llion in Cyrene hup ( , t.~ i .;l lism
I
1\111,
tl
, li) I'If"!
(Cyr e naic a) during 115
CeE~
againsJc
and c(') l o nia l i s m. This r ebe lli on also marked
I rU\1 tV l o Y " mn[';'s In
origin . These
' ·'W:.> , as al l other Roma nized-Af ric ans o f th is era, were
nl
Il.nCesl:flL'::: 01 and pL"O!jcnL f\fcic/l n::1 \'/ 110 rH ludi\Y t"'tl lj,.ct "N V'i l " . a . . , ntll s , Ii ttc n t Qt:::, P V{lnrl. :'1 , HIl ahfn(\II, " l • . IIt VI,' "I~ l q r) « ' r ~ , " "V 'I~
r'Jor th Africa,
I uri lfJ<mous Afri ca n (th e so-called "Negr oes")
African s o· anolll c r
he ight of Roma n im perial-
co lonialism through out most o f Nor t h Africa ..
I1lh
tyr s, Per petu a and P elici ta, bo t h o f \'J h om \.,.ere a l s o ind igc n(l1)
.i. U i.:rO d \ ICl"
c ert a in background ma t eri-
Christiani ty came to the northwest f rom north east and
hO \o1
Added '-.lith Narnphamo were the se c ond and t hird Chris tiiJ ll " .
L
mus t b e men t ioned in the order
1 I.
A cer t ain Namphamo, c l aimed as t he first marty r, also c ame from Num id i a, the name in this case being Punico As f rom th is point the story of the Church i n Afr i ca unfo lds before us , ""e find a devo t ion und e r perse cution not excelled else~"here , and a fe rve nt fi delity to the faith expresse d in Puri tan ideals thaot gave Montanism a second home in Africa~ The names Tertullian, cypria n and Augu s tine add an imperishable lustre to t he h is t ory of the Afr ican Church .
ne c e~ :'; 'J r y
C.E~ ,
wh i ch he c h ronolog ically arr i ved in the history of Christen-
t h e "f i r s t o f t h e Chr istian martyr :; ."
In con j u n c t ion wi th her "martyrdom " C . P. Groves i n h is book , 4 PLANT ING OF CHRI S TIANITY IN AFRICA , P . 5 9 , wrote :
At t h i s point , i t is
the Hol y Roman Ca t holic Ch urch
11~ o
jewish mi g ration so u t hwacd i n to S oudan{Sudar \'jolY 01
I-h e
Cit y o f" A cr ( A ir ) a nd i n t o the 7 '.5
countries of Futa Jalon and Senegal
(Sen~-Gambia)
which lie belo-
Africa and established t he Ci t y of Lixus - wher e p resently the
the parabolic curv e of the Niger River's most northern reache s,
King dom of Morocco now stands.
where the Ci t y of TUmbut (T imbuktu, Timbuctoo, etc.), Melle (MuJ'
" c ninsula, these African- As ia n peop les also es t ab l i s hed t he Ci t y
presen t l y s t ands. The s e Jews were divided into two main groups
()f Cardiz -
and took separate directions fur t her sou t hward into West and Ce n
tt' e ria.
tral west Africa. One grou p ed t he Fulanis of Fu ta Jalon
p~l !;i sed
from whom the pre s en t popula t ion of indi g enous Africans of BOrI1U
the Soudan ' even reached the borders of Lake Tchad (Chad) in Cr' n teal Africa . 6
naic a had mi gra t ed there b y way of NUmidia before the defeat
Of
Ge n era l Hanniba l Barca a nd the c on q ue s t of Cartha g e b y Rome ill I ' h~
202 B. C.E . Carthage , about 1000 B. C . E. was re-establis hed by
nician mar iner s who had left the City of Tyre (around t oday' :;; tU
nici a .
7
It is said, how e ver, that "the Phoenicians had already through the "Pillo.,.! of Hercules" -
10m Gibrl 'f
Tari~h, 8
W('.
i t s ori g inal indig e nous (so-c a lled "Negro") African popula tioll .
.", over -
thousands of them. had already pr e ceded the Phoenicians ' into the northv!est regions of North
; I a ; but the se s a me writers have utterly neglected to state
Lh e He b rel.ol s ( Jews ) amalgamated with the fello w Afr icans t he y I'o lh i n Eg yp t
and points farther nor thl..,r est , south lo,!est, a nd e a st .
I\ppr o x im a tely six t y - five years a fter t he Cyrena ica reb e l l i on II ', C oE ., I p l l ll~r: d P.
ricans of Khart Hadas and ot her r e gions arou nd , also defea ted
,I t
N OI ' II ,~ W.I
and sometime before J u ly 1 8 0 C.E ., Ch ris t ianit y \'/ a s
into Northwest Africa .
This d a te is approximately tr ue ,
t her e Ha s never any mention of Christians there befor e in Ihe re cords of the Roman imperi a l
',,r . I
'l'he f ir s t
governme nt that co lon i z e d
mention of t h e Chri s tians came about v!ith
Iyr cl o ll'l of ma n y of t heir n u mb ers on 1 7 J u ly 18 0 C.E • n n cQc ord giving the exa c t nUJ1lb er of the origina l g rou p
I, 1\'
t h r u st of Jewis h i n vo l vement \-,as in Egyp t
If l Irati o n of 1000 B.C. E .
II
• tlSoudan" is a name given to the area of West Afric a tha t p h ysically co lonized by for over one- hundred ye.:lr::;. s emb lance of po litica l freedom came to the Fr e nch or ien ted t he majority, in 1961 C . E. through poli,tic a l a g itation.
approximately one hundred
about c122 5-1232 B.C.E., with Moses, by Pharoah (Kin g)
'" !4 e s II)
These mariners , who later on ama l g amated wi th t he indig enou s At
other indigenou s Africans furt her west along the c oast of
1
tl lpL"C than three-hundred years before t heir alle g ed expUlsion -
ma l e, first conquered and settle d on North Africa 's co a stlln(' I today ca ll ed Tu n isia - previou sly Kh art Hadas (the Ne w Town) b y
a b out 1100 B .. CaE ..
taken
Host European and European-American wri t er s have conceded
the leader ship of Princess Elissar (Dido) of PhIl
The place these mariners, the vast majority of whom
today's " S traight of
before they settl ed with th e African s of Khart Hadas .
.1L' S
1II11l even thou gh t he
The indig enous African tr i bes , of the Hebr ew faith, of Cyl
dle East) unde r
which is today called ttSouthern Spain , II f ormer l y
Jth r a l tar'l, formerly called the "Straight of Tar i )ch" -
and Kamen , in Nigeria, inherited their "Hebrew (Jewis h) tradi tjo This indigenous African Jewis h penetration from North Africa i n t
In Euro pe , along the Iberian
I
~,
, ""'tty
of
tho ::;c t ri ed a nd [
und gui l t y of:
" .... comnI1 t.t i n t] Chri st i a n a cts against the Rell \l i) r~
76
5 L.at.c ••• ," etc.
77
were mentioned . all .
Th ey vJere five Homen and seven men -
Among st these martyrs v,as t he ir t wen t y- two-year-old l eadt' I,
the person responsible f or t he total action of the group . ~'I as
a married woman, and the mother ~"as
Perpetua -
of one child.
also o f indi g enous Afr ican b irth.
Strangely enough, th e greatest of the ind i g e nous
t\'lelve i n
She
This woman ..
Afr~cans
who became 8mperor of the Roman Empire was charged by many I·:ur opean and European-American Christi an Ch urch hi stori ans o f hei ng "the emperor who ordered the persecution and execution of Pc.r petua and he r folloNer s , 11 his name - Septimus Severus ( 146 -
It is t o be
noted , however, t hat at thi s period in histor y Ter tullian also
.:? l l C.E .). 9 But t h e t r uth is t h at Emperor Septimu s Severu s did
made his presence fel t as spiritual l eader o f a ll of Chr i s tendl Q
I1l1t mount the throne of the Ro ma n Empire un ti l
also that Christendom l'iaS still centered in North Afric a, under
III.. SU b seq uent to the murder of Emperor Marcus Aurelius ' 9 a son -
indigenous Afr ican (the so-called JINegr oes ll
)
It must be ed that the Chr i stian s of Carthage \
th is he
..
f'ptimus Severu s t a t t h e t ime of h i s elevation to the throne of lhf ~
Emp ire o f Ro me , \... as Romets g r eatest g eneral, and a for mer
~vil
mag i s t ra t e. It i s t o be fur t her noted that color was never
['ond i tion t o hi s asce nde nc y to t h e Roman throne, as only one
It is
also to be noted that among these earlies t of Chr istian
slav e ~.
(of every color) were Perpetua's brother and the same Fe l ic iL.,\
"rTI.ln Governor had fail e d to acce p t th is indi g enous African role
1m erial Rome .. IIqli'l nd, S co t l a nd,
mentioned before, of \"hom it was said:
vf~r \J ~
"Her ordeal caused the prematu re b irth o f he r only child a fe\" hours previous to h er d e ath as a mar tyr for Jesus Chr is t ••• , II etc . And in her honor a chapel named PSt. Per pe tua " \
The dissid e nt was Allinus - Governor of Britany ~·Ja l e s
and Ireland). But Emperor Septimus
q uic k l y did away \tilth t h i s prob lem, as he defeated and
l ' tl'J C l o dius i n 1 97 C . E. dur in g the Batt l e o f Lyons, . ;;e pt i mu s S e ver u s ' v i c t or y over Clodiu5 placed an African
;1: 1
still stands at \
". '11' 0")
of Carthage - presently a part of Arab-controlled Republic of Tunisia..
;
·'r e us Aure li us Commodus Antoni u s - about 1 7 Harch 1 77-180 C.E6
control.
Carthage and other parts of North Africa at the t i me .
193 C .. ~ .
This chapel was c onstructed with stone pi llar ::; .11"
in c o mp l ete contr o l of ever y n ation a long both sides
hf~
rle '.l i te rr a ne an Sea and e v e ry Europ ean nation along the At-
If
Oce a n- u p to, and i nclud ing , Ang lol and
( B ri t a ny) ~
It also
other mate ri als taken 1from runied structures t hat o nce ador ll"tI the g lorious City of Car thage during t h e days of Ge neral Barca -
!lur H a ll ll l!
the Afr ica n ( "Negr o") wh o once ruled all of t he Ib...: '
I I'HI
Peninsula, par t s o f Sou the rn Gaul (P rance),and all of No r t h" , Ital y for mo re t h an h "e nty ( 20) long ye ar s with more t ha n h undred thou s and ind igenous Af r i can
troop ~ .
<,;.H I·'
~I
t "
l n ~T
t hi s period th e pr esent II SOUTH ATLANTI C OCE ,.<\N II vJas
1 " ~;'rH I O P I A N OCEAN. " On ly t hat t·/hich is today called "NORTH II ·'JI · OCt:: l\N" \-Jil S con 5 id cr -cd in thi s ma nn e r .. Th e " ETHI OP IAN I" ,", ppear c d o n m ps made b y European c hartists a nd c.:u:-to g r a lInl:j l t tlC l a t ter p art o r t he 1 8 t h Ce ntur y C . E. See BLACK t I 'l'UE !"J ILl'; , b y Yosof bo n- J" o c h a nna n, pp . 266 - 268, for maps
,II.
\..11c~. e
c and i Li on s .
•
7e 79
th~
placed this African in c harge of the entire Roman Empire at
Afric ans invo l v ed wi th the con tr o l o f the Roman hierarchy Ii/as in
time when the Roman military waS being corrup ted, due to the ex
Ltself the cause of the dec line of the Roman Empire . But, to t h i s
tensive employment of mercenar ies . Monetary in f la tion, coupled
racist conte ntion t he
with h i gh pr ice s a nd over-burdening taxes on all classes of the
Afr ican and Church history, Jane Soarnes, i n her book - THE COAST
Roman peoples, also created Chao s in the emp ire . Thes e condition
OF THE BARBAR Y, pp. 30- 31 , wrote :
broug ht into being the widespr ea d uncontrollable mone y-lend ing fU..
At th e height of Roman p ow er in North Afr i ca, the popu l at ion of Ital y was actually decl in ing and there was never any vast number of Roman colonist s in the raci a l sense o f t he word . The Romans knew nothi ng of those modern emotions which are to us so powerful and omni present tha t we c a n har dly ima g ine a c i vi liza tio n from wh i c h they s hou l d b e a bse n t; s he had neither colour pr ejudice nor reli gi ous intolerance in the day s of the Repub lic . The Christian mar tyrs of the early chUr ch s u ff ered because they wer e fe lt to b e a menace to the St a te~ p ropagating doctrines s ubver si ve to good order and d i sc ipl i ne: they were r egarded as the Commu ni sts of the i r day. Bu t h i gh I v cu ltivated Roman op i ni on con s idered all re li gions to be essen t iall y t he d i verse man ifes t at ions of o ne gre at truth, and had no conce ption o f th a t wh i te heat of mis sionizi ng ze a l wh i ch wou ld pu t whol e popu lations of unbelievers t o t h e sword or se nd men t o the scaffol d and th e fire i50r the sake of a d i sp u ted theologica l def ini t ionc All t ha t part of the make-u p of men's mind s came la t er, as d id t he acute se nse o f d iffer en t iation of r ace and co nseq ue nt antagon i sm which may be summed u p in the phrase "colour bar . "
the serious decline in taxes, to the extent that the Imperial ch ecquer fo u nd it extreme l y difficult to collect th e necessary tax es for
the Imperial Treasur y . During all of th i s t urmo il til.,
Roman State was being chal le nged b y a "new relig ion" - "Chr i st I ity," wh ich had crossed over fr om North Afr i ca
and was givinq
ever y indica tion of causing f urther disaffec t ion from the a l t.1I .t disru pted Roman army, as it wa s alre ady caus ing f ull-sca le COlI versions by too many of Rome's finest mil i tary officers - i nc.;l, ing her best generals. This I1new re l i g iou s forc e, " in dir e c L
1'10
ope n confli ct with the existing official rel ig ion of the stal . h ad e ven be gun to gnaw away a t
the a lready disorganized Rom,(11
body po litic. The seeds of all t h is h ad in fact started dur J ll1j
On the other ha nd, many of today's relig i ou s f ana t ic s continue
the reig n of Augustus Caesar (27 B! C. E. _ 14 C.E.);lO howevf'/! at which time a "new God " was born amon g st t he Hebrews (J ew: ,.
"re nO\:ilned authori tyl! in thi s area of Nor t h
h ... r 'JC Empe ror Septim us Seve r us o f ordering :
I
" •• • the mar tyr dom of Per petua, l'''elicita and the o ther Chr i s ti ans on 1 7 Ju ly 18 0 CoE., ••• " e t c . j
h is na me - IIJESUS CHRIST . " The condi tion s al r eady outlined, al ong wi th many mor c , l.
c o urse of :
' 11
Emperor Septimus Severus , as Emperor o f Imperial Rome, t o i
~I
I,
" ••• the pers ec u t ion of t he sistian Church .. " edict in 20 2 C.E • • In th i s "edict" he for bad e any new conv(',
1,1
dl:..; tractor s , to date, have failed t o for the fact
J u daism or Chr is t i a ni ty, nei ther of whiC h h e intended to :; \ " ,1\ ' " Jl t:l mus Se veru s d i d not become Emperor of Rome until 19 3 C .E. , but instead check .. The - ed ict" has been purpos e fully
OV F.:~:1t
,,, I
re li gious bigots a nd over- zea lous racist ff:lna Li c :> a like •
I
f ' lI
j"1 1
dared tocharqe that Em peror
00
Sept.i m l J~
(1 3 )
.": 0111
ul
111. ....
long years ~ fter the repor t ed persecut ion and mar f e l l ow indj.gc nou s Afr icans of th e "new r el i g ion ll
-
SCVCt'U:; ,U"lel LilO other 1 1101 i I
81
Christianity. Some h i storians, not knowing t h at t he alleged mar tyrs were them se lve s also indigenous Africans (blacks , "Negroe :. u , etc.) like the emperor h imse l f, even dared to charge h im with: " . . .. murdering the white Christia n s • • • ,
II
co nt ext~
Ln th is
in the ir attempt to introduce colour prejudi ce and raci s m in '\..:o the hi stor y of a peop le who k new no t wha t ·the term or
fe eling ~
were ..
~ ep timu s
It ...,as, therefore , incwnbent upon Emperor
Severus , a s Emperor of Rome, to protec t his empire ~
Yes, even to t he point of committing executions .
For , i s i t
tlo t true that every nation u p to t h i s very per i od in man! s vJhy did Emperor septim us Sever us issue the Ued ict" barrinq
hi story commit murder in the same fash ion when they condemn
" f urther Roman conver:sion to Judaism and Chritianity7t! For thc'
" suspected or convicted IItraitor" to death and carry ou t said
same reason any p r esident , kin g, emperor or dictator and other
"edic t ,
ty pe s of
soveri g n ~ today
II
which is much more sophist icated ly called :
suppr ess any religion which stands to
11 • •
"judgme nt by a jury o f YO'lr peers ? 11
disrup t t he orderly func tions of t he es tablis hed governme n ·t. FUI
!lrm y Illhits have compared t he Chris t i a ns l"ithin t he Roman
the same reason that the Nation o f Islam (n icknamed "Black Mw!
t
l i msll)ll _ headed by the Prophe t Elijah Mohammed -
i s being
missed by the r ule rs of the Uni ted States of America as:
fllpir e , a t
U\ t es of American during the Se nator JOGeph Nc Ca r th y ' S 1 2 era:
It is al so true that there v,ter e t ho se Ud
and that Mohammed , its spiritual leader,is a:
IIl f' l~ be r
Al so, for the same reason t ha t Moh ammed Ali (Cas s ius C lay) i religion" by the Federal
Co ur tt~
101
United States of America , as they consider o th er boxers who
11
o f the Eur opean-American-sty le Chris t i an cler g y. Y o t I, er r epe nted murd e rers and t hieves
in other ac ceptable r e l igio n
( Juda ism and Christianity) are accepted as havin g been:
82
ha ted b oth Je\.Js,
And , mos t certainly, they Bu t one must also
that thou sands of Chris t ians \<.l en t out of their vl ay to be
Ly rc d in oed e r
to :
!I • • •
\" in th e blessings of Jes us Christ,
II
II 1\ l h l.!Y b elieved, duri ng that period, uas about to make his '('lIU c oming ."
I
ministry, i.n t his case, is mostly Curopean-Amer ic:an- I: l 'I
Judaeo-ChristianitYi even Noslems from MeCCa
I
j.1t
" • • • called by God to Hi s ministry." The
Christi a ns l" ithi n t he Roman Emp ire ..
\"~h o
ul l .. d t o destroy Judai sm and Chris t ianity..
p rophet, who is fooling the Negroe s."
considered a " mini ster of
•
to a great de gree even today.
Ilr\
" o o.not amount in g to a r e li gio n in th e str ict sense of the word • • • , II etc . i
" . ~ .fa l se
th i s p eriod , ""ith the Communists of the United
I
~
of
At
least~
that was the preva iling claim by ·the
the "nevi .t"eli gion. "
I t \'laS 1n this type of atmos phere
J;I''I 'c£ or Se ptimus Severus be gan his r ule ..
Because of it , he
I.
c no t rCco QI\ I " I
83
of a n Af rican name d Pantae nus - its founder . It wa s at t his cen~
o f Christendom and Christian scholars h ip t h a t
the wo rla l s rrunou s
rtnd most dis t inguished scholars of their time - Origen and Clemmade t he Praetor i an Guard u nive rsal and s t opped the practice of
ent - served a s bishops along with Panta emu s. It was also from
having only legionnaire s stationed in Ital y t o fill v a cancies a :.
t hi s cen t er that another African of Eg y ptian b i rth left to found
·t;he y arose .
I he world"s f irst monaster y o f hermatic living (the life of a her-
In so doing, he also militarized ever y asp e ct of t.h
empire's civil istration wi t h retired ge n erals, t o whom he
mi. t) . He was called -
owed hi s asc e ndency t o the t h rone .
hp. withdrew to t ha t are a to medita te in a life of p over t y after
It was under these conditiof)ll
t ha t Emperor Se ptimus Severus ' contemporary, ano t her of t he Afr t . "fa thers of the Ch urch I!
-
Tertullian, asslUTled control of t h e
"Anthony t h e He rmit of the S ahara," bec au se
lba ndonin g his wealth to the Egyptian sta t e . Tertuillan, b orn in Car.th ag e about 1 55 C.E . , wa s to become
Chri st ian mind s of North Africa, the Nor t h African Church, and
Imp or t ant i n Chris t endom as was his conte mporary -
in f luence over all of Christ e ndom, especially within t he Roman
I'omc , Se p timus S everus , in government .
Empire; but , excludi~ g Egypt and E th iopia o
In t h e piou sly spiritual phi losophy of his reli g ion. His was the
Tertullian inherited the history of a Ch urch which had
But i t was r e ally during th e Ep .1 .
capa t e of Demetriu s of Alexandria (18 9 -232 C . E.)
tha t
the No r-Ul
African Church got i t s r e al b eg inning as a full y r e c o gnized religiou s body.
This, of course , d o es no t mean that t he
beginning of Christianity in Africa s t arte d at t hi s juncture . The refer e nce to the Ethigpian conv e rt in Ac t s viii,
26-4 0 ,
1) 1
th e King James Version of the Christian "Holy Bible" prove .::; t he contr ary.
' llvn lve men t ,Tertullian 1 1 led
~1rote
in On e of hi s most famou s \"Jorks ,
DE ANIMA, the f ol l owing : 1 5 Surel y a g l a nc e a t the wide \'Jorld shows tha t i t is daily b eing more c u l t ivated and be t ter p eop led t h a n be fore . Al l places are now acce s sible, well k nol.-In, o p en to commerce . De lig ht f ul farms hav e nmJ b lo·t t ed out e very trace of th e dreadful \oJastes; c u ltivate d fi e lds have overcome wood s; flocks and herds have driven out wild beasts; sand y spots ar e sown, rocks are planted j bog s ar e drained. Larg e cit i es n ow o c cupy land hardly tenan t ed be f ore by cotta g es. Isl a nds are no l o nger dreaded; houses , peo ple, c i vil rule , civ iliza t ion, are ever Y\oJ here .
'1'1 ... man who wrote this had drawn the a t te nt ion o f Christi ans
The North Afric a n Church had already e stablished th e renowned " Cateche t ical School of Al e xandria" under t he
Wo !
l e 1J~ t' 1
Itl
I, whore ; from th e ir c i tadels in Egypt and Numid ia, 1. 1,
to his o wn
I)undt n (} ::: in Carthage. And, to hi.s memor y the h onoured English ,," 1. ' 11 -
Miss Stewart Er s ki n o, \'lrote: 16 'rh e three fJ cc ot n a me s that bring honour
84
to be
i nvolvement; and t o ciVilization in g eneral.. In l ig ht of t h is
his missionar y work in Egypt , \1h e re he e s tabli s hed many churcl"u1 in t he City of Alexandria .
But, hi s was no t
· ,,· .i. o-eco n omic re la t ion s hip of Christian ity 00 man and hi s c u ltur-
its African beginning with John Mar k - evan g el is t, who did
14
the Emperor of
t o the 85
Afric an Ch u rc h are Tertull ian, the first of the Churc h writers who made Latin the La nguag e of Chr is tia nity; Cyprian, bishop and martyr; and Augustine , one of the most famou s of the "Fathers of t he Church. ,.
Cypri a n was fully awar e of the possibil i ty "chat h e wou ld be martyred, as the IIne w reli gion" he had embraced b ecame an irritant t o the vast ma jority of the Africans of Carthage and their
Before his death, in 222 C.Eo, Ter t u l lian had the honor of
~ oman overlords .
s ee ing the Nor th Afr ican Church grot... from twenty -three bish op s I " 200 C.E. to approximate l y
seven ty ~
He had alread y seen , and heard , Chr is t ians being
thrown to t h e li ons a t
or eighty .. But to re a ll y
t h e amphitheatres as t he crov/ds clamored :
" ...... t-/ashed and savedl1!
apprec ia t e thi s Afr i can's r ole in the Chr istian Church, one h<1:. , refer to Pro fess or C.P. Grove s' remarks o n page 70 of this book.
1
rhis exp ession having been originated by the Chris t i a ns of Egypt d nd Num idia befo re i t was ad opted by the breth ren of Cartha ge as
Cy p rian, like Tertullian, \"ras born in Cartha ge of i ndig e llClII ,I
African (so-call e d "Negro, 1I "Bantu ,1I e tc.) parentage who t'/ere /...1 ,.. eal thy means. But Cyprian's exact date of b irth i s unknown . 11'->1/
ra ll ying cry; ye t i t vm s in other parts o f the Roman Empire be-
l o re its use in Carthage . Bu t as he exp ected, "their cries very I~on
therea fte r
"'!ver , it is knOtoJn t h at he VJas at lea st forty-six years old whC'Jl
" • •• the Bishop t o the Lions!"
he had h is" . .... he avenl y birth .. .. . " (the Phr a se he used for ex pJ oil,. ing h is dec isi o n to l eave the \'JOr Id of a life o f wealth for Llt.d of religion and povert y).
changed to:
Like any o ther man, t his bi sho p ItlaS not intere sted in his ow n \1\l..:. lde, as he carr ied hi s teac h ing s underground ( n h iding )
t
~11(> l1ce he continued to lead the ou tla\~ed Christi an Assembly
Cyprian's " heave nly birthli proved no prob lem to him ,
a~
had held a professorship in p h ilosophy a t th e Un iversity of
III
,,,'
years follm
•
('",p
exc lusively h is, explai ned his plight a nd t e mporary saf e t y ,
t hage a nd excelled i n r hetoric . Th is back ground l e d h im to bo come Bishop of Carthag e in v er y little time subseq uent to h.i.!· , .
"The v/h lt e ro se of th e crmoJn of l abour mi ght be as fair as the red r nse of martyrd om .. "
li gious transformatio n. The as cension of Cypria n to a bishopric al so led him to his l1earthly death G" Por
i t ,,,ras d uring his reign as Bishop C l
Carth ag e that t h e persec u tion of the Chr i stians of North AiL \ .
lot ln n \
,1' IVI t he l a \"/ and n ever k n o\"ri ng just v/he n his end h1m\::.; of the Imper i a l
~"rould
cnme at
Ex ecuti oner, or by the c l a . . !s and jugu lar-
reall y 'J o t und enmy. It was equ a lly true for all of Roman 1-;\11 " I
11 ,,"1 h ::leth of t he li ons .. Thus,! hi s IIDeo grat is" (th ank God), in
The words of f'olrs .. S t ewart Ersk ine be st summed up his end i n Cl ,
"" '1 '1(0
I• • • • I t pl eases t hat Thrasc ius Cypr i an be bc I1 ea dE.~d t", i l:h t he :.M ord. IT1 9
sh e wro te: II he died magni f icentl y , givinq twenty-five pieces of gol d t o the e ,: cc::ut,i oncrG . "18
I \
,111111"
86
Lo "the corrunand:
\I:l ~
now 222 C.C ., elevon ye ars af ter "t he death o i Emperor
!.~ v""r ll L: ; 1I1d t h e e leVA t i on o f
h is onl y son - Caracal la 87
on the thr one of the Rom a n Emp ire. I t was also' n e ar the he i g h t nl
Lh e Emp eror Galerius' 1'1ay 30 5 or May 311 Imperial Edict - t1h i ch
Emperor Caracalla'5 (212 -217 C . B.) attempt to exterm ina te the
" r a nted to l erance to wha t h ad become a Romani zed Christian Church o
Chr i stians from the empire. Th i s per iod marked an era of o ne 01
r'he same Emperor Ga leriu s h a d tr i ed t o p er s u ad e Emperor Dioc l etian
mankind's most brutal highpoin t s o f
~o
g e noc ioe; whe re one group
dec lar e a " ••• g eneral pe rsec u t ion of t h e Christians" on 23
ex terminated th e othe r because of the need to protect an empire .
I""br u ar y , 303 C . E. Th is is added proof that the persecution and
It must be care f ully stated, t he extermination of t he Chri stiall
I' t' o s ecuti on of the Jews and Chr is t ians
\'I as no t because of their ad her e nce to the "new religion, II ins
I
bec ause of the teaching s o f
f"'4
the religion t h a t affected Illaw an(1
ilfln religious t h roughout the Roman Empire ,
One year after t h e abdica t ion of former Emperor Diocle t ian
lig ious or secu lar , beca u se of their being a nn oyed a 'c a d y in<]
har d t o insi n uate j
nor was i t
11 4- 30 5 C.E:.) Emper or Con s tantine" the g reat"
as some h i stor ians h ave tried : ,.
the s oc ieties of t he ancie nts . " I
I I
r a.ce or color, h ad reac h e d its zen i th. And Emp eror Car a cal l o h ,.1
I
of the perso nal and r ea l
propert ies of their
martyred
IIl v l n e Ri g hts -
em p erors J'laxirn1anu s ' and per s ecution of the
I
II"
con tl Jl\l~"
1
i n th e \',u
Hithin a very
h ad become the official re-
t.he entire r eunited (East a nd (.'lest) Roman Empire . This
I ,.. 1 io.j LOUS
1l':l L o f
and po litical p i ctur e of th e Roman Empire when
the indi g enous Afric a ns t h a t
35 4
1l1 l Cl" on ca lled " S a in t Au gusti ne"
became o n e of
c . t: .:
his name, Au-
(354 - 430 C. E .) . Note
lI.d·to n of Numid l. o o c(;u[l i d an area of t he territories 4
h Itl ll l tll (' n l) t~ i_ nn:::; o! Al w 'r.·.!.n .";l nd L.ib ya , North Africa. I I
nn
11
l a eer t h e Il net·/ reli g ion" - North Af ric an Christianity ,
'1', IlI o. ::O LC , Numidia, 1 5 November,
a b d 1c: tion in 31 3 c . r:. '. LC'}'lprcl 1 n nom e , 1 fi t 1"
~
the so-called I'nev, religio n .
III
lil t r.t ' s "Father s of the Ch urch"; a ma n, who \oJas b or n in the
j ust h/O short y ear ::; h ," , -,
Dioc l cti <J n'~
Chr i~ ti .Jn !.O ilCl:ll
I L m Church -
Il u
30 5 C .E.) , who f ollow ed Caraca lla and f ifteen other to t he ROr~
slo..'ling down somewhat in 303 C.E . -
ar my , through force; mak i ng t hem carry st a ndards of t he
1" 11 {) 1
Rome Vias no t ruled by emperor s 11ax i mia n u s and Diocletian ( 2H 1t
conver sion by converti ng
0\·010
I p l'll d n t:'..cd European Chri stipn i ty,
arm y o f f icers o n 8 Apri l , 21 7 C. E. S ixty-seven years had po td l
f or nineteen years a f t er Diocletian ' s r ise to pov,e r
j
Y' l.l
Emperor Caracalla , h imself, however , was also mu rdered by ll, .,
t h rone (Hacri n u s to Carus ) . Yet, t he persecu tor s h ad
II
t he pretense::; o f
the reli g ious custo m of his forerun ners . Con-
"th e gre a tl! f o llo ..led his
III inc ' ''N Il
victlnl ~ .
the Roman Emp ire of the vlesto In
\loI l1y adopted Chri s tian i ty and dro pped all o f
succumbed totally to the best ia li ty of h is c o llea g ues i n t ho II . Senate and the army , who benefited ma terially from the conf i !,· .d
(306 -3 3 7 C .E.) had
It r . E . h e h ad a lso b ecome Emperor of the East, a t which ti me h e , t
irr espective
t he uncontested r u ler o f
, ,(,line
" color t " \'1h ich \'/ a s not a fac tor \ "
The persecut ion of the Chr i st i a n s a nd Jews,
this bein g t ru e even
llld. ng the greatest heigh t of the persecution s under 'c he Emperor
Romans, at this p eriod , would h ave exte rminated any group, re-
Irr~.ce,"
much more p olitical
ft t"l) ca l la .
order " as estab li she d by t he Imperial Governmen t of Rome. Th e
emp ire. Ne ither was i t
~'lere
t IIl t ll q 1'Il \ h 't ho ;'I t. d'" n l
Lh ... 11omDI''). r:: mll i t:' c at the t ime
39
I
,\ !1other historian - r1rs Stewar t Erskine - wrote t he f ollowi n g: 2l
St. Au g ustine was old enough to b e come t he Bishop of Hipp Reg ious, t o the point \·j h ece he h ad wc i tten the mos t profou nd phi-
St Augustinels CONFESSIONS are the mos t f a miliar and intima t e documents, whether h e is approac h ing God, to whom they were made, or man, for whose bene fi t they wece written down. He conseals noth ing a nd is e xtremely modern i n h is point o f view.
l osoph ies on Ch ristianity to date; the no t ed h istorian - Jane Soames, \'Jrote: 20 'I'he empire, essen t ially a fede ra t ion of munic ipali ties, tried lmavai li n g ly to pre ven t a movement which weakened and depopulated the cities; and at t he same time delivered over the populace more and mace comp l ete ly into the ha nds of the great landlord, \'Jhose .,.lea l th depended upon t hei r l abo ur .. It \o,'as in such a \'lOc l d, torn by c i vi l strif e and thceatened by b arbarian inv a sio n under th e splendid b ut fadin g shadow of Rom e, tha t S t. Au g ustine's genius f loHered. The Church in Afcica had prod uced gre at men b e fore this daYi th e writ ing s of Ter tu llian and st . Cy pcian bo t h tes tify to its keen inte l l ectual vitality ; bu t neither aChieved his sta ture - the l as t and noblest product o f Roman I\frican civil i za t ion. l·Je l earn a g rea t dea l a b out that civil i z ation f com the CONFESS IONS, the pcoduct of a ment a li ty striking l y sympa t hetic to the European mind, ~ ho ugh b ear in g the imprint.o f its ~frican ori g I n .
This Af rican (B lack, t hj~ Church fa t hers,
ItqUS tine,
gustine's Africa n background i n all of his \'lOr k s, including
profes sor George H. Sabine ·.... rote the following : 22 The moot .important Christian thinker of the age now under diseuuion Wa! Ambrose's $"rea.t convert and pupil, St Augwtine. Hi. J'hilosoph y Wall only In a slight degree systematic, but hi. min had encomed almost all the learning of ancient times, and through him, to a very large elC:tent, it wu tran~mitted to the Middle Aga. His writings were a mine of idea! in which later writers, Catholic and Protest~nt, have dug. It il not nece.uary to repeat all the poinLs upon wh.ich he was in luwtantial agreement wi th Chtislian thought in general and which have a lready been mentioned in thi~ chapter. His most cha racteTi ~ti c idea i, the conception o f a Christian common wealth as the culmination of man', spiritual development. T hrough his authority this eOllception became an ineradicable part of Christian thou~ht, extendin&: not only through the Middle Ages but far down mto modem limes. Protestants no Ie» than Roman Catholic thioken were con trolled by St Augustine's ideas upon this subject. His great book, th e Ciry of Cod, was written to defend ChJi5.. lianilY against the pagan charge that it was responsible for the deeline of Romj'n power and particularly for having caused the lack. ·of the city by Alarie in 410. Jrftidentally, however, he developed nearly all his philosophi.cal idea.1, including his theory of the significance and goal of human history by which he sought LO place the history of Rome in it! proper perspective. This involved a reinstatemen t, from the Christian point of view, of the ancient idea that man is a dtiz~n of two ci t l~. the ci ty of his birth and the city of Cad . . . 011 the one side siands the earthly city, the $()(:iety Ihat is founded on the earthly, appetitive, and P()ssc.uive impulsel of the lower human nature; on the other s{ands Ihe city of God, the society that i3 fou nded in the hope of heavenly peace and spiritual salvation. The first is the kingdom of Satan, ~inning its h..istory from the disobedience o r the angels and embodymg itself especi31ly in the pagan empi re! of Assyria and Rome. The o ther 1lI tht kingdom o f Christ, which embodied itself first in the Hebrew nation and later in the Church and the Chri.stiani:t:ed empire. H utory is the drama tie story of the lItruggle be~een these two lIOCIetiCi and of the ultimate m8!tery which mwt fa.ll to the city of God. Only in the H eavenly at)' II pUa pouibla; oaJ, the lIpiritual kingdom It pcrma.oe:Dt.
1\11
11 11
Confessions . J a ne Soames con t inues in t he next paragraph: St. Augustine is far more comprehens ibl e to J European audience today th an are most contemp o r ar y North African authors - a fact which is in str ilcJll'l d i sproof of modern racial theocies, for it i s cO(lUTlunity of phi l osophy "'J h i c h makes fo c affinity f ar more than the acciden t of birth.
cism surrou nd i ng St. Augusti ne's Afric a n (Ne g ro) ori g inj
was a l s o one of the gr e a test thinkers a nd
phI l osophers o f a ll time. Wi th re fe rence to the greatne s s o f st
The u nd er scored word s are to emphasize the va l ue of St.
J a ne S oames cou ld have hard l y exp l ained the question
II
"Negro, " et c . ), as " ••• t he g rea tes t of
~I .I!.
"
most adequately cited th e ma j or importa nce in Augustine ':-:' ",\ ,., Alllp,wtlne' 5 backgro und began with his mother - Nonica , a
" •• • fo r i t is commu ni t.y o f philo f.i ophy which makes for affin i t.y f ar more I:I1 .. n tho ac c i d n l;. of b irth." !<.1 i t h
r e~ pec t
to the "CONPr-;::>:rt N:; " m(on lio n('ct b v Jan l' :; 1q
~ Ii
f"
t'11 .,., •." .
"ve rt , and his non - Chr is ti a n fa t her - Patrici u sj both t'l
t vWil lthy, but o f
r is t ocratic breeding . His father,
tn{1
91
90
bein g a minor S t ate officia l , afforded Aug us tine - at the age o f
·t,urch Fath e r s ," who was later mad e a "Saint" b y his succes s or s ,
e l e ven -
li v e d what some o f
the c h anc e to be sent to Madausos { t h e ancient Numidian
city bui l t by King Syphax)23 for his ed ucation . In s chool he l e lll Greelc , which he ha ted. and he did very poorly . The best o f his foILI
I Ll
to his own lang uage and Rhe toric . Thi s, of c ourse, was J UG!
ca ll a " d issipat e d" life in hi s you t h -- . _unt:El he wa s a t least
'IIII 'n t y - e ight years ( 3 5 4 - 3 82 C . E.) of ag e .
jects being C l assica l Latin - whi c h he considered next in importanc e
today's p uritanical Chris~ and pio us Jews
Aug u st ine credi t ed his piou s ly aristocratic mo ther with being !n· person who wa s most responsible for his conver s ion to Chri S-'
t h e begi nning of his formal e d uca t i on j as he \.; as later on (in J "In
Hi l ty . Yet he sp oke of his meeting with his me ntor i n Milan , whose
C. E . ) s ent t o Carthage to compl ete hi s a d va nce studies . Th is l .d
"1'1('
was Ambrose - lat e r
Saint Ambrose , a s a major fac t or in his
involvement requ ired him to s pend three y e ars in very serious .. ",I
lvl n g Carthage for It a l y without his mother's approva l or
exacti n g s t ud i es (37 0 - 3 73 C.E.) . Four years later, August ine
1t\0 .
WOII
BEAUT IFUL AND THE
I,
FIT ~
Havin g completed h i s SCho oli ng , Augus t i n e further e njoy ed II "better thin gs of life .
1I
He al so fre q uented t he major hou ses ('II
" • • • ill reput e ••• ,n and paused to e n joy t he glad iators at the v
F or t h is reason qto s t hi s torians credited Ambrose with being
pn n :.; ible for t h e conversion . A t l e a s t
a p ri ze for his d rama t ic poem, and wrote his fir s t b o ole. - ON '1'1 11 0
,\ urJustine rema i ned i n Ita l y, living in Milan and Rome , wh ere
""'t,
most eleven years
j
( obristian be l i ever II !J ror
01
t o marry t h i s woma n or legi t imizE! Id
son in the manner mo s t European a n d EUl"Opean - Amer i can-s ty le
("h i t
tian s a s sume is t he o n ly moral way to Jesus Ch r is t's acc e p til llll ' l eac h forge t tin g t ha t Jesu s Ch r ist supposed l y s a i d:
•
0
he was v e ry much a tt ached to hi s son'
~
I" '
spendi n g a per i od of time \.; i th her one
\II h e r e s h e wa s su b sequen tl y l a i d i n her f i n a l r e sti ng
I
• 'l'tw['c is not too much more kno \" n about this ind i g eno us
.11 w IIll1 n - mo t he r of one of t he ',oJorld I s gr e a t est th i n ker s o f .•
'I' h ul: wh ich is known o f h er comes f r o m t h e short b i ogra p h-
I . I Ci1 p r ov i d ed by her s on i n h i s own att e mpt a t g iving a pr e -
U'su f fer lit t le children to come unto me , f or such is th e ki n gdom of h e av e n."
•
emensely . Aft e r
w~ic h
On h e r wa y back s he was fatally stricken at Ostia , Rome's
11111
Yet some writers claimed that :
and pr of e ss or of Rhe toric, b o t h of
"" l y :J on , Augustine , Mon i ca prepared t o re t urn to her nati v e
who bore him a So n by the name o f " Adeod n t \ 1
Au g u s tine made no atte mp t
"
f ol l ow ed by his b e love d mother - Monica, later Sain t Mon ica v
I Ill. t i me o f Monica ' s arr iv a I in Ita l y, Augustine had a l ready b e -
stop him fr o lll I
ing in "common-law rela tions hi p ll wi th a woma n f or a period
Ambrose i s due part of
r.rcd i t, al ong with Augustine ' s mother Mon i ca ..
iou s amp hithea tr e s , with an occ a s i on al time for g amb ling . t he hou s es of pros ti tut i on he frequente d did n o t
know -
I' 'T1 o und
of h :l s e ar l y l ife he gave in his CONFESSIONS .. Her
ulll1,",I " ff'l ,, ~l helv e r c ~ t e d upon he r attempts to impose upon her 5
mo t her. II In o t her words t his mortal man, ", • • lJ, ..-' ,'\tl' :"I· o r th e Chr i.: ol l .II '
II' I
I
loll J
y- Cnt1r'lClc d religi o us bf"J ief - Nor th Af rican Chr is t i an i t y 0
I ,"". I
n Cll n
~o
J.r <;1 wn fro m t he slci py in f orma t ion ava il -
93 92
•
"If
ab le a bout her lif e. Au g ustine returne d to Car t h ag e shor tly af ter the unt ime ly death of h is mo t herc At t h is point in his li f e he had bec ome
i ly h is youthfu l back ground, a lso h is r e ligiou s conversion a nd
u, l·le n acc e lerati o n i nt o promi n e nce a s a the o l og ian , p hi lo soph er, nd Bishop . But Au g ust in e also had the misf ortune of bec o mi n g
d e votedly a t t ached and involved in Chr i s t ian eth i cs and divine
),o p of Hi pp o Reg iou s shortl y befor e Ga is eric (or Ge n seri c ) l ed J_tlr:lpag ing Van da l s
ma tte r s. To some e x t en t i t wa s d ue t o t he shoc k the sudden d e a lh o f his mother
t
t o whom he was dearly at t ached, had on
h im ~
Fr om
t he se experienc es he deve l o ped his extraord i n ary desir e for ttw p e rmanen t r e ligious sec l u s ion he t ook in the monas t ery of North Afri ca in later days ;
this of cour se does no t diminish his oth"J
loves that maqe his :final d e c i s ion to fo l l ow said course, much
r ti'l n Peninsula ( Spain ) ~ Gai s eric' s inva s io n \1aS in suppor t of Il'~ I.';,) l
11
llo'",
Regi us.
II
C. E.l .
Au ~
so outstandinq
Au gu stin e t ook command of t h e Bishopric in th e ye a:r on S a i n t
unvli s ely declar ed hi mself r uler of the Roman province
I, nL l lli a n I I I !,la s Emperor o r
I I! Pl o cidia ) , l-,ho i
t he
-
III 411 C~E . He ,,,as ,
~'J est ern
Ro man Empir e ( 4 2 5- 455
1'/,(1 I"~
him extra t ime f or a dded medi t a t ion a nd writing. From th is
g~ v/
o f the ar my
Va nd u ls ' invi t a ti on to North Af ric a by Gener al Bonifatius
•
(Pranc e)
u nder the l eaders h i p of Ath aul f , the b ro t her-in-law o f
1'./'; .
:J ub :'3 equent l y died in Ita l y after s ac king Rom e on 14
'..1110
11'lll~t ,
4 10 C . E. By 41 6 C . E., Va llia ( 4 16 - 4 19 C. S.) , who
1 1\ AL hL! 1l1f hud e s t ab li s hed t he f ir st Il Barba rian Ki n gdom. '!
CONFESS I ONS, ON CHRISTIAN DOCTRINES , a nd the HOLY CI TY OF GO II
I'Vlll n .l o ('),ll..JJ.l. h had already s t ar t e d wi th 8mpe ror Cons tan-
I,
1m ill I . :l'h u s , i n 423 C .. E . Johan nes
fo u nd . Hi s mora l , r e ligious, pol i tical, a nd s o c ial fe rvor :t n t h .. ar:e sti ll a pp l i cable to th e present. A very short extracl l , ..,,, his CONF ESSIONS is st.Jwn on page 102 of this work ; other s Lo
at the t ime, comma nder
I llo t ll :'=; . Th e Visigoths had alrea d y c onque red Gau l
V
treatises ...
which most scholar s t o this v e ry day find to be a g ele s s l y IJI
t h e Smperor Cons t a ntine n e ar
ll y ac ce p ted because t hey were b e ing c h a se d from Spain by
Vdl ,
ta g e point he wro t e e xte nsivel y wi thout res t in g between wor k I ••
so le r u l er. Hon oriu s also \'l as the former
C onst a t ius~
I. mpe r o r
384-3 9 9
The elevation of Aug u stine to Bis h o p of Hi ppo Reg i u s
~'Jas
,11 that defeated and murdered
\ ' 1',
24
Bu t ,of all h is major works i t is the three major
disaffection from the Roman Empire in 4 2 9 C.E . ;
I)is comm and in North Af ric a . Dur ing t his s a me p e riod
t h e "Bishopr ic o f Hi p p n
C . E . , as ordered by Pope Siricius ( l ater
I
). He ~o,fa s t h e son of Honor i u s ' half-sister , Galla P lac idi e
Up on h is return t o North Afr ica, fr om Rome a nd Milan,
that he was litera lly for c e d t o accep t
Bonif a tius
J1C!
of whi ch will be det a iled later on in this c hapter.
gus ti n e ! s invo l vemen t in spiritual matters was
( Barbar lan s)26 i n t o North Afri ca i'rom the
" ~II
. d • 25 as r e q u l.re
( 4 23 - 4 25 C . E . ) h ad forced
I " tn p [-/cr and u su r. ped t he Roma n p ur p l e on the dea t h "
II
,
i\
L Ra ve n na I wh ich he h a d mode h is capi ta l in pre f -
III n1 11111 , nnD ",h lch I"l io pccdcc es s ors used . But in
What has been so f il r :;hOWII .'uo lil 5t /lu '1 u !IoLi n c ' :::l life- 1.. l '
94
95
was murder e d by troops sent from the Roman Empire o f the Eas t b y
11 p hil osop h er) who trans l at ed Ar is t o t le 's Eg y p tian-ba sed ilLOGIC "
The odos i us II.
t, !eh Ar is to tle stole from the Africans of Egyp t) into Lat i n from or i gina l Hieroglyph and Greek in orde r
Aug ust ine's ebbing life had wit nes sed Rom e' s di sinte gr atloll a nd the dawn of t he
Vand a~.'s
rule i n North Africa . As su ch, he w
obli g ed to comment on these historic e ven ts in most o f hi s l a n t work s, whic h took on mor e o f
the polit i ca l
m~
and s oc io-ec onomi c
sages found i n the wri t ing s of his f ello..., Af rican f o rerunners -
alre ad y rav ag ed Nor th Afr ic a for a period of t hree months
('UI'
year ending 430 a nd duri ng the beginn ing of 431 C .E .). But, lh' of
their barbar it y was nev e r excelled b y any othe r grolll'
dur i n g th e daw n o f
t he Ch ristian Er a
as t hey too ravaged the Mid dle- East and North Africa
26
fr om 1':' 1
nil"mp oraries .~ e r e no t at al l
t
t o 379 C.E.) , and Claudius t h e Ale Xand rian (c our t p oe t of emper - . lIon orius and S t ilieho ) .. Of course many European and Europeanhistori a n s (religious and sec ul ar)
I 1'" I.1 1l
I"d n Roussea u' 5 b iog raphies
t he Fourth Ce ntury C.E. Has to Hi t-nC! , '
r eviv al of non-Chri st ian wri tings -
the so-call ed IIpag a n Lilll !1
literature" - wh ich HaS no doubt as ric h as the North Af rj
,111
Chrisl:ian Church l itera ture i t wa s r epl acing . The grea t e s t I.l ,t
t'''I '
Milan; St Jerome
t
th in gs cu l tur al to t he pop ul ace, r ather
than to the mi d dll1
It~
style Chr is t i a n setting . Althoug h the so- c alle d "non-Chri..:;. l \ 11 lit e ra ture" was much mor l.! i nvi gor at l.r"l q , pl aced o n it, it v,a s n e vc C'-l:.h - l c.co
1111.: 1\
bCCL\ \..I:. C
l ib
J)
of t h e ('Hl pll
II
'I
(34 0-4 20 C .E:. ) - who des erte d Rome for
, with t he
ge niu s of St Aug ust ine. HOvle ver,
Il Llemp ts, they g ave no com parati ve an a l ysis to t h es e men's
t n., ! '.J it h t l1 0s e of S t Aug us tine's, t h ereby
el imi n a t ing t he
11C j.r o wn content i ons.
l it
t
t.
" t';reck Fat hers" - whom th ey tried to compare to t he "La t -
Ifl n ) l1nd " Af ric an F at hers" - were, Basil of Caesar ea (3 30.); his
bro th er Gr eg or y of Nyas a
(d.c. 39 4 C.E .); a n d
fo1(lz i,:lllau s (32 9- 389 C. E .). They vJ e r e knO\.Jn a s " . ... the
liP' doc i ,J.n:; . " Included were a l so John Chr ysostom ( 329 -38 9
1 ,,·1
upp e r c l asses for Hh om "Latin l iter ature " c ate red in i t ::; 1';"1
on the same l eve l Hi t h th at of
IiI . h ll"'lT1 , where h e tran sl ated the Christian Bibl e from Gr eek t o
V"'
nific a nce '.."as t he fact that this period mar.ked t he re tun1 o!
te nd to r ate Pepys"
I J oe ' s CONr"ES SI ONS . Man y of them a l so tried to rat e th e "Lat-
Ii,
mo st no te d of the truly " g reat Christ ian wr i t er s a nd p h ilo:'; ()l,I,. But the second half o f
l ike Aug ust ine'S - who live d in the
til Century C.E. wit h men such as the Ga lic poe t Ausonius (C on-
lit ( 11C Vu l ga t e)
rope. On the day St. Aug ust ine di ed the curta i n fe ll on the Ii) :
t he Osthr o g oth - in 52 4 C. E . Bu t Boethi us '
t1t(>r s " - Lactan t iu s (d .c. 325 C .E. )j St Amb rose (34 0- 397 C . E.),
(C. E. ), exce pt dur ing tIl\'
p eriod wh e n t he Ch ri st ians them se l ves became the "new Barbar 1dll
96
,II Lon by Theodori c -
tJ
Be f or e Aug ustine di ed on 28 August 430 C.E. th e Vand al s 1"1" ,1
ex ten t
1 tlONE PHI LOSOPHAINE" wh ile he l anguiShed in p rision a~"J aitin g ex -
'II
Tertullian and Cypr ian (also HS aint" Cypr ian).
t o ,."rite h is t'DE CONSO-
..
t r tf ll:"ch )
o f Con5tantinople (381 C . E.) i and Euseb ius " ( 264-
OrL.h odox Bis hop of Cae sare a. (315 C .E .) , note d f o r hi s
~
•• 11'
!
onl u (i cd wi th Ari a n C::u :;e b i us of Ni c omed i a.
r·t ui ::; (lh .
97
HHISTORIA BCCLBSIATICA" and other h istorical YJOrks.
'( Eur opeans and European-Americans .
Not ing the IILatin" and "Greek Fathers" mentioned, historic ,, 1 none of them produced a,ny major \oJork on t he level of St. Augus t1, "CITY OF GOD, II "ON CHR I STIAN DOCTRINES,"
or "CONFESSIONSu; not
one of them even ma tche d August i ne's "lesser \·Jorks. 1t
"\11 'II
Many Africans and Af r ican-
i.c as , Sons and daug hters of convert€!d slaves to European and
npc an - Am erican-style Chr istian i ty (European- S t yle) , aided a n d
, I Lcd by the ir Jewish (Hebre\·J) and Islamic c Oh c;>rts, a l so '1
de rnn thes e Afr i c anisms in lik e manner.
Augustine's mentor, S t. Ambrose of Tries (340-397 C.E.) - a
There was another cr i tical as p ec t of St. Au gustine ' s phi l o-
for mer Roma n Pr ovinc ial Gove rnor - who was later elected
thou g hts, as experie nced i n his works, ~/ hi c h must be
'1ilI t c d i
Arc h b i shop of Milan (374 C . E . ) before his baptismal, who vJas
01 i l,, :d to the depth of h is understa nd in g of life and li fe's
also responsible for makin g Emper or Theodosius do penance on til ..
), !
l.t.:a l .l~;
basis t hat: " • •• t h e ecclesiastical matters of a Bishop is superior to an empe r o r, 11
application as seen in i ts translation into spirituality .
best observed in the rela t ion sh ip b e t ween St. Augustine
i t , c ommon-law son, Adeoda tus , whom he took wi th him wherever
'I
nl.
\JiI
Eve n in t h e year 384 C. B., t'/h en he vIas assigned a
was also ch ief architec t of Stoic tradition, au th or of t he h II 11'.11 Ch air at Milan, h e took h is son wi t h h im; t his Has dur-
"Duties of t he C l e rgy" (accord i ng to Ci cero's "DE OFC'ICIS") -
-
~ am e
'111 '
t he standard t hes i s on e thics before Augustine ' s works.
p eriod when h is mother 1'1onica visited
h irn~
...lh en he
This 1
nl i
t o Rome, \·/here h e abandone d Han ich aei sm whi l e under the
'tlork, Ambr ose's best, also faile d t o e qua l e i t h er t h e IIHOLY (.: 1: OF GOD, II "CONFESSIONS
,II
I HI n.::;C of h is frie nd and men t or Abrose .
(la t er saint), and
"ON CHRISTIAN DOCTRINES,;' or any I ,I
1;0
indul ge i n ree din g t he neo- P latonists, he also carried
other of the IIlesser writings " of Augus t i ne. till uitll h i m.
In 388 C .. E .. , ~"'h en he s et sai l for his return
l.'Jhat Augustine ' s works had over all of t he other flC hu.t·c ll JIo.lr:lc- Numid ia , North Africa, he car ried h is son
I
Adeoda t us ..
Fathers" \."as his deep love for t he Hretche d a nd the poor, \·, h !· I. II
q" ' l y ::;I:ruck St.. Au g us t ine heavi l y o nce more, as Adeodatu s
h e kne\-l s o well through his personal s as a young mall HI Y d Led i n 309 C. E. after a very shor t illness, a tra gedy when he visited houses of ill-repute I g ladiator s , gamblin y 1.1lC!.t' on to enr i c h Au g u stine' s t hough ts in his philosa l oo ns , etc .
j
all of wh ich when he converted he brought 1:0 t ~)... 1(\(1..... 11 :au
"School of Chris t ian Theology" he found e d.
He also fathom 'lI I II
t' , lhc d ei t y of Je s us Chr i st, t he s ain t hood and immacu la te
in ner secr ets of neo- Pla ton is m and i1anich ae ism - 'v,h i ch he modera t ed b y linking them with his understandings of ind io Afr i c an mytholo g ical and Ancestral Spirit 'r'JorShip . b ."o are fundam entally
l nd1 I'Je nQ lI ~'
I\.[r
j ean
Iwology
The 1 .d
"~It
nd llI<)rn J
pr incip les \... h icl'l are today call ·(I " pn'llH'I 'i.,m" "nd II fr,H !Jhlt,m"
~
n f Hnr y lf and the " sa in thood of Jose p h," etc.
" Il~be licf is t hat Alnbro se ~... as Augusti ne 's t eacher in
I I"" j-
and Y/ritings on Christian dograas a b out " carnal i n -
"Ily ; c ve.r: yo no o f sa id historians hold i ng said p osi t io n f .1t Lh fa.c t t hat Christl-unity was already corrunon in t he I '1 I c., t rom wh rc- Augu st i ne c ame to Hilan and Rome. Also UIII I tnt: alr; o co n trtbu tcd 11i::; .first at t.emp ts at Christiani ty ,
I!' ' f
til
L •
99
Th e legacy st. Aug u s tine le f t
t h e e ntire wor ld i s included t
that wh i c h is toda y c a ll e d "GREAT \>IR ITERS OF THE
~vES TE R N
WORLD:'
and oth er n o t ed inter n a ti on a ll y acce p ted t i tle s . Becau s e o f th J ge nius , however, his indi g enou s Afr ican ( "Neg ro, etc . ) orig i n h as b ee n carefu ll y camouflaged ,
To f athom more in t o an understanding
Bantu , Black ,"
Augustin e ' s thinking and philoso p h ioc al p r Onouncements t h e f olI ·.wl ng extracts are g i v en. Thu s h e wro t e on " • • • c ommunion wi t h I I
v Ods :,,35
s uppressed, or
(VI) 13 . And h o w Thou did st d el i v er me ou t o f t h e bonds of de s ire, wherewi t h I wa s bound mo st s tr a i t ly to c arnal concupisce nc e , and out of t h e drud g ery of wor l dl y things, I wil l now declar e , a n d confess u n to T hy name , "0 Lord ? my h elper and red eeme r . " Ami d increasi n g a.nxiety , I wa S doing my won t e d b u s iness, and d a ily sig h ing unto Thee . I attend e d Thy Churc h . whene ver free f r om the busines s und er t he burden o f which I groan .
oth e rwi s e made to a ppear that he wa s onl y born i n North Africil, but, t h at h e was a " Caucasia n." Of cour s e any Afric an who was r s p onsible for a n y thing whi ch
" ~-Jest ern
Soc i ety" b ased i ts o ri g lll
a n d moralit y u p on must have b ee n a nythi n g o t her than a IINe gro, q African Sou t h of t h e Sah a ra, II or pla in old " Ni gger ,, " T h e extellt
IJ n
"car n al concupis e nce " cited i n t h e a b ove, h e wrote : 3 6
of s t Au g u s tine· s leg a cy, the geniu s o f his indi g enous African
But now , t h e more ardentl y I loved those whose h ealthful a ff ec t ion s I heard o f, th at they h ad r e si gned t h emselve s wholly to Thee to b e cured, t h e more did I a b h Or myself, wh en compared Hi t h th em. For ma n y of my year s (s ome twelve ) had now run out with me sinc e mine • • • , " e t c . , etc., e tc .
o r igi n, inc l ude s t he following works: 1.
The DRAMATIC POEM; which he w r ot~ for a po etry compet i t i o n in 3 77 C . E. 7
2.
ON THE BEAUTIFUL AND THE FIT.28
3.
P..GAINS T THE ACADEMICS, ON THE HAPPY LIFE.
4.
ON ORDER . 29
5.
ON MUSIC. 30
6.
ON THE MORALS OF THE CATHOLI C CHUR CH AND
o f the inne r d e p ths o f
111 :. d isda i n f or his f e ll OH indige n ou s Af ricans
(Bl acks Ne• " tc . ) o f North. Afri ca, who were for c ed into t h e s ervice of Ill' ''' Or of Rome ( Nort h Africa b eing a t th e time a Provinc e ' 111';' 1 i ,\ 1 Rom e) b rought forwa rd t h e followin g : 3 7 1 4. Upon a day t h en , Neb ri d i us be i ng a b ses s ( I rec ollec t n ot \"r h y) , 10, t h ere c ame to see me a nd Alypius on e Pontitianus, our c ountryman s o iLlr a s beinq an ,I). frican, in hig h o f fice in t h e I-:m pe ror~s cour t. Wh a t he co u ld wi th us, I know n o t , bu t we sa t down to c onverse , a nd i t h a ope n (:d Lh a t upo n a tabl e f o r s o me gam e b e f or e u s , he o b~cr v e d a b ook , took , o pe ~ e d i t , and c ontrary Ln h i s ex pec t a tion, fo u nd i t t he Apo stl e Pa,ulj l oa:- h e h ad th ou g ht i t some of those b o oks whi ch 1 V.' .l.S weari ng myse lf in teachin g .
OF THE MANICHEANS.JI
7.
ON CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE . 32
8.
ON THE TRINITy . 33
9.
CITY
10 .
OF
GOD . 34
RETRACTIONS . 35
In t h e a bove lis t ed works enti t led 1t RETRACTIONS " - Au!) •• commented on a ll t h a t hundred and
th1r~y - two
h e h a d alread y writte n u nder mor e (232) oth e r
sepa:ra te t itles ; all
Ul, I I '
0 1 1011, 1
did not includ e h i s I1SERMONS" or " LETTERS, which h e had !) V l " , \ publi s h i n a separ ate ser i e s.
100
1
1 hn l'(~ 11 11
V/ d S
any doubt of the ind i g enou s African ori g in of St
11I h 1t - c o - e v e r, Au g u st i n e l e f t no doub t o f suc h ori g in i n
II Wru c1t.!; lJnderscare d Vh r
for emph as i s above. He ma d e n o effor t
to C: la i m a n y Euro pea n
,IH I \"'I lnpl fo t:' f e llow Af r i c an :.;
or i gi n ~
and ac t u a l ly displa y ed
Io n the service of t h e Roma ns.
101
Chri st , whi c h h e wou l d n ot at f ir s t. v ouc1lsa.fe to h ave i n ser t e d i n our wri ti n g s. For r a t her vJOul d h e have the m s a v o ur of t he lo f t y "c e.dar s " o f the Sch ool s , whic h t he Lord h ath n Olo, broken down , th an o f t he wh o l es ome herbs of t he Church, the ant id o t e ag ai n s t serpents q
On problem s of hi s conversion from the ind ig e no us Afri c a n traditional religion of hi s f ather , the religio n o f Numidia, t o 38 Christiani ty , Au g ust ine wro t e : .... vJhe n , u pon th e readin g of Cicero' s HOR TENSI US , I wa s s t irr e d t o a n earnes t l o v e o f wi sd omj and s t ill I wa s d e ferrin g t o re j e ct me r e e ar t h l y fel ic i ty , a nd giv e myse lf to s e ar c h o u t t ha t '.rJhe r eof no t t he findin g onl y , b u t t he v er y s e a r c h, wa s t o be prefe rr ed t o t he t r e a sur e s a ndd Ici n gdom s of the wor ld, t houg h alr ead y f o und , and t o t he p leas ur es o f t he b od y, t houg h s pr e ad around me a t my will. But I wr etched, most wr e t ched, in t h e very comme nceme n t o f my earl y yo uth, h ad begged cha s t i ty o f Thee , a n d said , "Give me chasti ty a nd c ont i ne nc y , on l y n o t ye t. II For I feared les t Thou shou l dest h ear me s oon, and soon cure me o f the d i sease o f c oncupiscence. which I wishe d to ha ve satis fi e d, rather than'extinguish ed . And I h a v e wande r e d through crooked vJays in a sac ri legiou s s u perstition, not indeed assur ed t here o f , b u t as pre f erring it to the others whi c h I d i d not s e e k r eligiou sl y , but opposed ma licio usly . In his "disputations a ga i ns t t h e academic ia ns " he wr o tu: (IV ) 7 . Now Has th e d ay come wherein I wa s in deed t o be f r eed o f my Rhe t oric Profe s s ors h i p , \"her eor in t ho u gh t I ",'as a l r ead y f reed . And i t was d one. Tho u did s t r escue my ton gue w h ~ n befor e t hou had s t r es cued my heart And I b l ess ed Thee , r ej oic in g j r e t iring wi th al l mi ne to the v i l l a . What I the r e d id i n writi ng, t... h i ch waS nat" e nli sted in Th y service, t h o u gh st ill , i n t hi s br ea th i n g - t im e a s i t \,-Ie re , pa n t i ng f rom th e sc ho o l of prid e , my book s ma y wi t ness , as . . .'e l l wh at I deb ated with o thers, a s what wi th mysel f a lone , befor e Thee : vJha t vlit h Nebri d iu s , wh o was a bs e nt, my ep is t les b~ v,itnes s. An d whe n sh a l l I ha ve t ime to reh~ s c all Th y gr e a t be nefits tow ard~ us at t h a L time , es pe c:L al ly wh en has ti ng on t o yet grea t e r m c r G iQ ~ ? For my r e me mbe r a nc e r e c alls me , <J.nd ploQa c ant i5 1 t t o me , 0 Lor d, to confess to T h e a by wha t i nward g oa d ::; 'r h o ll t am ·(11... · .1 and hml thou h a s t e v e.ned me , 1 0w e r in<;J t he moun t ain :; a nd h l l l s o f my h i g h im al) i n atl o ns, s tr aig hte n inq my c r ook ed nes :; , nnd ~ m o o t h i ng my ro ugh way::; i imd how Th o u also o\lbduf!ds t t h ....
br othol;!..C of my h eart, Alypius , unto Ih .. Nrunc oj Th y On ly Bcg:ot.t.en, our. Loc o and S,\vi ur Juau3
JO
On Scrip t ur e and o n Con f ession he wrote: 40 I~. And with a l oud cr y of my hear I cried ou t I n t he next ve r s e Oh in peace 10 Or for " Th e Self - Sam e !" Oh vJhat ' ,\,;is a id he,"I l l lay me dOloJn and s l eep ," f or who shall hinder us \1h:,re !'cometh t o ~ass t h at say i ng whic h is ' ~~rltten Dea t h is st"a ll o wed up i n v ictor y " ? And lhou surin g ly a r t " the Sel f - Same , " Wh o ar t not ch~ngedj and Thee i s r e t wh i c h f or ge tt e t h all tall, for t her e i s n o ne o t h e r with Th e e nor art we t o s eek th o s e many o t he r th ings ' whichart n o t Thou a r t ; b u t Tho u Lor d , alon; has made me dw e ll i n ho pe. I r ead, a nd kind led nor f ound I \"ha t to d o t o th ese d e af a nd d e a d o ~ wh om m ys el ~ ha d bee n , a pestilent perso n, a bl~t er and b ll nd bawl e r ag a i nst tho se wri t ing s \'-1 ~ lC h a re ho ni ed wi t h the ho ne y o f he a ven and l l g h t s o~e I>}i t h Th i ne o wn li gh t i and I was' cons ume d \-Jl th z e a l a t t he enemi es o f th is Scripture~
On t he i nd e n tific at i o n o f his t ea c h er 4 l he sta ted: ~ V ) 1 3. Th e ~in tage Va c ati on e n d ed , I gave not l ce to t he M~lan ese to pr ov i de t he ir s chola r s wi t h another ma ster t o s e l l wor ds t o th em· for th at I had both ma d e choice to s e rve Thee) ~nd t hr~ugh my dif f icul ty o f br eat h i n g a nd pai n I n my cnest '.las not ,,".q u al to the pr of essor sh i o~ And by letters I si gn i f i ed to Thy Pr e l at e , th ~ hOI~ man Ambr~se, ~y form e r e rror s a nd presen t d es l r ::s , be g g lng hls a d v i ce what o f Thy Sc r iptur es .l had b e st rea d , to bec ome r e adier a nd f i t ~ r ~ or r eceiving so great gr a ce ~ He rec o mme nd ed Isa ~ ~ h th~ Pr o ph et : I be l ieve because he abo v e t h e r ~st l S a m?re cl ear f or es hewer o f the Go spe l ~ nd o f t~e c a ll~n 9 o f t h e Ge nt i l e s . But I , n o t un~c~ s tan dl ng t h e f~r s t. le ss on i n h im , and i mag ini ng thf~ Hhol e t o b e l~ke It, la i d i t b y t o b e re sumed when be tt er prac t i s ed in our Lor d ' s ' o wn word s .
A
~1.
l1l:1Stcr
o n the e mpty ing of th e soul , he \oIro te : t1 2
Tho u h a~t "taug h t me go od r,;' a ther th a t " t o tho ptU~, a l l things are pw: c , " but t h at "i t i s nvU unto the mil n tha.t ea.tet h wit h o f f e nc e " . llnd t h.,t " eve:r y cr."-' .:1 ture o f Thin e io8 good, ~ nd 10 3
... nothing to be refu sed, which i s r eceived with thanksgiving II j and t hat Ilmeat commendeth us no t t o God" , and t hat IIno man s hou l d j udg e u s in me a t or d ri nk, " a nd tha t he ~I/h i c h eateth, l et hi m not des pi se h im t hat eateth n o t ; a nd l e t no t hi m t hat eaeth n o t , j udge h i m that e at ~t h . Th e s e th ing s h a ve I l ear n e d , th anks to Th ee , pra1s e to Th ee , my God , my Master, k nockof my e ars , e nli gh tening my he art; deliver me out of all temptation. I fe ar not ••• •• • 1e tc ~
II • • • from t his discre pancy betwee n the Hebr ew b,?oks and our own ar ises t he we ll-known que s b.on as to the ag e. of l'le t h u selah ; f or it i s compu ted that he l~v ed for fo ur te en years after the deluge, thoug h Scr i pture rela t es that o f all who w~re th en u pon the e ar t h only the eight sou l s ~ n t he ark esc aped destr ucti on of the flood, and of t hes e Meth u se lah was not one. For a ccording t o our bOOks, Me th uselah, b e f ore he b egat t he son whom he called Lamech , l i ~ed 16 7 year s; the n Lame c h hims elf, be~ore h~s son Noa h was bor n , l ived 188 year s, wh~ch toge t h er make 355 year s. Ad d to t hes e the age of Noah at t h e date of t he deluge 600 years, and this g i ves a to t al of 955 f rom the b irth of MethU selah t o t he year of t he f lood . Now all the years of the l ife of Methuse~ah are computed to b e 969; for when h e h a d l ~ved 167 years, and ha d begot ten his son Lamech, he then lived afte r th is 802 year s, wh ic h makes a t otal , as we said of 969 years . From th i s , if we ded u ct 9SS'years from the bir th of MethUselah t o the flood t here remains fo urteen ye ar s, which i s s upposed t o h ave l ived a fte r th e f l ood. And t herefore so~e suppo~ e t h at, tho ug h he wa s no t on ear t h ( ~n wh ic h i t is a greed tha t every l i v ing th i~ g which could not na t urally live in water per~sh ed ), he was for a time wi t h his father who had,been t r anslated, a nd that he lived ' th ere t ~ l l the f lood had ed a wa y. Thi s h yp O ~ hesis t hey ado pt , that th ey may not cas t a sl~ght o n the trustworthiness of v e rsio ns \.,;h ich t he Ch~Ch has rec eived i nto a pos i t ion of hi gh a u t ~ or~ty , a nd be cause they bel i ev e t hat th e J e wls h MSS, ra ther than our own ar e in err or . For they • • ~ ,e t c . , etc. I etc ••
Still holdin g to th e PLatonist ph i l osophy and arguin g for same , he s upp orted the p o s ition i n the followin g manner:
43
• • • I f , th e, Plato defined the v/ i se man as one who initi ates , knows, loves th i s God, and who is rendered b l essed t h rou g h f el lowship with Hi m in i s own b l essedness, v,hy dis c uss wi t h t he o th er p hil o s o pher s? I t is evide nt th at none c ome near e r to us than t he Platonists . To th em , t h e re f ore , let t ha t fab ulo u s t heology g i ve p alce whic h de l i ghts the minds of men with crimes of the gods; and that civil theo l ogy also, in wh ich im pure demons, under the name o f gods , h av e seduced the peoples of th e earth given up to earthly pl e as ures , desiring t o be h onour ed by t he e r rors of me n, and by filling the minds o f t he ir worsh i ppers wi t h imp ure desires, exc i ting them t o ma ke the repres entatio n of the ir crimes one of t h e ri tes of the ir worsh i p, whilst th ey th ems elves f o und i n t he spec t a t ors of t he se exhibiti o n s a most P l e a i'ng spec tacle - a t he ology i n wh i ch, wha te ver w honourable i n the temp l e, was defiled by it mixture with obs ce n i ty of t he theatre , and whatev er was base in the theatre ~I/as vindicated by the abomin a tions of the te mp le:; . E' or those who could not accept the God of the "New Rcl j q Christi a ni ty, he wrote :
'
.r;t. Augustine 's keen mi nd , Shar p as i t is in the CONFESSIONS \-I'l' Y' OF GOD, reac hed i ts hi gh poi nt ON CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE .
Ha th no t God ma de foo li sh t he wisdom of the wor ld? F or after t hat, in the wi sdom o f God the world by wisdom knew no t God, it pleas ed them by t he foo lishness o f prea ch in g to s ave those that b e lieve . For the J ews requ i re a s i gn , and the Gree k s seek after wisdom; b ut we preach One crucif i e d unt o the Jews a stumb ling - block u n to the Gr eeks fool i shness ; b ut unt o those v!hich are call ed, both Jews and Gr ck:: e tc. , e t c . , etc. Over the controversy o f Methuselah's a ge he wro te : 1 04
I
44
,1 ~
n"c a use h e seemed to ha v e be l ieve d t hat his own writings Here AUq u s tine, li1ce al l o f . the of h i s Ch ur :. ,I mi n
!
w~~e~~~~i~~e~~~~v:! "~~~i~~ia~ missionar~es ~~ ~~~: ~~l;~w-
,lil t! t he same b ook a nd r eii g iOn f· er ~ AUg u stl ne :-s see n con 'I I' hr i st· h is God' th rom w ence even h lS God er - Mary ·t and his G0 d' s a f ph,:.prun g• . Is he s s mo . the r "mw .is correct O:y~~gh! h at ~he Jev!s wer e in error, and t hat 'nl Jr c r elig ion'of the He bsay~ n ~ t~at not o n l y thi s aspect o f T f ," j t · 'r. th rew s ~s l.ncorr e ct , b u t the e n t i re I ':'1lldat LO~ ' P;om ~ge s~embus t be cl~r ~s t iani ty I wh i ch has adopted rews re l. g ~on . 10 5
' insp ir ed by God.
I
In this regards Augusti n e i s to be observed
nor the stone which Jacob u s ed as a pi lloH ~ nor the ram whiCh Abraham offered up in plac e of his son , nor • •• ,rr etc .
in the following:
I.
There are two th i ngs on wh ic h all in terp re tation of Scriptu re d epen~s! the mode of ascertaining the proper mea n~ n g , and the mode of making known the mea n i n g wh en i t is ascer ta ined . We s h all treat first of the mode of ascertaining next of the mode of making k nown, the meaning - a great and arduous underta~in9' and one that, if difficult to carry out, 1 t ~s J I fear, presumptuous to enter upon •. And presumptuous i t wou l d undoubtedly be , .~f I were counting o n my ovm s trength; but s ~nce my hope of accompli shing t h e work rests on Him VJho h';l S a lr eady supp lied me with many thoughts on th~s subject, I do not fear but that He will go on to s u pp ly what is yet wanting when. once I have begun to use \·Ih at He ha s already g1.ven . ~or a possess ion which is not diminished by be~ng shared with others, if i t i s possessed and not shared, is not yet posse s sed as i t ought to be possessed. 'rhe Lord sait h , "h'hosoever hath , t o him s h all b e given. 1I He wil l give, t hen , to those who have; that i s to say, if they us e free l y and cheerfully wh at they have received, He wi ll add to and per fect His gift s . The loav es in the mirac l e were only f ive and seven in number the disciples began to div id e them among ~ h e hmngry p eople. But when once they began to d~s tribute them, though the wants of so many t~ou sands were sati sf ied , they filled bas ke ts w~th the frag ment that \,Jere le ft. Now, just a~ th ~ bread incre ased in the very act of braak~ng 1. t, so t hose thoug h ts which the Lord has alr~ady . vouchsafed to me with a v i ew to und ertak 1.ng th~s work wi ll f as soon as I beg in to im part them ~o others be multi p lied by His grac e, so that , In this v~rv work of distribution i n which I have engaged - so far from incurrin g lo ss and pov~rty , I shall'be made to r ej oice in a marvellous I ncrease of wealth . He was very emph a t ic on the only way t he Scriptures be in terpreted. On th is he wrote : 4 6 2. All instr uction is either abou t t hings or abou t signs · but things are l earnt by means o f sig n s. I no~ use t h e word "thing " in a s tr ic t sense to signify that wh i ch i t.; n e v er e mp l oye d as a sign of anythi n g el se : ( or ~ x~ple , wood , stone, catt l e and other t hingt; of t hat Ic: i nd. Not , however, the wood which '.II read M !; 5 c a st into the h i l Ler w<) tf' r ... t o m,lk.(' t hem CI"OC' l , 1 06
:: hi' I II·1
Of course he was as p r esumpti ve on the i neffab ili ty of God : 47
~. Have I spoke n to God , or uttered His pra i se, 1. n any worthy way ? Nay, I feel that I have done not hi n g more than desire t o speak; and i f I have sa id a ny t h i ng, i t is not what I desired to say . How do I know th is , except from the fact that-God is unspeakabl e? But what I have sa id, if i t had be en unspeakable, Cou ld not have spOken. And so God is not even t o be called " u nspeaka bl e " b e ca use to say even t h is is to speak to Him~ 'rhus there arises a c ur ious contrad i ction of \i ords because Of, it is not unsp eak ab l e i f it Can b~ 7alled unspeakable. And t h is opposition of words 1.S ra~her to be avo ided bv si l ence t han to be explained away by speech. And yet God, a lthou gh nothing worthy of His greatness can be said of Him, h as condescended to accept the wors hi p of m n' s mou ths, and has deSired u s throug h th e me d~um of our own words to r ejo ice in His pra ise . For on th is p ri nciple i t i s t h at He i s ca ll ed DEUS (God) . For the sound of t h ose two sy llab l es in i tse lf conveys no true knOw led g e of His naturej but yet a l l who know Lat i n ton gue are led when that SOund r7aches their ears, to think Of' a nature supreme 1n excellence and eternal in ex is t ence .
7
The question of what i s It
IIS ac r ed u or rrprofanerr li ter ature has
"r ound with mankind for quite a long time. On this subject
Jill t
tne wrote th e fa llowi ng : 48 22. But when unacquainted with other modes of life than their own meet with t he record of such a ctions, u nless they are restrained by authority they look UpOn them as Sins, and do not consider' that their own cus toms eit h er in reg ard to marri-. a ge, Or feasts, or dress, or the other necessitie s and adorro.ments of hUma n life , appear sinful to the peop l e Of other na t ions and other times . And, di s tracted by t h i s endless var i ety o f custom~i , ::;ome who were ha lf asl ee p (as I may say) _ tha t 1s, wh o were ne i t her sunk in the deep sleep o f? l.l.y , nOr were able to awake into the light of wl, s dom - have though t tha t there ...las no such hinQ u S ~b ~olute right, but that every nation tonk lts Own ~ u s tOm fo~ r ig ht; a nd that, s ince «!IV roy n ..Jt i on h;J. s i.I di f f e r e nt custom, and right mu~t:. l"'C.mill.n unch .;J n lJ~ab l c , i t becomes manifest 107
thou fillest them? Or dost t hou fi ll them and
that there i s no such thing a s r ight at all. Such me n did not perce ive, to take on ly one example, tha t the p~ecept , "Wha tsoever ye would tha t men shQuld do to you J do ye eve n so to them,I' cannot be altered by any diver sity of national customs. And th is precept, v/hen it is referred to the love of God, de stroys all vices; whe n to the love of onels ne ighbour, puts a n end to all cr i mes . For no o ne is willin g to defile his own dwe lling ; h e ought not, therefore, to defile the dwelling of God, that i s , h i mse lf. And n o one wishes an injury to be done hi m by another; be himse l f , therefore , ought not to do in jury to another ..
yet overflow, since t h ey do not contain thee? And whither, whe n the heaven a nd the earth are filled , pourest thou forth the remainder of Thyself? Or, hast thou n o need that augh t con tain t hee, who containest all th in gs , s ince what thou fillest thou fil l est con t ai ning it? On e sees that eve n in quest ioning things Augustine waS at
On Divinely inspired authors and authority he wrote:
50
I'(I:~ ,I'
9. Here, perhaps, some o ne inquires whether the author s whose d iv ine l y inspired writings constit ute t he canon, whic h carries with it a most who l esome author ity , are to be considered wi se only, or eloquent as we ll . A quest ion wh ic h to me, and to those who thi nk with me , is very easily settled. For where I understand these \.,.riters, it seems to me not only that 'nothing can be wiser, b u t a lso t h at n othing can be more eloquent. And I venture to affirm that al l who truly under s tand what these writers say, perceive at the same time that i t could no t have been proper ly said in any other way. Augustinels writings, as seen in th is work,
;";\l.me time emphasizing what he thought to be his " God I s com-
lilt
ltl
ct i ve s have become the standar d procedura l escape for 111(" Chr istian clergy to this very date . And the clergy have
I'"
r h,~,' l i n g
l '
Chr is tianity (as developed in the North African Church undl"l di ge nous Africans) from the Fourth through the p re sent Tw "ul)"
with the orig in of God Hi mse l f , or the realism of
5 11 virgi n
bir th.tt
! ll U 5 , ,· ~ .lndi1
he a l so ta ught them hm.,. to apply their own feelin g s and of t he faith in his Book IV of thi s same quoted ti t le .
mpli' : In Chapter 30, subt itl ed I ..
III~:
liTH E PREACHER SHOULD COM-
DISCOURSE \-IITH PRAYER TO GOD. I' But it was Augustine
w!\o would do this best, as it i s seen in sub-sect io n 63 of 1,lIvn menli oned work:
ce n tury C.E. For example: In speaking about, and agai nst,
the Ma nlr-I "
Scri pture s - as he always d id -
h i s aud i ence . Th us; in t he CONFESSIONS, Book I,
( II! ),
to •
Do the heaven and e a.t't:h the n c on lui n t h ...·e I
"II
J . II.
wrote :
10~
I
I
made them adopt his teachin gs as t he basic concept ::: .-.1
especially f or que s-
!\Ur"J us ,t i ne not only taught hi s Christia n brethren On Christian
although nlll,
show much of the ins ight he revealed to his fellow ChristLlIl.
Aug u sti ne called upon
em p l oyed i t as a means of answering a ll quest ions f o r wh ic h ,10 not have any hard and fast a n swer s,
a very limi ted amount of extracts from three of his most f runC.11
wh i ch
wit h repect to the ans"/ers. Th i s type of questionary-
31 11"
GJ . But whethe r a man i s g oin g to address the op lc or to d ic tate ~"'hat others will deliver or I a d to the people t he ought to pray God to put i nt I) his mouth a suitable d isc ourse. For i£ Queen l: Dlhcr pr ayed, wh en she wa s about to speak to t he k I nf} tou h i n q the t C'mp ora 1 welfare of her peop l e, tM! God "/ ould put rlt words i nto he r mouth , how I'I\J ,h !!1(l.!;"i:l. o u g h t h f'" La P(u Y for the same blessing wh e) t ., hQu rr; i n wo e d llnd d o c tri n e :for the eternal
109
• •
.(l1 i le i t is t rue t hat Au gust i ne ardently studied th e ItJ orks of t he
welf a re of men ? Tho s e again, who are to de l iver what others compose f or them ought , before t hey rece i ve their disc o urse? to pray for thos~ who are preparin g i t ; a nd when they have rece~ved i t , the y ought to pray both that t hey themselves ma y delive r i t we ll, and that those to wh~m the addr ess i t may g ive ear ; and when the d1s c ourse has a happy issue, t hey ought to r nder t hanks to Him from ~.,r h om they know such bless~ ng s come, 50 that all the pra i se may be His "in who se hand are bot h we and our wo rds. II
I. ,"e ek s mentioned abov e, i t
·1o wn from the teach in g s they received from the i ndige nous Af ricans (t.he so-ca lled "Ne g roes ll
7
Typical of his t ec hniq ue, Augu stine called upon t h e Book Esther , 4 : 16 (S eptu'agint) and Wisd .
7 : 16
y
i s equa lly tr ue that t heir wor ks cam e
Inrl i.g eno us Afri cans o f
)
of Egypt ( S a is), Ethiop ia ( Kus h) nad oth er
t he n a tion s a lon g the three branch es of t he
tl Ue- RiV e r (D lue Nile , Hh i t e Nile , and At bara River) ; a l so fr om o j
for Scriptures lh
Urrth , t<Jest, East, and Cen tr al Africa (A lk ebu-lan)o
Th i s is best
".:ow n in Y ~ ben-Joch an nan' s , BLACK MAN OF THE NILE, Alkebulan Books ,
wou ld ga in for himsel f \.,rhat he obviously believed to be biblic .11
t!,
ap proval .
lll,ti') e nous Africans furth er s ou th o f l'1editerranean North Afri ca ,
Even in reco gnizing his own limi ta t i o ns, Augus tine mad e i l seem that t hrough h i mself and his own teachi ngs wer e the only
64 .. This book h as extende d to a g rea t er le ngth than I expected or desir e d: B~t t~e reader ~r bearer who fin ds pleasur e 1 n ~ t w~ll, n o t t~J.nk i t long~ He who thinks i t to l o~g,. but ~s anX10U S to know i ts con t ents may r ead 1t) ~n.' parts. He who doe s not care t o b e a cquainted with it need not compla in of its l e n gt h. I, h owever, g ive thanks to God that with wh a t little ability I possess I hav e in these four bo oks striven to dep ict, not the sort of man I am my sel f (for my defects are ver y many) , but the sort of man he OU9ht ~o be .' who desires to labour in sound, t ha t 1S , 1n C hr 1 ~ tian d octri ne, n ot for his own instruc tion. o nly, b il l for that of others al s o.
All of thes e Af ricans were infl ue nc e d by other
hove a nd bel ow the Equator.
For ex ample: If las it possible f or
DLo t le who was never know n to have wr i tte n a sing le book bef ore
WI
I.,f t: his na t ive Greece to suddenly wri t e over on e -tho usand (1000)
to salvation .. T hi s is bes t see n in the la s t Chap ter i n ON CHR [ T1AN DOCTRINES, Book IV:
York, 1 970 .
W'
H.
Id ter he j oined Alexand er li t he great" in th e invasion and
11' j lU·f: t
I,d
of Eg ypt in 332 B.C. E . ·.?5 1
And , was i t possible that he ,
I hc t housands of Gr eek studen ts h e i mp orted in t o Egypt for the p urpose of being taug h t
by i ndigenous African teachers f rom
I,n ok s a n d oth er documen ts of the Royal Li b raries wh ich Alexander 1111
d and Ptolemy I (Gen'J..,Soter) seized, did not claim mos t of the
.,nou :; Afr icans ("Negroes ", e tc,,) works as t h eir own ?5 2 None I h II '
t wo quest io n s needs any lengthy exp lana t ion , for history
l r'~ o dy
detailed the f act tha t the Royal Li brary, which Aris-
Much of the dogmat ism in European and Euro p ean-Amer:i. Cdn \11(1 P t olemy I renamed "Li brary of Alexand.r l a
wa s u sed as
9 It
style Chris t ianity toda y (as se en) comes f rom the posi t ion :. ., ·· 11
J o e train in g in a l l discip lines all o f
a t t itudes in Augus t ine'S wri t ings. However , it is frequ e.nt ' " II t lldo n 1:5 . S t ated that "St. Augustine's brilliance wa s due to hi :;; . Gtw ly of the works of Homer, Socra tes , P lato , Virg~ l , Aris totle and other Greeks."
110
53
An d,
the pre-Chr i s ti a n
the y made very c e r tain tha t Egyptian and
I Il(U' v ··n("J l..I:j Afric a n students were barred from f urt her I"
1••
Yol
I
'I'J .'nO\ l ~
l hc f i r s t
tC ZJ chor s f)f t hese and former
Af l,- ic.J. n pri en t n of the ItMys t e ri es ."
stud i es
Greeks wer e
The Ch i ef Pri es t 111
th e Africa n who d i vided Egyp t ian hi 54 Moreover; \./;,.11'\ a nd "dy nast i c tl per iod s .
of th e schoo l was Manetho tory into "pre- dynastic
ll
it n ot the universal c u stom for all i nvading arm i es, the Greekt. i n parti cular , t o ravag e their victims' women, l oot their
v ic L l~
trea suries and treasures - i nc l uding a ll sorts of written documents, and sacl, their c itie s? The Greeks - l ike the Persians ,
I'a hg este- Num i dia, Nor t h Africa . It wou l d be al so i g n or ing St .. Au g us tin e ' s own background as a yo un g man i n Carthag e, North Ir i ca.
his own invo l veme n t with h is mo ther - Non ica _ a n d h i s so n _
' II'
'd~ odatus, · both of who se death stu nned him most severel y ; a ll of
!I t ch he spoke a bou"t very strong l y in h i s CONFESSIONS . 56
Assyrians, and Hyksos that preceded them into Eg ypt (Sa1 s) as ' " q uerors - rava g ed North east Afr i ca, j ust as th ey rava ged every
hi h i s native Nor"ch Africa ; espe c ially sinCe he was a l r eady b~enty ~-Jas
ver'Y
I qh t: (28)
much nec e ssary , in order that i t be c l ear l y understood th at hI' ~}orks
It is impos sible for Aug ustine not to have be en more t han :: ua l l y in f luenc e d by hi s in d i g enous Africa n re lig ious b ack ground
where e l se t hey had conq uered, Eur ope no t exc l ude d . This short d epartur e from st. Augusti ne's l egac y
'.>l e re not, to any gre at extent, i nfluenc ed by those who
genou s Afr ican P hi l osophers!! of North Africa and a long the ent 1
4, 1 00 mil e - lon g Nile River Va ll ey (from Uganda to th e Meditcr. ea n Sea - former l y the Egypt ian Sea or Sea of Sa is ) and throu
.l
t he son bei n g referred to i s th e one , and on ly, ch ild Au gust ine
j
I~
.1
1. 1
"r
I
completed his pr of ess or sh ip i n Mi l a n , along wi t h hi s r eadi"'1 the Greek works -
'"f '
such a s Virgi l' s AE NAE J wou l d be t"O i q nol '
II
i t is today, e ven th ou gh h is descendants are nml barred f rom ()£ its doors) , was sti ll h au nted by h i s ear lier
lif e b efore
CONFES SIONS .
'h t
death (those who fo ll o . . /ed h im by hundred of years with in
rit ('red Christendom - which he revea le d with deepest remorse 57
To say that st. Au gust ine ' s expressions in an y , or alJ . ..
.1'
This mortal ma n, i rrespect i ve of being
r ,....l i gion h e he l ped to s tabili ze an d to b e come the p Ol.oJerfu l
Ii,
t h inki ng and phi l osoph ica l expressions i n his writings.
S t. lunbr os e -
had - Adeodatu s .
I u"cd a IISAINT" by t hose . . lh o are in charge of mak i ng sain ts
IIMys tics, " tiith th e i r J u Ju and Obyah ( l-l i tc hcraft), who wer: " ,, '
\.Jorks \;lere dev elo ped, on l y as a resu l t of h is studi es u n (l",
in Numid ia and Cartha g e; but his
'WILil nt r.eflect i o ns o n " ce l ibacy" thr ou ghou t most of h i s wr i t ing s
I
01
Not on l y was he a f f e cted by h is i n di g neou s Afr i can
1I11t-:"l. te the effe cts which his out - of- t'ledlock so n 's b ir th had o n
1I~lJe stern educator s " as of Gree k origins .. 55 And tha t they , tnn ,
co n t emporaries h ad the ir eff ec ts on him , and mould ed much
pr o f essor.
I I Jh-Cu l ture (civiliza ti on)
I
Africa \.Jer e t he or i ginators of much of vJha t is a ll ud ed to b y
d irect l y influenced h i m. Even t hos e ind igenous Afr i ca ns, c rIl l
years ( 35 4- 382 C.E. ) ol d whe n he l eft Africa (Cartha ge)
his one , and on l y, visit to Europe ( Mil a n a nd Rome) t o serve
.1
.11
usual l y misnomered uGree k P h il osophers" - per se .. But, that " 1,
UL atin Chur c h Father s ,1t and i n particu l ar
An d of co urse 1 t \>Jou l d be \;li ll fully over looki ng the dep "th
:: ta ted before; e xcept for St. Au gustin e 's CONFESS I ONS th er e is Illllo , if any, i nfor mation avai l ab l e on his father , Patrici,Il moLher - Monica and h i s son - Adeodatusj the la t ter obv iJl "v e r amounting to much 1 n h i s own ri gh t - in the Sen se of 01, I d .e:; . Por , i t is als o very o b vious tha t Ade oda tus died a t a ytl1m.-! t19C ; this too is mis sing f rom Aug us t ine ' s story ..
e arliest expe riences wi tt: his father ' s rclitl ion in 111:) n.'l ' I",
11 3 l12
To say that St .. Augustine' s early life , on the other hand ,
tlumidia a nd Cart h age d ur ing S t. Augus t ine's youthful day s , bo th "t')untr i es , at t he time, bein g Roman Pr ovi nc e s.
was a "sord id one," as so ma n y have sta t ed in hund.ceds o f workt. deal i ng with "Sin" and IIR i ghteou s n ess," i s a value j udgmen t whl. o nl y those whose partic ular lfNORALS " and "R EL IGI OUS CONVICTION:: "
vlha t is so different i!'l St. Au g u s tine t s VJr i ti n g in "ON
I
/'HR ISTIAN DOCTRINES" from other indi q enou s Africans expre ss e d
f o ll ow s uc h d i rectionsj for i t is obvi ous, or it shou l d be , th. a' none o f h i s early you t h indulgences wer e aga inst the soc i al ~
I
or reli g i ous s c r uples of the major ity of the pe o p l e of C ,
age befor e t he dom inance o f tha t c ountry's indigenous a nd tra r" ti onal cu l tu re , ,.,.hic h inc l uded r e li g i o n a nd soc i a l more s , b y peop l e o f the "Net.,. Re li g i on" - s;..t}E..i st i anityo
t
Voodoo, Ju Ju , Damba lla h Ouedo, a nd other trad i t ional Afr ic an
j 1\
,'1 1gion 5, except for
II
wh i ch makes
'llC' l stianity "tru th" and the others mentio ned Ulie? "
Th e answer
I ,
I,.
BELI EF; a nd some time s this be l ie f i s manif est ed \.,. i t h gun pow-
j ~ l a nd /or
ma t t e r is be st expre ssed i n St . Augustine ' s own work; ""hen h('
Chris t ianity, l i ke Juda is m a nd Is lam, i s no t
If In: to i ts
th at " ••• each nation h as its own moral •• • , " etc .
it f it t ing to co nvert to t h e " New Re ligion" from
economic persuasion - as s e en i n Mr . Ac h ebe's book,
(JlI NGS FALL APART - in t he fir st Chapter of this work.
The truth o f tho
The fact t ha t St . Au g us t i ne ' s f a t h er - Patr ici us -
t he God-he ad _ ".JESUS CHRIST ,
0\110
It,
too,
d evelopment from every cu ltur e a nd reli g ion in
k h it comes i nto con tac t, al l of ~/ h i ch i s ev id e nce in St. Aug u st-
ne V~ J
11an ich ae i ~ TII
II I
Nr i t ings ~oJi t h r espect to " Liba t lo ns, Or acles , Gre ek Ph iloso-
' (l
etc.
I n Egypt (Sa is) Chris t ianity was bas i call y i ndlg enous-
h ad to have i ts ef f ect on h i m. It had t o have certain adver .;' " •
I .t. ,"
acti ons on h im, as his re spect and deep love for h i s non-Clu 1
pt i iln in a l most e ver y aspect.
1
r.,
f a t her - Patr ic ius - was a s cruc ial as th at for h is mother -
s ta ti c .
As Chr i stiani ty moved across
Africa to Numidia and Carthage (b i rt h p l a ce s of t he
t il
1 ' ~ .l n Christia n llFathers o f
t he Church") t he indi g enous
ca - I.,. h o was a convert from th e s a me r e l ig i on of h is fath e r
I
i chaeism, t o Christianity. Is it to be assumed th at they d ill '"
~ I"u n ::; there r efor med a nd adopted muc h o f i t s Egy ptian forma t to
carryover a ny of their be l iefs f rom Ma nichae i sm into Clu:.i.:...I ' ,. If so, t he n Ch rist ianity is a l so f r ee fr o m t he
carr y ov er ~
LI ",
brevJism ( ot her wi se cal l ed "Judai sm" in modern times). The- :. t,
I ,
fact, i n t h is specif ic argumen t, is that St . Au gusti ne novllu " ment i oned any d i f ficult y betwe en h i s pare n ts as a res ul t
o f
II I N'umid ian a nd Carthagenian cu ltur e a nd r eligio u s c ustom s .
I,
" lItl:-:tianit y e ntered each European coloni zed nati o n, t hroughou t . Lll e Amer i cas a nd t he is l a nd s of t he war l d , it became the 1>').1 1 re ligi on throu g h force and viole nce j
ht·
I 1g10n .
there was in d ividual 'to l era nce a nd
re l i 91ou ~
[ I' e
dom til ' .... n· 'I1 · .. ·1
Th is was done i n the name o f "JESUS CHR I ST," yet
.. Idler z marching wi t h g u ns as t h ey s ang "O rn'IARD CHRISTIAN SOL-
1"1
o r t.ffiONG way to re lig i ous co nscience . One Can th e n c one l uol l, I
yet Chris tianit y Nas
,1 l o adopt many of the loc a l taboos in o r der to c o - opt the
d if fe re nces in reli g i ous persuasio n s. And he did not inrJil- .ll. eithe r pare nt tr ie d to co nv i nce t h e o t her of wh ic h wa !J
And
I
l1ARC IIING UNTO WAR, HI'fH THE CROSS OF JESUS ," etc., at the same
1l,'P I a :;inq all o t h er r c l i g i ons,for getting the i r own oppressio n .. J.,l S
This type of behavior is not only common to Christian institut ion
nc hing, als o of the so-c a lled II Gr e ek
Philosopher s ~ I!"
In so
each and every other religious institution powerful enough to t.l
Iflln g , one mu st pay very caref ul a t t ention t o the exception Au-
nance me rcenarie s or b uild its own armies , s uch as the ancien t
1'-
Hebrews (3e\Ols) in th e Bible (Tor a h, Ol d Testament) and Moslems (Huslims) -
"JlHADS~"
throug h their
I
i ne took to Cic ero t s manne ri s m in re futing t he S toic s. P or
lI f1 p le: In Chapter 9, para .
And thi s het! (Cicero) "attemp ts to accompl i sh by denying th er e is any knowled g e o f future t hin g s and maintains wi th all his might that there is no such knowledge either in Go d or man , a nd t h at there is no pr e dictions of event~ . Thus ? he bo t h denies the foreknowledge o f God and at te mpts by vain arg uments and by op posing t o h im se lf certain or a cles very easy t o be re f uted, to overthrow all prophe c y, even such as i s cle a rer than the light (thou gh even these oracles are not refuted by him).
have been wil ling, and did,
enforce its will upon aUNBELIEVER$" (those who had ot:her relig.l, •• \olhlch their forerunners ed down to them); and they have don. so a ll through hi story , s t opping only when t hey too become too w militarily.
But, Christianity, which s uffered a most horribl e
g inning, today ha s bec om e the major religion of the people who r'
Oe s ides di ffering wit h Cic ero, one finds Aug ustine holding
fortune or misfortune it is to control the most extensive ar ::;(' 11 ,I of weapons of destruction the wor l d has ever \'Ii t nessed.
1(11 a.st to the Manichaeans b elie f in !lorac les;" a car r yover
The
Christian nations have used such pot-/er to t heir own self ish 9"1 ,, . they ar e also able to contro l t he l ess fortunate peop les of LII.
, I l,t G early indig enou s reli gi on wh ich he \-Ia s bor n into in his tv~
,
or even, "the Christian way of li ,l. I "
as established in North Africa.
Num i dia, North Afr i cae Yet, he a lso condemmed Cicero for
v ng in the Greek God - JUPITER , as he questioned Cicero's
entir e wor ld, alon g with Communism , in a manner whi ch mililonr. cannot call "Christ-like ll
I
Inn t he followin g Homeric verses f rom t he ODYSSEY, Book XVIII, I H,- 1 37;
This is stil l true , and i t \,/.\
S uch are the minds of men, as is th e li gh t which Father Love, himself doth pour ill u strious o' e r the frui thful earth .
especially so during the periods of im posed slavery when manY. I ... , purchased his brother in chains, and enforced colonialsim 1.,l J)nn the indigenous Afr i can peopl es of Afr ica, As ia, and the
Am C-r
I , he wrote ;
1,
" t ndig c nous African Reli g ion s " and " \.oJestern Re ligions " b road-
It \'las also true to some extent when most of t he smal ler n u l 1" 11
1 1,.
(;c:
Lain bas ic c h aracteristics common to a ll religions. Yet
grou pings in Europe were subjected to a similar ty pe j
nl.'H- '< MAN OF THE NILE , by Yosef b en-Jochannan , Alkebu-Ian , tH/w ':lar k , 19 70, an e ntire Cha pter deals with the indi g ~
The s e acts are considered part of the same Christian
the so-c a lled !tGreek Philosophe rs" and work is the founda t ion of this work . II,' n Vlork be g ins the other stopped " There the en tir e hist • 111 C;'In olo ~lY of how that which is being called "Greek Phililt, ,. ( .1 11)" abo ut: f rom t11e indigenous Africans a long the Nil e 'rl ll 1 I"'orl tr ibu ti ons of th e Afri can s to Europe and the re s t I \r ' ,I lr1 , berore l;he or :i.gi n of " Adam and Eve", are told in ""11 1 l · 'rn'l!-.; y o L .1 n <1cadE! mic posture i s maint a ine d~ I
that t he African "Fathers of ChristendomI' - Tertullian,
~t.
' '( I
rian, and st. Augustine, crystalized in the North African and influenced the European Church..
To th is there is noL U ,'
slightest bit o f l1tru t h . " It is n ecessary, at this juncture, to acceptance or rejection o f 1 1.&
Lh o Gr
c~.:
eX..lInine
St: .
I
IC .11"1 or igin o f
j'h11o:;:ophy." Tha t
AUC I' I I t "
tl n cl Lo tin " Churc h 1~ t"\I I I' ,
117
they are re g arded as lipagan i sm" by the curr e n t prac titioners of Neit her let us be afraid, lest a fte r a1 1 1 we do not by will tha t whi ch we d o by wil l , bec ause He (Je sus Cbr ist) · whose f orek now ~dge is infa llib le, fo r eknew th at We wou l d do it . He was th is Hh i ch Cicer o was afr a id of, and th erefore op posed forekn ovJ ledge. The S toics al so ma in ta ined that a ll th i ngs do not come to by nec e ss i ty, although t he y cont ended that all th ings happe n accordin g to destiny. hlhat is it, then, that Cicero feared in the p resci ence of fut ure things ?
Christian ity, Islam, and Jud aism ""he n applied to Africa a nd tho i ndige n ous Afri ca n peoples.
This is a lso no ted in St . Au g usti n
defense of tlChri stia n or acles, " as he condemns the Gree ks ' "P ag a nism lJ
-
t h at which he chose to c all "Gree k mytho logy. "
Bu t , I
his z e a l , he then, li k e other s no\'/, f a iled to take note that til II mytho logyJI in t he so-called " irJester n Relig i on s " - Jud aism a nd Chri st i anity," somet imes Islam , stemmed f rom the ori g inal sour • •
Like mo s t of his co ntempor a r i e s of Ch r is t endom, h is pr ede -,
the sour c e in Afr ica where t he Gree k s rece ived t h e ir fundam e n t.tl
"or s and fo llowers, Augus tin e a l so despis e d scie nti s,t s. At
in phi los o phy ..
l , he verba ll y sc orned them i nto ob livio n .
"'Jhat i s a n lJoracl e " a ny\'/ay ?
In common parlance , i t
or l ess a fo r tu ne te ller th a n an y l o c a l J' Gyps y mysti c" aro und the nie ghbor hood giving o u t numbers fo r (h o rse pl ayers) .
is n n
one sc,'
the local book! ,
They were suppo sed the n, as t hey are now, to
I
On e can see in Augus t i ne ' s writin gs the ut te r contempt h e I"
f or Cic eroJs posi t i on was not mo tivated by hatred fo r
II ,
]:'l ut for
i ,'
uwn Cod - Jesus Chr ist, h e had to c ondemn ;
who bel onged to the rel ig i on of th e person they h ad served.
t n th is r egard
1I,It
t he case of S t .. Au g ustine, it wa s the "orac le s" that damne d I
\;!as
to
Aug us t ine's a t-
s till the common att itud e o f modern
I lld n c le r gymen and l aymen. Thi s is best see n when One reads tl,I
God, AI ' lah, no t having been cr eated by Moharet durin g l i fet ime, d ue t o Mohamet 's l a tene ss of birth - with r especL
the position Cicero took on thin gs spiritua l ; wh ich
I h,..y disag r e ed "'/i th Au g ustine's point of view with r espec t
ab l e to " prophec y t h e f uture." Of c ours e, t he best o ne s were
Gr eek Gods a nd ble ssed t he Hebre w and Chri stian Gods.
the
l o wing comments by Au g ustine 1 in hi s CITY OF GOO, Book
{"h "'lrLcr 14 : til
But a s t his divi ne Mast er incu l ca t es tao p r e cepts - t h e love o f God and t he l ove of o u r n e igh bor - and as i n these pr e cep ts a rna n f i nds t hre e t hings he has to love - God , himsel f and hi s neighbor s - a nd that he who lov e s God l oves h imsel f ther eb y , i t fo ll ows that he must end eavour to ge t his nei ghb o r Lo l o v e God, s ince he is o r de r ed to l ove hL8 neig hbor as himse lf .
Augustine' s - many cen t uries af ter , 570 C . E. , made it i mpo n:1 I t I for Aug us ti n e to accept Al'lah in t h is ligh t. Augu stine f urther a nsHer ed a qu estio n when he asked o f • I in Cha pter Nine, 4th paragraph , the fo l lowing : • The thir d par t o f what i s today call ed "i'IE$TER N RELICI.ON" I s lam - d id not e xi st duri ng S t. Augustine's lif et im e ( 3Ji.l- \U Au g ustine died more than one h undred and ninety-one ( 19 1 ) y. ,II bef ore Hohamet f ounded his reli g i o n a t the Oa s i s of Yalttri.U .1 ,1 Med ina, Arabia, in 622 c .e. (or AH . 1). For fu r t het' cletlt i l •• Chapter Pour fo lloHing .
11
1,1
Wi) O p art of the genius of St Augus tine, j ust as i t was tw o o Lhcr indiycn ous Afr ica n pred ec e ssors - Tertulli an
vpr 1 n. '1'1)(.: '1 , t oo ,
nev~
i ndu l g ed in character assass i-
IhoW1"1 in b.t'(-:J.ckcLs by th e il.uthor of t hi s work.
116 11 9
nat i o n of their sa id
a.
opponents , but of t h eir works. Yet, i t cann ot
that th ey were not dogmaticall y " Chris t i an f a n at i cs.
1t
I 1I1-,k e d , in this b r u ta l r e l at ionsh i p b e tween ma n to man 1 on with • I' nse of tranquili ty for t h e s laves, that is, i f they maintain -
Tht·y
had t o be , be cause they h ad become th e author i ties a nd p h i loso-
"l aw and o r der" , and were obedie n t to t he ir ma sters a nd to
p hers o n uCHRIS TI AN DOCTR I NES u , and o f CHR I STENDOH itsel f. Ex -
11;5 Chris L
pect ing t h e m
t o have done oth er wi se wou l d be tan t amount t o CY.-
I r' r n Christia n s,
pec t in g t h e prese n t Pope in Ro me t o accept that Jud ai sm or Is l ,lnl would get you in t o heave n as easily as Roman Cath o l ic i sm, or at I b y way o f Pro te stant i sm. To expect t hat a Grand Rabb i or a Chj, r
l ogic s ti ll permeate s the t h i n king o f
as it preva ils i n European- sty l e Chr i st ian
"t es and practices wi thi n the so-c a ll ed "Chr i st i an nati ons of II' II
\~ or l d "
and o ther smal l er communi t i es, a k ind o f a
.B~_ DONT
K 'fHE BOAT, JESUS HILL TAKE CAR. E OF I T ALL . .. . ph ilosophy . In
Iman would accep t the re v e r s e in the case of Christ ia n i ty woul ,1
11\
be equal ly as abs ur d.
I hllUq h t s
And, theref ore, alth ough o ur ri g hteous f ather 58 had s l aves and a dm inistered t he i r d omestic af fa ir s so as to d i s t in gu i sh bo th t h e co n d i t ion of s l a v es and t h e he i rs h i p of sons i n r egar d to t he bless i nq:; o f th i s life, ye t , in re gard t o the wor sh i p of God (Jes us Ch ris t- ) i n whom we h ope for ete rnal b l es s i ngs, th ey took an equ a l ly l o v ing over n i g h t of a l l 'me mbe rs o f th e i r h ousehold . 59
This type o f
. ' a r eas ,S t Aug u st ine 's ph il o s ophica l, mor al,and s p i ri tua l jn h is wr i t i ng s ref l ected t h e Roma n ized - African upper
lidl , ' cl ass baCk g rou n d f r om wh ence he came . Th is wa s espec i a l l y
... b e c a u se of the f o llowi ng reasons:
( a) I t must be r e me mbered
I he \.Jas alr eady twe nty-eight years o f age b e f or e he be g an a ny tIJ \I~
devot i on t o the "New Rel ig i on " - Chri s tianity ;
(b) Tha t
r.ll h c t:' - Patr i cius , was a mi nor o f fi c i a l in the Provinc i a l The above c omment f oll owed Chapter 15 -
the l ast sente n '
I
!mda U
Gover nme n t of th e i r nat i ve Numidia , a po s i tio n which
St. Au g u st i ne ' s b o ok , HOLY CI TY OF GOD, Book XI X; i n which he ., ] nc c o ndemned o th er Afr i ca n s f or h o l di n g i n the Romans e m-
I !
wrote the f o llowi n g : That he had grown up wi t hi n a system, which n orma ll y
( C' )
I
And ther e f ore the apos tl e onishes s l a v es to be sub j ect to t he i r mas t e r s a n d t o serve t h em hearti l y and wi th g ood will, so th at , if they cnnn o t be f reed by the ir mas te rs, they ma y thems el vc:~ mak e t h eir s l avery in some sort fr ee , by serving no t in crafty fear, but in fa i t h fu l l ove, un t i l a l l u nr i ghteou sness a way, a nd all principali ty and ever y huma n p OItJer b e broug ht t o n ot h ing I a n d God b e a ll i n al l .
1111 (1 .J.nd be n e fi ted immensely fro m t h e p roceeds o f s l aver y;
l. h e Nor t h Afr ican Chr is t i an Church, i t se l f , had become
I I\U' I
11 I n s lavery -
speak i ng of d i d not
the slave::: I,..
mak e him r eact d ifferently t h an
I"le
to Ci cero's pos ition on " pr o phecy" or:' the "oracl es ." l ie.:
' -.I
1..:' l,j '. 1 I
IIII'fn\
~:1 111
th i ~
l e d to th e acce p t a n ce of s laver y
,
,lppr o x im ate l y 1, 0 30 years a f t er Augus t i n e ' s deat h -
'1'" 11ol .- l l n v !.b acc e pted fr o m Pri n ce Henry(t h e s o-ca ll ed"na v-
ut l'ot" tl.l<J.:1 1 t h e f" it:' s t fi ve s l ave s kidnapped on the "'J est
vol u me . 11
120
precedents
ml c b ase for European and Eu ropean- Americ a n " Chris'c i an "
" 11
II
• Words in bracke t s by the author of
to the extent that many of it s highest o f -
\ ·pn :f ited t o t he po i n t of becom ing some of t h e \"eal t h i e s t ." fl.l ,-' r:;; . These
St. August ine's comp assi ona te feeli n gs f or
(d)
1\1 ,
~ C 'JJI il O d
'J old rlUl::t sto len
f rom t h e same p l ace by his 121
fell o .." European "C h ristians." Th is conduct o f European-style
lI o uld t h e slaves accept I laIN and order I by the Sta te-C hurch ,
Christian deprav ity tha t e n ha n c ed Augu s tine I s foll o wers' coffer', I
'I ua l l y t he ir masters, was grounded i n t h e f o llowi ng ag es o f
both se cular l y a nd rel i gi ou sly, was yet to be t h e basis for th,'
10.-. Hebr ew a nd Christian "Ho ly Scriptu res, " wh ich were supposed ly
expa n s ion o f s l avery, as it became t he maj o r
! j t t en by " Ho ly men in spired by God:' mea n ing of cou cse onl y mal es
s ource of Chcis b..:11
dorn' s f inancia l em p i re 535 ye ar s l ate rj at which time t h e Righ i Rever end Bishop Barto l ome de La sCasas ( 1474 -1 566 C.E.) got Kin'! Charles I of spain to endor s e the
59a
and Pope Clement VII CGiulio de .Medici)·
I
t he Hebrew, Chc istia n, and,maybe, o f o du s, Ch apter 21, Verses 1 -
21
n e nt of Africa (Alkebu-lan) a nd the forced migration of milli (III of Africans to the "New World l' (the Caribbeans and the Amer i<.._,1 wh ic h t o a great extent continues on t oda y .
to the door or the d oorpost; and
finall y committed genocide aga inst them ,
l!!:~le~~~r::, d!h~ 1~~~ed~f:l~~~~gI1~~~
~~I~fait:~~~l~nwrc~~~;: ~lfrC~e~e~~~
nates her for his son, he
~h[lll deal with her as with a daughter. 10 If he takes ;'m other wife to himself, he shall not dlmlni~h her food, her clothing, or her marital rights. HAnd If he doe$ "ot do these three things for l)er, she ~h,,1l go ou t for nothing, without payment of money. 12 "Whoever ~trikcs a man so that tIC dies shall be put to death. 11 But if III' did not lie In walt for him, but God Ic't him ([1\1 Into' ills hand, thcn I wiH
(J C\-I~' )
II
just as the Eur o p"l lj,
Chr i st ians sa ng their reli gious war chants , " ONWARD CHR I STI,,!! SOLDIERS MARCHING ON TO WAR
0
•
•
,
"
etc . , i n memory of the
" ('](0·
OF JE SUS" they carried as they e n s l aved the Muslims (MOSl m I durin g the various "CRUSADE, " justifying th eir barbarou:; _,I.; \1 on wh at t hey claim was a "CALL FROM GOD (Jesu s Chris t ) TO ' .A'J THE
WO RLD ~ II
Au g us t ine I S moralizat ion o f
A 11 '1 \I:.; t :i. ne· s \.. ri tings on thi s 1
salVat ion thcough
• Eric Williams, DOCUMENTS OF WEST INDIAN HXSTORY , (PNM Publis hing Co .. , Ltd., Por t-of-Sp ain , Tr in id a d ,
f
l.
burn for burn, wound for wound,
subject (then) was in reali ty j u stification for
In lrc h" at the t ime , could not acc ept th a t
(0)
XJX ,
the " Hol y Scrip-
wece un j u s t. As s uch , h e comple tel y ap pe ased
,lVr-m..\ :;l0 cS, Jewish and Chr i s tians al i ke ,
Id
w.
~~~th~r ~!~d fo;y~}~,t. ?'06t tfOo/~o;t:
IS
stri pe for stripe,
.... INnp oraries to fo llow; as he , be in g the Christian "Fa t he r
1'111
1 ~9 ~- 1 ' 1".
follows, th e ,lllC who hurt her shall' be fin ed, :tCl:t'ldlng a~ the woman's hu sba nd ~ h.lll lay upon him; and he shnll pay as tile Judges detcmlinc. II If a n.y harm follo w" then you shall give
r ,., inement of the moral a nd sp ir itua l
(Vl )J.C A'l' P' lhb l e) II •• •
be that s truck h im s ha ll be clear; only be shall pay for tile loss of his time, and ~ha" have 1\lm Ulofo ll gh l\, healed .. 1 0 "When a m ",n st rikes his slave, male or (\: ffl:lle, wit h a rod and the slave dies tll'lder his hand, he shalt be puni shed. 11 ilut If the slave survives to~ath~~~~~' t'~~et!t> nn~~~~y~ punished; 22 "Wh,'" 1'I'I00n , trlve t ogether, alld hlltt a WOlllall 11'11 b child, so that there Is iI. 011 ,,,:. '11"11, \1\1' . and yet no harm
(or hlmself, then he shall let her be rt'dccmed;.he sha'!have 1].0 right to :>ell.
mu rder and enslave Africans in t he name o f Christianity a n(i '
he
~r~ ~I~~ ~~{k~ :~~~~ \~~~~~~sr:N.
hJ~
7 " W hen a man sells his dau ghter as a slave, s he shall not go out a s the
I .
to" which
hl.s mother 5h311 be put to death, 18 "\Vhen men qu a rrd and one stdk es the othe r with a stone or with his fi st a nd t he m a n does not die but
m as ter s hall bore hi s ear Ihrollgh. with a n jl,wli iI,!1:d he st!a!.! ~e him fOf !~re •.
s ilenc e gave comf ort l a t er on to the Reverend John Hawkins -
against the Amalakites, Hittite s, t1o abi tes, and others be f o !
appo in t for you a-place
may 1\1'1'. I'Dut If a man willfully attacks anothe r to k!!l him Ircacher~r~r.' tfi~~ h$eh~~i~;~, him from my IS "Whoever strikes his father or hl.ll mother Sha ll be put to death, 16 "Wh04iver steals a m.an, whether he sells him or Is found in possession of hlm, shall be put to death, 17 ':WhOever curses hIs father or
him to God, a nd he shall brlog him
Si n ce Au gust ine did no t conde mn slaver y in h is teaching:.; ;
l iz at ion o But slavery was a ls o ordaine d by the Hebrews
"Now these arc the ordinances
which you shall set befon~ them, 1 When you buy a Hebrew slave, he shall serve six years, and In the seventh he shan go out free, for nothing. ) If he comes In single, he shall go out sing le: if he comes in matried, then hi s wife shall go out with him. ~ Ir hi. roaster gi ves hlH! a wife and she beau him SOI'lS or daughters, the wife and h cr ch!ldrell ~h"ll be her master'. and he ~ha l! go.) o ut alone. l :Out If the slave plainly $:lYs, 'I love my m,ls te r, my wife, a nd ro y chil dren; I will not go ou l rn:e,' 6 then his master shall bring
that i ntroduce d the genocidal depo p ulat i on of the entire con! I
ta in o f the notocious s lave ship, "JESUS (Christ) de LOBle,·
e tc ., as noted in the LAWS CON-
'lINI NG SLAVERY:
t h e infa mous chat'eel slave t r ,,')
inauguration o f
25,
the Mos l em religions . Thus,
to t he fu l lest
alli l ily , as seen in the la st sentence of his CITY OF ChL"l ptc r.
20.
H I""' wro te:
1 23
1 22
For the true b le ssi ngs of t h e s ou l are not enjoyed j fo r that is no true ,... isdorn VJ hich does not d ire c t all it s prudent ob s e rvations , manly act i ons virtuous se lf r estr a int and jus t arr angeme~ts to that end in wh ic h God (Jesus Christ)- sh a ll be a ll and a ll in a secure e ternity a nd per fec t p e ac e .
., ·ipio Afe r ' s (A fri c anus, Or Scipi o the Afric a n) definition of lw;t wha t is t h e vita l fabr ic of a n y r epublic o As Such, one f ind s !
. Augustine
writin g the following remarks in h i s CI TY OF GOD ~
, Ie XIX , Chapter 21 :
One mu st under stand , hOI-lever, that S t. August in e (an inu. W hether tllere ' tier was IJ R ol'1alJl'I ",. p.lJlh IUIsweri", to tile definitio'U (JJ 5dpic j" Cicero's dilJ!o!.fll ~
C HAP .
dige n ou s African, a so-called "Negr o," etc.) d id not acq u iesce t o rac ial, r e li g ious ~ or n at iona l
l'his, Iben. is the place wbere J sho
ide ntifica t i on as the means hy
wh i ch a s pecific gr oup was most fitted for e nslavement - a s d o
"".5
the Ca l v inists, Latter Day Sa in t s (Mor mon s), and oth e r h'hi te Prn t e stant , Roman Ca tholic /and Jewish (Hebrew) s e cts in the s outh,
an
southeas tern and soutwestern sections o f Af ric a; a l s o o t hers ot these contemporari e s in t h e United Sta tes of Ame r i ca . ins t i tut i on of s l a very when e v er y ty pe of huma nity was sl a vemasters who wer e as varied as their slaves, ,,, h ich Europeans, As ians, a nd Afr icans as masters a nd slaves . of f a ct , Augustine's h ome land was a part of the "COAST OF BARY,!!
Jane
THe'
So ame s' book , o f lik e name, so correctly descri h
Later on Christi a n writer s of a ll t ypes - including the Roman Catho lic Chr i stia n Mi ss i o n a r y Raymo nd Lull of the world f amoll:. !lLULL REPORTS,,59b (who did every t hing with in his p o wer a mar tyr for Chr istendom) also I s lam .
carne and lived t o stem t he
It was also a p lace '
Ih'l which lS uscl ul to Ih n ~tro nger parly". Thus wh ere there is not tru e jns(it-e tbe re can'be n~ A commo n aeknowltd!r'lcnl of righ t , And tberefore t bere can be no people, as defined by Scipio or Cicero ' . and if no people, the.ra no \l'eal of the peope lq • onl), of some prolIliscuous m.ultitudc I.WWO~7 of t~e ~all1e of people. CODSl'q ueIlUy, if the rtpu bliC 1.5 t.h e weal of Ibe peo ple. an d Ihere il In people If It be not a!SOCiated by a common Ie. k.u owledgment of rigbt, and if there i.s 110 n~bt ,:"bere lbere is 110 justice, Ihm !TlQjl w. tamly It follow$ tJut lbere i$ no republic wbtr there i~ riO .imtkc. Further, justice h iliat vi.r~ lue wh lc b gIVes everyone bis due. Where tblO, is the ius!i~e of man. wben he deserts Lh~ L r~ G~d aud 'yIelds bimself to impure demoos? h thIS (0 glye eyer), orle his du e? Or is l::e 'i'l'M k/:eps ba~k ., piece of grou nd (ram the purc~. er,.olnd /fIY ~~ '1/0 a moln who has no rigb t to it, unjust, wblle hc who keeps back hlmsell Irom :he ~~d who made bim, and ~rYu wicted spiro ,t ~, 1$ Just ? as~e m blage of men as soci lied b)'
AlI q u s t ine' s wri t ing s in t h e CITY OF GOD l'I Jn:s
t"1 t
a nd
ON CHR I STIAN
s h owed th at h e ha d suc h conte mpt for man 's SOCiety on
I. 1 h d L he f el t
i t nece s s ar y at a l l time s to ignore th e ma t eri-
th e spir i tua l . He,
t h erefore, wrote in cond emna t ion of
rill . d id no t, i n h is e s timation, meet p re v ailin g b i bl i cal VII ( '1 ·1 Le )
carne, from a s far off as Angloland ( Eng land or Brita in ), and \/ o f European origin (Ca uc asian, o r l,.ih ite) .
dnJ y the definit io n whic b i; commonl), give n by tho~ w.ho ,:"isconceiYe (he-II1~tte r , (h,1/ ,right is'
t /H I
and ph i losoph i ca l prop hecy , wh i ch h e bas ed u p on
v a lues -a s he u nder stood them 6
til " !M p Ler
In dealing wi t h poli t ical mat t ers St. August ine se verely '
37 o f ON CHRI STIAN DOCTRINES, Book I I I, S t. Au-
II~ nm this \o,riters ob s er vat i o n , ou t l ined t he spiritua l
ci z ed Cicero t S \.,.ork , " DE REPUBLIC A, II in which Ci cero s uppor to·d
II/,nn wh ic h h e c ondanned
the f a i l u r e o f ma n t o dev elop
Ilnll " v '~d t o be a " .•. tr u e repub lic
I"
irlords in bracke ts by the author of this volume. I
11,..
e.l l I (-! cl
o •
•
o
ll
Thus, in outlin-
" 'r he Se ven th R u le of Tichonius ;
II
he wr ote :
1 2: 4
1 25
Ca.,"P. 37. TA, sn' ~ntA rule 01 TichonilU 55. The seyenth role of Ticbonius 3nd tb e last, is ~ bou t tile de vil and his bod y. Fot be is lhe hea d of t he wi cked, who .:He in a se nse his body, and destined 10 go with him int. o the punj~hm ent of ever la'> tin8 6fe, just as Christ is the h eA d· of th e Chu rcb, whicb is Hig body, destined to be with Him ill HI. de rnal kingdom and Slory. Ac~o~dlngl y . b.S the fint rule, which is
ClUed of Ihl Lord aM Bil 6011)" directa UI, wheo Script ure gpealu of 01M! &Dd the same pet8GD, t o tw pa~! to undemud which part of the st~ tement epplies to the he.J.d an d which !o th e body ; so this last role £b ows us tlut statem ents 1fe ~ome lim e s mll.d e about the devil, wh ose l rutb. is no t ·so eviclent in· reg.ud 10 hi mself as in regard to his bod Yi a!\d his body i, made up not only of tb ose who are m~ni(e5t lv out of the ,,"J Y, but of U) o$e also who, though
the)" re~lll y be l on~ to h i m , . ~re fo r 3 l im e l!1ixed up y;ilh the Chu rch, uotilth cy depa rt from thi, life , o r until tbe ch d f is separated f rom the wh e,lt a.t th e Jast greal winnowing. For example, II'h ~t is ~ i d in Is3iah, "How he is h .llen h om helve n, L uci fer, son of the mornin g!" I .tnd th e oth er state ments of the COnle ll:t whi ch, un der t he fi gur e of the king of Babylon, arc made about the same per~on, are of co urse to be understo od of the devil ; and yet t he ~tatemcut "-hich is made in th e same pl'ee, "H e is ground down on the earth . ..... ho .ende th t o a ll na t ions,'" doe~ nol al\og~ lh c t !i tly apply to th e head him_ ~e!f. f o r, a lthout: h th e dev il sends his angels to ~ !\ n:al ions, yet it i ~ hi~ body, not himsel£, that is g round down on t he earth, eu ept that he h imself is in hi s body, which is bea ten sm3-lIl ike the du st which the wind blows from the faee of t he etvth.
I n Bo o k IV, o f the above work r Chap ter
2 , how ever, He r e r ..
Iloan al v a l ue s of Chris t i a n pu ri t y f or this sk ill a l s o - as h e "1I 'Cic ated on t h e n ecessi t y f o r
til \"isd om . 1I One ca n o n ly wonder
C HAC>. t. This Ulo r i: 1101 illl flldcd
tJ.I
a treallSt!
on , /:eloric I. Txl9 work: of min e, which is entiUed On Christian DOC/""" wu lit t.h e commenc em ent divided into two pa[l~. For, af t er a pre f:ace, jn which I anl " ·ered by anticipation those who were lik.el y t o lake exception to th e work , I u id, " There are two th ings o n whic h ~ IL inter· ~t3.tion of Scri pture depend s: th e mod e of ascertaining the proper mea ning , nnd the mode of P\D.-ltiug known th e m ea.Qing ~;h e n it h ascertained. I !h:dl treAt fi rst of the mode of ascer· taining , n ext of lb e m ode of making known, tbe meaning." I A$, lhen, I have already said a grea t deal about t he mode of tlscerla ining th e mea n· ing, and have gi ve n three books to this one part of the subjed , I shall only ~ay a few thi ngs
.boul l he mode of m~king kn own th e m e~ni!ll( . in o rder if possible to hring tbem. ll within lhtl compa5~ 0' O!le hook, and so fini sb thl'. wh olo IV OI II. ·io four books. 2. In tbe fin t place, tben, I 'Wish by Hue pre.amble to put .. stop to lhe expectatlOfl! 01 ,ead· e1'!l wh o may t blftk thai I am about t o lay down rules of rheto ric f Ucl!. u I ban learnt, .nd la ught 100, in th e sec ular schools, anil w;un them Iholt they need not loo k for any such (rum me. Not that I th ink such ru leS of no use, lollI that whatever use th ey have is to be leolrllt d ~ .. I!.' he re; and if any good man 5 ~ onl d happen 10 have leisure for leJ r nin g them, he is not to ~ ~ k me to teath them either in "this worli. or any nl It
to
".
.:-" (Igu s t i ne ' s as sured n ess a b o ut Chri s tian i t y and t h e wor l d t o " HEAVEN , " b r i ngs t o memor y the following r emarks in the Hew ''';cr iptu re s
in Ch ap t e r
1 26
in
ill
" I
l'
as s t a t ed in t he Tor ah (Five Bo o k s of Moses ),
hl :1 (Sec ond Book ), Cha p t e r
14 , Ve r s es 13 a n d 14 :
And Mose s sa i d un t o the people : "Fear ye n ot , s ta nd stil l, a n d se e the sal vatio n o f the Lord . wh ich He wi ll work for you t oday; f or wher eas ye ha v e s e en the Eg ypti a n s tod a y , ye shall see t hem a ga in no more fore ver. The Lor d wi l l fi g ht for you, and y e shall h o ld your peace ." " S I X-DAY
I' II ~
WAR " in Jun e, 1 967 Co E ., b e t vlee n t he As i a n pop-
t, ·tl Lhat presen t l y o cc up y and con tr o l Eg y p t and the Eur opean \1
~ pc a n-Am eric an
p o p ulation th a t occu p y and con tr ol I s rael
cry f r om t h e prop h ecy s t ated .. These t wo ne w forei gn en-
! Ii
'mll' n bi , 1 I Il ("'li
probab ly , '.'!oul d have ca used S t . Au g u s t ine ver y s er io u s
i on if he were a li ve toda y ; a s h e would have realiz e d
111
~ ll y
of the pr op hecies he held t o be infallible with r eg ards
I
I.
4 . As usua l, he had to
)
opposite~
He l;J o u l d h a ve not-
J h e r il e b rews ( J ews) n o r Egypti an s (Mos lem s ) are pr e -
.
h.
3 , and cu lm inate d it with the du ties of :-:aid OJ ,I ."
a Chri s t i a n t e acher i n Ch ap t e r
1
lHt \t.ge no us to either n a tion (Israel or Pa lestine an d Egypt
Augustine c ont inue d f rom this p o i nt to sp eak o f the ha d to acqu ire be f ore he could be come a skil l ma ste r
if t hi s mas t er o f !irh e t o ric "
\.--tl on .
fiLl:·
an alys i s. F or e xampl e , o n t he i s s u e of ITrh e toric " August i ne WI
The S ac r ed ..."ri ters eloquenc e
nn t , these writ i ng s cer t ain ly be t raye d his i nner s e lf in th is
hoo ds in de fen se o f Chr i st ianity . Of c ours e, he did no t men t j C:lII
of t he a r t o f rh e toric, wh i c h h e relied upon ver y heavil y in 1,1
•
It r10et ic spir i t ual i t y recogni zed h imself for t h e gen iu s he was .
ed hi s o wn p osition by s u gge stin g tha t it i s ri ght t o u se fal'
the word "Chri st i an ity" s pec i f i call y, b ein g tha t h e was a
II • •
]1 1
Vl ll (].::t Lc Bibl e -
t he offic i a l La t i n "Old" a nd " Ne w
Tes t. a~
I j nm whlc: h S t. Au g u s t i n e b ased h i s author ity on Christiani ty
",
PlIly o ne of t h e ma n y L ntin v e r sions during the p eriod
12 7
af ter
La t i n \.,tas made the officia:" l a n gu ag e of the Roma n Ca t ha ! 1
Church by Te rtulli an (one of the in di g e nou s Afr ican ItFat he r s
O f
the Ch urch") . It was al so from t his ver s ion t h a t mo st of t he
' f ilII
Ir t
digress e d f rom t h e o ri g ina l VU l ga te ve rsion 60 (Tex t ) wh i c h /l llls ti ne f ol lo\.Je d .
IVP
In conju nc tion with t he la tter remar k s , the follow ing work
mon vernacu lar ver s ion s th at fo l lowed were made . During t h.i:.: I"
lno t h e r
riod Lati n was t he l an g u a ge of t he en t ire Roman Ern p ire; but Chri s tians in Et hiopi a ( t he fir st Chr istian na t ion in history) spok e Gheez (or Gee z ) -
t he n t h e na tio n a l
wh i ch is today only u sed for it too a pia,
ha s
con fl i c ting int e r pr et at ions by co ntem porary t ran s la t o r s who
langua ge of Et h iop i ,. ,
,I
of t h e ind ig eno u s Af r i cans , know n to the wor ld a s t he
he r s of the Ch ur c h ,I' Ca e ci l i u s Cypr ian us (St Cypr ian ), whil e
lI ap o £ Ca rt h a ge ( 249 - 258 C . E . ), '..;as wri tt en: 6 l
t he pur p ose o f r elig i ou s cere mOil I.
The pitiful «Jll ditioll of the lapsed-the resulr of ge.neral hw·ty (4-6). 4. These h~ven ly crowns of the marryrs, these spiriwal rrimnphs of che confessors, these outsrandin,g exploi(s of our breth rcn C:l.lll1ot, lb.s, rem,ove one ca use of sorrow: that the Encmy's violence and slaughrer has wrought havoc amongs[ us lnd has torn away something fro m our .very he art :md c~s [ ic co [he gro und. W hat: shall I do, dear brethren, in face of this ? M y mind tosses rhis way and thac-what: shall I say? How shall I say it? T ears and nor words ean alone express the grief which so deep a wOlmd in our body calls for , which the great gaps in our once numerous flock evoke from ou r he~rrs : W ho could be so callous, so stony-he;med, w ho so unmindful of brotherly" love, as to remain dry-eyed in the: presence of so many· of his own kin who are broken now, shadows ofcheir for mer selves, dishevelled, in the ttappings of grief? \Vill he no t burst into rears at sight of them, befote fi ndin o- words for his sorrow ? Bdieve me, my brothers , r share y~m distress. and can fmd no comfort in my o ......n esca pe and safety; for the shepherd feels [h c wounds of his fl ock marc than they do . My hean bleeds with each ot:J.e o f you, I share the weight of your sorrow and distress. I mou rn with those chat mourn, I weep with. those rhar weep, w irh the fallen I feel I have. fallen myself. My limbs too were struck by (h e arrows of the lurking foe, his angry swo rd pie[~ed m y body roo . When persccution rages, the mind of none escapes fr ee and unscathed : when my breth ren fell, my hear: t was struck and I fell at their si.de.
bee l'"! r e p lace d by the n e\
AMHERIC,
in se cu lar mat ters. I t must be a l so no t ed , til. !!
the Gre ek Chr i s t i ans us ed Gre ek Chris t ian Bib le,
the languag e in wh ic h the
the SEPTUA GINT , wa s wr i tten .
0
II
I
Th e ol d es t bod.
Christian s in the wor l d, as an instit ut i on, the Copts of EqYlI1 \.J rote Kop ti c or Co pt ic. When Chr i s t ians, tod a y, b eg in to u nde r s t and th at the o . 1, a l 'r ext o f
the Vu l ga te Bib l e fo llowe d many Gr e ek and Cop tic
s ion s , wh i c h b efore them fol l owe d nany o the r Hebrew a nd s i ons of t h e T or ah (Fiv e Books o f Hos es, ment) ,
Ar.- IIII "
t h e Christians Ol d
hope fu lly , t h ey wi ll beg in t o qu es tion j ust how
mi l'
I
I,
the curre nt a ll ege dly " original s tories " with i n a n y of t; lw/Il tru l y va lid or t r uthfu l . 'r he Vul gate ver si on, h owever, onl y version in
~"' hic h
l ~~
S t. Au gu stin e and St.A1nbro s e . alon q
o ther " Ch urc h Father s , labored. The refor e, t ha t ".J hic h di sc rep a nci es in S LAug us ti n e ' s wor ks, with re spec t
I II· w ) I I
C"11l11
to t ll' ~ I '
vers ion s of the Chr i stian "Hol y ""Bi b l e, ar e real l y for
\ 11"
II""
• 'r hi s do es not mean that th e firs t Chr i s [.ia n wri L1.ogc t·J·· I, Gre ek. Th e o ld est Chri st ian wr i t i ng s known Lo d ate WCJ:' (.' I II I (C op t ic) , t he l anguage of ·the Egy pt i il.n Church o f No rLh 1\ 11 I th e Kopt ic Church .
1 28
II
II •
\bov c quo t a t ion is a n E ngli sh t ran s l at i on by Naurice Be-
I
.1 .
I
( r Om th e Lat i n o rig i n a l
of l"rHE: LAPSE D. !! He als o
'al~(' !:l .. C 'l p l~l J n ' 5 " THE UNI TY OF THE CATHOL IC CHURCH," of
129
which t he f ollowin g is taken: 62
words (llId doeth 'hem: He says, ' I rvilllihCll to (he IIJisc mQII '~ho b."il! his 1r0/lJe IIpOI/ lIte rock. The mill feU, the jloods rosc, . file wmds (alli e twd '/; ('Y crashed (zgl1illSt that hOi/$c: but ii fcll 110t. For it was fOlfllded (fPOII the rock.' W e 111uSt rhcrr.:fore ca rry our His words : wkltsoevcr He tlught and did, th:tt mllst we lcam and do ourselves. Indeed how call a mall say he believes in Christ if he docs not do Whl t Christ cO IllIn:tnded him to do? Or how sh:tH a ma n v"'ho \:vhen lInder eomm::md will nOt kcep [,irh, hope to recclve the rcward of f.1ith? He who docs noe keep to the trtle w'J.y of salv::l.tioll will lncvit:r. bly f.1hcr and- strlY; caught IIp by some gust of error, he wi ll be tossed about like windswept dust : w:'Ilk ~s he lll:r.y, be will make no advance row:lrds Iris sl lvarion.
THE UNI TY OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
The dt'vil's
!/Jiles m!/st
to Christ's
be
(O/J!!lilUl l ls
IIIIII/Qsked (lIld OVCfcom e
by obedience
(r-2).
O ur Lord solemnly w ~ m s us: 'YOH are the saIl of the ;l\1d bids us in our love of good to be no r only ~ llllplL bur prudcm :l$ wdl. Accordingly, dearest brethren, wli:l( ehc ollghr we to do bll r be on ouc gu.1 rd md w~tch vigihmly, in order co know the sn:l!CS of our cn[ry foe and (0 :tvoid them ? O rherwise, ~f{e r putting on Chris r who is the Wisdom. of God the F:u her , we mav be fOll nd co have Co iled ilt w; sdo m fo r the cne of our souls. It is nOl persecution <11one th:u we ought to fcu, nor those forces lh:H in open w:tr£1re r:l.Ilgc ::tbro.ld (Q overthrow and defea t rbe scrv:lnts of God. It is easy cnOllgh to be on one\' gllard when the danger is obvious; one c:m scir up one's comage for rhe fighr when rhe Enemy shows himself in his rrue colours. T here is more need co (C'H :md beware ... ( [h~ Enemy When nc creeps up secretly, wHen he bcgu:lcs us by a show of pc:lce and steals forw::t rd by chose hidden lpproaches which h:tve elrned him dlC illllle of the •Serpent.' Such· is ever his crafe: lurking in rhe dark, he ensr.;,res men by rrickery. Th:H WlS how ae rhe very beginning of the world he aecl!ived and by ly.i.ng words of ihrrcry beguiled the ungul rded credulity of a simple soul; thac was how he tried co tempe Our Lord Himself, lpproaching Him in disgnise, as rhOl.1gh he could once more creep npon his vierim l lld deceive Him. Bur he was rccagruzed and bearen back, l nd he was defeated precisely througn and unm asked. , bemg detected . 2. Here we <'I.fe gIven an example how to break comp:my wirh rhe ' old man,' how co follo w in the steps of Ch risr to victory, so dt
((ltd!,'
130
I ~Yflri an c on t i nued in Cha pter s
~ch ismj" noting that
IUd " I. \ Ii
fl • • •
3 t o 5 to \-Jarn against " here-
Christ founded the Church on Pe -
One can see t he ver y di s t·1nc t d·~ fferences between S t .Cy-
.ind s t Augustine, a l s o Tertullian's, works i n t he follow i ng , I ~ t aken from one of the latter' s ma sterpieces, HERMOGENES i I, as
THE TREAT -
tr ans la ted i nto English from the Or ig i-
t i n Tex t by J . H. Waszink. I n de sc rib ing Her mogenes , 64 (,, 111.10 wr ote:
FOREWORD. WHO IS HERMOGENES? Cll. I J When l dealing with heretics, to shorten the d.iseussian, we follow the pracrice of laying dov,rn against them . :l perempto~y rule based on the lateness
131
science, Apart from this , he exercises (be ;l.ft of painting, a thing fo rbidden
In the follow i ng two chapters Tertull ian o utli ned Hermp
would hove beell part of l-fimsel f; but everythi ng. borh :har which was made and which He W;lS to make. musr be considered imperfect, because it would be made of a p:l.rr and because He would make i. of:l. part. 3. Or if, being whole. He had made the whole. He must h.a ve been whole ;1nd not w hole at the same rime, since it would have befit- · (cd Hi m to be both whole. in o rder to make Himself, 'a nd not whole, in orde r that He might be made ou;: of Himself. Now rh.is is extremely d ifficul r, for if He existed, He could nor be made, bur would exisr
. whereas i f He did nor exist, He could not ( in that case> milke anythin g becallie He would be nothing. But He wbo ahnys exists, <~o he asserts,) does nor com e in to existence but exim fo r ever and ever. So (he concludes clue> He d id not nl:lke :Ill [hings ou t of H imsclf, since H e was noe o f snch a condirion that He could have made rhem out o f Himself. 4. Further, rhlt He could not hlve made them am of . nothing is lsserred by him on the following orgum.em: He' defmes the Lord as a good , even a very good . being, whose desire co m:l.ke good lnd very good things is as strong as He is (good and very good>: nay, He desires lnd makes nothing that is not good and very good. Therefore, good and very good thjngs on ly should have been made by H im, in accordance \\'irh H is cond ition. It is found. however, rhar evil things as well have been made by Him~er r;:linly not by His decision and His wilt fo r then He wOllld not have made anything uti-fitting o r-l1l1wof[hy of Hin~5 c1f. Now that which He rhus d id not make by His own decision must be understOod (0 have been nl:tde from {he fluitiness of somerhing. which w ithol!( a doubt 111e~IlS ril:t( it origi nated from ma[ter.
II I
mai n position, as he saw t hem. Chapter 2 alone i s ci t e d hr'I'
THE BASIC ARG UM ENTS OF HERMOGENES e ll, 2.] To
thi s fmc lnd ucterly lighdess shade this very bad paincer has given co lour by melns o f the following l rgumencs. His fundamental dlesis is thOle rhc Lord mlde lU rhings eirher Out o f H imsel f, a t out o f norhing. o r o u( of somerhing, in orde r dlat. upon dcmon5craring char He . could neither have made rhem our of H imself nor our of nothing. he m:l.y consequently affirm rhe remaining ' possibility- that He made rhem out of something; and. next, thor dlO C something was marcer. 2 . H e says chat He could not have mlde (:d l chings> our o f H imself, because whatever (h ings rhe Lo rd had nude our of Himself would hlve been paces of H im; bue rh ar He canno r b e divided inca p:trIS, si nce, bcin:; the Lord, H e is indivisible lnd unehallge:tblc and always rhe saI ne. hlrcher. if He had 111.ldc s01l1l:rhing alit of I-Jinl~dr, lh at ~o !1lcrh ill b
1 32
I
t
,I
Oef ense o f his Chris tian teachings, and t o protec t
t1
lon of the Vul g ate Bible of th e Chr i st i an Ch urch used durI. ..... jq n
III I
th e
as " Fa ther o f th e Church , " Tertul-lian wrote the
II i :: e ntire t rea t i se .. The followin g ex t ract is fr om Chap-
f
I II
Ch pter 5 throug h 45 he used quotations from every book
Idl 'n
V ~llgate Bib l e Text to refute Her mo ge ne s .. He wrote : 66 a) Mauer as EqIJal to God ('h. ,~J Ar [his POlllt I sh:dl finally begin (0 discuss m arth:1f, :1ccordin,g 10 Hcrm0g..:ncs. God makes disposi-
1('1 ,
1 33
n l ry ,n also
cion of ie, WhCll ::c the S<1111e time it is presenced as eq ually \~nborn, equa lly unmade, eqLdly ercrnal, with n cithcr bcgilU1ill g n or end. For wb t ocher essencial properry ofG?d is rhere: than crermry? Wh3t other essence has eterlllry rhan ev er ro h;tvc exiS(ed :md to go on exis ring forever bce:1usc of irs privilege of being w itham a bcgiJUling and without an end? .2. If this is the special properry of God, it must belong to God .110ne, since it is His speci:tl pro perryfor clcarly if it should be assigncd to some m hcr being lS well, it will no longcr be tbe specill property of God . but a pto pcrry shar with Ih:\[ being [Q which ie is also assigned. 3. For rl/oligh there be thl1t are called gods 10 name, :vhether in heaven or ill earth. yctfor liS there is bilt Oile Gon, the Father, of 1!'li.OITl arc all things; and the refore j( is stil l more necessary thac in our conviCtion thar should belong co God alone ' which is che speci:tl propcrry of God, and which,;Ls I h;Lve said. (i f sha ced with anorher bei ng,) wo uld be no longt:r His specill pl',?perry. since it wou ld (~hell~ b~long to an.orher being (as well>. Now, if God IS th IS (~.c . Onc), lr. muse ncees~lri1y a Wlique prop{~r[y th.ar it m ay. belong to One. 4. Or wh:Jc will bc uniql1c and smgub r, If not rhat co w hich nothing equal can be produced ~ W hat will be prin Cipal, jf not th :t.t wl.lich is ~~ove ;111 th1l1~s.and ~~fore "n chings and fr om WhlCh ~U tl1mgs have orlgmat~a. 5. It is by having thcsc q~lalitics. alone that He IS G~d, and by h aving them .:tlolle, rh.:tt He 15 Onc. I~ another bem g should po~sess th em (1.$ well. rhen there \-v111 ~e. ;"L S m any oods as rhere ace bein gs which posscss rhe qnairtlcs p roper ' ~o God. Thus it is ch at Hennogcl1.es brings In two gocls~ he introduces m atter as equal to God. 6.13u t God must. be One, beC;"L"LlSc rbat is God w hich is supreme; but nothm g can b e supremc save th.:H which lS unique; bu r .ll~thi~lg can be unique if so meth ing Coln be .p ~\t on a lejvcl :vl.rh 1;:; but . matter wi ll be pu c on a lev el wlth God. WHen It IS authoriCltivcly declared to be eternal.
~ If. I~
he felt was " t r uth" in relation ship t o his o ltm religious tenin r es p ect to t he rol e of th e Church a nd s ocial a ctio n a s
,l ns t its heavenly g o als o f se n ding peop le to heave n o He wro te :
4. And thus. in a$ fa r~ as it bs been cstablished that )H3rCCr did nor cxist (also fot" rhe reason rhae it cannot havc bcen su ch a$ j[ is represented), in so far is it proved rhat all rhiugs were m:tde by God out of no thing . I would :l.dd only thar by dclinc::l ril1g a condi rion of mattcr qui te liI,-c his own~jrrcgubr, confused, mrb ulcilc. with a dishas put ordcred, r3sh, and violent l11otion-Hennogenes 0 11 c:;.:hibirion a sample of his art: he has paimed his 0"""'1 p<)[[ r;ll t .
1'he re are many books listed in t he b i bl iogr aphy t h at u se d in preparing t his c hap t e r
OIl i r
e me ly h e lpf u l
l he
I n the closi n g on,
1 tnq u a gesj
~' I
from St.. Aug u sti n e and S t.Cyprian. For whereas his
t W II
o t he.r=
1 34
concerned primarily wi th "'sou l " .:ll'ld
i t~;
'
" h · ·.] v·
11 .'
th ere is not very much wr i tten about St .
Lhe North Afr ican Christian Ch urch and all of Chris-
tJ4~ llort.l L
Th e r e i s not much a bout their persona l
l i ve s
III' Ir rL.: ig n as phil o so phers o f their rel i gion either .. I rll
11
t h e mos t common being i n F r ench, En g lish , and
!it. Aug u st ine ,
nf.
II
\.1 ( -' .
the Ch ur c h" works. There
I n "nd Te rtullian l iv es before they beCam e the spiri tual
,I
se e s t he sa me brash n e ss which made him s ta nd out so dUo,
to anyone wh o \"r is hes t o p ursue in greater de -
other tr a nslat ions from the ori g i nal La t i n Te xt s into
Itll lllY
1'1
t hi s
which s h o u l d a ls o prove to
indigenous Afr ican " F a ther s o f
I h.I '
theologians
67
IPILOGUE
Ter t ul l ian c losed h is treatis e on Her moge nes i n the : .. lI lI
d i ge nou s Africa n successors, 'IF a th e rs of the Church ,"
in th e Churc hll ; he, o n the o t her hand,
th e Chur c h in Rome and Nor th Afr ic a ) who d a red to differ with
be
drama t ic fas h i on i n wh ic h h e o pe n ed it .
law and or de r
engag e d with cha l leng i n g i ndiv i d u als ( i nclud i n g t h e h i erarc hy
j'.
·1
II
I II It'
~ve re
l il"if" bri ef sketchy backgr ou nd of themselve s, as s t atwot" I'~1
no t hin q o f
t he i r
non- Christi a n l i ves as i nd i -
135
g e nous Af rican s with the ir own tradi t ional Afric an reli g ions vlould have b e en known.
Of cours e,
lI 'l ited States o f Ame rica wher e they \,' ould h ave been toler a te d ,
th e re wer e many wh o dar ed t il
make c ertain a s sum p tions about their live s, but 'tJithout any SUl
''Illc h les s welcomed. Yet, they were the originators of mo s t o f t
11'-'
cess wh atsoever.
The onl y rea s on t h a t
One c an on ly wo nde r vJ hy Tertullian \..;as not made a "Saint'" He certainly did as muc h for Christianity and Christendom to Tn them what they are tod a y as did the o ther
Afr ~t~"
two indi ge nous
(so-called "Negroes , " etc .) "Fathers of t h e Church" - st. CYI" and st o Augustine.
b as ic t enets wh ich all o f Christe ndom toda y be lie ve.
I II ~
the thr ee indi g eno us Af r i can Pop es of
Roma n CatholiC Ch urch ha ve not bee n e xamined he re s hou ld be
'Ivlousj
i f not , i t
i s because t hey hav e done nothing o utstand-
" '1 in the hi story of Chri ste nd om, l ike most of th eir f ell ow Popes til l
\~er e
not o u ts tand ing l eader s .
Added to all of this , he was an activ is t ,
rll
than a philosopherj a kind of a 16th Centur y C. E . Catholic
1
- Mart in Lu t her - a nd t he 20the Century C.E. Protestant mini =-' Dr. Mar tin Luther King, Jr ., con g lomerate.
Ter t u lli a n mate!, .,l l
Chr istian ideal ism with physical action; "'l h ereas the othe r :; . ,' back and p hilosphi z ed On Christian Doctrine and Ethic s .
M'WI ·
some day this African , Dr .. Mar t in Lu ther Kin g, Jr . , a lso, 51).1 -1 I I made a HSaint" in his Church .
Hm/ever, the lac k of s uch COllI I I
tion does not in anyway what s oever le s se n his g rea t ne ss . mor e so true, when one considers tha t
' 1'11 1
the greatest pacifi.:; l ,d
modern - times - Mohandas ( lithe Sacr ed Oneil) Karamchand Gh anc.ll will ne ver bec ome a HS a int,11 solely because he was not co nfe ssan t .
il
t;1\i t
I
I t would have b een unlikely, however, that CYIIJ I ,
and Augustine would have made I1saint hoodl! i n the racist
W O .I
the 20 th Century C.E ., espec ially when co nsidering tha t
tJII y
indi g e n ous Africans (who are today called by suc h namo::;
,-l:.h
\. 1
,h-.
Bantus , Africans Sou th of the Sahar a , Ho t te n tot s, Bushm·n. I Coons,lland a hos t of other derogat ive sup e r la t i ves to t.:.h,. pe o p l e )
9
II I I "
even th ough totally Judaeo-Christi a n in their e vrll y
One cou ld sus pect that t he r e ar e very f w HChr1 s ti . n C hil i I li t 136
13 7
MOSES : AFRICAN O~
INFLUE~CE
tllher i t
JUDAISN
Chap t e r
till '
"ever last ing and eterna l
l i f e;" also that he a lone h ad
powee to
Three
cause men and women to b e born again •• •• "
ITIP ;' ~~J(*~ ! ~f~ To speak o f
an
"ALNI GHTY GO ~'' i n
.
the context used by Jew.' .•
The same God, OSIRIS, \."as responsib l e
to r-epresent nONE" -
Christians, and Moslems is impo ssib l e without g oing b ack to thj· ., "SUPREME BEING," as He " •• e l oved l i f e a nd ha ted death •••
roots of said b e lief . In so dOing , one has to delve
jn
beyond t til h \(' havi ng been shown in the f o l low ing extract from Chapter cliv .
origin o f Judais m (the Hebrew re li gion a nd peop le s) -
the parl'!d l ite BOOK OF THE DEAD :
of the three rel i gi ons mentioned ,'ehristianity Is l am - the grandc h ild. All eyes have
the chi l d,
atld
" • • • Homage to thee , 0 my d i vi ne father Osir i s, thou hast t hy being with thy . Thou d i dst not decay, t h ou didst not turn into worms, thou didst not rot away, thou didst not become corruption , tho u didst not putre f y •• •• I Shal l not decay, I shall not rot, I sha ll not putrefy~ •• ~ I sha ll hav e my being, I sha ll l ive, I sha ll germinate, I sha l l wake u p 1n peace •• •• My body sha ll be e~lished, and i t shall n e ither fall into ruin nor be destroyed o f f this earth~
to be centered on tlw
ind i genous African r eligions of the Ni. l e Va ll ey from Iflhenc e ,III
three derived, re l i gion s which are today ca ll ed the 'IEGYPTIMt RELIGION" a nd/or "MYSTERIES." But, in order to
delve into
till
depth s of the study of traditional Africa n religions o f Eg ypt
other l a nds along the banks of t he more than 4,100 mi les l e l1·j ' t. of
the Nile Ri ver
1
one needs a complete set of volumes o n l h
subject alone. Never - the-less, a f ew bas i c citations of t h.'
the God Os i ris. One can see
II,
II.
African religion u po n which Judaism, Chr i st i an i ty , a nd Isl a m the so-ca ll ed "WES TERN RELIGIONS "- r est are hereby e n ter e d
The a bove prayer was by Pharoah Thotmes III ( 1 504- 15 50 B.C.
II
Il
\1 '"
a n d examined ,
f',\l_ment f rom th is episode and i t s corruption in th e Hebrew rol low ed many h undreds of years l ater.
I II the book, FIRST STE PS IN EGYPTIAN, II
r:. A Wa ll iS - Budge, "ONE" ~iInI s
Foe e xamp l e : The co nce pt of the making o f man (creaLinll) "ONE" -
the Sun - God RA, who was sometimes ident if ied witll II"
Idy
God OSIRIS, was in f act deal in g ..... ith a monotheistic God o v''I, though po l ytheism seemed to be the basic f oundation o f:
Ut I '
can re li g i ons of Sais (later. cal l ed "EGYPT" by the Heb.ci,..... :. , and Roma n s). Yet one sees J
in the BOOK OF THE DEAD - D:'
I
I
I
a :~
t l~ c
onl y C; d ..... ho c ould
ma n ife station of the IISU PREME: BEING" -
1 1") 110...Ii.ng
•
i n the
the "GOO OVER
the one a nd only I!GOD ALMIGHTY" -
i s best noted
e xtract f rom the BOOK OF THE DEAD, Chapter c l xxxi:
" •• • Ho ma g e to th e e, 0 governor of Amentet, Un0 thou ..... h o r i sest ,\I (' c , the l ord 0;[ Ta -tc h esert , I ! k(' RD ~ Ver il y I come La see t hee and to rejoic e ,\ th y b ..... au t i e:;; . His d i~k. is thy d i sk, his rays 11 ' Lhy Y ~ j hi:; <':L~ ow n i s t h y crown; his maje sty
j 1ll
lated from Hier o glyph to English by S i c E . A. W,ll l i .::;-Bud q ".
tee clxxxi i , 1.15, OS iris show n
the a ut h o r
is i dentified through the God s -
- as the "S OUL OF RAt!
[ 1I1.({ ("; OS " 11
p. I 79 ff,
of God. " But , "ONE I s" identity as an absolute fact of
II !lIl ft !
/I I . '
the basic values of death a nd
111,1
1 38 '1
• 1'1, 1[ ,'/ 11 wh ~ nc ('! U\c L:n .,li zh tra.nslation derived. See 'I 'II L m :I\(): ~ lG O O~ I I
139
The indi genous African s ' o f Eg y p t
p.
. 1i giou s t hough ttl among t h e a nc ie n t Nile Va lley Af ricans of
(Bl a c k people from Cenl .
' IYI, t, a nd th at of profes s o r C . P. Tie le, a lre a d y s hown above; I
the fac ts re main somewher e i n t he e x p l a n a t i on g iven by p r o f -
t
,\or J. Lie b ma n I s book , EGY PTIAN RELIGION I Le ipzi g , 1884, in
in the ENCYCLOp e DIA BRITANNICA, Vol. XX ,
l'I (' h h e he ld t he fo llo ...,ing :
367:
" Wh en we. for in s tanc e , take t he I nd o-Europeans, \olhat do we f ind t h ere ? The Sa n s kr i t Hord DEVA is identical with t h e Latin DEUS , a nd t he north ern TIVI, TIVAR: j as now t he word in La t in a nd north ern l anguage s i g nif i es God it must also in San~from the b e ginn i n g hav e h a d the s a me significa t ion. That is to s ay, t he Arians , or Indo -E uropeans , mu st ha v e comb ine d th e id ea of God \."i th t his word, as e arly as whe n t he y s t ill lived tog e t her in t he i r ori g i n a l home . Be cau se , if t he \"or d i n t he ir pre-hi sto r ic ho me had h ad ano ther more primitive si g ni f ica t ion, t he wo nder would h ave ha ppened, th a t the ...,ord h a d a ccide ntal l y g one t hr ou gh th e same d evelopme n t o f s i gn ifi c ation with al l th ese p eop le a f ter t h eir se para t ion. As t his i s qui t e impr o b a b le, the h' ord must have had th e s i g ni f ic a tion o f God i n the ori g inal I ndo Europ ean l a n g uage. On e cou ld g o e ven f ur t her • •• , II e t c ., etc., e t c.
" ••• the adoration of one God above all other s as the speci f ic tribal god or a s the lord over a particular people, a national or relative monotheism, like that of the ancient Israelites t he worship of an absolute sove reign exacts ' ive obedie nce . Thi s practical monotheism is totally differen t from the t heoretical monoth eism, to which t h e Ar y an s , Hith their monistic specula t ive i d ea o f the g o dh ead , are much nearer. However, it mus t b e a lso n ote d th at Professor 'tiele was not (1".,1 ing wi th t he Africans o f Eg y p t
(E gyptians ) , b ut t he Harib u (II.
b r e vIs, tod ay called e rrone o u sly "Jews " ) - who had alre ady 11\1' Eg yp t
t he q u a lity of t h e I. ONEil
.. s the c r ea tor of heaven a nd ear t h - was on l y a " . 99 phase o f
East Afric a 's Great Lakes) religiou s beli e f in "ONE" ,,,as ci t d f ollows by C.P.T1ele
p.285, in wh ic h he indi ca t e d tha t
1011:5,
1s they majesty ; his be a u ty risings are t hy risings : h~s be au ty 1 s t h y be a uty ; the awe which ~s hl.S is t he awe which is thine; his odour . 1.s thy odour; his h al l is th y hall; his seat 1.S thy •• • ••••• •• •• e t c., e tc ., etc .
( Sais) and es t a b l ished their o ...m national cu l tur e anu
I
li g ion upon t he p rinCiples t h ey learnt whil e t hey were in I::'I V' " a r'lC:~
and in fact, what they were born und e r. At least , t heir
wer e in fact n a tive-born Africans of Eg yp t , of the Hebr e w f 1 th Nevertheless Professor T1ele, in his own work, HISTOIRE
CONJ~Nj
~ll h ou g h
Id I
prof e ss or Li ebman' s t he o r y was very ex t ensiv e, t h is
,.x. t rdct f rom t he who le s hou ld be s uf ficie n t f or the pur pose
... I, ·rI h e rein. Ye t , pr ofe ss or Liebman was d e aling pr imari l y m{Jil nin g o f t h e Egyp t ian ver b "nuter , " whic h is t he Latin
DES ANCIENNES REL I GIONS, Paris , 188 2, stated t hat there \'H: '
f
1111
contrad i c t ory and irr e concilab le phenomena in the Afric a n ::'
I"
"11 k u " and San s krit "deva," wi th re s pect t o th e ma n ner in
Egypt r eli g ious p hi losophy: 1.
2.
A li v el y sentiment o f spir itual i t y of God united to the coarses t mate r ia l is tic represen ta tions of d i f fe r en t divi nities. A senttment, no t le ss live ly, of t he 'u n i ty of God, uni t ed t o a n e xtr e mely gr e a t mul tip l icity of divine per sons .
Be tween th e declaration in Ma x Mu ller I S work, HI DOf;W!' II
140
I.
II I ~ m.... l l n i ng o f the wor d "nu t erl'
. , ~~~!) ~~ ~ +} Hl'JU.).g C G
. , 1111''1
1J1 1~~JJ
or i t s v ariant
~l changed as i t wa s in tegr ated in t o e ac h
that a dopt ed i t s usa g e ', the same having t ake n
l:lIe Hebr ew ( J ewis h) YAHWEH o r Eng li sh GOD .
COO'· f· r t.S
wer e no t n e'tJ 't!h en the fir s t of t h e Ha r ibU ( He-
I IV 'Y w'~ C
Lhen c;)l l e d - en tered Sais ( Egypt), with
141
Abraham and h is family ( around c1640 B.C.E.)- as shown in the
l1" i g i n ated wi th the so-called "inspired me n of God " t he ory still
Book of Genesis, Chap t e r 13, Verses 1 : 18. They ..... ere in exi str',,,
I,j'in g expou nded
by "men o f t h e cloth." The s e works are tra n slat-
a very long period before th e bu ilding o f t he first major P yr ,I"
,\ f rom or igi nal Coffin and Pyrami d Tex ts i n Hiero g l yphs i n to
of Sa qqa ra by P haroah Djoser
(w hom the Greeks called "zozer")
I\fl lish by scholars ca lled "Egy pto l ogis ts. " HOHever , another of
Gree~
he major works needed in the se t is MAN AND HIS GOD S ; also the
the other major works, c al l ed " Cheops~
t h ose by phar oah Khu f u (whom the
o r "Kheops", Mycerenius, a nd Khafra (w hom t he Grl" ~
ca ll ed·C hephre nll) , in a per i od covering from 3, 1 00 to 2,258 0 . 1 more tha n 6 18 years the l ast one was bui l t be f ore the bir th
ork s o f Count C. Volney - RU INS OF EMPIR ES ; and that o f P,rofes•• Ge org e G. M James - STOLEN LEGACY. wi th the above bac kground a nd unders tand ing from whence t he
I, r
the f irst Haribu (Hebr ew or Jew), Abram (Avram or Abraham) '-" .1'
'IIH": t of " monotheism" f ir st came, one Can r ead il y enter the
born , more than 1,5 00 years before the concept of " Adam a n d !';v
1\ l owing discussi on wi th mu c h greate r
was developed by the Hebrews. Ther e fore, one can s a fely say III
the r ole the i ndi ge nous Afr i ca n s
atheism" ~ican
was i n deed the p rime fa ctor in t he r eli g io n o f tlw
!'
I e traditional r el i g ions had, a n d st i ll have , i n Juda ism (or
" '.PC
Sys te m" t housands o f year s before t he exis te nce of t he HeoP' w l'
!
and sister Afric a n s of the tradi tional re l ig ion of t he
P o f " ONe" or liRA," as r e p resented by the God - OS I RI S.
II j
Th ree main re gio n s a n d three ma in k i nds o f wande r ing a n d imper f ectly settled people t~ e~e ..... ere in those remote days of the f irst CiVlllzat ion i n Sumeri a and e a r l y Egypt . Away i n t h e for ests o f Europe were the blon d Nordic peop l es, h unte r s and h erdsme n , a lowl y r ace . The pr i mitive civili zat i ons saw very l it tle o f th i s r ace b e fore 1500 BeC ..
of the Chr i stia n and Moslem Gods - Jes us Christ and Al lah . " ,,,. mort a lity" was also a very basic concep t wi t h in the same !lY.' d u r in g t he same period , giving r i se to t he "NETHER WORLD" ci ed so adequate ly in the BOOK OF THE DEAD. Theil Book of th f!
,J.
I)
bei n g t he name g iven the works of t he a nc i e n t indigenous AIr of Eg ypt (the egyp t ians and other Nile Valley Afric ans ) and recordin g o f ma n' s " l ife a,fter death ", whic h t he
'I' hl' above quota tion i s take n from H. G. Itlells, A SHORT HIS -
01111 ,,,
III '('!IE WORLD '.. I t sroul.d aid some what in beg inn ing th i s chapter .
an cltlt~1
., I y , i t wil l f ur ther
r i b u copied and d is tor ted under the name of the "HEREAp"rf, n ." ,
It i s sug gested t hat a copy of each o f BOOK OF THE DEAD ; OSIRIS; THE
~H' I
t h e fo llowi ntl
GODS OF THE EGYP TIANS ;
FIRS T BOOK OF EGYPT- beco me part of the col l ec tion or
I~ntl l c,H~ h
I
14 2
:; 1 1 1
1(\
o p en peop l e's mi nd to t he poin t where
,)void th e p i t fa ll C .. P . Snow r eflected in h i s comment on
"0111t':" Darwi n' s b ook, THE NEXT HILLION YEARS. Sir Ch a r le s
III
er' s li br a ry; espec ia l l y with respect t o the or ig i.n o f Ih. religiou s conce pt s most Jews, Christ i a ns . a n d 1'1os1cma
(ca ll ed " Negroes, " e tc .) and
rf'wl sm) _ the re l i gion the Afr i c a n ·Haribu s ad o pted from their
of t he Nile Va ll ey, es pec ial l y i n t he Eg yp t ian "Mys L(' ,
YAHWEH (Je hovah), and o f cou r se thousand s more be f ore th e er "
insight a nd appreciati on
I' H\d :j on o f I'
t h e Victorian sc i en tist bear ing th e same n ame)
1 n Illn wor ks with e v i d e nce t h a t den i es " any j us t i fi ca tion 1'1 . juu.ic t.:,u and stated that i n" th e not t oo dis t ant fut ur e
I
I. , I
I 'II f/hi If' IWoP.lC:'> wil l Wrt·s t economic and mil itary pm... er f rom 1 43
t he Whites." To this C ~ P e Snow wrote: 2
li ~
It means , incidenta lly , that the racia l discrimination which ha s b een the leas t c r e ditable featur e of t h e per iod of 'tlhite hegemony is not only wicked; i t is worse t ha n wicked i t is c rimi nall y fooli sh. '
ever existi ng at a ll , but as to h is ind i g enous African or igin , the origin of the messag e h e is all eg ed to have br o ugh t
Alld
!llilkind a fter the Pe sach (over) from We s t e rn to Eastern Eg ypt r 1'11.
Sinai) .
Str a ngely e nough the Ne w York Times periodical o f Apr i l ,
~'1ith
1 969 , C~E . quotedfue same C . P . Snow as havi ng backe d the p os i t of a "chosen peop le" above oth e r
to
III
regards to Mose s or igin t he SECOND BOOK OF MOS ES (Exo-
,e l ), Chapter 2, Verses 16 : 19 states:
peoples f or t h e " J ewish r ae ... ..
But Moses f1M "tom Pharaoh, and
.flOck, II When t hey carne to tbf:l t fat her Reli 'el. he said, "How l!i It that you h~ve come so soo n today?" 19Thty
stayed In the land of Mld",an; a nd he sat down by a well. ,. Now the prtest, or Mld'i,1m had seven daughters; and' they came and d rew water, and tilled the ttOug'lS to water their fath er's flock, 17 The shepherds came and drove them away: but Moses stood up-' alld helDed them, and watered thelt'
This of course r efu tes the above position he held wi t h re spcI Sir Char les Darwin Jr' s sta tements in h is book quoted abov e . Ihl it wou ld se em tha t C. P . Snow's rema r ks , in t h is resp ec t, aL" I
" •• • an Egyptia n delivered us out of the hand of the Sheherd s lf
be g iven no extraordinary a tte n t iono Why ? Because there a r c ', ' Jews tOday of almost eve ry ethnic gro up in Europe, Africa, A' I
., i s t h e abov e declar a tiono
the Americas, arrl mos t o f the habitab le island s of t he world. 'I'
Illyon e that the p riest of Mid ian s daughte rs recognized t10 ses
a re Yemenite and Coc hin Jews from Yemen and India (Asi a)
I
V " l'c o g nized h im the
(F alasa), in Ethiop ia , East Africa ( :"In. "
whom are in Isr ae l - a ver y sma ll amou nt)
r
are the blackeD i , ,11, ,1
t)lh' ~r.
1\
C)J tU 11
,I ~
States o f Ameri ca inc lud ed , all of thes e types of J e ws ar'· I ..
this ex traordinaril y wide spectrum of co lors a nd e t h nic
Same as they ',.;ou ld have r ecogn ized a n y Thi s ver se, amo ng
verses , s ubstantiatl'J s the indigenou s Afric a n c haracter -
tha t there wa s no more difference in the physic a l make-
I n the !i ltlester n Hemi sphere , " the so-ca l l e d "New World," th o' I',
(JI ( ' ,
"a Ba n t u. "
of t he Haribu s (Hebrews or Je", s) , pr oving at the same
Euro pe an Je ws , on th e o therhand, a re th e wh l'
is tence , pl us variou s ot her combinat i ons of them. Th e r e
It shou ld be o bvious
"a Negro" -
,lew i n Afr ic a at t his period in h istory .
most anc ient in Hebrew ( Jew is h) trad i t ionss The Swede s and N", wegians of the
Jew.
1
II in dig e nous Afric an - "an Egypt ianlf -
I'n(,
whom are i n the Sta te of Is rael currentl y. The Beta Isr ael, , . .. manl y called " Fa las ha"
Not a 1
t
lI t: J e ws tha n any other indige nou s African of any di f f e rent
I J I (lUO conviction a lon g the ent i r e Nile Valley civilizations
I,
1'1
~
nt da y Ug a n d a to the Medi t erranea n Sea).
Al so, t h a t
... ' 1 r DOt. stigmati ze d as the y were in Easter n Europe over
o ne finds the conglome rate whic h is to day called th e " :Jcw 1 Ih
nt! yoa r ;.:; la t er, b y having to wear spec ial g arments or
people. ,,4 And , i f t h ey were ever a "sepa r ate r ac e" a t
"II
o. ny l
1111'
th e anc ien t past , they are not now.
nil '
Th i s Chapter cont::irues:in a high degree with t ile " trlJ.I I." "fals ehood" of th e "Story o f Ma s s ,"
'"
II
not; ( I~ om \..I,c. ::;L:l nl."ll ,..-d ,, 1 "
144
n O' 01; ide n t ificat i on tha t
,
~'10uld
hJO
have made them
o m the ge neral p o pulationj th is was at a t i me ). WI' Hor e. no t per mi. t ted to reg i ster a s Caucasi ons 1,1
I·:nr o p o ~
Of cout"sc , there were no
.. " t l p" \nvcn Lc d LlL lhnt
p~l: .lo d
" Sem ites!!
wi th Hoses by certain e thno-
14 5
log i sts,
th i s profession hav ing not existed, neithe r
i t s rac L.n ,
I ~H h
I,~ f}
among is s t ated in He rodotu s, HISTORIES , Book II j Thu s:
whereby he could see two or
~
t h ree "races ll of ma nk i nd coming
H
~l-~
a li tt le more t h an 400 yea rs ( s o mew here b e tw("
~:1
I
II
"Promised Land " d u ring t he reign of Rameses II sometime b tWf."
~ J WI'
V.l.t ma j ori t y J - ,~ o m
I
" i
II
or
4b a pproximate ly c 1640 to 1630 B. C . E .,
t h em r es iding arou nd t he sea port o f As wan.
th i s earliest ba ck groun d of th e o r i g i na l
Har i b us (Jews)
I ..
~::; te d
upon tradit i ona l African values establi shed thou -
ye ars by indigenous Nil e Va lley African s (the So-called
II ," a nd others), from Ug anda in Central Eas t Africa to the
I " $ a (no';-J the Me di t erranean) in North Afr ica bef ore the I, , d
Joseph - who became " Pr i.rnt, nl, 1
ter d ur i ng the re i gn of Pharoah Horenh e b or Kamose. Th ;:1L MOt
1 "I , " I
I
I"
cam e high government officials within ma ny pharoahs' ( k irlr1;' ) was
ind u s tr y -
, 11 f' !)e d ly "gave the world" t ha t "Jhic:h is t od ay ca ll e d " Ju -
as such, many Jews, as many of th e o t her indigenou s Af r ie,III
inet, most noted of them
The fir st r ecord of them in Egy pt
of the ir small settlemen t a r ound the Nile Delt a on the
U~ l l ld i ng
fathers - Abr ,dl ",,
ed all oth er people in Egyp t, depe ndin g u pon th eir cla ss(':";.
desert ~
t" r-r anean Sea , ne ar the cities where there vias a fl o ur iShing
the time their tiny number s, C"'V1 nl
t h ey were all "Je l c omed a nd enjoyed all of t h e pr iv i le g e ::;
inst i tut ions of hig her l e ar n ing or an or g an ize d
t n the As ian
(Mos he) l ed t he m t owarUI. I I.
t heir
Th e re are no
11'ILo n before t hey entered Sais (E gypt ) from their nom ad ic
Religi ou s h is tory r e v ea l s t hat t h e J e ws l i ved i n Egy pL '"'
th e f irst o f
4a
a nd Isa ac ) a n y scrolls or book s what soever ..
Y~~n men t,
III
ye a r s ago . They were not as sophisticatedly ra cist as ye t .
w ~ th
Ea s tern Egy pt ( Mt .. Sinai)
,(,cds t h at t h ey had any h ome l and whe re they had establi shed a
Zi nz ath r op us boisie· of Ke nya , East Africa , more than 1,7 50 , 111'1 1
1 298 -1 232 B. C.E. Tha t from
f rom l-l ester n Egypt to\'Iards
I " .l,: h they ca lle d "E gypt!! in their myth ology about the sons o f
,
II I
d iff e r e nt "races" evo l ving from the same "ape like" Mister .:t n ..J
c 1 64 0 and 123 2 B.C . E.) before Mose s
age (depend ing on
II , L the Jews, pr i o r to any ment ion of Moses, brough t int o Sa i s
the sophist ica t 1""
the same ,. Adam a nd Eve; II no more t han he cou l d have seen t it
to be exact, e ntered
This is true , bec:ause Mose s was
It is ex treme l y important t o no t e t hat t here are no r ecords
word s were nee d ed in t hose days , for anc i en t nI l.
h ad not yet developed ( n either did h e have
app roximate ly
~
' un' t'.ime between 1298 and 1 232 B .C .. E.
liThe ColC: h ian s , Eg yptia ns and Etl110 pia n s have thick li ps, b ro ad nose, wooly ha ir , and t hey are b urn t o f sk in . 1I
of
s first daughter
hk h version o f wh i c h b i b le one i s read in g at the time) when h e
The i dentifica t ion of the t yp e of Afr icans Mo ses \... as b orn
I
I
"pposed l y eigh ty (80) t o ninety (90) years o f
nor i ts r e li g ious bigo tr y .
Her od o tu s
Pep I
I~I
I
I
himsel f, wa s b r o ug h t up a s a member of the Royal F .1mily (, I I'll • See BLACK HAN OF THE NILE, by Yos e f be n-J' o C:ha nna n , fdJc d~" I Books, Ne\-I York , 1970 , ch apter d eilli o t) wJ t h f o :ssi l - mo n .
I he f irst Jew, Abraham, for their philosophical
I I I" r.pi.r - tual and moral foundations of " Judai sm" t oday and
y' •. \1
IJrC based upon the So-called "TEN Cot'JMANDMENTS " in
VI, IIOOK!; OF' MOSe s
I
II
co n cep ts~
I. ,., "' r: on
~
(To l:"al1).
Yet, all of these 11Comrnandment s"
- v!hich most people do n ot know exis t - are
147 146
almost exact copies of laws and reli g ious philosophical
concep i ~
he s ame Nubia (Sudan) being referred to is where the major
\·/h i ch the African Je\Ols, as they were by t hat time, lived under
. ,ltaracts - one through six - are located, k n own as IIUPPER EGYPT."
during thei..c more tha n four hundred (400) years i n Egypt and ol t.
"h is is the location where most of the g r eatest str uctures of Nile
parts of North Africa .. Because of this backgro und the ind i ge noll
VA l ley-Han High- Culture (civil ization) were erected .. Also ; it is
African iden t ity i s p u rposel y excluded from Judaism , as pre sentl
I h t·ough the s ame Nubia that the Nile River and i t s tributaries
being taught in synagogues and schools within the United State:.
'I.m! before i t reaches Egypt (Lower Egypt). The same Nile River
America. To make certain this image of a non-African beg inninq ,.,
' r1u tes the ancient indige nou s Africans travelled from its source
the Jews is perpetuated, and the fo l lowing are crea ted :
I II Ce ntral Africa (Uga nda) when they bui lt their earliest High-
"AFRICANS SOUTH OF THE SAHARA, NEGROES , BLACK .AFRICANS, SEMITI('
. 1l 1tures (civilizations) to t he point of the ir zeniths in Egypt,
AFRICANS, HEMITIC AFRICANS, TROPICAL AFR ICANS, CAUCASO ID AFHICI\14
11111.d a, Ku s h (Ethio pia) , Punt (the Somalia area of East Africa),
HOTTENTOTS, PYGMIES," and a host of other Africans wh ich are l,.... .
uu'd i a, Libya, Khar t Haddas (Carthag e or New Town) , and other
n\l1l'lerous
to try and list here. These , and others J we re
,I"
" "CiS in North and East Afr i ca . Bef ore
th~t
time, how ever, ot her
ded t o satisfy the political, cultural , reli g ious and psychol{1'11
I t
ca l separation of ma n y sections o f Af rica (A l kebu-lan ) · , from \'
. I" n t i fic, ph i losoph ical
nor thern limits and much of its eastern territories. The refon' ,
,Il h of their culture , in southern Afr i ca - ZIHBABltIE (the Portu -
one hears o f "Eg ypt, Libya, TuniS i a, Morocco, J\lgeria, Ethiopl " ,
q
I.eans had travelled and reached arC h itectural, e ng ineering,
' , ,~
~
and re li g i ous greatnes s, and to the Ze-
call ed i t Zimboae, the British called it Rhodes ia ) in the
I vr
" 'I(.! s t Afr ican land - based empire - NON0r.10TAPA (the entire are a
of seman tica l exp erimentation of racist scholars be comes im})!.!".1
lfi uthern Afr ica, from the Zambesie River to the Cape of Good
and Africa. 1I Of course, the average person Nho dige sts this
with the o p i n ion that Africa is separate f rom the co u ntries 11
t
be f ore the " ... and Atr ica .. II With the fait ac com p li of North fll, I and East Africa removed from the balance o f
the continent of All
set in the minds of people everywhere an established fact, •.\ :. taught in " t'/ estern" ed u cational institutions, i t was then v et ': eas y for the educators to remove the indigenous Africans, 131 " , I (also called "Negroes , II even "col oureds" sometimes) , from
CV " I
having anything whats oever to do with the se areas o f Afr i e o \ltd I their a lle gedly first entrance as " • • • slave s from Nubia .
1I
YI'I,
!'III" (the Port ugue se !!Cabo de Tormen to s").
Moses and Judaism, li ke Jesus Christ and Christianity (the H,thtcr of Judaism ) , had their or i g ins in the Nile Va lley civiI ~I 10ns. And of course I s lam , \.,.ith her God - Allah (the g ra ndII Jl l t:,f" 1' of Juda ism,
and caughter of Chris t ianity) can not escape
It.di genous Africa n ori g in, e ven if t he Ka ' aba " 5a shou l d be II,tlmed by the Moslems of the Holy City of Necca. I n ::o upport o f the sta t ements already made in reference to " bl ;lck: stone tl - a piece of a f allen meteor found in Ethiop ia l od in t o Arab ia when the Ethiopian s of East Africa ruled At .. b1d. n ['c ninsu la hundr eds of years before Islam was founded.
•• \1 r"
• See page 266 of Yosc f ben-J oc h tlnnan'::; book , OL CK Ml\N 01·' TIP NILE, for t he names A£ric.'l WIlS ca ll od hy l h " nc1o nt~. 148
149
Moses,th e fo llow i ng facts are re-emphasized:' ••• Moses, his b r oth"l
l-H:ote o f " S emiti c peop les" t hat e n tered Egyp t around t he y ear
Aaron and his s i ste r Mirriam were a l l i ndigenous Africans of EIJY \'
111 00 B o C ~ E~ 5 a Yet, none of these wri t e rs cou ld find any r ecord s ,
Bib l ical hi s tor y s tates th at t hey wer e bor n i n Egypt , North Afrl .
j~Lh er
than t he He brew Torah (FIVE BOOKS OF MOSES)
1
to valida te
during th e r e ign o f Pe p i I, Pharo a h of Egypt, wh ich began in 1 311 1
ln y histori cal e vidence related to the HPA SS OVER." This is n ot
B .C.E .. and co n t inued for twenty (2 0) y ear s afte r
I~ say that ma n y Jews \..,rere,
(1298 B.C.E.)."
or wer e no t, s l aves in Egy pt; or th at
Not on ly these few Je ws were indigenou s Africans, but almost eV j'l
Il lc y did, or did not, labour in t he b uilding of one or mor e of
last Jew fleeing from western Egyp t
I \I P minor and least i mpor t ant of t he pyramids . Bu t, i f
E~stern
t o th e "Promised LandI! in
Egypt, - No unt Sinai - were indige nous Africans. Tho se wI..
j
was h ot bec ause o f t heir
t
II
r el ig ion" or "ethnic"
t h ey did ,
groupings because
are today called IINegroes" (and th e like s) a r e descendants o f t h,'
111(- EQyptians, as we l l as other anci ent peop l es of that era i n
same people. The sour ce of t hese f acts c a n be found in the Hebr.
HI :-: t:ory , were unawa re of "race hatred" or " color prejudice," also
Torah (the F IVE BOOKS OF MOSES) , t he Ch ri st i an Holy Bible (al J
I " l i g ious bigotry , " i n any form common to Twentieth (20tJl) Cen-
versions of i t) and the Mos lem Koran, amo n g other major scho l. 1!
I III y CoE .
thinking . This may be, of course, di ffi cu lt for most
works on the sub j ect, all of which coul d b e fou nd throughout LII I
ll\f'r' i c ans to accept, irre sp ective of raCe, c reed or co lor , sinc e
and other works .. Thus i t is written :
III' r i c ans hav e never k nown a period in their h i s tory (si n c e t h e y
Andth e re was a famine in the land : And Abraham (Avram) wen t down into Egypt (A f r1 ca) f to sojourn there; for the fa mine was gr ievous i n t he land .o o , etc.··
••10 t he countr y I
I (H
Sir E . A. 'L'Ja l li s -Bud g e , Professor James H. Breasted, Pr Of , sor Geor g e G. M. J ames, Jos e ph us, a n d a ho st of o t her outstanrl iu Egyptol ogists, all e l abora ted ex t ensively on th e life of th e.
·t he basic str u c tur a l fabric of the g ov e rnm ent of the United
I d e :,; of America and t he pr ivate sectors, o then. . is e called IIfree II
r r'r.-ise."
As suc h , most Americans seem unable to u nders tand
11)
Pharoah (King) Rameses II,sometime between 12 98 and 1 232 B.L.L
.,.. ,Iny other civili z atio n, past or present , cou l d h ave devel o p 1
I
,;oc ie ty free of r e ligiOUS b igotry and rac i a l hatred. Hhcreas , u race , " fo r whatever
the word mea n s today, had n o
01))' \
1
11 3.
modern histo rians de a ling with this period in £gyptian h i s tOI v Wor ds in b racke t by a uthor f or particular em phas is on tI1J.:. 1·,·1 •• See Genesis, Chapter 1 2, Ve r se 10 of the Hebr e w Torah.
l o g on a ncien t Egyp t i a n society ;lI reli g ion' l d id . Not only was
I l 'l l on" a f actor with f ore igners, but amon gst various indige-
Though not using the n ame Jews or Hebr ews (Har i b u s ), mOl. !
150
whe n racis m a n d r elig ious bigo t ry wer e n o t part and par-
I
d1genous African Jews i n ancient Egypt befor e the ir flight tt (}III
as shovm in the chronolog y o f BLACK MAN OF THE NILE, pp. 101
, , 11 :; 11)
f r o m t he indigenous pe o p l es t hey call III n _
"
pl)ill- O') hs (kings). For example : The boy pharoah , Tut-ankh-amen II, n :. he is affection a t e ly known),changed t he worship of t h e J ' c !~ i o{\
God - AMEN. Pharoah Akhnaten {Akhanaten, Ikn aten, 5b 1, 'I'IIL ' :} t, ILher - ;i.n - l a w, h ad c han g ed it to t he God - ATEN .
111 11
151
However
I
at no time wa s there a war or a n y per iod of per secu tiol)
in Egypt because of "r e l igious intoleranc e . 1i But, i t ligious tolerance"
thus , the
I I
P a~.
C'o
. J'r-:N COMMANDMENTS ll9 a t Mou nt S inai.
Th ere is no record t hat he did any t hing t o free " h is peopl e "
Over drama; showing the Africans of the religion of the God AMSN of Egypt as devils, and the Africa n J ews of the God - YAHWI<JI
0" to t h e time that h e mur dered his fellow Egyptian; nor that h e ",, 'r gave up h i s l ife of lUxury from
as !lGod's choosen people . "· Some additional insights
m~y
" have c ome f rom t he da u ghter of the pharoah, Pepi I ( his first
I n t h e " .bu lr us h basket . "
that " • •• Moses was born of the tribe of Levi," at a period when
It was onl y whe n Moses h a d t o flee Pharoah Ramese II's anger
the indigenous African Hebrews were already ens l aved by fe l l O\.,r Africans of another religio n in Egypt, North Af r ica. 5 b
\u:;e he had murdered Rameses repr ese ntative -
Moses vJas saved thro ugh h is mira c ulous di sc overy by the p i maid, supposedly h is own sister
floating down the Ni le River
I
t 'l
in a b ulrush b asket ." Hi s mo t her w,,
the Pharoah, Rameses I t
bOI
Nas k illing al l of the Hebrew males
II
The pr ince ss g ave fuses t o a wo ma n y who was in fac t hiD t o nurse him; s h e was paid by the princess for
v ic e s t o her
her
() 'rJ r,
e nd of the Nil e R iv er De l ta to Mount Sinai) . ll
IJlIl lIi
l!er e, Moses is seen f l e e i n g one of the same laws he was supn il t o have r ece ived from God (Yah\.,reh , Jehovah) along with the
h"", .. h) , or some oth e r 'H
l·P '
own ch i l d.
Hi S n a me , Moses, meant "draNn ou t f rom the wat er,"
be g i n to p l an the "EXODUS" of his fellm" indigenous Egyp-
U (:OM11ANDMENTS.1I I t i s o b vious that t h e same God of the Hebrews
throu g h out the King dom of Egypt, etc .o
J
'j l '
God , must have given the same \'TEN COMMAND-
l q the other Egyptians of th e religion of the God RA before
IvUldod it out to Mos es on Mount S in a i , because Hos es was run ning ac c Ol~. 1
" l I PC
I,
being prosecut e d for viola t in g the l aw th at states:
THO U SHALT NOT KILL
t o the Egyptian p r i n cess - who a ll egedly had no name, but s lll \ • I n t~ is te~m, "c hoosen peo ple," t he seeds of religiou s b inr-. , f , and a V1.d r a C1. s m wer e p l anted. F or what were the 11 choo se n PI ' 011 1, .. P7r se cu t ed or prose cu ted '] Th is was written a t a p e riod in mtlT1 ' h 1. s t o-:-y whe ~ t h ~ foundation of bigotry was be ing e s tabl.i s h t: rI I,. , the f 1.r s t t1.me 1. n hu man history . All of t he God~ o f t.hat LilTl" " choo se n peopl e " were to su i t the ir Ot.,rn prejud i c:u fI n d r ol)Clr.l!I .
}5 ;
the soldier , did
o ( t h e Hebrew Fai t h from Western to Eastern Egypt (from the
S ! II'
7
~r.
who se i zed h i m f rom" • ••
supposedly J to h ave hid him in t h e basket t o save hi s life I
mothe r
s uppor t h is mother re-
1 uq hter),IO the same g irl who saw him floating down the Nile Riv-
which \I,as adopted by the Chris tians and Mo sl e ms. I t wou ld seem
I
t h~
Ived from t h e pr incess for h is s u pport, all of which was stated
be ga ined by a revi ew of the
life of Moses, according to the anc ien t Hebrew bib li cal histor y ,
cess
8
Moses murdered h is fellow Egyptia n , who was not of t he He-
is in"re-
that the story o f the lndigenous Af ri cans i n
fluence in Judaism , past a nd present, i s writte n;
Jl ,ve him his name.
',l nl i l a rly, th e BC
st a ted to the He b r ews :
THOU SHALT LOVE THY NEIGHBO UR AS THYSELF I -n v l oL, ted by Mo ses wl1 e n he killed h i s fello'A indi g enous 11
II I
CH' ol h€' r
or
Sais ( r-:g yp t ).
153
Th ere are hundreds of source mater ials which revea l evidorll_
It'1 g "Let my peop le go;
22a
but many substitute
tI~ ". fl:'om
J im Crow's
f or ttPharoah t s land" \"ith as mUCh , or possibly more , fer v o r
that s Ubs t a ntiate the indigenous Afr ican origin of the other n it
I~n d tl
HCommandmen ts,,; lla such da ta not o nly prove the ir Africa n ori q\h
lhdn did t he African Hebrews (Jews) of Egyp t during Hoses' e ra b~ n
but in most cases the author of each document or la\.... Gen es is, Chapter 3, Ver Ses 7 and 8 , the "Lord" (God, or Y,Ih
they sang the ir son g s of liberation from the ir fellow Africans .
tZ4n g e as i t may seem , t h e first peop le to sin g th i s song were
we h ) is shown aiding and abe tt ing Noses to stea l his neighbor' .
ht! Afr ic an-Amer ican s -
proper-ty , as Jeh ovah promised Hoses the " Caan ite, Hi tt ite , AmM \
.,fltr ary.
Jebus i te, Per i zz i tes l a nd flowin g with milk and honey. 1I 11b
Heb re,'Js were p l a nnin g to cOll\C'li t , and the y later comm itted , and
.. t
nd cf an ancient Adolf Hi tIer of the ItEgyptian
race~
II
The
yp t ian s , of course, were supposed to have had no ancestral co n-
"'1
made by t h e pharoahs o f Eg ypt against other peo ples and lancl n
to t he
Pharoah Rameses II i s made to look l ike a raving mani a c, a
\'/ h .11
wa s the differ ence between th ese inva s ions Moses and his fellfllJ
ther e be ing no rec ord wha tsoeve r
1
lion with the ancient i ndi geno us African Haribus (Jews).
Thi s
the suggestion s a n d approval of the God, RA , of Egypt (Sais) .
.. not true, because the ancient Africa n Haribus of Egypt, the
Jews (He bre,.,.s ) were only taking a page from t he h istory they l
Hd le s, gave birth to hundreds o f thous ands of offspring .
\'Jh ile they to/ere still ind i g enous Africans i n Egypt .
As a ma ll
of fac t, t hey were st ill in Egypt when the "LordI! - Yahweh _
IIH1it ion the HebreNs cou ld not avoid, that is, providing the y
"
posedly approved t heir co loniali st invasion and confiscation ti l eratio n) of other people s
I
lands.
He had already parceled
This
I~'
1 Rn.
tllll
have assumed them to be their , own, since He (the "Lord l!) had
l'
It is common k n ow ledge
~o/ h at
happens to the women of an
lftved people, t he Har ibus (Hebrews or Jews) being no exception
0\ 11
these lands to the other peoples and nations who, obviousl y ,
i n fac t s lave s of t heir fel low Afri cans that worshipped th e
th is
rule~
If t he Haribu s ,,,,ere of a " separate r a ce,tt tl Semitj.c lt
·, the rwi se , \'-Ihen they e ntered Egypt, they certainl y were not any
t hem th e land s t hey were occupying before He had consp ired wI!"
., t.h ing \"hen t hey \.'I ere forc ed o u t of Egypt four hundred (400)
Moses to liqu idate them (commit genoc i de) for t he b enefit
r I l a ter .
o j
his new l y Hchos en people n - the Har i bus (Hebre\-,/s or J ews) ~ The par allel of the stor y , where Ho ses and hi s brothel" A.t confronte d Pharoah
R ~meses
II and said:
Thu s sayeth the Lord, the God of Israe l: Le t my peop l e go, t hat they may h o ld a fea st unto f1e in the wilderne ss .12 is being echoed i n the cries o f African-America ns e v t:!rY"'I I'u~t the Americ a s t oday ~ Up until this day t he .Q.kldu: i n A.n'\(~_ric .. . 1 ,
154
i.n t he o,.-,orse form of bondage under the other Africans who
111
,
I~
One must that their l ast fe\... years Here
lppe d -the God Ra - according to the Second Book of Mose s)
, IIf·J.
This story is corrob ora ted by the fac t that th ey were
·' ,t;. c v enty" yJhen they entered Egyp t, accordj.ng to t h e I OK or MOSES, Genesis, Chapte r 46 , Verses 1 t hrou g h 27. t
l. \01 .) (;
to the "Negro Spri t ual " by the name, ULET MY PEOPLE: GO," n o o t h e r song bv that name recorded i n Jewish history.
155
These i ndigenous Afr ic ans, today c a ll ed "Negroes,
Bantus
etc.; the originator s of t he Pyramid a nd Coffin T exts, the
f!ICy were being he l d as slaves by fe llow Africans; wh e n , in the
BOO~
Ime book, EXODUS, Chapter 1 2, Verse s 37 -
51, the J ews are s p eak-
OF THE DEAD, the f1emp hi te Drama,an d other such works, by the
II')
thousand s, in re li g i o u s and secu lar proses , h ad a l ready spokell
'1 ypt. Note, a lso, t hat the y did not allow "non- Jews" amon g st
about th eir
0\...0
"s l aves" which t hey stopped a nd bought in
of a monotheist i c God in t he person of RA (the Sun God), the (;u.1 tha t existed be fore Noses and Abraham , even before Adam and E'I They h ad deve l oped in e a c h munici p ality a ser i es of God s for s i tuationj but the greatest of a ll Gods, RA, command ed the
" ••• to eat o f the meat until they were circumcised"
( .I t
SI IU'I
Im ll de Jews) . 1 4a Th i s meant two thin g s;
II w:: f orced the ir n on- Jewish r e li gious Egyptian- Afr ic an b r others
r o l e of hav ing minor Gods, as did t h e Jews, Christians, and M(,
" ,1 sisters to co nvert to Judaism if they wanted to '1 • •• eat of the
lem Gods; each saying :
IIr" and e nj oy wha tever e l se the Jews were having; (b) t hey
I Ali A JEALOUS GOD , THOU SHALT HAVE NO OTHER GOD BEFORE ~~.
I Iri can Jews - Neg roes , etc.) had, the mse l ves, become sl ave own-
This "COMMA.NDHENT, 11 as 1 t is p re s en tly call e d, needs no clar 1 , 1 tion.
This i s not t o say t hat the practi se of s laver y by the indi -
I .
I
i n th e Mys t er ie G I,V
I
h.; tt n s .. It is say ing, howe ver, t hat mankind seems only to "lorry
tojl!
God RA . · In the over drama scene, i t was not
•
nous Af rican J ews was any better or any worse than t he non - Jew i sh
It is no d i f fere nt f rom t he Cororoandmen t which was rend
t o the indig enou s African peop l e s of Eg yp t
t he indige n ou s ,1
a l one who journeyed f r om t he City o f RAMSES to Succoth with Uf
." l c "
~
peo p l e - the "choosen
were gu ilty of th i s type of huma n fai lure .
Oe 'E ore go i ng further , on e has to that Moses and a ll t
" ••• about six hundred thousand men on foo t , beside ch ildren. And a mixed mu l titude \~ent up a l so YJ i th t hem; a nd flock s and herd s , even very much cattle • l3.
II I.: oth er Afric an Jew s from Egypt men t io ned in the over
1111
were preceded in Egy pt by the f ir s t J ew , Abr aham , who was a
,!d'-' D. n (Cha ld ees) from the City of Ur. Along wi th Abraham were :
And the Lord said u nto Noses a nd Aaron : "This 1:..: my ordinance of the over; ther e sha ll non-Hebr e w (a lien) eat t h e re of; bu t every man's servan t that i ~ boug ht for mo ne y y when tho u hast circumc ised him, then sha ll he ea t . 1 4
" • • • Sarah, hi s wif e a nd Lo t h i s bro t her I s son , and all their subs t ance that the y had ga the d, and the soul s they had g o tten i n Harar ••• ," e t c .
1S
, I h , · mass mig r ati o n by the pr edecessors of Moses actually took
It seems rather strange th at the indig e nous Afr ican J"H i nc l uding t he "mixed mUl t itude,'" shou ld be fleeing Egy pt bIll
SELF; s e l f as an i ndividua l person, fami l y , tribe , nation or
,1111' of allied na t i ons i even t he b iblic a l
fellow African - Moses; t hey ...Jere:
'I
A second pO in t is t h at the African- Amer ican s (Blacks , "New t. etc . ) are frorn the same African background of the ori l] in a J. 1111 ! and Egyp t i ans - formerly known as the "PEOPLES OF' THI:: NI LE V ~ I even before the b ir th of the fir st Haribu - Abr ~ h a m. T il l;1 " .. as much t he pr operty of Bl ack Jews' as it 1 4 Whi te ~T~\1:J . • See pa g e s 57 and 50 of thi.::; vo l l.lme fat' t..h IlYMN OF' AIIO! i'" I P THE GOO OS IRI S jals o No ta 55 , Ch np t.et: 1 , 0. t l10 r eo o f t:h J I. \1111 f
156
(a) t he indi ge nous African
wi t h the e ntra nce of Joseph i n to the indi genous Africans' (f:f] ypt , a nd possibl y par ts of Liby a a nd Numidia), accord i n g
' I.,.
Uoo k o f Ge nesis. Thusj i t is wr i t t e n: " . • • The n Joseph wen t in and to l d Pharoah j saying:
1 57
nd la nd to t hese very unfortunate nomads from As ia had to be of
'My fat h er and my b r ethren and their floc k s and their herd s , an d all t h a t they hav e are come o ut of the land Ca n aa n ; and be hold, t h ey are in t he land Goshen. And f r om h i s br eth re n he selec t ed five men, and p r e s e n t ed th em un t o Pharoa h . And Pharoah sai d unto hi s br e thren : 'Wh at is your occupation? I And th e y said u nto Pharoah: ~Th y servants are sh ep herd s , \"e and our fathers bot h.' And they sa i d un t o Ph aroah: 'In thy land we com e unto sojurn, for t here is no pasture for thy s e rvants' flocks; for th e famine is sad in the land of Cana a n •••• " (Genesis, Chapter 41, Ver ses I -
" "Y h i g hl y reli g iou s character. Obviousl y, t h e y wer e "godly!! in
vI'r y Sens e th at t he word is presen t ly used t o daY i at least as
r as Charity is concerned. ( b ) T h ere i s no indi c ati on t h at t ho s e lowl y As i an Je\o,TS had
uy f orm alized education of a s t a nda rd i n a n y wa y c omparable with h"t wh i c h th e indi g eno u s Afri c an s o f
4) •
The story drew to i t s end ing with Joseph introducing his fath' "1 Jacob, to receive the Pharoa h 's grant of " a hundred and thirt y
I
Eg ypt had d e ve lo ped o Neit h er
h e re any evidence th at t h ey ha d a se t cod e o f e t hics and mora l s
II L were contrary,
or in sup p ort, of t hos e t h ey met in t he Africa n
Egypt. None of them app e are d t o h ave h ad an y talen t wh ich wa s
years • • • " o f sojour n ing ( Ge n e si s , Chapter 41, Verse 9). It e nt h ••
tid -
with t h e
followi ng:
ynnd the basic needs o f a nomad i c peo pl e; at best t h ey were she p -
An d Jo s e p h p laced his fat her and h is b r e t h ren, and g ave them a po ss ession in the land of Eg y·p t , in th e b es t of the land, the lan d o f Rame s es " (I),as P h ar o a h comma nded. And Jose ph s u s t aine d hi s f ather, and h i s b r e thren and all h is f ath e r' s h ous eho ld, with b r ea d, accordin g to the wa nt of th e ir c hildren.-·
I ":1
Th ere ar e man y f ac t ors a b o u t
(c) It had to be Pharoah Ra mese s I t
bus (Je ws) f rom Canaan (approximately where P h oenicia was lo( .t '
!
[.
It.
and African) s p ent f our - hu ndred (400) years in Egypt, which ['(~ i g n
o f P haroa h Ra me s es II (1298-1232 B..-C.E,,),
date of entra nce had t o be about c 1232 + 4 00 "" 1632 B . C.E .
I.
nqc ly e n o ug h ) t h is was abo u t 11
or Pharoah Khamose ruling
t ime of Joseph's e ntr y i nto Egypt (Sais) . For, if the Je,o,Ts
J d ur ing t he
I
into th e Af ricans' home land,14b which was never emp ha s i zed , 1,1 Af l~
lv"'
_~n
the entrance of the As ian 1111' I
cause o f th e ir c omp l e mentary nature in regards to t he ir
when they entered Egy pt .
t h e sa me period \'O' h en the Hyksos
Ilhf"r:cI Kin g s ) i n vade d Egy p t f rom around t h e same area t he As i a n
h os t s.
.\ 11e ge dly c ame - Ca n aa n, l Sa in c 16 7S B .. C. E
Th us it s h ould be noted:
(d )
from As ia wer e a starving lo t ; j u s t as th e Iri sh who f led 'I l ' I t o t he Uni ted S ta t es of Amer ica d u r ing the Ir i s h Po t a t o F il m [ ,I , ~ h e[t '
The Af ricans acce p t e d th eir Asi an broth ers a n d s i s t e r s,
Iin/" Lbu:::I , as e qu a l s , a n d in t e g r ate d the m in t o Egyp t i an society
(a) During t h i s period the Jews, formerly call e d Hebr e w
(cl 8 4 8 - l89 0 C .E.) . Th e Africa n s, wh o ga v e food, water.
••
',lIl :Fl
to th eir
I , I,ty of th e i r
s oci a l and e conomic classes . Thu s, f rom t h e e n".;ry in Af rica they were amal g amated a n d in-
with Eg ypt. ian s .
1+ li
Ilr to this p e r i o d
- \v'ord
th e Asian Je'.4s had not establ iS h ed a gov-
in brack e ts b y the author of this vol u me.
•• Ge n es i s , Ch ap t er 4 1, Verses 11 and 1 2.
r1
lll lywhccc , othe r
1111
158
G
t ll.'l n trtba l groupings. Th e maj or p y r a mids
rl y bu il l: hy the
l? hu.t"o i'lh:'J
Khufl~
(renamed "Che o ps " by the 159
Greeks ), Khafra ( re n amed Chep h r en by the Gr e eks) and a period c overing 268 0 -
M yc erinu ~
2258 B . C . E . , the lInd thr o ugh
IV~
I y r a mid Texts," "Monothei sm" - t he wor sh i p of "On e God abo v e a ll 11'1 he r Gods " -
Dy-
nast ies j as such , t he Jew s could not have slaved on the bu i ld ill·, of
the Sphinx o f Ghi :oe h o r any of the ma jor pyramid structure :..; I
the wor sh ip o f t he maj or God , RA (the Su n ) , and
"I't)(£i n Texts ll (also of t he "Nether World!!) -
"y o nd and afte r dea·th -
the "Her e a fter .
the story of li fe
1I
At this juncture the bas ic philo sophi cal conc ep t wh i ch sup -
Egypt pr i or to c1 6 32 B.C.E . It mu st be a lso noted that Imhote p , ' t he a rc hitect , pri me minister and f irst p h ys i c i an (called " Go o
,.1'1.-.clly d istingu ish " heathens" and Ifpagans" f rom J e ws, Chris t i a n s,
Medi cine ll ) , a nd Pharoah Djoser
fit! !l-1 0s1ems comes i nto sh ar ply confl ictin g ide ologies betwee n
(cal l ed "Zozer l1 by the Gr e ek.s) 11. 1,1
built the first Step Pyrami d at Saqqar a in 3100 B. C.B. Non e of th es e Asi an Jews were Caucasians, o r sian or igin; therefor e no bl ond s, redh eads
I
even of Caw"
II
or brunnettes one a..
today as Jews are in any s e n se authentically Jews more s o t hall
h,· any b e t t e r
t\c,.lctise th a t make them f ee l sup erior to th ose who sti ll ob 3 uch r e ligious t e ne t s , which ever yone cop ie d fro m t h e Great
1 Vf'
'. " nd Ni le Val le y ind ig e nous Afr i cans reli g iou s theori es?
There ar e ma n y more i mporta n t ana l yse s that c ould be d rll wil from this b i b l i ca l
than. the others. Then; what is there i n " pagan-
and lfheatheni sm" wh ich Jews, Christia ns, a nd j\10slems no lo ng -
In " I
black, yellow , and brown o n e sees from Afr ica and As ia.
tLer s on bot h sides of the iss ue~ Ye t , no t one can be proven
J :.; there any difference between t he ancient As ian Je ws con -
story , but su ch is beyond the s cope o f thi
to t h e indi g e nous Af ri ca n Mysteries f ound in Egypt than
worh:. There a re, of cou r s e, many thousands of wor ks on the :;\ 11,
l em
wh ic h go into in-depth deta ili ng , ma ny of which are listed 1 11 I
A I r: l.can- Amer ica ns Conv er sion to Europ ean a nd Eu r opea n-Amer ican -
b i b l i ography a t t he rear o f
this volume.
Th e newcomer s prospered or suffered l ike an y other Eg y pt I .. , in thi s African l and. Their first g eneration t o be bor n in
1.:' 11" 1
~, , r 8 WS
ti.an nat ionals , h ad begun t heir f ir s t
Vl'L ,
I
a nd whereas t he
t h e indig eno us Af r i cans, f rom every section of Africa
I I'll ,) 1""1 : "
* If Imh otep wa s a p h ys ic ian more t h a n t wo-thou sand (200 0 ) y before the birth of Hipocrates ; wh y is Hj poc;:.rate s c a ll e d "I h, fat h er o f medicine tt i nstead of the " f ,at h C.r. of Europ e. a n m<... d l , I I! Note th at Imho tep is c al led " Ae :;;c.'upalius i n t h e s o-coll ,t! !' II ' po crates Oath" ; in wh i ch h e i s "l: li e God o r Ho dicine.•
which is more than the As ian J e ws cou l d hav e said f or
Iv(': ; wh e n t h ey fi r st entere d EgypL However, like t h e As ian
\florl d ll ( t h e ",/or ld o f t h e gre at be yond), relig i ous scr ip\.m !H"I
160
j
11 1m- J a n) en tered the Americ as with sUbs tant ial roo t s in th e i r
I
introduction in to t: h (' " II I
f ree will
n .... i Lher h a d muc h c ho i ce a s to which reli g i on they would fo l-
of Africa (A lke bu- l an) . nml
m-JO
In-Americans' ancestors wer e cap t ur e d a nd kidnapped in Af r i -
I
se gc-egation noted at that t i me in a n y P. II
Here i n Africa, f or the first time , the Asian Jews ,
entered Africa o f th eir
",Id f o rce d to mi g ra t e into s l aver y in the A!ileric as? In both
was treated like a ny oth e r Afri can, as t here were no r ac i al . ' l i gious or nat ional
L: llr ist ia nity , other than t h e f a ct that t he small ban d o f
I ,·
,Ill t I'~
1111
j
ncliry e nous Afr i ca n s , who v.,rer e e n slaved in th e Car ibbeans
Am('r i t.:a :;) par t i cularly i n th e Uni ted Sta t es o f America,
1 I rl
II"I c I c r e l i gi on in p lac es where they were a llow ed to
161
practise their own i ndigenous fa i ths. For example,
the Yor uba
I '
l i9 i on o f Cu ba, Ha iti, Brazil,and other parts o 'r the Caribbean Islands a nd Sou·t h Ame r ica is as high ly
developed as its Jewi ;; h,
Moslem , and Christian counterparts i n these same areas .
I ., t he City of Ur , Chaldea.
V"t y e xtens i ve Changes and revisions for t housand s o f years benr e the arrival of the As i a n Je\"/s, al l
forced to adopt Judaeo - Christianity and Islamic standards;
1t>3c ph e ntered t h e land at t he end of t he Nile River - Sais, wh i c h
",/I"I !. ,.
!v -y la ter ca l led "Egypt .
as in Afr ica (Egyp t ) it '.oJas the As i ans and Europeans having l.o adopt to the Myster i es a nd other i ndigenous Afr ic an tradi ti on l' 1 r el i g ious sta ndards, my thology, and taboos . Ther e s ho uld be no·, these r evelations by
seventy- seve n (77) of
, lcm , in Afr ic a, was i n its zenith when Abraham, Isaac, J acob, and
In the Americas and Europe the i ndigenous Africans were
f l i ct or reason for shame o v e r
This concept, wh ic h had gone thro ugh
anY"ethnj ~"
II
The indigenous Africans o f Egypt had a lre ady become profiL' nt in the sc iences that allowed them to;
(a) emba l m their deadj
name the bod ie s in the celestial un iv e rsej
II)
, .\ and minor Gods;
(d) develop
agricu ltur ej
(c) name their (e) estab lish
or religious group , as it would have been imposs ible for the \'
16 ( f) deve lop ':olar Ca le ndar in 4 ,100 B. C . E . ;
Asian Jew s in Egypt, who had become Eg yptian nat iona ls even It.
.,I tr ol tampon r ec ipe; 17 (g) b u ild temp le s to the Gods -
f ore their first ge neratio n was born i n that Afri can la nd,
Jl(oI
Ifl
have become Afr icanized like the Afr i cans i n Amer ica under
~.
I ••"
world wond e r, the Sphinx of Gezeh (Giza);
~i
( i ) deve l op medicine -
a fertility incl uding
(h) develop eng ineer-
inc lud i n g intern al surger Yi
18
(j) de -
lar conditions not to have b ecome European-Americanized . Only
p pharmacol ogy and many other disc iplines too nwnecous to try
thos e who feel some sense o f "rac i al", "e t hnic" or "religion ' "
o ut li ne or def ine at thi s time.
superior i ty may fi nd reason to re se nt the compariso ns beinq 1'),1· 1 her ein j thoug h not be ing ab l e to refu te the fac ts , never- I;l ... I
~ lit t
They even wrote poetry
an~
stories during said period a long with the ir histor ical
I' ! f' ve ments in the sciences.
Al l of th i s the sma ll group of ha l f -
Yet , suc h protest could be u nd erstood - though not toler alr'f1 .
• vl ng Asia n Jews met, and \'Iere exposed too, from the first day
cause o f
'I e n tered Africa out of the As i a n desert,
the " Tarzan and Jane " Hollywood mov i e i mag e or thl } "
and Livingstone Darkes t Af ricaH
stereotype "Negrophobia,"
both sti ll attached to thi ngs Afr i can by those
~-.f h o
41 to s uch knO\~ledge before
t"
great exten·c, the wr i tten and spoke n \-Jord .. )j!'
162
It , ll,
the 'f i r !!!. t H(>bc \-/ ( J e w) - "'"
'Itnn ing of what is today ca lled "Judaism, Judaeo-Christi an ity,
I L,ml ty;' and "Islam."
rl l O lll 1 !
banks of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers . 'l 'h Jt It/ as mor'
, lnd s of years before the Jevo/s came. This, then appears to be I "~
Valle y African civilizations thousands upon thousands 0 1 V' -·,'
sands of year::; be for e Ab raJ1arn -
their encoun ter \-,l i th the indigenous
I· , n !i o f the Nile Va lley, who had settled in Sais, Egypt, for the
The whol e concept of a "God" or " Gods" came out o f- L111'
fore Sumner (the Kingdom of Hamu rabi ) was estab l i s hed
time in their history is there any record of them being ex-
11'1
control ,
where they were nomads.
II
It i s a l so at this j uncture that a l l of
4\nCt!p ts , be they material or spiritua l, wh i c h are in any rnan'IUHll't; t e d
t o either o f the se general l y labelled " WESTERN RE LIG-
163
It is good for t hee to p l ace t hem in t hine heart, Le t the rest i n t he cas _ ket of the bel ly. Tha t t hey ma y act as a peg Upon thy t on g ue •
ION S"l9 or i g inated. The se fac ts are pr im arily r eveale d in order t hat a bet ter derst anding of
~
and fiction in tha t Hhich is t Oday
cal:! ,"1
•••• •
" holy " and lIun holy " scr i p ture s can be re veal ed . They a re, of
Chris t i ani ty,a nd Is l am. The reas o n for
no t s howing t his r e l atl,
sh i p in other major r e li g i o ns is due to the f act that they o rl not la bel e d "WE STERN RE LIGIONS, II even t h ough most of them hL\v been, to a lar ge extent, responsi b le for the thr e e
r e li gion ~
For examp le, o ne finds that t he "PROVERBS " i n the Juda('!('
(the Hebrew God , Ya hweh o r Jehovah ), ItJer e llwritte n by Kin g
'
I
,S td.
.....
Bewar e of robb in g the poor , And of oppres sing the af fli c ted .
Rob not the p o o r for he is poor, Neither o~ss th e low l y in t he gate.
.....
I
of Is rae L " Bu t , is it not a fact that most of th e same " i? r. l";lv
Assoc i ate not wi th a pas si.o'n a te man, Nor app r oach him for COnversations; Leap no t to cleave to :;;uch a one, Th a t t he terror carr y t hee n o t away .
as they have be en ca ll ed, i f not a ll , ar e to be found in a '1 .11 t::ial of poe tr y a nd songs by an indige n o us Af ric an -
Pharoah
(t
A.men-em -ope (1405 -13 70 BoC oE o), who l i v ed mor e th an t hr e e -h ILr,, " (300) year s befor e
th e r e ign of King Solomon (976 -9 36 B. C . 1.
A f ew examp le s of tha t which is called the "PROVE RBS II ar c II I for y o ur comparis o n with th e orig in a l
I
•• •••
'HII
A s c r i be who is Sk ill fu l in his bus i ness 1'· ir.de th himse l f worthy to b e a Co ur ti er
sourc e - "THE TEACHINI
AMEN-EM- OP E .. II Note th at ther e are man y En g l i s h ver sions l at i o n s o f the al l eged "PROVER BS OF' KING SOLOMON . "
[1 1101
All 01
I,
Have I n o t written f or th ee thi rt y say ings , Of counse ls and k nolr/ l ed ge 1 Th a t t hou ma yes t mak e k now n trut h to h im that speake t h .
•• • ••
desi g nated.
Chr istian uHo"'l y Book s", al l egedy "writte n by inspir ed men o f
•• •••
Conside r the s e t h ir ty chap t e rs j The y de l i gh t, the y instruct . Knowledge how to a nsw er him that s peake th , And how t o c arr y back a r epor t t o one that sen t it .
course, exte nded t o incl ude the "paganism" t h a t ex ist in J ud l'Jl
For i t i s p l e asant i f t hou 1~eep them in thy be ll y, Tha t t h e y ma y be fi xed upo n thy lips .
til'
., .,
....
... ,.
Ass ociate not wi th a ionate man , Nor g o with a wra thf u l man , Les t thou learn hi s w~ ys, And g e t a snare t o thy sou l .
..... A man wh o i s ski l l fu l in hi s i n his busin es s Shal l stand before king s .
0
• • Oil . . .
however , relate to th e same meaning as the fo ll ow ing" THE COMPARATIVE WORKS
'J.'J"H:!
The Tea chi n gs o f A.men- em-ope Pharoah of Egypt (1405 1 3 70)
The so':"' c a lle d"Pr ov ('Irtw " So l o mo n of Isra e l ( 9'1L
Gi ve th ine ea r, and he ar what I sa y, And app l y thine heart to apprehend j
Inc line thine ear , 0"'\ 1111 I" wor d s , And a pp l y t h i n e lieu\:. t t' i appr ohe ndj
j "
10)(-1
plag iar ism o n Solo mo n I s part canno t be o verlooked ; as
of t en c op ie d Amen-em- ope 's work in too many instances \1ord
j
t
0 1 d.
Por
lI t!. :~ ub j ec t
a dded compari s on s one o n ly ne e ds to SeCure b o oks l i sted in t he bibliogr aphy of th is wor k .19a
165 164
The above revel ati on i s mi nor by c ompar ison to th e fact Il,
A&ft'l
th e ent ir e "TEN COr-W'lANDMENTS ", \oJh ic h Moses i s reported t o hav(' ceived o n Mt S i nai , are just "Ten" of the more th an o ne - h undr;" /'d and for ty -s even ( 147 ) l aws the indi ge nous Afric ans had writte ll before t he f ir st Har ibu ( Jew), Abraham , entered Sa i s ( Eg ypt>,
h l.1
l~ere is no listing for the Jews !.n the index, no mention the prese nce of Jews among the early 8ettiers in the Uni te d
s ti l l we re in us e when, and after, Moses l eft \>lest er n Eg ypt [ u' Nt . Sinai d ur ing the
EXOD US
Tor ah ~
drama spoken of in the
ot
'1'hl
S'"'te& ... rto men tion or M y Jew ish contribution," the report
c an be bes t observ ed in the excer pts from the IINEGAT IVE CONF'J-: SIDNS" on pa ge 5 6 9 and 70. Cha p ter I. of th is , volume
~
SIIIII,
I
S t r an9(> 1-,
enou gh, wherever t he "Ten Comman dments " a r e bei ng taught t he ,! p r ese n ted as a deve l opment that wa s vo id of any indigenous
/I.
rI
~
ori gin or invo l vement. This is best demons trated i n th e f o ] llO\I' commen ts ov e r
Biblical tim@s, the MidcUe the modem era anQ the a utbHshment of Israel U a natlM, the Nazi period, and ~ont.ribu· ! tlon. by J ew s to Ame rica n 50; cieV,'. . Th~ study Ulted. a ts(tloo k tbtitied "A Hlltory ot the tlnlt-ed State . ... by Ald en. and Ma genia, published by the American Book Company in
the fai lur e o f educa t ional i nst i tution s in tl'w rl .,
AftOthe r book, "The Amer ican
Story" by Gavian and Hamm, D, C. Heath and Company, B~ lo n, 1959, the st udy said, m~es 1'IO.tntion ot the " large J'eWl, h rnI.IratJ on to t his country and III co nt ributJon" or of "HttlM'a per'l~ution ot the Jews." "There Is very little lrrtorma· Iloa on I!IJ'uJ. e:oIdlJ)t to mentiO'll" iU' ex iste~e ~," ihe study
'~~
tlted was "A Global Hlatory of Ma.:l," by [.e rten S.
States of AlDe r ica to t ake in to a greater degr e e of !':lI r , Amer ican J ew ish her i tage i yet, from s imi lar s ources the s
...
~
.........
1,4 Di.rtgard (Dr AcnitPmftlb 1$ SItDUln in Higl. Scholl' Mldtrials, Plmfl f inds StavnanOs, Allyn IlOd Bacon, Ine" Boston, 1962_ , Hltt.cH1' ot He brews
I
""'. ~ ttxt .devotes half or sen ~nce to the filet tha t six
I ( ~~:I'=~'I,
41
million Jews were murdered dunn!!: World War II. Thi~ is t l!lte rr-ed to as one of the CO!t.5 'ot the war," the study sa.id, Accol'dina t.c the study, ''The World S tory," by Bruun anel Hain es, D_ C. He ath and Company, Bolrton, 1963, in relating 1 th e history of the early Heb reW3, concl udes wi lli the fol · 10wlng statement: ' 'Their [the p,?phels'] tea~h' l ings, together _th the earY.er reco rd s of the Heb rews. we. later put together to (om: the Old Testament of the Chnstltl.lI
l
"I
I
Bi~:' com.m ittee' s
study
saldl
r1lat "the tact llia.t .the Chri~ la ter adopted Ure Old
tians
II~a;ne!}t p.s th?_~.rstJl¥!_of .
..... ... .
relevantc III II. dtJctalliol\ '.Jof th~ !!IItly Hebrew:! lind th eir reUrfor;JII." .Qdd,i.ng Ift,t " Abrah am , Moo. cbe pm~ a re ali i.ll.n o ~ in (his ttlxt." Thi3 te)( tOook, the stud y 5.1!d, make! no mention of "Je ....1sh sutrerlng during t he Cru ~des ~ .. t the h:1nds of the Spanish '
lthe lr Brole .j3 of (Ie .parll~ 1.I18.rI
tl)]! Je.ws of t.he MlckUIIi A atf; ur O c tmlplt1-e:1y 19nored," Cre ~ ,Ld. . TIlt ~Ul dy lS.s&.iled • New York. S l4t~ Grad e SI).\' C'I'I curti·
ulum book entlded "New Yqrk's
Ool&ttn A,e." It "contains hor. r1b'- ste/""COtYpe,l of J~J: and wica.tures of die 10W!it cal~ ' ibe:r," said tbe !~ which cited .. ch!l.pter entltled "Of 0: ' Friday in the J~i5"h Quarte,- C1f New York." In a summation of the ~ tu([y's ccmCIUSion, Mr. Gold aSserted
I~;t;~~~ fr~~fbli~!1 ~~o~~
"(ern tImes is freq uently di sre.
garded" and that "many hi!. tOries of the United. St.a te ~ show • cO llspicuous ab~nce of refertnces to an U-Se mi ti$ITI, bigotry, ' ethnic and minority grou ps, dis, .c ri mination and prejud ice. "
........
t~'Uqrl l
'l'j-Ie
co-option o f t h e " sacred scri p t ur es" (wr i ti ngs) b y various
a gai ns t African-Ame rican heritage wi thin th e sam e education.! I lous grou p s was common am ong the anci en t s . This pr ac tis~ c ame sti tu tion s are being re si s ted very f ierc ely . Bu t t he follOl,;! r" , II tlu: o ugh the a daptat io n of the ba sic t e ne ts f rom the i n di g en o us artic le should be s ufficien t proof a s to why Afr ic an-Am e ri ';: (lll
t.
VL~llc y
-1::o r y, not "Ne gro
Africans "Myster y Sys tem"
int o J ud ai sm. Chris t e ndom ex-
hi st ory," i s of impor ta nce to eve ry Am er i e ,'11 '1· ,1 i l when i t mad e J Udaism i t s f oundation. r""' rom th is hi s t orica l
r es pective o f r ac e , cree d, na ti onal origin, sex or co l or,
"I,
'I' ()u n d i t re - en t e red t he va r ious i ndigenous Af ri can traditio n al THE NEW YORK TIMES , SUNDAY, MAY 18,1969
A Study Say, Textbooks Err on Hi,tory ofJ~w. By IRVING SP1EGEL
Th e American Jewish .Com· miuee reported yesterda.y that a study of history and &ocial 3 w~iilll textboOlu uled in Junior lfId unior high achool. through . Ouf the tOuntry had ShoW1l " many errors and misconcep· tions" about Jews and a dis-
leg a~d of ltJe1r aelUevemenllr. Tbt,. lindlnJi or} the study. pre-p~1'N rarCheriwitb u tenslve aCAdemic backrrounds, was made public by ·Brrtn.m H. Gold. executive viu pre&ident or the committee, at' H.~ 63d annual Ineeting at the Waldorf· f ..to ria Motel.
The slu~y
mllor ponlon ,,1 1I'l10 wat
devoted lCI II til'-
tallf)(l e xamln atJOn ot 4!l ttll t book.s IUld other inM nl('IJ(tIiJl l material in wid~ u~~ Lhroll,lll\
out the coun try, n xlJr
Mr. Gold Nl ld, __If
.u seued on (h~ bolli_ or dll , hllldlina 01 Biblical Il.Ild po, ...
to n::; t hr o u gh co l onia li sm and imperialism . I n the Amer ic as, in1~ 11'1 l-h e Car i bbean Is l a nd s,
the i nd i g en ous Af r ica n
relig i o n s
.. lav d Afr iCa n s b r ought wi th them f r om ~veGt , Ce n t r al , Nor t h, III, nd E iJ:~ t Af ric a were over s h a d ov-Ied. Bu t, i n this co-op ta t ion lC\"l n-Aliler ici=l. n s 1,<Jere able t o retain much o f
the ir anc i en t
L.. hrou t)'h J ud a i [',m and Chr i st i a.n i ty, other . . . i se call ed " J,~d a eo nt f ~· ~ " Tn con temp or'1r y t imes th e y have bee n able t o ma k e
166
m",.,l loc . . tl lr,ldition.a. J Af r i can- American sta ndard s , also .
167
Il opefully, one can al s o see i n t h i s ar gumen t 'Nhy i t is
The African-American expanded J u d a i s m a nd Chr i s tian ity through their special su f fer ing dur l ng slavery .
I i cu l t for
European-styl.·
Judaism and Chris t ianity were bo th embraced by means o f their
I"
so many t o a ppreciate whateve r
!"Iv e do n e for , or t o,
s o dlf -
the indi g eno us Af r ica ns
that whic h is cal led " WES TERN RELIGIONSG"
option into that ,,,hi ch is today still being called II NEGRO SPIU I',
, i n c e t hey were chat t e l slavesJ and st ill remai n mentally so,
UALS."
'I ll i te Amer ica ( Je'''' s , Chr ist ian , Moslems,and others) persistently
Thus, one of them, the ever
popular "MOSE S IN TfiE PROMl.::1 I 20 LAND," invokes all sorts of ar guments as to whom it be longs.
,I" ny Bl ac k Am er ica ( Jew s , Chri s tians, a nd Muslim s and all other s )
The Af rican-Amer ic ans , who brought the song in to prom ine nce,
" c og n i t ion for the ir contributions t o th i s Gr eek - centric Anglo -
c laimed its authorship as a son g wh i ch t hey crea ted and used 111
I
-ro n Judaeo- Chr is t ia n or i e nt ed society,2 Sthe United states of Arner:k:a.
their attempt t o console themselve s while in 5t;;:cvitu de of th(!1 ,
One ha s to u nd e r s tand t h e s igni f i c a nc e o f t h e socia l I II ~
Europe a n and European- America n ( I;Jh 'i. -:.e) · ehr ..:.stia n and J e wish
fac -
whi ch make a European- Amer i can (Wh i t e ) J e w re j ec t t he pos-
slave masters; on the other h a nd ~.:J\ (~ \-'/ h ite Jews cons idered th.,1
11)\ li ty of h is, or h er! i ndi ge n ou s African ancestry . 26 Because ,
i ts authorship was t he ir s , on t he g rou nd t ha t Hoses was a f
11 1[.l as the ir fe llow European- Amer i ca n Chri stia ns a nd Mosl ems ,
11.
Jew (Hebre . . ,) who led the J ewish (Hebre w) people out of bondiHJ' fr om Ph aroah Rameses I I' s Eg y pt , forge t tin g , o f course, the f ,.·
Or i s one to assume t hat aftcl:"
hundre d years of slavery in Egypt (under the ru le
0 '£
II
I
d f ter . 2 7 I f i t
II
\j
•
~vh ite
ones onl y)
28
wo u ld take
II!
is no t ea s y to do, for the European- Amer ic an
It
Jew ~
are for
II p urpo s es European i n c ult ure; as such they re a ct as a ny o ther
,of
of European origin to t h e Blac k - Wh ite confr o ntation in
( In
j" II ("-:'; :3 in the United S t ate s of Amer ica. To follo w t h is fa c t ,
l ess than one-hundr ed (100) enter ed with Abraham , Jac ob, oml
llie n s ay t h at the " White Jew is h prob l e m" i n Ameri c a is s i m-
Joseph? The t wo posi t ions in this ar g ument comp le t ely overlnol • II Mo s es was an indigenous African, at the same time a Har ibu o r Jew); 2 1 a sort of Marcus Garvey 22 a n d Th eodor He rzl, 21
ell. 0 1
to that of the Bl ac k Jews is totally ir onic; and i t i s muc h
'
"
,0
I.
,Il h l '
I .. Many d o not )cnow t h a t ther e or e I.: h o u .t.and s o f Dlac:.\c J f· ...' Uni ted state s o f Americ " , l ho V8 !) l ma j nc ily 1 n loh Nc \" ~i('ll:
i n t h e Case o f the Black Christ i a ns , Muslims , and Afric an
, i ou :; traditionalists. Therefore , c urrent gr oups of Af r ican-
To t h e Moslems ilnu \: 1.,
re g ar d less of race, sex, c olor or national i t y, Mo s e r:; i n
1GB
the o ppos i te, the Commandmen t , IITHOU SHALL
l r d di ti o na l r elig i on) move in to o ne of t h eir buildings . But,
II
r a ce" o t h e r t han t h e Egyp tian Afr icans , would. II,
Ma rti n Lu t her 1<:1ng t Jr. t 24 c ombined.
Je~,, -
'ctl e n ce when an African- Amer i c a n (Jew i sh, Chr i stian, Nus lim ,
t he intll'l
l ef t Egypt a pure whate ver- they-were wh e n t heir li tt le band
WEre
(lVI: THY NEIGHBOR AS THY SELF " ( not
(QII!
Bl a ck pe op le of th e Nil e Valley) t he Hebrews (Je\'ls), i f tho ,! o f a spec ial
I
,.,
that the y were themselves Black Jews when t h ey ,,,ere i n Egypt f our_hundred (400) y ears .
too c ons ider themse l ves " Cau c as i ans" ( Wh it e) f ir st, and
1 IIII y
(;Il n::>
I
II
p
have f o u nd. i t n ece s sary to tar get vJh i t e Je ws (a l so a
11 "1, h ut onl y i n a r elig i ous s ense , not raCial l y, f or they lur qcn era t i o n s r eg i s t e re d as "Cauca si a n s " , not " Semi tes,
1 69
in the United States of American a nd e ls ewhere in the "New \
ttons to which al l Jews of a ll colors are bound i n the Torah (Five
a s we l l as in Europ e )29 as t h ey do Hh ite Christians .
IlOoks o f Hoses) a nd i t s complime nt s . 34
t1any Wh ite Je \>J s in the Un ited States o f America t ook th e '
Inste ad o f help in g its Black American co-religionist nei g h-
l ead i n t he so- called " civi l ri g hts moveme n t" t hroug h sll eer c o
'or9 , the Black Isr ae lite s,· Talmudic Jews d e manded to be t heir
incide nce.
I :l(J er , and t o some ex tent i t won.
This involvement did not be g in wi t h any teJ!lp le , ::;ylI
~r ta in Jew i sh religious leader s invo lved t hemse l ves individua ll y
go g ue or re l ated or g a n ization, b ut throug h the e f forts of two peop le - t he Spingarm b rother s,30 who hap pe n ed to be Je\<J S . ·tldO
me n , be in g r espo n s ibl e for
ment,
II
n o"" defunct,
'1'\11
111 t he "civil ri g hts movement" a s Je'"" s rather than as European-
the crea tion of th e IINiagra r1()v·
ica n s (Caucasia n s or- ~v hi te people).
1' ,\ ,1:'
t h e f oreru nn e r of the " Nc-.tional As soc ia t i h ll
f or the Advancement of Colored Peop l e" (N.A.A.C.P.) in c1 9 0 6
This was poss ible only becaus e
It was I therefore,
t y common to ",Jitness do nations f or sa i d movem e nt s in the I
I
of Jew i sh r e ligi ous a nd p h ilan thropic institutions, and of
•
C.E . , took t urn s in con tro lli n g this o rg aniz ation through t h e
,' lrSC by individual rabb i s a n d their par ishioners, each making
followi n g roles: Joe as "Cha ir ma n of the Board of Directors,"
I k nown that s u ch financia l aid was coming from J ewish sources.
a nd Ar thur
as Pre sident un ti l 1 9 66 C . E.
31
T h is or g an i za t i on II I~
always remained u nder the financ i a l contro l of European- june . a nd has ahlays re f l e cted t he vie ws of what so-ca ll ed
"L i b~r ' l l"
White America th i nks Blac k Amer i ca want s , and mus t have .
32
Of course, \1hite Ameri ca (JeHs and Gen tile s a like) i s no t
U
lIte
k e hear d a bout h ow i t is to b e di sbursed .
n I·.
even t o the point \<Jher e their money contro l s tho se "Ne groe :. " lIl'
one s ees in t h e fore fr on t of such move ment s. \4hy ? De ca uC "Negro Leader s" ','Jhite America selec t s for gene r at ion
after gene ration said jus t ,... hat
wanted to hear . 33 from t h e i r
Bl aCk AmericC). h , Vi' ~'J hite
Amer ico) "
, I
\'Jh a t Wh it e Amer i ca he a r d about Bl a ck Ami " I
"Negro Leader s," sa ti sf i ed t he i r economic, :.;oc t " l,
t he l'lhite Je,.,.s wou ld have conducted t hemselves in
"civ il rig h ts movement. II
org ni za tions s uc h as th e Nationa l Al sociat i on for the Advdl l' , This is :; t iJ. 1 I,
t ha t
It was, a ls o, only
":i1me manner as other European - Americans have done thu s far in
blamed for protect i ng i ts own fi nancial and SOCia l inter e ::: L'1 I"
me nt of Co l ored people and t he Urban Leag ue .
a ma n placed his mone y
h e wen t t o pro tec t or t o manage it, or at l east t o make hi s
tlll.i.l l t
also, only natural that wher e ver
As Afr i can-Ameri ca n militancy 35 increased and Black lead er separa ted from "Neg ro l eadersh ip ,'! it was e qua lly na tural
Aa)
~
L!1e comfor tab le midd l e-class minded and oriented Whi t e (Jews
,1 f'( 'ntil es) controlled IINeg r o leaders" I
and t h e ir non-African-
Le. ln communi t y - hased o r ganizations 36 wo uld have come u nder k.
It was, a l so , natural that White donors wou ld have al so
unde~ attack because of t heir grou p i den t ificat i o n ; espec i al -
11"0 sa id g roups haVe been for gener ations ass oc i ated with t h e
re li g i ous p h ilosophies, the 1,tl hite J ews being n o exc e p tinl, . ri o- ca l led "Bl ack J e'v s ll prefer to be called II I SRAELITES.II w11 1 uns wer , however, t o "Black " but never to IINEGRO • t. very impor t a n t in deali n g wi t.h Afr ican- Am er ic an IIJ~WS . 10
1!1I
cour se t h i s type of invo lvement had its e f fectc upo n th 170
" h i.
171
ownership and leadership of th e so-called "respectable" type
tlook , SEX AND RACE , Vo l I, s t ate d the following :
"Neg ro organiza t ionsH j none of which had any locally-based
WERE THE JEWS ORIGINALLY NEGR OES?
peopl e (for whom they were allegedly founded) involved in the
EUROPEAN painters and scul ptor~ hy their me of white m()d e l.~ to typify Dihlkal characters have falsified tremendously the phy.siognomy of the a nciell( Jews. W e are familiar with the scor es of portraits offered to us
ecause No~h, 'sapposecl!y white, cursed the sons .o( H am. But the earliest Jews ,,jc re in all probability, Negroes. I\braham, lheir 3Jlcestor, is sa id to haye come from Ch~ea and the anc ien t Chaldeans were black. "T he Chal~ dees," says Higgins, 'were oIigil1ally Negroes." . '. As was said, too, relics of preh istoric N egroes howe been discovered in this region. I t is even possible that the Jews originated, not in Asia, but in A fr ica. Gerald Massey has advanced considerable, argument in proof of that theory. Wh;: tever waS · lhe miginal c,?lor of the Jews tbey liyed fo r more than fou; centuries among the }Jegroicl Egyp tians. Thei r supposed oppressor, the Pharaoh, Merneptbah~shows markcd }Jegroid traits.
power struc t ure of said moveme n-ts - the ir Board of Directors. The fact t hat so very few Amer icans in the "civil rights movement,"
of eve ry grouping, know that t h e re are peo p le callt·.1
"Jew s ,1I who are not of European ori g in ? i n itself creates scvere problems for the Ta lmudic ( Y1 hite) Jev/i sh community, whie h f a iled to address t he Black-White J ewish prob l em tha t the i s sue of ucommunity control ..!!
arose
ov ~ .
This is n ot only true for tlw
Talmudists , it al so affects the F a lashas and their fellow Afr" American (B l ack) I srae lite (Jewi sh ) comm uni ty, both groups h tw ing suffere d all sorts of r e buff from the ir fellow AfricanAmerican Christia n and Muslim be lievers, and also from tionali st Afr ican re l igious observers .
trad l~
Thi s is 50, becaus e ll.
be lieve that the Black Israelites r elationshi p with their counterparts 1 s a sort of an IIUncl e 'rom" a nd rl Aunt
blh l l
Th e Black I s r ae l i t es (Jews ) , mor e than 99% of whom mu s t li ve
Tomasin ~ u , I
comedy .. 3 7
This is es pecially true when " Neg ro Christians"
I ll e same s l ums where Afr ican-American Christia n s and Mo s l e ms,
oj
national fame conve rt to Talmu d ic J udaism and extensive p ubl ! ·
w·, ll as other Bl aCk Afr i can- Ame rican 'Itt~:;,
ty follows , unl.ilce whe n "White Christian s" of s imilar standing do l ikewi se .,
40
tradit io nal is t religious
r eside, fin d t hem se lves tota l l y dependen t upon the o u tsi d e
SQC1L1 1
Sammy Davis ' theUNegroll singer, corned l ,lll ,
da ncer, movie star, a nd s t age actor) 38 conversion wa s such
IIl1lrll c (Eur o pea n-Amer ican) J e wi s h communi t y f or the ir relig i ous I I I Ju s , food
I
clot hing,
I i t e rature and a ll othe:r. wherewithal
. tll
~a ry
to mainta in a pr o per reli g iou s home and c ommuni ty, a nd
examp le of note . · ,ur!le religious c en ter of wors h ip (syna gouge or t e mple ). The Judai sm , as a"race-cu l t ure ,u is as prep oster ous as a
RVUII ' "
I ,. (,:, lu se for this depe nde ncy is p lain old ec o nom ics. A fa ctor
Catholic or Moslem race .
M. Fi's hbe r g in h is noted wor k , '('I II'. 1 II '!'.}lm udic communi t y Europe an-Amer ican Jewery n o l on ger
d e alt with thi s issue extensively.
\M/ r y
• Iso l ated b y "Negroll and \ihite histor i ans fot: g e nerat101'ft 1 cause he dared to make rese .1rch es. into th e background o f I1 I.ql ~ IIpure Hh i t es '· and e xpo !Jc t heir "Nc q ro a ncosLr y." J. I\. Ho.., . I I today , nOlll that he 1.s d ead 1 are: r equ ir ed rt!i & d in C)~ i.n rnruw , .. L I
172
have
Whe reas Joel A. RO'] c.t' iII ,· 110 about, s i nc e t he y manufactur e what they ne ed in most o f
Ill,fIC]{ folA N Of' THE NILE, by Yosef ben-J och a nn an, f or chronol_ · 11 PI Locoa h Mernepthah r u l e o ver the Hari bu s (Je\<,Is).
173
~"lha t
t hese lin es . They also kill and p r eserve t he me at they eatj eV"'1 though non- Jews do h a ndle Koshe r
foods and meats prior to",
and
h' l'1is h br o t hers and sis ters of Ta lmu dic Ju da i sm i n the Uni ted
lites o f Ame ri ca me a n to their poor e r Black f e ll Ql,"J Amer i can
after, t he i r p re p ara t ion, a cond itio n which t h e Beta Israel (C hild.ce n o f
vJhe n spe aking abou t
( Israeli t es) ? It has man y varied me a nin gs; t h e !,olorst o f \'Jh i ch
w!'i
t he House of Is r ael )"' a l so ca lle d Bl ack Je ws and/I"
Falasha, of Ethiopi a , Ea s t Africa, wou l d neve r
toler at~.41
Lh e fa ct that the '"'lh ite Jews can turn the ir he ad t o\'/ar d nor t h er n t
t he " Palas h as " (Palasa)42 of Gonda r P,,,
hiop ia to he l p the Black Je ../s there j ye t
I
that very few of them re side in the United State s of America.
l,,!": throu ghou t the Unit ed S t ates of Ame rica, all of whom are in 0 ...~ t heir o\-,ln Hni te Je wish communi ty ba ck y ard. 45 One could
1_
That the vast ma j ority o f t he Africa n-Ameri c an Jewish commun ity
I fUl l :
vc r eadily seen the same p at te rn of be h av i o ur in t he c i v il war
cla ime d t heir o ri g in from them , which is no less va l i d than L111
10 u. dJ"' bet\-Jeen the su pporters of the ce ntr a l
Eur opean and European- America n Jews c l a i m o f the ir ori g in f r.Ot n
II
Hebrews t hat once occ up i e d the "Pr omise Land" mor e t han thr eu 43
Howeve r , tha t which is most si g ni fican t
this mat ter i s t he infreque n t s currently be t ween the
(money) . The result of said capita l need is tha t
d
comp l ete agreemen t
II
•.HI
t
their fellow African ( Sl aCk) Jews (Fa l ashas ) than b e b-Je e n A ll , .
utt
'I
o f the \'ihite J ews , who tb r ough such orga ni z ations as Had",, !; !) nl l
til
nand "JC)men "of good \", il l" have f a il ed mi serab l y t o mars h a l l"Qr ces of r ed- blooded pa triotic Eur o pean- America n s, "new ,1Od. "old le f t" - inc l uding "oldl! and "new" r ight, agains t hie and s l a very in t he ancient E:m p i re of r1 onom o tapa (called
II
",u:f"f ull y t he " Repu b li c o f S o u th Af rica) by th
i n Isr l),(· I .
l,nvi o <]
This mea ns t hat the Fa l ashas s with Europea n and BucIII" Amer i c a n Jewry are on t he r i se ; "whe r eas , in the c a se of l h. · 11 dire ct descend ant s , the Bl ack I srae lites (Jews) i n
A meri c ~l ,
• Commun a l f ar ms and otlier1 74
~";uc h
oc"io olud ('c onnm Lc (11' oj cc :. .
,
~~
conveni ent l y forgotten that th e la nd c a lled HUn i on of
i l. l ea ," n ow " Repub l ic of So u th Afri ca, " hlas a l so, and sti ll ~mfllr e
. 'I
s are on t he dec lin e , in s o me ca::;t: s .:t l mo:.;t non- cxi:""\.. I· llt
the Ni ger i an race i s com-
l Tl q agai n s t the I bo r ace of Biaf r a.,,47 This same combina t i on
Ame rican (Black) Is r ae l ites (Jews) . Th
and others, reli gious l y oriented a nd ph ilan thr o pic, spon:;(w " I
Catho li c ism and Pr otestan ti sm), a nd othe r \"}h ite sects
i(ll:t the a ll e g ed "cr i me of ge nocid e
90% more con tact between th e Eur opea n-America n (ioJhite) Jew:": -In,1
l asha " youngste rs to v i s i t and live in Kibu tzim .
a nd h armon y by t he powers t h a t be wi t hin
hie rarchy of Eur ope a n - American (\"lhit e) J ud a i sm, Chr istendom
t her e is 8!J I ..
44
r e-
i tse lf IJB i afra.u46 In th is iss ue t he r e seemed to ha ve
ih
t
governme nt o f Ni ge ri a
t t hO Se w'ho ed the b r eaka\"l a y Ea ste rn Prov inc e t h a t
Afr i ca n Hebrew ( Jewis h) g r oups . Again , o ne must f ace up t o til ' har d rea li ties of the time t h a t ca u se thi s separa tion, capi t
the same group of
III -e J e\·/s rema in b lind to the needs of the Blac k Je',-,l is h communi-
vince i n northern Ethiop i a) E:ast Africa, i t mus t be re membe r ed
thousand years ago.
do t he se nevI contac ts be tween Falashas and t heir '"1I1 i te
Ij
I
tha t once in cluded \o!hat is today cal l ed PMozaJl, biq u e,
(n"lola.) , a nd Rhodes ia (Zimbabwe) ;48 and secess i o n t here is
II' 0\11
"fle d by U 'le m. Moreove r ,
t hey h ave also fa i led to see 1 75
the starving African-Amer i ca ns, the ir own fellow Black Jews and
" Black Stud i es, " since t hey d o not know that ther e are more th an
Black Christians - al so Slack Muslims , o f
I our teen ( 14) Afr ican na t ions , vii th more t han one- hu n d r e d million
the united States of Arnerica.
49
the "Bia fras" within
Afri cans in which KiSwahili i s spoken; and i n one ( t h e Republic
They seem on ly t o b ecome aware
of the American-type rlBiafras l l whe never the ir synag ogues , tempi churches, a nd other rea l and persona l estates go up in r i ots by their own Black uIbos
ll
~ lames
fr il'"
01 Tan za nia, wi th a pop ulation of more than t e n times that of i:;rae l) Swah i l i is the IIOffic ial Nat ion al Langua g e ."
And of
'ou rse t hey s h ou ld have known that Jud a i s m h ad its liter ary
of t h e Harlems of Amer ica, aU
of which re s ult in capital lo sses of at lea st 20% or more of tJl
'·· '1 inning s in Af ri ca - alon g the b ank s of the Blue and \'lh i te
face value of t h eir insured investments in such real and pe r son,l
'Itl e - in Egypt a n d Ethiopia.·
propert ies in the IISia fr anfT communities in t h e so-called IIBla C"'k
t I t his chapter i s
g hettoes ." Of course, thi s f igure does n o t take into LI1. hi gh non-taxable profit from sa i d real es tate investments whi, h they had alre ady extricated from the Black (Jewis h, Muslim, el l! I
'i'hese facts a re to b e reme mb ered ,
to be meani ngfu l at present ..
The American Black Israelites (Slack Je"Js) , want ing to be as It I ir brother
and sister African Israeli tes (Black Jews , Fa lashas,
I s rael) , e xp erienced that they cannot have their "a::lima l sac-
1'0
ian , a nd other s) communi tie s of the Harlem- type IIBiafras ll fOl: ' I
Il l cesl! on Pes ac h (over), Yom Kippur (Day o f Atoneme nt). and
eration
.\ h Hash ana (New Year)
af ter generation with out e v e r investing one solitary li n
lar in the rebuilding of said communitie s. tur n up in Israel, Rome, Eng land , Ireland j in Europe, b ut ne ver in Africa.
11'\.0 ; nor
Yet, sa id prof i t:] and a ll other couo l' I
And when Afr ic an-Americans (III
1 1l~tj ow n"
j
neith er Mikvahs ( ritu al baths for cleans-
t he exclusion o f (night fall)..
no n-JevJs fro m t h eir commu n i tie s after
Equally for b idden is t heir raisin g of
I.t'! "f i rst male l amb f rom its mo ther
for the s acri f ice!! ; a nd rnain-
Jews, Christians, Mus lims, and others) suggest tha t monie s b tl
hi th e separateness o f
to their f e llow Afric a n s in Africa a ll sorts of windo\... -dr esfiiu' l
I" olog i ans and scribes } from the rest o f
I!Negro Leaders" could be found to condemn sa id activities a:;
1t11nl. b a ke their matzah (unleavened bread) on stones f rom the
i st in kind." Th i s type of behavior was best dramatized
" I
I ot
~·/h c n
f" \.l~Jto m s
" Negro Leaders" were hailed befor e the American public to ct' l... ' IIBlack Studies progr ams" a nd "KiS\·Jah ili same time these "Negro Leaders"
ll
language courses; n t
II
convenient ly forg ot to ch al' "I)',
o ther area studie s and the t e ac n ing of 'lHebr ew , Ga lic, I tll l.l ufl, Ge rman , and many oth er languages .
They s hould have noted t..h.d
176
~ t'
o wn n e e d to t.,d • .,
50
in stead~
th ey found tha t
pries t - and Levi their faith f ul. They
they too mus t f o ll ow
of t he ir European and European-American Talmudic
1 .. \, hrother s and sisters of the fa ith - wh o hav e al so abandoned I 01 t hese traditio ns with in the To r ah (F ive Books of Moses) " In
d cr n" European and Europea n-American culture and Jud aeo-
11D n i ty -
II
II , .'\AI
are l ess peop le who us e t he se lang uages than tho s e U:'3 ing ::;\011'\ 111 ' I Of cour se t hese "Negro Le a d er s" proved t h'
t he sun ;
the Ka hen (Cohen)
t
Ih
Cu ll
includ ing its racism
~ nd
relig i ous b igotry .
the Black Jev/S in the Uni ted S tate s o f Amer ic a f ol-
'l'h i.rd 800k of Moses, where i t is c ommanded : 5 1
Gf' 1'\ siG un cI I:: xodus (P i rs t and Seco n d Books o f The Hebrew " (t hu Chr i slian Ol d Te stame nt) for docume n tation of this fact ..
1 77
"If a
1"0111'1'5
Offerl?! Is a sacrifice.
3 an~l(aIPr;~~ ~h~ege~'. m1:: o~~~~aie~
he shall offer It without blemish beforE:: the Lo!U). zAnd he ,hal! lay hi, ha iH.l. upon the head of hi s offering and:~kiB It at the door of the tent of medtng; and Aaron's ~ons, the priests shal! throw the 1,1oodagalnst the il)t;u ro und Qbout. lAnd (rom the sacrifice of the
peace o(ferlng. as an offering by fire to the LORD, he,shall OIIer the fat cove:-ing the: entrails and a ll the to.t that is on the cntrnlls, • and the two k,jdn,ey;; witntllefattha,tlson them nt the
lom~ ,
and the apllen.;1;'1Sc of the liver which
he shal1 tal.t¢ away with the kidneys. J Then Aarcm's sons shall burn it on
the altar upon the. burnt offering, which Is upon the wooct on the fire; it IS au ort"ertng by the, n plea~I\l1; odor to J~~lfLgThOoffcriflg (or ('I SOlcrincc of
~~,eaI1::;%I~c i~c~~~a1~~ r~laYc~
he Shall o€Yer It without b lemish. ' If he offen a lamb for nls o{f~ring, then he ~han offer it before tne LoRD, 'laying his han4 uPo n th~ 'hud of hi s otierlng and killing It bc:fore the tent of meeting; OI nd Aaron's sons shall tiUl)\Vits blood ag::l.! nst th e altar round
about. 9 Then from t he sacrifice orthe
fh:~Oo!e~~~ha:;lat~rfe~ei~~n~a~;t~~ef;~ h~!~~~~~:: ~~~it~;\:trla~I~~~e~~ ~~:
i1n Jew s) in the Unit ed States of Amer ica) who have surrendered I l- adi t i ona l Afr ican Hebrel.... is m ( J udaism) for t he economic conve-
entrailS, :J. nd a ll t h e fat that is on the
~~~rf~if5th~Ot i~gnt~hee~'~t tl;~~gr~s.~~~ ~~il!afut~~~;~ \~i\~~~e lt~~~e~;~1 ~!~~'!
II
As the Palashas " eat mea t with mi lk t o ge thec , !I bu t do not
sha ll o ffer it before the LORD. II and lay his hand upon its head, and kill it before the tent of meeting: and the so ns pf Aaron shall throw H5 blooct agains t the altar round a hout, 14 Then he shall offer from. it. as 1115 offe ring for an
I' b oil the mea t
tlmt is on the entrails, IS and the t wo kidneys wi th the fat t hat Is on t hem
!0
liver which he shall t .. t~ away with the Iddn!:!}'s. 16A nd the priest shall burn them on t he a lt ar as rood offered by fire for a pleasing odor. All fat is the LORD'S. 17 It shall be a perpetual :-;tarute t hroughout your generations, in all your dwelling places, t hat you eat neither fat nor b lood."
I
a t the loins, an d tile :r.ppendage of the
either j as the God o f Abraham , Isaac ,and Jacob commanded cor ding t o the f o l l ow i n g rec or dings i n their
the European i zation of this bas i c l aw in the Tora h and adop t
Ill! Talmud i c interpre ta tion o f European a nd Europea n-American
" ' ...IS of not eati n g Ilmeat wi th mi lk,1I a prohibitio n tha t is no ~11L: le 1
52
-
entered in an y of the F i v e Book s of Mo ses. The ne are st pro-
I II Ltio n of i t s kind in t h e Book of Levit i cus (Third Book of Mos ) bares hea v i ly on th e differenc e beb;ee n the Talmud an d Talmu d -
oi l
,JUd a ism of Europe and the Un i t ed States o f America against t ra -
fellow Black J e w:.
II l o nal Tor'ah Heb re\
Mo ses, Tora h :
4
The major problem of the African- American Israeli tes , who of meeting, and the [est of the blood of the bu ll h e Shall pour out a t the base of the altar of burnt offering which is at the door of t he ten t of m ect ing. lAnd all the fat of the bull oftJle sin offering he shall take from it. the fa t th",t covers th o en tr"ils and all tlle fat that is Oll tile entr:\ils. j :1!1d the two kidneys with the fa t t l1at is on th em at the loins., and 'the ,\prenctage of the li'l.'H which he '$h:t\l lake ('1 1-\ JlYwith tl)e li l.;J.neys I ~(just a~ these i\rc t
c el i giou s basis, also for p o litica l r easons, is the inability
" J
)1l ·1 r
bei n g able t o finance any mea ni ngfu l eXChange pro g r ams
w. ' n themselves and their fell ow reli g ious b r others and sisters ll \111I1'
~le:~e i~~~~f:'~~ ~~~~[~~lr~~~~~ ~~~rh
"commanded "
a l i g ned them se l ves with t h e trad i t ion a l Hebrews of E th io pi a
V(
i n Eas t Africa .. If they cou l d b orrow money f or this type
IljlP I.lt ion t h ey fear that the programs . . lould be co - o pte d by the
outside tllC C:\ lllP to 2. clean place, where l he ashes "re poured o ut , ;;md sha ll hu m it on a fire of Wood; where the ashes Me poured out i t sha lt be b urned.
These a nci e nt t radi tio ns, wh i ch are sti l l
·11
I
. ;~ -whO would be more tha n likely Eu r o pean-Amer i can Je\oJs Ill~lieved
j
as
that the ItJhi t e J e ws would no t cooperate in a n y pr o -
wid c h wiil tend to ma k e known the exi stence of Bl ack Jews oj
.1 ') 1110Ut the "Wes t er n World ,
Jews (Black, Hh i te, YellO\
II
wh ich t h i s project wou ld ce r tain l y
,j
I ~., I 1
i' lion a nd eco nomics by n ecessity are partne r s, equally as
J ' .
178
i n its mo ther ' s milk, " so sho ul d have th e Afr i can-
Il1c rica n Israelites main tai ned t h e ir custom and not s uccumb e d
~~~~r5g ~hefi~~lt~~if~e8kgft~ i ~: ~:~
T h e y cann ot f ulf i ll their Obligations of IIbu rnt offerinq"
And the LORD said to Moses, l "Sa'{ to the people of h rael, If anyone sins uflwittinoly In any of the thi ngs which the LORD'has commanded no t to be done, and ,does un't one of t hem, l if it i5 the aoomted pneU whO ~ins , thus bring[ n&,j}Ullt on the p ~o " le, th en let him offer Tor the sin whlcn h e has cOlnffiiltcd a young bull without blemish to the 1-011.1) for a sin offering. 4 He shall brin !) the IlUll to the cloor ,of t h e te n t of meeting before Ute LORD , and lay his hand on the 11eact of tile bull, an d kill the bull befote t he Lono. lAnd the anoint ed priest sha!i t~ke som e of the blood of th,e bull and bnng it to the tent of meeting : ~ and the priest shaH dip his fin!:cr In the blood and sprinkle pal t of th.e blOOd $even times befor e the J..Ofl J) Hl frollt of the ve il of the sanctuMY, 'Aml tIle prIest shall put some of the blouu .01\ the hor n ~ of the alta r of fr;.gra nt Incense before the LOJ\D wNch IS In the tent
i.e nc e o f E uropean - Amer ican - type Ta lumud ic J udaism ..
i~g!~iM~~la~J bfiur~nt~ f~e tr~~b~af as 12 "If his o~ering Is n goat. then he
1
.' 1 1(lion a nd g overnment. Because of the marriage between 1 79
these two most powerful forces over the behavior of mankind, t h ....
hut re c eive it not .
vast majority of those who differ with either must be ready to
" lIebre ...mess" (which needs no proof to anyone b u t
t a ke on the other.
I he ir "White Israelite"brothers and sisters j as such the str u gg le
Blac k Hebrewis m find s itself o u tside of the
marriage b etween government and religion; t herefore, it is never
al ~ o
Today, whe n leaders of t he Af rican-American (Black) Muslim, lu: istian, and trad itional African religious communities are speak-
If i t is not pr e sen t with the cutting of the cake, i t
cannot compete.
t llq out a g ainst injus t ices directed agains t
If it canno t compete, it must ei ther the
bride or bridegroom, or slowly die.
themselves) to
t hem by .
1' .1~; ses
there when t he BRI SK (circumcision) of t he n e w bqrn is pel
formed .
Black Israelites are too busy proving ·c heir
Sorry to say t h at the la c l
I
Black people in
• ner al 9 the Black Israelites remain conspicuously silent by their c onflict~
is the present course taken b y t he Black Hebrews in the Un i ted
l).r;e n c e from th e ar e na of
S t ates of America. White Talmudic J udaism can save it o
I nterest o f the Black Israelites in t he United States of America
Bu t , why
d irectly threate ned. \'Jhy shou ld thi s be ? Are there no young
should this be ? Wh at is there to be gained by the Talmudists hy
I. )Licrs amongs t
so doing ? Black Judaism does not of f e r a ny aid t o t he present State of
Israel_~ neither
Amc l~ l t
in i t s current alarm against Hh at it c hoose s to Call "Negro
1\111
1 ",' Th ese are b ut two of t h e ver y pertinent que s tions being asked
I
01
t he Black Israelite s ( Jews) in th e Uni t ed S tates of America , 1lflGia lly t ho s e in New Yo r k City , t{e..., York, and in other maj or
agrees wi th any action taken b y the S tate of Israel, or any J(' wt ..
11 1... ~; of t he northeastern part of t h is nation. The impact of Black Judaism on the overall Black community
organization or person trying to continue domination over "N" 'I I" II C' f v I I
and could, have been one o f l eadership . Th is opportunity
111 ' 11 1(1,
rig h t s movement. ,I
he i r s , as it \Y'as the Nation o f Islam (t he so-called "Black
The isolation and refusal of the Black "Jelt/s" to make
I q
LJWIII
selv e s heard in the present stru g gle f or Af rican-America.n e u 11111 and ide n ti t y in t he United S tates o f America will yet prove t .. I. t h e death - k nell of Black Judaism - as it hides away and hop(' !' I" e mer g e s me lling like a rose - unto uched a nd
enertia of social and economic events of the
•
Semitism"; >-Jhic h anyone is s ubj ect t o be Called if h e or she dt
or g anizations" or individuals, especially in the so-called
them wh o feel th e need for Black "Jewis h " involve-
Ir II I in the presen t
c u ltural, spiri tu al or eco nomic; n or
does i t suppor t Talmudic J udai s m 1n t he Un ited S t a t es of
This is even true when the
u nscarsd~
I
Urns, and traditional Af rican rslig ion s such as Voodoo, Dl;lrnl ,.IJ I
I lIl ll;"r
) ,
but their "chosen people I s ~ 4 o b ses s ion and attitude
t o that of their sis t er and brother to/hite Jews) have
1I1Ift<1 t hem frOm fr e ely intermin g ling wi t h the ir fellow Black s . \ tl '
reli g ions, sol e ly on t h e bas is of t heir own reli gious
u l . .... nce and bigotry.
The "II I "
Je .../s" will be remembe red by o t her Black Ame ricans ( Chri =;t1.. 1nl
I I lIi:; "
t
"t! u
J
The ne t result is tha t th e vast majority
Lh ~
Black communi t y is shock ed to e v e n h ear that there are
w~
in the United S tates o f America, e xc ep t t he occas.ional
lJ "v l c t y pe converts, and naturally, the same char ge that: 55 " .. ... t he J~w s killed Christ ... .. , !' etc. I ~'YI l ft d tit t hem by their Black Christian and Muslim neighbors ,
18 1
lor ward her ei n . Thus:
just as i t is among the vJhites, v.'hen they find out. Of c ours e,
32 These are the famili es of t h e sons o f Noah, accord ing to their ge nealogies, in their nat i onsj and from the se the nat i ons spread abroa.d on the earth af ter t h e f l ood~
Black Jews Ca.nnot claim "anti - Semi tism" in such cases, as d o their Whi te counter par ts. h'hy? Because European- American Jews can be "Semiti c"
(Shemitic) or "Caucasian"
(~"hite)
( ~lIhi \.,.
whenev" ,
or where -ever, th e s i tua tion warra n ts. On t h e otherha n d, Afric.1..11 American (B lack) Jews are ru l ed ou t f rom "Semitism" i n "Wester u" circ l es, meaning that th e y are not con sidered to be t he d esce ndants o f Noah I s e ldest son - Shem..
56
But, strangely eno ug h, thl'
fer
If
1'\11 ) a re the grand-de scendants of Ham, I' ll
o f Noah,
These ru:o the generattons of the so ns of Noah, Shem. Ham. and a'phet h; sons lVere born to t hem after th e 1100d. 2 The SODS of )1I',Pheth: G ()'ml!r.
10
~~~Sb,g~:J~~:a/.~~~e ~~~~r ~g;: ml! r: Ash'ke·na:. R I' ph.ith, and T<'I -
gar'm flh . 4 The sons o f J<\'vi'\n: E·\i'shAh, Tli!'sIt.!Sh, Klt't~, an d Do'danim. 5 From these the coaHland
~r.g~~~'p~~at~· e&~:~d:,r~a~e~fJ;Sh1!
own lanlJUage. by their famH!es, !n th11~(ISOOr;:; of Ham: CuSJI, E pt. POt. and Canaan. 1 The sons of ~sh: Se'ba. Ha ... ·I·IAh. Sab'tAh, Ra·a·mlli, and 5ab'tlka, TIle sons or Raarnah: Sh~ba and De'dan.' Cush became the (ather o( Nlm rOd; he was the first on earth to be a mighty man. 9 He was a mighty hunter berore the LORD; therefore It Is said, "Like Nim rod a mighty hunter before the LORD." ,0 The beginn!ng.of his kingdom was n~ 'b~l,
it is \.Jritt.",
E·rech. and AC'cad, all o~ them in the land of Shi'n::tx. II From that land he wcnt Into Assyria. and built Nin'~ ·v~h . Re·hO'ooth-Ir. Ca'!fth, and 'z Rf'stn between Nln'l!·vth and C:i'I
II
t m (?
of t he Fiv e l300ks of Moses (Torah): ~hc
was leprous. IIAnd Aa ron said _to :\ioscs. "Oil, my io;-.J, do not~ pUQlsh \,s becausc we h;1\Ie d onc foolisbly .md il,1\IC sin ned. 12 Lct hcr not bc as onc (Ie,\d . of wilom the il csh is tm lr 00[\~\1nlC,i wll.::n he comcs out of his l>w!l~cr'~ wO\l~b.'· ;:',\116. Moses cricd (0 e;,~ L,)liO . . . F:'':::'!i her. 0 Cod, I bc~..:.::d\ rl. c..:.' · H But the LOUD said to }.'(Os~ . " Ii hC"~ f:,tilcr had but SPit in bel' :':lee. ;,hould ,.he not b~ ~hameg. :and stood at wc do or ~ tile t cn t, a:-d .called Aa ro n o;nd Mln am; and t h,ey 'both came fon y'trd. ~And he s<,-,d, I" H e
are the sons of Harn, by their famil ies, thefr languages, their lands, and their Ilatlon~.
mOl
~:~~~~~ f~Oj';in! i~:l; ~[~~~~~.lt'~J~J~r~,~~
tha n three - thousand years , separate the sons of Ham f rom th.); ,! Shem, if th e abOve recorded history from the Torah is II tr u e . " II
,,;,)t:::;ht in aZ.l;n . '('Af~r ti1at t he people set ot'[ (rO(H H:l·~c' rotll an ~t enc,1.l'Ill',:d in tll~ \\'Hd~rne~s of P ar' an.
II sons o f Noah." That"Cush ll(Kus h or Ethiop i a) and"Egypt" ( SoIi·.J are as much a pa rt of the Hebrew peoples as those of Palef'l l 111' (Isra.e l or Canaan), h avin g th e same gra ndpare n t :; . Th e Hcbr .... \J I ' 11' 1
him in a clrcOlm . 7J>.:ot so with ~\y S('\'CI) (!<:~'$? Let hcr-b-c !>lIuf upoubTde t..'lc C:iI1~p SCVCQ oays, and after that s!l.c m;~y Oe oro~l[;'ltt in ;'I'IIn ." II So ~: i,'l~m \'!as Sl~L:t up ou :::r.jdc the camp
.:~~e::,~artt~ ;J~~1~~g Pti~PI~l?/gl~O\~~,
it is seen th a t there was a merger of the three famil i es Qr_ ti"
o n te n ti on uej
It mu s·t be remembe red that the marriage between Moses and
lilt: r ace" r esulting f rom his offsprings . S9 Thus , i t is '.Jri tten
~f'd~~~' hf~g~agiig~ti~;tgf~efra~o~
t:li ~
o f Shem" or "S e mites."
i'\I1r;lr, it wou l d seem, a l so deny the theory of a separate "Se-
far as Ga'z;i, and in the direction of Sod'¢m, Go·mOf·ran, Ad'mah, and Ze·bol'!m, as far as Ui'sh:l. 10 Th e~e
ish) Tor ah ends this stor y in s upp ort 0 1
the so- cal l ed
"Cushite ",ife ", which most White Jews \.Jould prefer not to re-
IS Canaan became the father of 51'don hls fir:st-born, a nd Heth, I~ and the J e b'O·site~, the Am'o·rttes, the Glr'ga·shites. 17 the HI'vItes, the Arl~' ites, the S['nites, 11 the Ar·va·d!tcs, the Zem'iHites, and the Hil'ma·th1tes. Afterward the famHles of the Can&'1Ilites spread abMad. HAnd the territory
irJho is that bri l liant that he, or she , ca.n nm", after
the n i t stands to reason that the Africans, at least
"tlmudic Jews of Europ e , Israel and the America s 1)O S
IS,
and Ham is th e " second
Egypt, Ethiopia and the Somalias , are as much Jewish as th e
to mak e Judaism a rac i st sect to sati.sfy t heir own person,.i
Ang l o-Saxon and/or Greek - centric prejudice. Th
t he Kush i t es (Ethiop ians , sons o f Cush or Ku sh), Egypt -
I ms (so n s of Egypt); and th e Punts (Soma li ans, sons o f Punt o r
,.1
First Book of Mos es (Genes i s) disagrees "lith those ~... h o wi ll pI'
58
1'.1
I r()rp ~s or e l liot Smi t h in his book , HUl'1AN HISTORY, s 59a ,hov,.. b i blica l c hap ter in the f o l l owing remarks: "I:';ver y kind of interming l ing has taken place 183
182
between the or i g ina l g rou ps o f and Semi tic people s .'"
'OMS
t h e Ne gro , Hamitic
Fur th ermore , i s i t t o be asswned t ha t
,' c ond Book of i1accabees, \oJhich indica tes an ori g i n of Second the c h ildren of l-10:,·
"ntur y B.C . E . Phar isaic k i n ds of p iet y . HO~-Jever, out of th e
\-lith h i s Cu sh ite (Eth i opian) wife did not continue the genealh ical heri tage o f of Ham? Or
majo r
I r at Sy nagouge came th e three maj or p rinc i ples of it s ord er:
their mothe r 's fa t her and mother - descendanl
the li ne of the ir father's father and mother - de::.:t
d a nt s of S hem?
I I ) Ra i se up many d eciples , ",
a lle g ed to have made the Pas sOvr ..
(Pes a ch) f rom t h e '",estern Nile Delta to Sina i alle g edl y by t h e way of t h e Re d Sea. (Harib u s ) in Egyp t
(Sa is ) a t
110 1" Law , and (3), Be deliberate 1 n al l
f:l ine, stated that its ma i n fun c ti on was to make c e rtain t hat
~ t., world : III I
The que sti on of a u th or1. t y a mo ng " t he sages " of ear ly J uda-
f-1uc h of the reli g i o us history wh i ch o n e g e ner ally r e f er;l
I
1'1 a rose long before European- sty l e Talmudic Juda i s m, however.
the Law ( 11,1,1,
1 1), t h e Oral Law (fo lkl ore, traditonal mytho l ogy, etc .) i ::;
Each of t h em
" . c o u l d b e best seen in the debate t h a t took pl ace b etween
1II' ,lt
Th i s body of La ws star t ed as a set o f exp lnat i ons and expan :;l. ... of a much more ancient body of written La\-,s.
f a c t ions of Judaism led by Beth Hil lel and Beth Shamma i over t!
Wol
cou ld or
I;, tuy o th , i t
posed t o have been "received by Moses from (h is ) God on Mounl S inai. II
Here they not the men of the " The Grea t Synagogue,
1 20 of them -
Ezr a , \",ho actua ll y wrote the Torah (Five Books of Ho ses)?
La\-J .
II
II
~",i t h
" II
the p r oph ets Synagogue ."
j
a nd the prophets finall y h anded i t on to t h o From this basic founda t i o n "Rabb inic Li't.e::
OI Ra bb i n,i c Judaism"
the ir stari: .
t h at:
" • • • h e may d i vorce he r even if she s p o iled a dish for him.. "
a ll ' I " ~,'
1;\.0 t "
'1'h cs e
Thi s o ccu.rred a f C'v1 i ,1I 1I· I,
two sc hoo ls of Rabb in i c al scholars ...Jere almost diam e~
ll y opposed to e ac h other's i n t er p r etat i on on almost ever y II 0) '
go t
als o he ld t hat :
The s ch ool of Hillel h e l d
and com-
\-Jho t he n ed it on t o the elders; t he elders e d i t
j
" • •• a ma n may not d ivor ce h i s wife u nless h e was found u n c hast i ty i n h e r."
I
T hus, th e Gr eat S ynagogue scho l ars wr ote: " Hoses rece i ved the La\-1 a t Moun t S i na i mi t t ed it to Joshua • •• , II
i s said t hat:
The schoo l of S hamma i
r\ ~,
" • •• Jehovah g i vlt,11
cou ld no t be done o n " Fes tival Days." for exampl e,
" Th e s c h ool of S hamma i ad'Jpted the more l enien t and t h e school of S h amma i the more str ~n g ent, on t he issue of \o1 h e t her or no t an e gg l a l.d on a Fes t ival Day may be eaten . "
composed of prophets and teac h er s dur i ng the I ill
one shou ld reca ll the episode dealing
lI The Law," meanin g the II Ten Comma n dme nts , "the Templ e
, vice , " and lithe Deeds of lovi ng k i n dness. "
t h e peri od of THE EXODUS .
c lari f i cat i on i s based upo n t h e Hebrew To rah -
your j udgme nt s. But , S i-
VI'cyone knew the "three main thin gs II that were r espon s i bl e for
in the East,
T hey we r e a l l African
p r otect i ve fe n ce around
on ( "the just l' ), a member of t he Gr eat Synagouge d uring i ts
bib lical charac ter s v/ere al l c l os e r el a tiVes to each oll'l' \'/ a S
(2) Build a
o
According t o this genealogica l background, t il!'
u p to the time when Moses
<st
1.).", in the Tora h (F iv e Books of Moses) , the Oral Law and
Wt I t Le n Law ..
18 5 184
Another pr ime examp le of
hO\~
the observance of
Je\~ i sh
La w
./l 10 ca.ll them se l ves IIOr t hodox J ews!! cannot agre e wi t h o th ers on
and Customs has changed is seen in Rabban J ohanan ben-Zakkai ' ai.l chan g ing t he carrying of the:
"L' tain inter pretations of re l igious l aw to mee t
T\oJentieth Cen -
' IJr y C . E. l iving condi tio ns.
" ... . Lulab for seve n days in the 'femp l e? but in t he provi n ces one day only ..'"."
The dispute beb,.Jee n fac t io ns in J udaism t ook on racial overlon~ s man y thousands of years
later . Th is was only natural , be -
before the d estruc tion of the Temp le to only: lu"e t h e European Rabbinate was as muc h a part of European coII • • •
seven days in memory of the Temp l e . ..... " " .lon i a l expans i on i sts' thi n king as was their fellow Europeans of
But the rebui l ding of th e Temp l e VIas completed in 70 C .. E. tat: I
h' Chris tian c l er gy . wi t h co l onia l expans io n rac ism also spread~
which t ime he had r econs t i tuted t he Sanhedri n, at Jebne h, wi t h t his regards M. Fishburg was moved to \-,rite in his book, THE
II I
changes as he saw fi t .
I s one t o ass u me that Rabban Joha n a n n ·
membered ever y thing in the Torah t h at \\las destroyed by t he ROlll, 1I a l ong "Ii t:h t he Temp le ?6 2 Or ,
I.~J , 63 the following: The 'i.,hite Jews k eeo a l oo f and do not associate wi th their (black) co~re li g i on i sts . Such pe rsons als o have a Je'.... is h physiognomy, wh i ch i s so specif ic tha t one would be incli ned to be li eve th a t t hey are of mixed blood , were they n ot so cr ue ll y mal treated by t he ir whi t e co-reli g ioni sts and trea t ed as black J e ws.
t hat the scholar s he used did nol
enter the i r o vm opini o ns as t o ,,.,,ha t
they felt \-Ie re ncessary t (J
be c h anged and/or upda t ed ? Any further examp le s of how Europea n-American-style Jud ll l
III
" Such persons ll Vl er e the Black (C oc h in) J ews of I nd i a, who ver y gr el',l in o f its l i tera tur e, dogmas , and taboos yjould nnt
, I III
II [ it t he description o f
t h e " Jew is h people" eited by Ratze l
th e present Blac)c and t-]hite J e loJi s h situati on 1:'Jithin thes e comlmll b o o k, HIS TORY OF MANKIND.
ties of the Uni ted S ta te s o f Amer i c a. These citations are pr ! II' "
64
He \'lr ote :
The entire Semitic and Ham i t ic po pu l at ion of Africa has • •• a mula t t o characte r Hhich e x tend s t o the Semites o u tside o f Af rica .
to show that Judaism has a l \o.,Jays had i ts deviationists that C )I" 1 uously disaqr eed \'./i t h the ma ny teach i ngs in the Tora!1, and 11 11·
'\,11 ., r e v e r se o f
the Black- i'lhite confron t a t ion s i n Judaism is
the Talmud (an i n terpr etation of the Tora h 7 cal le d " offic i .\ l ") II
uhich itself s u ff ered many r ev i s ion s. They also s uppor t t he
I·
\.;hy Afr ic an - J\,m erican J u dai s m need n o t f o l lm.., the s ame sLa nd .1I es t ab l ish ed by E u ropean- t'mer- iean J udaism; as there i s no in t e r preta t ion o f Judaism that app lies t o al l of t he ~'/or ld
Je~.J s
Itw f a lse p rophet "Moses.
11
a nd were , subjected to many translati o ns and i nterpre t.:.n.t i on Ei t o
'.
I,.
Hith respe ct
He wrote:
nbove ana l ogy c i t ed in Suyuti ' s book has b e en found i n ma. ny
'1111 n C)G ....,i th r e f erence to Noah and t he Ark drama in t h e F ir st , .1
1 86
1I
65
A Negr o who pretended to the gi ft of prophecy was br ou g h t be f ore al-Mamun (the Caliph) and sa i d: 'I am Mo se s, the son of Imram,' and al-Mamun sa i d t o him, 'Verily, Moses the son of Imram dre w fo r th h is ha nd f rom his bosom white, therefore, dra~'./ forth thy hand wh ite tha t I may belie ve thee. I
I
.-.1
except the Basic F ive Boo ks o f lI10ses(Torah) , and tI1C :.'·
ing the Babylonian to European Talmuds . Even in Is c .:te l
111. ,-1.+ c ite d in Suyutil s, HISTORY OF THE CALYPHS .
II
~L il lL l l
in
Ho:, I,,!! ; -
Genesis, Cha pter 9, Verses 20- 28', where r e ferences
187
are made to " ..... Ham • •• s t2'.r i ng at his uncle I s nake d n ess • • • 1 "
~ l om
etc.
1hrough its He l lenistic (E ur opean) transformation and re-identifi-
This Ca l v inistic theory, as s t ated be f ore in t his work,
th at'l • •• the cur s e placed on Ham by God ••• 11 (Yahweh, Ywh or Yvh ) ·' i n wh i ch " ... . Ham turned f rom wh i t e . . .. ,II supposed l y,
"~o.to
1\
i t s African beginnings and development in Sa i s
t ion with Greek mytho logy and dominan t Chr istian influences?
h n nged.
bl oc l
(Egypt), even
It also made changes due to i ts accommodation o f the
lave-trading experience s it had with Euro pean- sty le Chri stianityo
Of course t h e Semitic and HaJTlitic dialo g ue that ma ni pu:l;.ates tl'w pr esent racist thinking in Judaism, Chr i stianity , and Islam i =.:
I'iif!re were other major chan g es caused by the "Spanish Inquisi t ion fl66
v e r y carefully avoided by the Ca lvinist Christian sec ts of lat., .
1,)11 Nazi genoc ide.
At
I I~ uct ure
this j uncture one should refer to Note 64 of t h is Cha pter . 1'1
188 for Ratze l's con tent ion on this major poi n tj f or in it l i t,
1\
c the maintenance of its pluralistic exp er iences.
( ~>Jll
I T. 'tJ. Arno ld :
such action on the ir part a ppears to be nothing more, or I e :) '". wha t happe ned i n their own in tra-s e ctual inab ility to set th\,I , squabbl e has , there f o r e, a l:h '
VATIVE J REFORM , Rf:CONS'l'R UCT ION,
JE~H SH
SCIENCE,
1/
r
1
'.l'he soc i al, political, and econom ic status of t he Black Jews in
e tc.
Is Judaism (Euro pean , European-American , Afr ican, AfL"i
Un~t ed lUI
From t he evidence so far rev e aled, i t is without any doubt
H I.
q t Ot' their fellmoJ Black brothers and sisters of the Nation of l 'tl1\ (m i snome red "Black JoIIuslims") . In the case o f
, j
II
• Among the Black Je\.,Is, o r Israe li t e s, the t erm "NEGI10" 10,11 1 b een re jec ted; it is, to them , de grad in g and c onte mp ti b l • ... The Hebrew, not "Jewish," word f o r God . Generall y t,l,c H''U "Adoni " is s u bs ti t uted for Yahweh in Hebr e w r c li Qious :ler vi· ' excep t in ver y spec ial ages of" -th e Tora h.
188
ex-
It
I
ever pluralis t i c i n o rigin and development. In this reDarQ ,
s tat es of America is in fact below tha t of th e ir fe l -
. . . f '~ ican- Amer i cans of the C hri stian fai th, and to a gr eater
can, Asian , Asian-Amer ica n , etc . ) p l ura li s tic or monistic i ll I I v elopment as it stand s today ? This q uesti o n is of major r..d.,p )'
68
" Accordi ng to Mohammedan tradition Moses wa s a b lack man as may be seen f rom the foll ow i ng age in the Koran, t Now draw thy h a nd close to thy side; it s h a ll come f or th Hh ite but unhurtl another sign (XX , 23). 'Then he dre'.... forth hi s hand and l o! i t HaS ~..,hit e to th e beh olders. The nobles of Ph aroah sai d , "Veril y this is an exper t enchan ter . " (VII, 105- 06 .. t i l
b inate s , which in reali ty shou ld no t be o f surprise to anyon",
pr oduc ed wings a.nd se c t s in Judaism e n t i tle d •• • IIORTHODOX , e lJ!/
The
Il e r po int is best highlighted i n the foll ow ing citation by
\
Rabbina tes to recognize a ny of the Af r ican - Ameri can (Black) H, d -
The Rabbinates'
But, a s much
li .tnne ss , II or Brownness" will equall y come to t h e sur fac e ..
Behind this backg r o und one shoul d also comp rehend the curren t.
house in o rd er.
status here in the United states o f America , i t contin-
'tw.lsh p l u ralism, jus t so much its "Afr i canness"or Blackness, II
exc 1. ~I ; 1
drama being staged by the r e f u sal of the Eur opean- Arn er ican
Of course, in its p resent sem i - power
.J.nyon e may try to show the "Europea nn ess" or"Caucasianness" of
the explanation for mu ch o f the curr ent indifference existin0 between White J e\oJ5 and Black Amer ic an J ews ("Negro " J ews
67
II
I
the African-
1e ns in the Nation o f I slam, th eir social sta t us has been
tty enhanced, b ecause of t he ir succe ssful ef for-cs toward ecoI,
i n depend ence with i n t he capitalistic structure of th e United
' fi l l to
0 1' Amer ica, wh il e oth ers atoJ a i t a n economic revol u tion f or
. r 'Lb1 1:::.11mcnt of
soc1al i s m~
Th i s they have don e thr ough
189
I
I
The above rev el ations \-Jer e not 'Jpset by the t ilCt t hat an
an alignment with t he existing f orces that are willing to back
lt opia n empress , . . J!l o alleged l y <;jave birth to a"ioJ h ite chi ld " and
what is today called "BLACK CAPITALISW' and the "BLACK CAPITA) I SCHOOL OF' THOUGHT," currently be ing adop t ed among c e r tain forr:._
, ~ed
t
the statue of the Vir gi n Mary f or it, sta ti ng that s h e happened to look at t he l! (h'hite) "statu e dur ing t he t i me o f my conce pti o n • •• , 71
" ci vil r ig hts " organiza t ion leaders, mos t of them who formerly
11 • • •
l o o ked for social acce ptanc e of Black s, wh om they called "Neg!" :~ o
ma n y " I-Jest er n" e ducator s have used t his piece of Africa n
as the solu t i o n to the Black Nan' s p r ob lems, forgetting that 'I \(o l o gy as an i ndicat i on o f the •.• , " Eth io p ians d es ire t o be
money ( c a p ital) which makes the Uni t ed States of America mov e . Idle , and no Ju da i s m, Christianity, or J udaeo-Christianity -
have rejected a ll po ssibi liti es of their''Negro heritage . "
all of wh1 . It 11_, type of propagand a, ma lic i ous a nd v indic t i ve a s i t obvious-
on e tend s to fool himself in
believing~ l~ .
\"as i t not Terentius Af er (Terrance the African), an cx-
still se rves to c rea t e the re q uir ed confl ict betwe en many
I t
hi op ians a. nd other Afr iCa n s
J
a l s o Afl:" ican - Amer i ca n s, over the
,;!ho wrote the classic stateme nt :
U" .
"Homo sum humanii nih il a me alienum pu t o . " (I am a man and not hing h uman i s alien to me)
'J'he r e a s ons f or r a ce a n d r el i gi ou s b i g otr y pr o bably \" i 11 nev-
Nas he no t the one t he ancients c alled • •• " the g reates t of tllr· 1
rid . Be c ause o f th i s , maybe it is best not t o expect to se e a
i n styli sts'?" i-Jas h e not the o nl y one o f his era who h ad wr l l , ••
,II c ommu n i ty i n the Uni ted States of Americ a '-Jhi c h \oJou l d be
six pl a ys? And like Ge neral Hann ibal Barca (a f ellow indi ocl"'LtJu
1'.'':-, 5 corr upt by r acia l a n d re ligious b i g o t r y t han any other
Afric a n Bl ack man who c r ossed the nor t h e rn half of the Ita li.I1 ' Pen insula wi th 100 ,000 indi g enous Afr i can troops for twen ty I .. \, years), he too i s no t menti oned in textbooks of the United :;1
1.1
of Ame rica as be ing of indi g enous Africa n or i gin j nor was 11'"
!I
c ri bed as having "woo l l y hair, thick li!Js , a nd a jet black ion" - as indicated on the legal te nder (co in s)69 us ed in d u ring Han ni b al' s e ra ..
I n f act, was i t n o t the mother
Afer (Cllb.ls the Afri ca n) Drop s ica, \",hos e son Alexander
L" II!II
, ' , oj
not sho\",n as a Black \;!oma n j
1 10
lnll t o\vards the Comman dme nt
1111' :. :,,; a chiev ing
it~
These sup posit ions are not i mag inar y;
rea l as the fact tha t Pietr o Ol onzo Nino,
nor her son as a Black man • • 70
t
c aptain o f Cris -
(the Americas) . Beca u s e they a r e so
Ill.,n).: ind. in the Un i te d State s of Ame rica f inds i tse lf unable y,.. 11d rmoniously i n in t r a - group r el a t ion ships, mu c h less groups. IJPpr (, 5~: i on
The name " Cl itu s Niger" (ClitU5 of t h e Niger ) wa s c.rrQII' "II recorded by cert ai n ~J estern h is t orians ~lS " el t u c the N'c fl r~ " they have ut:.t e rl y failed to juct:i£y t h e u::;e o f the word Oil" '1 1
t h ey
Col on' s fla g ....:s h i p San ta Mar ia I waS the fi r st known Afr i ean 'rive in the UNew World"
II
t hat recite:
"Thou shall l ove t hy nei g hbour as t hysel f!" 72
o ;f Cl lllj
made Ki ng of Bactria, Hho nursed Alexa nder as an i n fant, !lu i
commu n i ty or i nst i tutio n. F or this cul -
• the Uni ted Sta t e s o f Americ a, appears t o be incapab le o f
11,
" L1le
( ~-Jh i te)
npt'.J.n-Amer ican
of su c h his t orical f ac ts are i ndicative o f t h e
10
en why B1D k Jews (I s rael i tes) mu s t st ill l ive s eparated f rom Wh! lC! c o u n tPl-par ts i
J 90
the BlaCk Mus li ms f rom t he
Wh i t e Mos l e ms,
191
~
1i,l t
Ethica l Culture Society, Ba h ai, J e h ovah Wit ne sses, Unitar ia ns ,
j
1' ..lL t he over -emp h asiz e d • • • "a n ti-Jewis h fee l i ngs among Negroes"
and other profe ssed Illib eral!! relig ious instituti o n s are total I
I . n o t o n the u p s wing , o f which some Jews hy ste r i cally c l aime d
dominated i n their leader s hip by European- Americans (Whi t es),
II
b ut h ave ju st eno ugh Blac ks in choice po s i t i o n s , mostl y public
,I Ih teous outcry has su bsid ed , mayb e everyon e wi ll stop to con-
and Blac k Christians, al s o, from t h eir
~/h ite
b rethren .. Even t ill'
re l at i ons, vJh e r e they can b e se en and v er y l ittle he ar d from,
I~
t o the le ss informed and f r ightened Europea n-Ame ric an Jew s
reac h ed" pr o p ort i o n s o f Hi t I er's Nazi .. 1/ Bu t
ic r
t
when the
that wi t hin Euro pean- Amer ican- sty l e Ch ri stian i t y, itse lf ,
and with no re a l power, whic h i s mor e ofte n than not c al led " I ..
Iii ' bas i c e l ements of "an t i-Semiti s mll ca n be found g rounded in
kenism. 1I But the less sophisticated Blac k bro t h e r sand s i stern ,
,,, . Eas ter Services and bir thed in the P ass ion Drama o f Good F r i-
the s o - called II irr espo nsib l es,
II
still ca ll it
dil l
!! house Ni gger action .. " 73
I ly. 7 7 It is dur ing th i s period o f each succee ding y e a r ht~;).rsal
The role of the Black Rabb inate t oday i s o ne of
ostracl ~. m.
ove r
world, t od ay . The end r esu l t
1115 ,
74 t ak i ng p l ace "II
t he Uni t ed Sta tes of America, and a ll o t her areas o f
c:ultur e and r e l i g i on , to be less "a n ti - Semi t ic" t h an the ir
fe el that the ir Black I s r ae li te (Jew i sh) b ro t hers and sistc.,!.I ::
.. r. Eur opea n and European- American slavemasters' desce n dants
,
'· '·!<J.ch ersj 79 t hi s i s no le ss re a sonab l e tha n t o expect l'jh i te
,I
\I/ai t in g perch ed on the ir fence t o see how th i s "cu l tural r('v • • I " II
"
()!
l.o be l ess racis t or re l igious l y bigoted agains t
'ltra ngely enough , " anti -Sem itism can be easi l y c harg ed to many
t he r e is no Blac k Jewi::. h
,.
I.
-Americ a n ( Black) J ew is h groups here in the Unite d sta t es of
ers h i p 1n t he clerg y, or t he l a i ty, Hh i ch cou l d have bec omr- ..
J
sort o f medi ator beb'oleen Bl ack Ch ri st i a n and Muslim communi I I·
IWhiI.t;»
and the \-'ihite J ewish community over the in f l anuna t or y "commu n ity con tr o l
i ~::;ul.! .ot
If', I . 'rhis is, providin g that on l y Europea n and E uropea n-Amerl-
i n the Black ne i g hborh oods. " 75 loor i t 1 :1 I "
I
L"
Ilc.l t:e all of the desce nd a n ts o f Noah we re no t r elated t o t h e pri'l i.n a l Har i bu (Jew, Hebr evJ) - Abraham . 8 0 I f, on the other-
t he s ame as it is in 'dhite communities , th at bri.ngs on th,... ,.\" r ea ctionary cry of "Negro an t i-Sem i t ism .. " 76 Th i:; is n o t
Jews a r e to be des i gnated by th e myth o log i cal term "Se -
, ,, (the desc e ndants of the mythical "SHEW'), a term ,tJh ic h t end s
rea l ity t he i ssue of IIcommuni t y control in Blacle communit i r
192
Black pe o p le
t h eir Hhite Christ i an and Mos l e m b ro thers and sis ters .
II
vi vor, " of \,lhich ther e may n ot b e any. It i s e xtreme l y pa theti c tha t
who vlere f orced by ar med vio le nce cen t u r ies ag o in to Euro-
and Europ e an- Ame r ican (W h i t e)- styl e and type Chr i st i an con-
II
tb ,
i s th a t Black Chris t ia ns and Mtl:JlI,
ticn ' ! wil l end - wi th the in te nt of ing t he I'\>/i n ner
78
mos t e c hoed .. And, of cou r se, no one s hou l d expect Bl ack Chr is -
cause it has f a il ed to do or say anything whatsoe ver duri ng IlL II
the " .. .. .. the Jews k i l l ed Ch r is t,,
h o\",eve r . I t is neither "Unc l e Tomish" nor "house Ni gge rish " i ,.,
challeng ing phase of the "Blac k Exp er i e n ce
ab ou t
that the
..1,
,
I,
t h.
• ' n 'l
Afri can-Amer ican J e ws (Israe l ites) prove i ncapable of t.1U t
[r om t heir own " wal l
ar olm d the Law , 81 t he n Blac k
1 93
BILAL:
Israelism (Judaism) in the United States of Americ a is doomed t" a much more mise rable future than it appear s t o be heading tow at
prese nt~
AFRICAN INFLUENCE ON I SLAM
II'
(Cha pter Four)
82
This work will of n ec essity provok e a ll sorts of angry dewithin the past ten years, or more, the re has been a definite n ounciations, ma ybej b ut, would the fact s to counterva il this /0 tll.: t:' eas e of Afric a n-Americans convertin g to I s l am and Is l amicfor th-comin g a l so? One must nOvl ask! I s it not time for the 1 'l'Pt' religions . In so dOing, many have be gu n r e ferring to t hemAfrican-Amer ica n (B l ack) I s raeli tes t o make themselves
kn~~n,
I ves as •• •• "ASIATIC BLACK PEOPLE." without e ntering into th e seen~
and fel t in the Bl ac k peop le s strugg l e f or surv i va l as AI I d lt ical or s o cia l aspe c t s of this dec lara t ion it must be noted .
an people? 1 t· /t' ver, that t h e term " As ia t ic " is i n i tse lf se mantically a Euro'l'his write r could not think of anYbette r words in which to coloniali st word, having the same ste r e o type connotat ions as
III
close this Chapter than those in the f ir st paragraph of Ch apl,', 1111 word "Nigg ere"l The cor re ct nomenc l ature should be " ASIANj " One in the BOOK OF JUDAISM,S3 as fol lows: Il t" h is the name es t ab lished by the people indigenous to the THE; FACT OF THE COVENANT .,ti,i nent th ey ca l l e d "ASIA. If 2 God's initia l covenant wi th Abraham was with the head o f a f ami l y, and t he Jewish peop le was c once i v ed as the eve r-increasin g number of h is descendants. Hence t o th i s day, the convert to J uda is m is not o nly accepted into the fait h; th e ritual prescribes that he be adopted into the fami ly as a child of Abraham. The c ov e nant with Moses is a n e w and wider one, wi t tl a peo p l e as a whole . Th is i s symbolize d by the "new name" by which God makes Hims el f known
',' hose Afr i ca n-Arnericans (Blacks) who r e cently rush ed to claim .m and "Ar ab ic he ri tage"
in their stru ggle to rid thems e lv es
lud;)eo-C hri sti a n re li g ious ens l aveme n t ,, 2a
obvious ly ind icate
j "nple te l ack o f kn owle dge of t he hi story o f the Jihads (Holy
Q
) Islam brought to Africa f .r:;om the year 640 C.E .
(leAH) , and in
I IIl J:-ica from the l2tb century C .E . Incl uded in this sordid I
II WOos the Arabs rape of \<Jester n a nd central Afr ica in the 18 U! 1'11h
ce nturies . 3 They have forg otten, if they ever knew , that
1 slavery of a type unheard of befor e in the history of ,
WdS
firs t int.cod uced by Islamic Arabs from the Arabi an Pe-
,.\ over two- h u nd red (200) years before the equ al ly n otor ious "
In ('hrj stia n s lavers i n t he ear l y 16th ce n tury C.E .. And, fI
, by the millions, were captured, kidnapped,and shipped off 1 1 1( '
194
that
I f)
S audi-Arabia and
I?~ .'::s ia
to become slaves for their
195
Arabian and Per s ian ttoslem (Mus lim) overlor ds and Is
s lavemaster ~~ .
t he h istory of slavery by t he Ar abs a gainst the indigeno us
Like Judaism and Christ ianity (th e grandm other
and mot h er of
lam) , Afr icans were invo l v ed in I s l am's creation , ne v erthe l ess .
I
African peop l es of the entire central a nd sou theaster n coastl1 n
UtIL,
of Africa (wh ich the Arabs a nd Per s ian s r enamed " 2 ENJABAR" -
lu c hing a sort of reli g i ous h istory i n which the indi g enou s Afr i-
to be
during t heir inva s ions and colonizati ons of t he area) i g nored ?
.c slam' s origin. Th ey ar e also excl u ded from the highes t posts
lit
!:he a dministration of Islam in Me cca , which they had tr ad itio n-
first Europeans , the Portuguese, in the area of the l ate hal! ,,' Bu t t he p
I
of this part of the Arab histor y of atrocity aga inst the Afr1. cannot b e overlooked, or i g nored .
held from. the be g innin g of Islam with the Prophe t Mohamet,
11y
u·) Hadzart Bi l a l
Thi~
Not for one moment .
fin d t hemselves omitted from the h is torical role t he y p layed
' li S
Truly all of this took p l ace before t he arrival of til
the 1 5th century C. E. in search of foo d a nd trade.
t he J1os1em Arab s, a ls o, have been f or some time recentl y
Nation of I s lam," bes ides be ing "the first Muezzin."
II"
I s lam was to be no b et ter than Juda i sm and Chr istianity , a s
cannot be, for the hei g ht of this drama was t he fact of the Is lamic Ar abs ' impo sition of S laver y on t he African people. y. the des cendants of the same Afri can people, wh o are the new
modern s attempted t o e liminate its ind i g enous
I
l'i.\O found e rs from t he e yes and ears o f
(n il
vert s to I s lam, want each a nd every Black man, \oJoman , and chi
I.'
1,\ in g ener a l .
to e mbr ace one of their former slavemasters' religion in th (' l . flight from their p r es ent day rr s l avern asters .
r1
The Kongo (COlli)'
This act weakened the Congolese peopl
the point that it was possible fo r co lonizers Henry Morton ::1 and King Leopo l d II of Be l gium (two of the \oJorld' s worst mal
I" I I
o f ge nocide ) to use the excu s e of .. ... Ar a b s lav e ry in t he Con b e for e the lill y -white Berlin Conference of 1884 -1885 C . E . justif y their own es t abl ishment of a much more brutal
had ne ver witnessed b e fore, and h as never s een s inc e .
10
S ySl.C III ••
depopulat ion against these Afric a n peoples - such as the 7
\-101
Tht: .
p eriod of the extermination of the Africans b y European s
ru l
Europe an-Amer icans t ha t made Adolph Hi tIer 1 s Naz i I
:.
rec or d o f g enocide again st the c ompar 150n .
1 96
Je~s
of Europe a minor ac t by
Bu::' hi s t ory , \vr itten hi story, once more acted
I :; lam' s i n d i g enou s African ori g inators .
-if one is to r ead of t h e grea t es t
!lIl c a, the Mos lems'
;1
\ 11
w.,
t he faithful , a nd the
hI r: ow n eq ua t i ng wa y , and manneri s m, asit c lamour e d, once ag ain ,
.,
originally BoKongo and i1aniKon g o, was introduced to chattel I I by the Moslem Arabs.
ibn Rahab. - "the fiIst treasurer and head of
d
8
pi lgr image
(Muslims) Ho ly Ci t y, i t wou ld be discovered
here to o, it was an i ndigenous Af ri c an , his name - Ma nsa
I
Inq , Sultan, Emperor , or Kan Kan, etc .) Musa , the most n ote d I I,
c h o f one of Africa I s greatest i'Je st Coast nations -
I I)
the f·1elle
~ mpir e ( 1 38 - 1488 C.E., o r 616 - 866AH).9 But o ne would p rob -
,I. k:
v.lhy d i d this African Emperor pay su ch homa g e t o an Asia n
l'lln n a nd God , Islam a nd All ah'? The answer lies in t he ori g in I
tm , itse lf, in Arabi a d uring th e t ur n of th e 7th centur y of
'II in
ia n Era ( C . E.), as cited in the fo ll m/ ing paragraph.
lll und t he year 6 10 or 6 1 2 C .E . Illn l
( 1 2 or
1 4 BH) a wea lthy Arab
(lo.c ml.!.C ly an impoveri s h e d camel driver ), named Mohamet,
r:: LI'li o p i
197
claimed to have spoken to
1I ....
~ an
The na me of the Eth iop i an ( IIAbyssinian,'! according to the
a n gel of All ah fl (the Hoslem z '
or Muslims' God) "IO Thi s mytholog i ca l IIr eve l ation,"
tho~l'
l ik e
Ib s) , Hadzart Bi lal ibn Ra h ab , who \<Jas serving in Arabia as a
I ...
l. \ve whe n
which the prophets and biblical actor s of Judaism and Christ LI11
1I • • •
Mohamet got his call q •• 11 may not mean much to mos t
ity were also reported to have exper i enced, was t o develop int "
.Iem- Mos l ems or Muslims . · Yet, this African ("iho is only listed as
the most powerful colonia l
.11\L l a l" in t h e Mos l ems' Hol y Book, the Qur'an or Koran) ',ias t he
and its peoples ..
ll
expeditions t o c onquer the world
But a mon g those who fel t
t h e wr a t h of thi :;
religionl/ first were t he ones it destroyed mos t; name l y,
d[' y first Muezzin ( High Pr i est,or Ca l l er of the Faithf ul) and
" 'I
the jlu ll
JI"usurer o f Is l a m (l'4.oh ammedan Empire)4 He
\~ as ,
also, the first
genous Africans of the area the Arab invaders a n d z e a l ous re11' 1
Ij p u l
10us missionaries labell ed "Bilal-as-S udan" ( t h e l arld o f
I lnl:.. e l f "Jas sti ll a came l driver and hardly anyone wanted to li5-
BlacksL
12
t he
Let i t be , then, mad e very c l ear, at t h is junc t ur(' ,
=
(Alkebu -l cw) and not th e exc lu sive l y cal l ed " French Soudan)
(m a n) Mohamet is said t o have conver ted, while Nohamet
•
13ila l' s first with Mohame t
•
~deolo gles.
"to him and his " ••• strange teachings and foreign
A f l~ I'
that this Arab i c name referred t o -,the entire conti n e n t of
II
14
I T
followed his m.Jn captur e
In Ili.S native East Africa, Ethiopia (Abyssinia) - according to th e
.I
the Arabs had names for every regiona l area of Bi l a l-as - SudaJl ;
h:.; ' o\... n h i stor y of his enslavement in Mecca, Arabia. His slave-
such as "al-M hagr ed" for the Nort h west, and "Zenj Bar " f o r
t.r~ r
'l11'
East Coast. 1 3
Omeyya, whom he !,-las forced to kill later
on~
But Bilal
o nly one of the many hu ndreds of thousands of indigenous Afri-
ivhat is the A.frican background behind this " new re l ig i o u:1 force"? tvho \"ere some of i ts i ndigenous A.frican
\~as
c o-foonder ~;l
'.
WI
Vj ' r- y in Arabia and Persia during the year 6 00 C.E.
was i t necessary for t h e m to abandon J udais m, Chr i stianity , It A~l !
di tiona 1 indigenous African religions or other indigenous
l eom the East Coast o f Af rica (Zenj Bar ) that \... ere he ld in
II 11 e became acqua i nted with the "camel driver"
."1
(22 BH)··
- Mohamet, who
l'lLer on to mar ry a very wealthy widow and gain recognition 11 4~.t h e
religions of the Arabian Pen i nsu l a for t h is "new fai thl!? Thl.. J
lilt, fa i thful as
on l y Prophet sent by Allahl!( God) "since
are but a fe\<J of the maj or ques ti ons one would ask in ord er' I I I
,htl rn and J es u s Chr i stc li lS
It i s to be noted that Hoses , as in
become inte ll igently knowledgeable of the vast majority of i l :.
~1 .'lj c e w
fait h fu l , the same as i t is with th e fai thful of Judaism .;l.n.\
1,1ln l, the former Afr ic an Slave, "'as r espons i b l e for the cre-
Ch r i stia n i ty . This is presently true , because Islam (the the "ne w r el i g ion") is absent of the day-to-day practic a l iou s appl ications necessar y and required in the
indigeno u~J
ions o f most of the African peoples who have succumbed teach ing s for one r eason or anothe;c.
198
~o
\01
11 , 1111'
II
t , I
it
t
II
I
religion, i s not li sted as a Prophet in
Is l am~
III t)f much of what Mo s l ems, past and p re s ent ) be l ieve about ,'II'H: " till
(Heaven), also o f many o f the ir first origin a l prayers
Iri n e s . For examp l e : He ""as t he one who estab l ished the
I ollf lict ov er. the use o f the words "Mos l e m" and "Mus limli is II \1 " d <J5 bctwc c n"African- Amer ican ll a n d "Afro- Amer i can" today_ I 1I .. [o r c t.he Hegira . I\H = Aft er the Hegira .
199
conce pt of the IITABA , II t h e wond er ful IITREE OF LIFE: " wh i c h t il k "the swiftest horse in Islam at le as t cro ss i t s shade " (branch span) . The .... "Tree of Li fe lJ • •
0,
Il ee Ara b ia n wor ld . But the ear thl y "Black-ey ed daugh t ers, " dur-
! ;\q a nd b e f ore Mo hamet and 6 ila l's l i fet ime , h ad a lr eady b ecome
1 50 ye ars to
Iht ~
mother s of many su l tan s
(Kings and Emperors) of Arab ia ,
jus t
Bilal said : many of them are t oday. 8 i1 al wro t e t h e fo ll o\-l1ng about t h em :
" . ... i s l ad en wi th every kind o f the bes t t hings to ea t , and be n ds i t s branc he s at the slighte st re qu ec, 1 o f t h e ri g h t eou s. 1116 Wh a t
They hav e beautiful, we l l-rounde d bod ies, fresh wi th the e t e rnal youth and v i r g ini ty that i s con sta ntly re newed o 18
i s beg inning t o unfo l d here - perh a ps ano t her St . Au Cne can c learly see that Bila l
gust ine ? In poi nt o f f ac t
(the former Eth i op ian Ko pti c
i t i s the li f e o f a p h i l osopher a n <-I !lI' lstian ) ma y h ave be en mani pul at ing t he s ame peop le (Arabs and
diviner, a man \-Jho s e vis i on of t h e " Ne t her Horl d " ("Next Li f. ," I ~I :.: ia ns ) wh o had o nce h e ld h i m i n contempt as a n "African s l ave. " or IIParadi se ") offers to every d epressed and lowly o utcast mo l , o f Isl a m t he gr e atest hopes for -
.t • •• food,
,.j h e knew the i r g r ea t est wea k n es s a t th a t e ra, the i r ap pear en t -
the better lif e , ~
f reedom f rom want ••• H
j
and most of a ll, " . ... c arnal love"
Irnquenc hable th i r st for th e i ndige n ous Afr ic an "Sl ack -e yed
in £llll Itl lilter s.
II
Th u s , one sees th is Afr ic a n div i n e r , p h il osop h e r. and
(foreve r). J !.; ta_nt- proph et compl e t ing his c a rna l
par a d i se with the o ff e r
The last , "carna l in tercourse , " t h e g reates t offer 1 51 ,\11\' "Parad ise " (e qual to th e Chr i s t ians' "He aven" and He br e ws ' "11" after" ) holds f or its fai thful males, is ju st t he opposi te
" . • • se v ent y - bl o of these l ust i ly beautiful c r eatur es!! (B lack - eyed d aughter s) " are g iven t o e very " (Mal e) " b e l iev er , who himse l f will poss ess eternal yo u th and vigor."
ot
Augu stine' s (the grea test Chris t ian moralist) doctrine on 1::1 11 sue . For s t. Augus tine saw "vir t uos i ty" t hrough the ma l e ma l e's phys i ca l
• 1 ," q uite o b vio u s that S i l a l ' s o utline above l.Jas in t ende d t o
I), l1u
I1virgini ty" before marriage as bein g a pr et:'(" I'l I
no t hing more . An d he assoc i a ted " c arnal i nte r course" f o r
I
Ilo \\ld be, als o , o b vious at thi s po i n t, if it was no t o bs erved
II
I
t llf '
pleasur e i t g ives with t h e " major si n s .,,1 7 Un like S t. Au gu ::\ 1 t. hO~Jever ,
assurc~ d
, •.•
fa ithful ma l es of Islam, on l y. Th us, a basic di fference l.lcL\J"
~.Jhi ch
remains moot in Jud aJ.Sm' s "HI, .c(oUJ
I DI
that SEX HORS HIP ,..!as a b as i c part of Arabic cul t ure, as t h roughout t he Middle East (F e r t il e Crescent) - i n c l u di ng
,,«, a nd Tur k e y i n E:urope. No tabl y , Jews and Chris t i a ns als o I·
I \r;cd SEX WORSH I P in the ir ear l y r el i g ious h i s t or y. I \ wo u l d be hyp o cr i t ica lly prude n t for " moder n " Chri s ti a n a n d
I.
11 rII "lcs t o s ay that t h ey would no t h ave heeded the off e r of
t h e " Heaven" of th e Chri stians and the ItParadise" of th e Mq f'l l. "1 h e had es t ab l is h ed,
"'"f' , W", ;
Silal saw " car nal love ll as t he height of grattfi n ! t ••tt
o n earth ; and its reHard in h e aven - Paradis e - he
CLlre of th e "sevent y - tw o vir g in s ", wh o will have the ir vi r -
~ ,Ii 1 V e v e r rpnewed each t i me they c omp leted c ar nal intercour se. l 9
site for enter ing t he Kingdom o f Heaven of his God - J esu::: ('),. He sa\-) " carnal love " as a sl av e ' 5 ne c es s i ty f or procreati o n
~ 'I
II
I "nd Joi n e d up with Mo hame t, had they l ived i n Arabia du rin g
8ilal promised t h e f a ithfu l ,iHur-a l-Oyum" (B l n c k -oyod ,1. .]1 ters o f Par a d i s e; Af r i can v ir t):i.ns), who wo re th
200
pr1 z
01
~ I,·
201
li~ ,n-Chr i st i anst
tha t per iod, whe n Islam was being born . Divor c e statistics o f t hese Un i t ed Sta t es of America and ever y Eu ropean-Ame ric a n
' ,urse t he "idol s" be ing \... o r s h ip ped in a ll t hree of the So - call e d
o t he r European and
s oc iety shoul d prove 8i l al ' s o f fer qui t e
a ll o f wh om are a l s o classified as " p a g ans. " Of
C I'II
',M" 5 tern Re lig ions" (J udaism , Chr is t iani ty, and I sla m) are not c on-
t emporary . No t only divor ce re c ords , but t he so- c a lled " cen511:, "
ld f' r ed by t he ir ad here n ts t o serve t he p ur pose of "wors h i p " ;
fig u re s on "illeg it i mate bir t hs" in t he Uni t ed states C!f Arne,,'1
"' ir s being on l y IIsymbol s of t he f ai t h ." Th is answer is good ,
of t he 19 60 ' s a n d any o t her
year among Wh i t e Jew s
Chr i s tianr. ,
t
th.. ·· ver, only t o t he person who i s be i n g s erved by such a n explan-
a nd a ll o t hers, wi l l p rove 8i l al ' s " Heaven " a we l c ome ble ssill l
t
fro m God; a n y God . There wer e many o t her
t
ph ilo s oph i ca ll y interesting asp e c L' . ' .
8 i l a l. One stemmed f rom t he persecu ti on he s u ffe rf'd a long \.oJiII'
I r I :J .
II
. •, ,. t he f ollowi n g about Bl1 a l' s s t reng t h ln th e "new re ligion"
,I
t hr o ug h i t s i n fa ncy , a ll of wh ic h o c c u red at the period Whf'11
I I
officials in Mecca s t i ll cons i d ered 1'1ohame t t h e " low l y came l 01,
ec. ,. They h ad been placed repe a tedly i n th e open and par-ch i ll
I' n Charge ea c h o t her wit h "practic i n g idolo t r y , I0 22 am ong o t her
S ir I-J illia m Muir , in his book, LI FE OF MOHAME:T, London , 1 894 ,
hamet and o t her fa i th f ul when thei r r el i g i on was b e i n g s t eer·
1.1m) he developed and he l ped to c rea te and expa nd " . • • in t he - o f Alla h : " They were se i zed and i mprisoned, or t hey "Jer e exp ose d t o the scorching g r a vel of t h e valley, to the in t ens e g lare of t he mi d d a y su n . The t or men t "'Jas i ncrec.sed by in t o lerab le t h i rs t u ntil th e wre tched s u f f erer s har dly k ne w \,.,ha t was said . If u nder t he t o r tur e t h e y r eviled Mohame t and acknowledged t he ido ls o f Mecca, t hey were r e fre shed wi th draugh t s o f wa t er and t a ken t o th eir homes . e ilal a lone esc aped the s h ame of rec a n t a- t io n . He woul d no t yei l d . In the dep t hs of h i s a ngu ish the per secutors c o uld f Orce from h i m b ut one cry: ' Abad! Abad ! (One, only one Go d) .
I
su n o f the A.rabian Deser t , inside th e vic i n i t y of Mecca - \.J ld . wa s l a t e r
loni for the le aders o f t he thr ee "Wes t e rn Religions '" follow er s
I
t o become " t h e Mo s l ems ' mos t Ho l y Ci t y , to suffer 11,·
ag o!IY of third - degre e sunbur ns . At t im es , t he ir. heads wer e IL. 1 1 back, s o t ha t te: this,
the ir eye s could be expo sed t o the s u n ' s r .) y n .
they t'Jere v.et'ced down - j us t eoough to keep t hem a liv, ' . ,'
next sunbake .
21
These were only a
fe~~
o f t he ma ny me tho d "
;".) 1
l' f l'~
persecut i on of 8ila l and t he sma ll , b u t f a natic a l, g roup
ture t o which th ey "'Ier e subjected. I nllowers o f Allah, t hrou gh t he leader s hip of th eir Th e pu ni s h men t the Prophe t Moh a met a nd h i s small ba nd
Prophet
pI
,,,,.-\ , aided Islam t o :become a reli g ion ...,h ich f or t he re s t o f i sh people, of whom he was o ne, a lon g wi t h 8 ilal and o t lv' l • 51aves , s u ffered, was d u e ,to t heir a ttem p t
t o convert tht · t ,
h' :f lory
cheris h ed the " sword" and i t s b earer
- t h e soldier.
1xpcri ence wa s t o make Bi l a l promise the s o l d ier s of t he _ 10"'1 men f rom t he " •• • wor sh i p o f idol s ••• " and the
o. c Cl~ p L .)fI'-
the f orei gn ideology of a wor Sh ip o f " One God" whom Lhe .l u lill t ies cou ld no t
' see, fee l or hear .' I t :n u GI b e r e mc muCl"cEl ,
tha t .. ido l .,-mr sh ip" is o n l y
202
charg~d
to n Ol'l - Mo :J l r'm:'
>
n o n-J
lie
" ••• I f a believer" (a s o ldier) "d i ed in batt le, o es str a ig h t in t o t h e midst of th e Hur-al - Oyum .•n 23
bp noted,
a lso, t hat the s oldiers and other ma l e surv ivors
203
o f " . 0. b a ttl e in the cause o f Al l a h ••• " were allowed the spoil II
A! r ic an relig ion s tha t demanded i t
on ly once i n a li fe t ime
j
I,.
wh e r eas, the per i shed mart y r s (s oldi" l
for th e cause o f Al lah) received the " ••• r ep len ishing
For
v ir g i n :.~ ."
way of lif e, r el i g ious be l i ef and moral i ty, was his calling or
every mor n i ng a t
six o 'cl ock for
I!.~.t he
t h e Prophe t Mohamet , Bi l a l
"T o prayer! Oh Apostle (or Prophe t ) o f
A llah~
n'l l i t was Bilal a l o n e who l ed t h e Prophe t and a l l of hi s , I t h ful i n prayer to Allah. This he did , even during the period
IHI,r
wo rshi p o f Allah. " II '
Moh amet bec a.'lle the most revered personage wi thin t he Arabian
1\" 1 1
wou l d cry out:
' , ,\ i n s u la and th e Per s i a n wor ld;
Great i s the Lord! Gr eat is the Lord! I bear witness t h at t here i s no God but t h e Lord! I bear wit n e ss t hat Moham et is the Prophet o f God . Come unto prayer! Come unto sa l va t ion! God i s g reat! God i s g r ea t ! There i s no God but t he Lor d ! Pr ayer is bett e r t han s leep ! Prayer i s bett.er than sle epl The above i s called, t h e "AZAN" (Cal l
had an other Azan , which beg ins
f ollows:
~Ij
Anothe r asp e ct o f Bila l' s li f e t h at infl uenc ed every Mo sl.
the fa ithful , vJhlch was hi s r ole as t he f ir s t Muzzin, each
the
bI r th o f his zealousness i n the need t o pr o fe ss h i s f aith in Al ' -
th ey got earthly vir g i n;. Vir f )
i n clu d ing t h e "MYSTERIES
Bilal' s Az an (C all to Praye r) i n dic ates, to some exten t,
BROWN-EYED daughters o f t h e planet Earth . The only exc ept ion ill
as we ll as non - vir g in s . And t he ir ear t h l y boo t y cou l d l:?e
-
.UN and F I RE GODS."
o f war j whic h inc luded BLACK, BLOND , GRAY , YE LLOW, BLUE, a nd
the survivin g soldier s ' boot y wa s tha t
23a
,1I , ~m et '
24
wh ich h e con t in Ued l ong a f t e r
s dea th.
I\ lon g wit h hi s duties as t4uezzin and Treasurer
to Prayer ). To d ..II.,"
of Is lam, Mo-
r 1'-\
als o l ef t 9il a l
to take char g e of all fore ig n di pl omats and
lit'!
visiting digni t aries that came t o Me cc a." T h e f act i s t hat
1 , 1 is te r e d Is lam al l
t hrough Mohamet's li feti me - as t h e
Pr ayer ranks as"t he mos t beau tiful of the rites" of t he MQ:I I',11
Iflr.:. t Pro p he t o f Allah." Bi l al al so con tinued to l ead I slam af-
re l i gi on ( Islam ). This cust om is a lso k nown to mos t of th e I , II
f1f'lllame t ' s d eath , even t h ough th e of ficial re li gious t i t l e of
fu l as a "Command fr o m Allah, " wh en i n fact i t was onl y
~In
.11
p\ , ' ... shi p went to Moha me t ' s mo st fai t h f ul and t r us t ed ge ner a l,
I
a one t i me lowly , tal l a nd skinny, f r izzled- hair ind igeno\J!, 1\ I
I Hil kr. For Mohame t, wh i l e lying on h i s death bed , had beseech-
ma n (A fr ican) of Ethi o pia, Eas t Africa , wh o fe lt that :
111 1( 11 to become his successor , Bi lal h av in g y ielded t o Abu
•• • a man has to r ise at s un up to thank Al l a h ( Cod) for his res t i ng in the l o n g n igh t a nd h i s awake n jn'l in t he morn i n g .
1
wa s an establi she d IIdiv i n e r"lIle" for
the wors h i pper s o f
204
li t he Gre at," t h e suc-
wtl i. l e he , lik e Moha me t a nd Abu Bekr , conducted the exp anI,
1
(Copt ic) Chri st ianity, Jud a is m, and o t h e r i nrt i gc nous tr lldl l II ."
it was not strang e, then, t hat Oma r
to Abu Bekr , a l so c onti nued th e agin g Bi la l as le ader -in-
It was a custom tha t was n e\" t o th e or ig i n a l followers ol M,d, but no "t 8ila1. He c arne f rom a civi l izat ion i n Ethiopi a wh,'!.
.
111· ·s being t he Ho ly C i ty of the I s l amic Worl d , Mecca was a lII •• , ,-: .• pi. t al o f t h e e nti re Is lamic Emp i re , from whence al l se I n power: p man at:ed t hrough Si lal to minor off ic i a l s.
1
205
s ion o f end o f
Isl am thro ugh co l onialis mj Hhich t he y accompl ished at. t he s ..!ord a nd prayers t o
'I'I sued , HaS to be ,'JQrked out in 1:,1. ~
a f ter Mohamet's death , once th e Ca liph Orner " the Great " ma d e Khobab (anoth e r
n
li n g with t he is t ra tio n of the Nat i on of I slam ( I slamic t
'I) Lr e.) "I i th o ut Bilal ' s a pprova l ,
in s i s t ed u p on 8 i lal re tur ning
of very ser ious wounds l ;,· "
Is lam , wh i ch he "Jas d i splayi n g to Omar. Kh oba b had been pr a i '. I"
of the Proph e t Mohamet a nd th e God All a h - fo r
i.ne' s prejudice again st Afri ca n s, and esp e c ia l l y since a
'1If": percentage of the soldi e rs that defeated Co ns t ant i ne' s me n
, ,j
Omar for bei n g the o ne per s on t hat re p res en t ed Islam in th e'
1 10\
h ad a lr e ad y tri e d every meth od a t hi s COftl-
to avoid taking bac k Bi la l "'Ii t h him, h aving k nown o f Con-
lil t!
era l Khob ab had s u sta in e d dur i ng a bat t le for t h e expan s ion
fulf :r his personal comm a nd) we re indi ge nous Africans in the s er of the Arabian s . Prince Con sta n t ine was yet to live and r e -
II " '.
t he ins ulti ng re mark h e mad e ab out ilthe second high ese human
whom he wo uld I,
ly surre nd e r hi s own l i f e . 25
i n Isl a mi c h i s Lor y -
111'1
118il al is t he th ird par t of Islam!! echoed the wor d s o f Om"
Bila l , " sec ond only to l"1ohamet the Pro-
1 ·limse l f alo ne ." Th e exact 'price Prince Constantine paid
who:~ ,' ,
Ih ;;.r ed by a ll of S y r i a' s ind 'ige nou s Christian p opulationj
had a l ready spa nned three continents - viz., Asia , A f t I.
I , "li t h whcm Constantj.ne ....'a s f o rced t o ne go t i ate the pea c e
the Great.
It
26 Qui te a compliment to a man by a na tion
I wi ll have nothin g to do with this b l a c k
sl ave~':
.YT L..l. j all wi t h the appr o va l o f Gene ral Ameu .
was yet to fo l low this c ompliment. But , who dared speak i n l it I man n er of t he onl y man a li v e tha t was responsib le f o r th e ' of I s l a m i tse lf b e sides Mo hame t
as
\t y , imposed e xtremely sever e e c o n o mic a nd p o l i t i cal p e naltie s
and Europe. Th e insulting words:
al in the serv i ce , a nd Ch i ef of S t a ff of the S yrian a rmy .
ic Emp ire , and was about to be t a k.en over 1)y Omar
II
Lht' Gl· . ·. d'
"VI.!nth cent ur'y C.E .
,as Europeans had alr eady ta k e n o ver the
I•• :lilip . And by th is peri od,the Christ ian I! f ather s of the III h"
' )1
t o t h e n e wl y c rc .1 Lc.1 I ,
was typ i cal o f European Christian behaviour by t he t urn o f
, Af t:"ica n Church fr om its indigenous African (B l nck, "N egro")
"
\l ilt
man he had in s ulted was t h e same p e rson ""it h whom he ha d t " gotiat e for pe ac e , Syria hav ing l os t
11.1 , \I
'I '
28
l't i ne e Cons tant ine's r ejec t i on o f Bilal, b e c au se of his bl ac k
I '
the Pro phet"? Mo s t certoli l'l.ly ,
was not a Mos lem.. It was Prince Consta nt i n e , the Chr.is ti .ttl
206
trl to Omar " the Grea t. " Bu t Omar, who r e f used t o t ake any action
llo ·· l a n ti ne's pries t
There is but one ma n .i n th is entire empir e that is mor e worth y of the honour than you , Khobab, a nd t h at is o u r l eade r, Bil a l.
izen
a pr iest Prince Cons tan-
U l Con s tantine's re p re sen t a t i ve ( t he priest). However, Pr ince
on the throne Omar to l d the ge n e r a l :
Th i s inc i dent took p l ac e as a res ul t
beb~ ee n
111'"'" had dispa t ched with General Amru , ..~ ho ,,,Iou l d have i.ntroduced
o f Mo ha me t ' s c on temporaries and m,o st fnnr."
of his generals) set himse lf on th e throne. After he was seah'"
II
lide - Gen e ral Amru. The of the peac e, f or \..;hich Syria
I.
A l l ah~
To prove t h at Bi la l was th e o n e and o n ly f i nal p ower
eral
t
-
i
'Y
"
rnsl')~'
!11 ('
S t .Cypr ian , Tertulli a.n,and St . Augus t i ne , who made Chrisvi,ab le r el igion it had become , we r e a l ready f orgotten ou ~
Af r i c an f ig u r es . Chr istiani ty had beco me a
' European
207
re l i g i on ~ !
It s universal (catho li c) message was, by now, a t h in' l
of the past .
I l~om
t h e fo l low ing remar k s by La f cadio : How Bi la l ~-Ja s ne arl y a cen'l:.ury old, but hi s vo ic e was deep a nd sw ee t as ever.
But i t s youn g er rival, I sl a m, h ad be come t h e "new
un i ver sal r el igion'l o f the t i me. Disillusionment a mong t he r cw k It is rather pecu liar tha t so many European auth o r s have menof t h e Chris t i ans had already
se~
in, and mass conversions to I ioned in t he ir \wrk s t he IIraci a l " origin of Bilal t ma ny who
Islam had become a prob l em. Ch ri s t e n d om wa s corrupted • . It had I t 1I..... e fa iled to do likei'Ji se for similar indi g e n ous Af ricans (B l ack, much o f t he IIpag a nismU i t o nce ch ar g e d Rome of i ndul g i n g in :J Ill fu l l y. And one of i ts priz e s tars, Pr ince Constan tine, wa s
,~
IINegro;') li ke SL Cyprian, Tertullian, and S t . Augus t i ne (all
£0 1 ' ~
hr"c e
II
f a the r s of t h e Chris tia.n Church ").
Cou ld it b e tha t Eu ro-
to b ow before t he s a me "B lack slave" ( Bi la l ) h e once re f u s e d I .. ,m a nd European-Ame r ican writers have no trouble in givin9 see, b e cau se of Bila l's co lor. I I i~ ans
credi t in matters not directly conn e cted wi th Europe and
One can be s t s u rnmar i ze the li f e of Bil al wi t h the remarl' I tit p e an-American beginn in gs? Or, is i t to be understood that as a man whom h i story has c red ited with knm.Jing e nough t o be c1 11 111' /
as Ch ristian ity remai ns a purely European o r Europ ea n-Amer-
fied "an au t hority on t h e s ub j e c't." I n t h i s re gards, a book I' ll 11
( ~"hit e )
domina'l: e d religion, as present ly o perated a nd taught
ti tl e d, LIFE AND LETTERS OF LAFCADIO HEJI..RN, b y Bi s l and , doL'; , 11, l,)c , t he indigeno u s Af ricans (B l acks, or
II
Ne g r oes" ) can be shot'ln
honour ver y we lL On pa ge 28 1, Vo lume I, La fcadio is q UO,t ed : ' Ii I !I~ ir ri g h t fu l placs: i n a n y oth e r reli gion ? ''Bilal, the black Abyssinian) what!! voice \/faa the mightiest and 5weete!t in !slam. In those Ant daya BiW ....... penecuted at the &lave or the peneculed Prophet of God. And in the 'GuU.tan' it;it t(J!d how he ruffered, But after our Lord had departed int(J the chamber of Allah and the tawny h(Jnemen of the desert had riddoo rrom Mecca even to the gates of India, conquerln,lt' a,nd to conquer. and the young crescent of !llam, slender M a !word, had waxed into a vast moon of 'glory that tilled the world, Bilal still lived with a wonderful health of rean ,2'iven unto tht people of his race, But he lang only for the C;tliph. And the Caliph wa, OroaT. So one day It ume to pa5.J that the people of Damaacus whither Omar had t ravelled on a visit begged the Caliph taying : '0 Commander of the Faithful, we pray thee that thou ask Bilal to dng the call to prayer (or us even al It WiU taulZht him by (Jur Lord Mohammed.' Now Bila! wa9 nearly Ii century old, bu t his voice Waf deep Ilnd IWI!II!t as !!'Ver. And they aided him to ucend the minaret.,
In deal in g \.Jith
th ~
a bove comme nts by La fcadio, om:!
how i t \.J a s poss i b l e for this indi genous Afri can "gre at "
ll~; o
bor n in the y ear 600 C ~ E .
208
(EH22) .. Th e proof of
JII
Africa ns, Moses bein g th e prime
exarnpl e ~
The c ompar a t ive li f e of St .. Au gu s tine (354- 4 30 C.E ., or BH 19 2 ) and t hat o f Hadzart Bi lal ibn Ra hab (Bilal for short, 1111 - '101 , o r BH 22 - Ali 79 ) , are in thems e hres pr oof that "Africa II h of the Sahara" h a s produced as many scho l ar l y i n digeno us
C olli
\ 1)
I
I, I) \
''' I, \ "
II,
Il[l vj l\lt
Bila)!!~
i ts e n tire r e I igious, educa tion-
" m d cul tura l experiences began in Af r ica (Egypt)30 by i ndige-
h is more than o n e - hu n d red ( 1 0 0) ye ars of l iv i ng . The ro~L I I
cons i der ed of f-limi t s to an y su g gest i on of indig e nous
I I Cil n invel vement , even th ou g h
ma nd a s much re spe c t as he d id among t h e fol l owers of :r r; J .•111
Ei lal lived through the e ntire S e ven t h Ce ntur y C.E.
Of course, Judai s m
tr1 n :: as tlAfrica North of t he Sa hara.
Bu t , who vJill see Bila l
1111 . " S a in t " a n d uPr oph e t" he i:la S , rat h er than the " black fac e ll 'l'oday, not e ve n mo s t of t h e Europ ean and European-AlTIer i can I",n l'> , mi s nomered "Black 11us11ms,
II
II
n rCol.di l y s ee tha t
II
would ra te 8ila l as s u ch. Yet
it was Bilal \"ho ,-Ja s in fact the ac tua l
209
brain be h ind t h e Pr o p het rvIohamet's
1I •
••
" .•• acknmde dge the One True God and serve Hi ma II
call by a n angel of A1 1.d .
St. Au gust in e , at l east, g ot credit for bein g above mortal man, he ...,as " b e a t i fi ed " by his disciples who r e v ered him.
Al
Islam, tl'
t h e same time these l e t ter s were de l iveredJEmperor Her ac l i tu s
, I!;
restor ing or d er i n Syri a
a s civ i l s t r ife h ad alre ady bese t
having t he c o nv en ienc e and machinery for cre at ing " sai nt s ,lI collt. 1
Ihe By zan tium Emp ir e . Th i s wa s dur ing th e Pers i an - Byzant i um Bat-
not s o h onou r
t
Bi l al. I nstead, to millions o f Mo s l ems , Bil a l
Wd;.
I t.' o f Mineveh in 627 C. E.
(AH 5 ) .
A.t suc h t ime t he 8mperor
solely rem e mber ed as the first Muezzin - "c a ll er of t he f a i l::l1 -
Ii ·rclibJs h ad route d Ch o sor es I Ii t he de f eat o f Ch os roes had
fu1 t o pr ay .1I
nlille i t
E11a 1 its
~vas
re~." a r ds
Is l am i t se l f. He g ave
it i ts "Paradise .
He Illd
j '.
• o ne yea r
, w ' > been recor d ed anyw h ere by hi s t ori ans .
t o Is l am . He milO "
,·t~ ived
capita l res ource s .
man, so f ar as l oya l t y t o a lead er '.v as concerned. 31 a In the of 1'-1r. X, t he Prop het he pr ais e d ·:"i t ho ut q uestion or persond l
~~h o
_
1"
it at Cestiphon, and in ut t er a n ger , Chasi n g the messen-
t hat bro ught it.
CN~ I
34
was this man that dared to cha ll enge t h e wor ld' s two most
tl~I 'I~ f ul
monarchs during the year 629 C.E.(7AH o f
E lijah Hohammed. F or Bil a l, it \'Jas - the f ounder of Islam h im: ,· I '
~ltl '1 1
Ln th e y ear 571 C.E.
the "Holy Proph et Mohame t. 1I But i t
II 1 v,~r
,"
8ilal who
t h e Mos l em Ca -
11<1Ll r)': Hi s name, MOHAMET ("the Pr a i se r" ) . Bor n i n Mecc a , or Me-
ta::est ~;,!as tiE Bl ac k Mus l ims (N a tion of Is l am) leader and Pr o p lll
W <J.S
However, there is an
lmciance o f ma terials on Kav a dh t ear i n g up h i s l etter when he
t
t he Prop het. 31 He ma na g ed Is l am ' s t rea sury and b u il t
Bi 1 a 1 and Ma l com X (a l h a jj Ma l ik Shabazz) had a lo t i .n
la ter (628 C.E., or AH 6) .3 3
No me nt ion of HeraclibJs' re act ion t o th e l etters is known to
i nteresting enough to make Christian s and J e ws ,
al ike , l eave th e ir own r e l igi o n and conver t Mohame t
II
possib le f or h is s on, Kavad h , to overthrow h is own fath-
estab li :.:: h, ·.1
fund2.mentals of I slam; wh e r eas , Malc om X only repeated th at \-JI, \
(BH5 1 ), he bega n h i s c a r eer as a " came l
b ut removed him self from pover ty by ma rr ying a ric h
I ....
" ' n'" husband was a p rominen t mer c h a nt of Mecca . He was a n Ar a b ~ves t e rn
the Prophet El i jah f10 hammed dic t ated as 1I • • • th e laws" of hi ',
111..:' Qur a is h peo ple -
"Nation of Islam" for
Id r; b ir th . Bu t it mu s t be caref u l l y mentio n ed t h a t al t houg h
rl • • •
Asi at i c Bl a ck men and wome n. ,,32
History spe a ks of Mo hame t -
th e P r ophet o f All ah a nd UI"
inha bited
Arab ia a t t h e t ime
I , poo r t t h ey were at the same time very we l l r espec ted, and of
ter.s he sent t o the Emp eror He r ac l ib.ls o f Byzantium (c h a mp i oJI , .1
'/
Chr i ste nd o m) and King Karad h of Per sia ( champion of Zaratllll: I.
h l~ h
i n f l uence among the Quraish people. As stated previ ous-
W(hil Lh b r ought Mohamet leisure
or Zo roas t e r ism) dema n di n g t ha t bo th
2 10
wh o
I" !ln.- L' s paren t s and ot her of hi s immediate fami l y were
II
- It is to be n o ted t h at t h e P r op h e t o f t h e Mos l e ms , o t he:r 1 t , I th e " Blac k Mus l ims of the Unite d S tates o f Americ a, n ame 111 "MOHAMET;" not r.10HAMMED. On l y o n e pers on in t h e Jol o :;lcm r ~ltt l , II, i s e n tit l ed to bear t h a t name i n tha t spe l l i n g , r'loh amc l h i nl ' l' I '
ido w
which in t urn b rought on a lu s t
tIll' my s teri es of the unknown (mysticism), vlhich he h onour ed 1 \'/c ~1tet:' n" histori ans use the word " t ribe " i n th is case . By II Lh 1e rm i s correc t; never-the-less its present conno t a t i o n 11 I (j" tx:cy and i s conside red very offensive t o Af ri c a ns and As i a n s .
,,, t
I
211
un ti l h is death at the age of sixty-one (61) in the year 632 C.I ..
I·~S US
(AH 1 0) .
,n'lel of God."." \I/ithout the benefit o f carnal intercou r se with ~
Why was Bilal so infl ue n t ial on this man who had bee n wor:.;l1 ing El Ka'aba.· whom
How did he co u nteract the wor sh ip of E l Ka'ah ll,
the peop le of Arabi a worshiped a.long with the Goddess
A]
I
11
f1
' "!::; father
(Joseph), bearing in mind that there are no records
Jl dc h indi cate anything like arti f icial insemination \oJas known the p hy sicians of those da ys, and not overlooking the fact that
in
M,r y and Josep h were married for q uite a long period before ber
This was extreme ly impor tant t since Mohamet' s family worshipe d both Ell Kaba and AI' la t. ·· The answer could be sa id to be
Christ being p l aced into Ithis mother's (Mar y) \·, omb by an
fall I,.·
" I. mmacula te conception. II In such cases, as these, one can onl y 1'1 that:
that i s, if one is prone to be a mys tic. If not , t hen, the IO<jj.I.,1
All Faith is f alse, a ll Faith is True: Truth is the shattered mirrors strewn in myriad b i ts; wh il e each believes his li tt le b it t h e whole to own.·
answer could be his tory. Non e of these answers are comp le te wJ I 10 out f urther information and documentary . All t hat is
"VII
able i s that they did me et. And that Bil a.l did l ead the Prop ll('I
I t could be f urther
Moha me t in the interpretat ion of ""hat Moham et fe lt he believL!cl. I
l l- ve , and re l ig ion is the IIcrutch to sustain such be lief .11
He was very much li ke the Hebre"., (Haribu or Jew) Joseph to ti p'
Prophet r-Johamet, Bilal, Abu Bekr, and th eir small band of
I I'"
in t h e Book Of Genesis (First Book o f Mo ses) .
, lt hfu l a nd fanatical f ollowers had to flee Hecca a nd take refug e
With the unquenc hab le app etite Mohamet ha.d for poetry,
01
angel l ~
was no different than the "Ten Commandments" Moses learned in
thp. II PALM OASIS OF Y.I\THRI B"
I
Itl a. fac t
commu nication to justify their origin. as coming from AI' l ah . '1'1 ,1 III
Neg a tive Confesssion o f the Coffin Texts wh il e a studen t in ;: ..
II.
,y
peop l e as the " • •• or i gi nal set of Laws • • • " g iven to him " •.• I,y surpd::~ 1
• A b l ack store's r e mains from a meteor i t e that was imported 1. '1 1 " Arab i a by the Africans of Ethiopia (Abyssin ians) when the y I \11 •• 1 Ar abia and Persia, and a ll t he wa y into I ndia - to the G,.tnf!,, : .• ··Note t ha t t he name IIAL'LAT" was t he origin of t he l ate r "AL'LAH," or "SUPREME: GOD.II
WO I "
\,
as the reason why Medina became t h e Moslems' "SECOND
One"
(1)
of the Mosl em Calendar ..
l f ter t:he Hegira,
, I'
in Med i na . 36 History cited
CITY . " This period, and date, marked t h e b e g inn ing of the
~~.r
1
(Egypt), which he i s sa i d to h ave presented the Hebrew (Jewi !.li l
Yaw e h (Jehovah, God) on Mount Sinai." And it does not
35
The "YEAR OP THE HEGIRAI' 9622 C.E. or A.H. 1) was t he year
Pharoa h (k in g) of the Mys t e ries of Egypt , North Africa, menLi" 11
which the Qu'ran (Koran) i s full, he had to create an
stated t hat "truth " is what one \'/ants to be-
" \lh f~ t
II
or 622 C oB.
Thus A . H. I -
liThe Year
At this per iod in history t h e
Hohame t was alr ea dy fift y -two (S2) years of
age~
It a ls o
.1,·,1 the date of the b irth of the Moslems'relig ion , \I/hich i s
, lci ul ly cal led "ISLAM." For the cont ine nt of Al kebu-la n I , I
I"
icld, it was the beginning of an cea. \I/ h ic h witnessed the ' 1l. n rl of her peoples and territories as she had never
, . n ced before.
Africa witnessed the Arab-i'10s1ems and th e ir
lip Le. o ts f rom a llover the Islamic "',orld, at that time , burning .tlC! page II I ~tot' .
2i2
fo llowin g dedication of this \'Iork for authorship and
213
her most precious documents of t housands of years dur a tion a l o ll "'
t ,J..b l ish ed reli g ions for cen tUI i es' dur ation had repr esented til e
t he Ni l e Va lley, t he raisi ng o f h er many structures that mark !.',1
"1 il l and re li gious fabrics o f
t he beginning of man's greatest architectura l a nd engineerinr]
1' .0 major sources of revenue foc the treasury o f
achievements, and the ravag ing
o~
'1
her "black - eyed daughters"
a l ong h er Eastern, Northern, a nd i":estern sea coasts , al)d of COl li
~te cca,
the gover nmen t
in Mecca .
They \'/e re
the government
as mil li o n s of t h e fa i thful of bo t h re lig i ons came
r:h year to pay h omage and p il g rima ge to t he Goddess AI' la t and
in her Center years later . Most of all , it !'-Jas the beg inning
h,' 8 1 Ka ' aba, which re presented ver y l ar g e sums of mon ie s coming
a n era vlhen the entir e ,,,,arId shook, just as it had bee n sh ak e ll
Illu the t r easu r y each year.
at the birth of Juda i sm and Christi a ni ty. Once again mank ind \... subjected to ano ther ho l ocaust under
the ba nner of a noth er
IIcame l driver" of the l
business fi rs t , th en ruin e d the economy of th e ci ty .
'lIIomy , a l o n g wi th the priests of t he establis hed r e li g ion, had
Hf;
(B.H . II ), eleven ye ars before the Hefti,
mo st logica l da te whe n Mohamet re al l y shook the world. Thi::;
\1 , .
the year in which he was r eported to have r ece ived "prophe t J r' " and "mess i anic" vis ion s and sou l-seizures , \"/h ich I... ere so comuJlJI, to t h e Hebr ew p rophets he apparently modeled himself t o ernul .. t taught h im of.
629 C.E .
1
or A. H.
of his fo ll ower s of the "neN reli g ion,"
hey could .
a nd t h e fortieth year of Hohame t's birth , seemed to h ave ber'lI ,
\"Jhom Bilal
" 1 1 1 t-1ohamet and al l
C~I i s tia ni ty .
The date 6 11 C.E .
Th i s
the basic reaso n why those 't/ith vested interests in t h e city t s
was no more I and no l ess, a prophet than those t h at p r eceded hi. in J ud ai sm and
t urned to Nohamet and
" nevi religion ," Islam, it forced th e pr i ests in Mecca o ut
I
" ONE AND ONLY TRUE PROPHET OF GOD . II In this case it was Mo ham," the forme r
vl hen the peop l e
Mohamet tr ium ph a ntly re tur ne d to Hecc a . II If
lol lo\'Je rs of I s l am (the tlne!,-, re l i gion " ) a dopted Mecca
as t heir
t.Y CITY." They al so adopted 8 1 Ka'aba (the Bl ack Stone metef)ri t e ~-:l' h io p ia) .
But t hey completely rejected pay i ng any f urthe r
/,u l '",: to the Goddess 1\ 1 ' l at, ldho !'-Ias rep l aced by the God 1\1' lah. ma rked the end of a h ectic e ra \";hich saw a lVt'lt ••• 11 move up to be a
7 , \lJas the year Mo hame t re tu rned to th ' , .
He and h is faith-
ttl , t
f r om Medin a , \.,.here he Has forced to r u n and hide . It mark d II"
1I • • •
IT .
.. .
lowly came l
wea l thy man, mystic, and p rophe t . "
had successfu l ly chal l en g ed the mi g hties t monarc hs of h i s ong those power fu l monarchs wer e l(aradh, Kin g o f Per s i aj
date when the treaty agreemen t betvleen l1oharnet' s g overrunetlL II.
I" t inc, Emperor of Byzantiumj a nd Ta i-Ts lI ng, Emperor of Chinai
h ad f ormed !'-/ith Bil a l in their s ix years of exi le at the 0 :.1
lin re ceived Hohamet' s le t ter demandi r\g t h at t hey g e t rid of
of Yathrib, in Medina, and t h e government he had fled 1n N Se t\-Jeen these hlO dates (622 - 629 C. E . or A. H. 1 -
•.
7), ho\.,.l"v
, n ..... n " • • • state r e li g ion and g odS, and acc ept the \"JOr sh i p of " ,. ti nct on l y True God, Al'lah ," \"h os e prophet vIas Mo hamet f1o ~jt
t he governme nt in Necca !'-litnessed a mas s conversion of i t :.
Ir,
ci t1 zens from t he war ship of the G.oddess AI ' I n t a nd El Ka' l\I ",
"I't' I:,O.l,' o f t::Lh iopia a lso rec e ived one of t h e let t er s sent by
(the black stone meteor 1 t e fr om Eth1opi.a , F:a!: t A.fr lea ) ..
214
1,']) ' '1 1
m t . [.ike
II\'-J"estern"historians genera ll y fai l
1-10 ::; '-·:;
a nd t he other
to men t ion that
sages of the Hebrevi and Chr is ti an 215
the deification or himsel(aJter his death.. And a third element orstrength lay in the insistence oflsl am upon the perfect brotherhood and equality before Cod of all believers, whatever their colour, origin or status. . These are the things that made Islam a power in hl:lman affairs. It has b~ell said that the true founder of the empire of Islam was not so much Mohammed as his friend and helper Abu Bekr. tr ~ohammed , with his shifty character, was the m ind and imagination of primitive Islam, Abu Bekr wa3 its conscience and its will. Whenever Mohammed wavered Abu Bekr sustained him. And when Mohammed died, Ahn Bek.r became Cali\-lh (successor), and with the faith ~hat movc:s mountairu he set himselr simply and sanely to organiZe the mbjugaiion or the whole world to Allah,
religions, whose techniques he a ped , I10hame t a l s o took un to hl.. self an assor tment o f wives f rom ever y corner of the known WOl: 1·1 at tha t per iod. 37 This man, who was onoe decl a red
II • • •
an obscu l~ '
ba ndit • •• " in 622 C.E. (AH 1) , had a lso lear ned the sec r et o f " marr i age of convenience ," whi.ch s for his marriages to afvarioJs larrls his soldi ers conquered in the "name o f All a h."
'W
Thi ·
p rocedure was s uccessful e nough to gain Mohamet the right
Th is was the Prophet Moh amet a nd the faith t hat the i ndi g e -
to co n s truct a Mosque (Mosl ems ' p l ace of worship) in Canton,
African from Ethiopia (Abyssi n ia), Hadzart Bi lal i bn Rahab,
China -
the oldest in e xistence throug hout the world today . W,
h amet, although not successfu l in his attempt to se t fear in J';"I peror Ta i-Ts u ng , neverthelessf
II'
t ped to become wh a t
menti on Bilal . But Bilal' s imag e suffered not., as Omar
II
hi s messen gers ",ere a ll owed I"
There \'Jere, of course, other
phe tic mission a nd li ves to l eave the wor l d a book of rel iginll
Mohamet's 1I • •• Divine i nspiratio n H .
1I
/l nd to spread
III
Div i ne l y i n s pired thr ou gh (his) communication with Al lah (God) .*38
the
Bi lal i s th e third par t o f Islam. AI' lah is 'the first, and t10harne t the second .
Moh a me t and Bi lal proceeded from t h is juncture in th eir P' "
Hhic h Mohamet c laime d was :
II
.t t ', so a pt l y sa i d:
bu il d their Mo s que wi th fi n a ncia l from the emper o r.
i nstructio n s
th ey a r e ...'n h istory todav_', ye t , ie/e l ls fa iled
II . ...
gre at. men who helped to bu ild Is -
th e words o f AI' lah .
II
They came from Asia,
it' Q. , and Europe . But, these were t he indiegnous Afr ican s wh om
I
,rl. ,ny
fo llowed similar " i 'l
millions have caref u ll y f o r gotten, or j us t p l a i n l y elected
to !l1(')re . This is primari l y d ue t o the fac t
the black co l or o f
th e
sp i rat i ons" by Abraham and Mo ses o f t he Hebrews, J esus Chr i; , t
• 1(' d C/5 , skin h as become t he sa le criterion for eXC l uding them
the Christian s , and thousands of other prophets and Gods b e l t '"
1,1 , ma jor segmen t of mank ind) f rom t h e history of Islam. Yet it
and after them,and Mohamet. I n
l i ne with Mohame t's ", •• D ivjlrl
the Africans, and o t hers of African ancestry, vlho were most
in sp irati on" the "JOr ld renowned his tori an, H. G. He l ls , i n h1
II
""me n t a l in Islam I s creation.
book., A SHORT HISTORY OF THE WORLD, wro t e t he f ol l owi ng : Yet when the manifest d~ecu of Mohammed' , life and writingt /lave be~n allowed ror, th~r~ r~ma.iru in Islam. thiJ faith h~ impmed u pon the Arabs, much power and inspiration. One is iu Wlcompromising monotheism; its !ul1ple enthusL.utie faiLh in rute and fatherhood of Cod and its rreedom rrom theological romp-licatioru. Ano ther h its complete d~tAchmel1t from the saCrificial priest and th~ t~m pl e. It i~ an cnti rely p roph~ tie relig:iol1, proof against any possibil'ity or rel apse toward blood lacrifiCeJ. In th~ Koran the limited and ceremonial na ture or th~ pilgrimage to Mecca i.5 stated beyond the pos3il>iJily of dispute, and ~very precaution was taken by Mohammed to prevent
lUong the many great Black me n of Afr i can ancestry who aided I ' 11" de ve l opment of Islam and to spread the name of Al 'lah and the
, 'l O ne - Mohame t , " was a roan of an A.rab- As ia n father and a
the
• Words in brackets by the author of th i :i wor k Lor cll)I lly .
tl!1 4 1'- African mother - Shakla, his name Il::lrah im Al Mahd i,
I ..
II !
t " l
;' I\ n ,) med "Al-Thinnin ( the Dragon)." Of this man t h e Arab
i n Ibn Khal ikan ( 1 211 12132 C . E. or A.H. 588- 659) wrote : 'l 'hi ::> prince h ad grea t ta l ent as a singer and un able h{l l'ld on musica l instrume nts ; he was also
217 216
Un li k e B1 1a l , Abu Bekr, Omar
II
,.t; the ch ance . til much o f
~'/as
He inc l uded in h 1s repert oire ma ny of th e s on gs
t he p oetry o f t he Kor an.
lor l y after Ibr ahim' s b irth,
S uc h gen i u s on Ibra him's par t
~'Ih ere
to the po i nt
he s anc t ioned
1 ; sonts si n g in g in private g a therin gs among t he aris t ocra ts . tj 'l-.J h ims' r eputat i on as a sin ger
in i ts inf ancy , AI-Ma hdi met an I s l am ic Empire Hi t h b orders
Ibrahi m and h is half- b r oth e r, Har o'.Jn , d re sse d up in all sorts disgui se s a nd f requented many plac es which were off-limits for
P'X
tendin g t o t he Nor thwes t Coast o f Afr ica and the S o uthwest of
{)p 1.e of t he ir status . Th i s r e l ati onsh i p "las l ater disru pte d "I he n
Europe alon g the At l a nti c Ocean . At t h e Ea st i t stretc hed all
II
'.>Jay t o I nd i a, after t o uch i ng the shor e s of t h e Ind ian Oce an .
, .• lh im was sent off t o Syria to be tha t coun t r y ' s ruler . The lra ngemen t en ded shortl y whe n he ",as r e ca ll ed by Har oun t o make
"I,,'
Ini n t hajj (p il g rimage) wi th him t o Mecca . ~ a l i ph
the son of Kin g Shah Ef r end of S o uthern Persi a an d Sh a k l a (m!' I, t ioned above in t he qu o t a ti on) - an Af ri c an slave g irl whom
trave ll ed thr o u gh out the Mos l em
' II l d, and influenced the hi g he st a n d th e l owest o f Islam.
still
ItJha t wa s t he f a mi l y background o f I brah i m AI- i'1ahd i ? He
i n any pub li c place h e co u l d
nL lue nced h is fa the r. wh o had b e c ome Ca li ph (King) of Bagdad
the Gr ea t, " Khob ad, and o t h e l
faithful who served Moha met, th e Prophe t, It1hen Is l am
~an g
.nc tr y he read and the son gs he
a n agr eea b le companio n at parti e s of p l easur e. Bei n g of dark complexi on, which he in heri t ed f rom his mo the r, Sh i k l a , or Shak l a - wh o was an Af r ican Bl ack - h e r ece i ved the n ame At- Th inn i n ( the Dr agon) • Ibrah i m was a man of g r eat meri t and a per s f ec t s cho l ar , with an o pe n hear t a nd a ge neraous handj h i s li ke had neve r bee n seen among t he s o n s of t he Ca li phs I n o n e of wll0m spoke wi th more p ro pr iety and elegance , or compose d ver ses \·J i th g r eater abili ty . • •• He \.,o a s proclaim ed Ca li ph of Bagdad • • • u nder the t i t le o f AI-Muha r k - t he Bl essed .
t
Ca liph Mansour h ad capture d a n d plac ed in t h e harem that wi) :1
I..
IWNm
Harou n , wh o '-las now
of Bagdad, had suffe.c e d immensely fr om t he separati on
h imself a nd I b ra h im, t her efore t h e reca ll.
I b rahim became Caliph of Bagdad s ub sequ ent t o some b l oody
,,1
tende d by his fav or i te ...life, Monyyah , accor d i ng to t h e Ara h 111
l lC: u coup and other
or ian - Abou ' l Mah as im. Sh ah Ef r end was Ca liph of Bagdad and
l vNl. Hi s h a l f - b rother,
member o f the fami ly of the Prophet Mo hamet. Mo h ame t 's gr ,'I1\!! '"
I \ him vias on l y thirty - six years old (790- 826 C . E . or A.H . 1 68 -
e r was the b ro th er of I h c ahim ' s gre at - g.ceat - g randfatherj
l\
~l ,
ki n shi p, \.,.hich made I b r ahim and h i s o loJ m o ffsp rin g s super ioc , , ' others i n the ey e s o f the f a i th f u l..
Al - Mah~ i' s
fat her' s SOI'l ,
hal f b r other named Haro u n AI - Ras c hid , was th e r enol,o med !>lar' t I"
,
i ntri g ues of wh i ch he Has not per s onall y i nHarou n , sudden l y died .
At
t hat t ime
) . H2, roun' s son, Emi n , had become Caliph of Ba g dad b efor e 'Illc i e Ibrahim . Bu t Emi n, a spendthr if t
H"'
l i ke h i s uncle I b ra h im,
h i s uncle a will in g acc o mplice in f r equen t i ng g aud y p l ac es
• III o r ta i nmen t and ill repute . Emin ' s br other, Mamou n, mur dered
wa.s i mmor tal i zed i n t h e 'A or l d f amous " ARABI AN NI GHTS' ENTr. R'TA
lId t;hen marr i e d t he dau g hte r o f Ri:z. a ( of th e e n emy ant i-
I'1ENT . "
ldcs ) in a wedding t h at cos t more t han $5 , 0 00,000. Mamoun
Born a t a t ime wh en on l y s l aves we re al l owed t o en t er L.• ,". s ingi ng i n pub lic place s, Ibrahim .A-Ma hdi b roke Lr.) rl i t inn "/1',
218
I
n n named his wife t o SUCceed him .
Mamoun t he n l ef t h is
til .. lO.r a n expe dition. While Mamo un was aV.Jay the Abbasides
219
seized t he t hrone, for fear of Riza's dau ghter (the Princess) and her
pe ople would have seized i t
t h emselves~
·.1Iiph . Th e slave-woman th at r e cog nized h i m ha d reve aled h i s d i s -
Ibrahim's bro Lh.,
qui s e to Mamoun' s soldi e rs . She pointe d h im ou t
in or der
Mansour, wa s of f ered the throne , whi c h he pr omptly refused, ir,."
t he
ransom offered by Mamoun j no t because of loyal t y
ing that he too would. have suffered t he same fate of Emin . Ibr
I tld
j ail e d , Ibrahim was he ld for months awaiting Hamoun' s
h im wa s t h en besoug ht t o take the throne, which h e refusing it a t
con~ented
1\
"r
I
least three di f fer e nt time s.
~,·tak e n
t h e throne) d e ci s ion . Marnoun's delay t.-ias due
&
t o rece ive
Ar re s ted ( wh o h ad
t o t he popu-
l lr i t y of I b rahim amon g t h e rich and poor people of Ba g dad . If
I b r a him AI-Hahdi' s elevation t o Caliph of Bagdad b roug h t 11 \ . f ac e t o face with all of ·the cultural and political problems
,01
h i s er-a , bein g that he was at this time the ruler of Islam -
"I ii
had taken a chance on put t ing him to death , i t c o uld have
illROUn
,used civil war in Bagdad. One ha s to rememb er t h at Mamou n , himself ,
new reli g ion!! (the most powerful empire on earth). He tried H,
t
M j
not too ver y wel l like d by the vast majority o f the p eo p le b e-
l~l .se
he killed hi s
0 "'10
brot her
be~ore
he wa s overthrown , and al s o,
hi s oblig ations head on by first tryin g to eliminate poverty ,' 11'
"t:: uase Ibrahim \.. a s Mamoun ' s uncle. Any atte mpt at killing Ibrahim
hi s p eop l e , rather than see k ing t o exp and Islam, as all o the l·:
!,p ld have made Mamo u n a doubl e killer on the throne , a condition
be fore him did . But he soon fell back into his insatiab le lovl1
I, t e h the people may not have accepted at that t im e. I:.)rahim's vJife
fr ee dom and music - to which he had red uced his poetr y .. Thu !; , II
.I~
all o wed f a vorites in the p alace t o run ministries o f wh i ch Lh. ·'r'
Jlo!
al l o ..... ed to commenc e p l e ading his case succe s s f ully e noug h for nh i m ,later, to c omp l e te his own defense" I n defe nding himself ,
had neither knowledge nor e xpe ri e nce Vlh a tsoever,exce p t tha t. I I!
Id.::ll he selected to do in the best manner he k n evJ, throu g h his
loyal Moslems; all of which resulted in draining t he b . •'t.
" Le y and song s l'J hic h we r e later to be c o me ba s ic v e r ses i n the
\~ e re
t o t h e point where TIthe soldi e rs of Allah"
(the Moslem s ' God) ' .
lit
a n (Noslem s ' Bibl e ), he \OJrote the f ollowing :
not b e paid their salaries.
Princ e of Believers, may AI ' l ah gr ant the e His mer cy and ben ed ictions!
I b rah im's soldiers \... e re in revolt . One of his c hi e f uun,
.1
I
II Sehl , had turned tr aitor, l e aving I b rahim without def e n s e
~ \I
~ hained
a nd s h a clcled Ibrahim cried out "'Ihil e he k nelt on the
r
in front of his nephew, Hamoun. To t h is p oetiC p lea Mamoun
,,('rc
hi s well f i n ance d a nd f u lly militari ly supplied n ephew , Ma l!1f'HIl'. It l i e d;
was se t on a course of r e capturing the throne o f Bag dad I re j e c t t hy salutation as AI 'lah will reject and excomm unicate all traitors as thou.
whe nce his wife and dau gh t er \iEre overthrOt.-JD d ur ing h i s abS("I\,. . :Facing this situation Hith no possible solutio n in Si 9 h t :Ll', .,] , 1 lonely and a deserte d man - f led for his life. I b r a him Wil:. as he tried to escap e the city disguised as a p oor old
f
was trapped becau s e o f his betraya). by a group of slave :; ,
(i {LI
wh om Ibrahim had so sincerely tried to help w\"len he firr;1
j' Mt
II
Ge ntl e Si re , Soverei g n powe r e xclude s ha t e . T hose ·.; h o par don a p proach nearer t o Alllah. 11",\1 11
220
p oetic command o f his languag e , e v e n t h ough facing a heart-
rn li p h , Namoun , Ibr a him a ga in re spo nd e d:
II
Wf.) !flH O.
IIl ~
iV·lni n r ejec ·t ed Ibrahims' pleading , sa y ing :
II"
'i'here arc \"hf'u.
~
..
b·w in whose ri g hts I
mu st s urely cond emn
22 1
Th is h e said, whi le pointin g toward h is two sons with his head
The ins'..l l ts to the g r e ate st p o et A:-:-ab i a and the Is lamic wor l d p rodllce
l q ve e v e r
b owe d in sorrow.
Unc l e a je.s t of mine has put you in a s e r i ous mood . Blackness o f sk in c an no t degr ade an ingen i o us mind , o r l e sse n the wor th o f the s ch o lar of th e 'i/ i t . Le t da ek n e ss cl a i m t he co l o r o f your body ; I claim as mi ne y our fai r and candid sou l.
This drama, as d et ailed above , continued t o t h e climax whPl I b rahim's poetry touc h ed Mamoun wh en he countered: Commander of t he Pai thful if i t were only a q uestion o f politics or t h e s t a te , th i s step would be vJise, bu t Ailiah permits y our Majesty t o b e mer cif u l \1ithout danger because he has given the pow e r t h at defies a ll attacks. To uche d b y it all, Mamo un commanded his Gra nd Vizi e r
For
" • • • c olor prejud i ce has never bee n a p roble m in I s l a m, to 11
Ilnoun I
his unc l e l b ;- ahim and to fit h im with all he needed for a lonfJ
t
journey. Th e fitting inc luded b"elve came l s l oaded dovin with 91 from Namoun and wel l \oJishers of the palace. He was also given royal escort t o accompany him t o hi s old
r
re~."arded
lam ' s " sec ond highes t per son al i ty,
lul r ol o f
, 11'" t ine
S h e was or dered, b y Marnoun ,
i').
to be impris o n ed for the res t
o f her n a tural life. I! As he
p a:;~, . ·1
sen te nce u p o n h er the Caliph, Mamoun, said:
Her wron g, he saw, wa s for the ra nsom, no t
the ....'or ld and Che istend o m from the North Afr i cans a n d
'I"
(the Afr ican
to h elp 1n secur .:1. 11'1
loJas Mamoun rea l l y the p i OUS Caliph he ;.J as pretending to so . He h ound ed his u n c le - I brahim -
II
Iii
by h a vi ng h i lll
consta ntly reminded b y paid traitors who wo uld as k I brah i m: Art t hou not the Bl ack · Caliph Ibrahim ••• ?
'
t h e death of St
fa ther o f the Churc h" ) i n 430 C . E. (AH
It . . .,i ll be f u r the e s een , i n the f o l lm·: ing Quotati o ns, that a nd CO LOR PREJUD ICE were al r e ady prev a len t
11111\ o f
in Is l am befo re
birth •
'rl, '-; prose tha t won t ota l
t hron e f or him - Mamou n.
No t at a l l
Th e c olor qu estio n had become universal v ery early
tl11m Al- I1a hd i ' s
••• y ou had neith er child nor h u sband, hence your wrong vias not due to need.
s e cond only to the Proph e t
f\r ab s, a l l of \o) hich s t ar t ed sh or t ly afte r
doing . The s lave woman, v.. ho turn ed 1n I brahim, fe ar ed the wor .'"ll, , 111.1
t
Ln g th e Christ ia n Era i at which time Europ e a ns \rJe re \-Jr estl ing
with gifts 1, ..
to receive !tone - hundred lashe s, If
II
For even Bilal
II
"h'1me t, VIas d i s crim ina ted aga in st by the Ar a bs bec au se of h is
It
Ibrah im whe n he Nas a tt empting t o e s cape from Harnoun were for"'f11 and i ns t ead o f b eing p u nished, t he y were
\wrd s shou ld dispel suc h notion ..
S
• CK SKIN.
II
All \-Jho aided
p alace ~
those wh o c laim t ha t :
repect for Ibr ahi m by his neppe".J,
the
Bagdad - r1 a moun, fol l ow s :
Stream: flo\o)ing l i ght l y a nd freel y, someone h as hin d ered thy couese I and t hy IrJatees no longer flow fr eej Bi r d , ,... hic h o n c e flew fr e el y in a ir, thou art a c a ptive afar from t h e path t hat l e ads to th e sour c e. A tcw o f
Ibrahim ' s grea test "'I o rks of pr o s e and 9 0etry follO\"II
Oloment s on h i mse lf by others . The f irst by th e nobleman and
I br a him , in his poetic br illiance, wou l d res pond: Though I b e a slave, my sou l - t hr oug h its noble my bod y is b lack and na t ure is fr e e. Ye s , mind clear . Some Europe an-American hi::.: t or ians h ave. c h n.ng d tho work: " )1 1 • to IINegro. II However, the word II No.g,r o " W6 unk:nown to lI)e /IJ " .1 th per iod in questionj t he portug u0'30 had nol y l. cro Leu.! 1 t
'22
11'1101..1::; sage - Ahmed Daoudj and t he o t her by the Arab hi stor ian 1 '" : t t'r :) s tro nomer - Moh a mmed;
223
/' I1e Cal i p h s Il'~phew,
Up t o t h e t i me of heari n g Prince Ibrah i m I h ad den i ed th e ef f ect t hat song co uld pr o duce a nd more than onc e I h ad ex pressed th i s opi ni on be for e t he Cali p h , h im s~ lf, bu t af t e r hear i ng h i m, I felt myself forced to stop any critici sm.
(many) celi gi o us and secu lar f uncti on s.
1t
'rhi s custo m
· 39 ,r-c ame stan dar d p cac t ice i n man y o t hec Ho s 1 em coun tr ~e s. Ibrah i m's defiance of t he \oJcitten ru l e , vJh i c h pc oh i bited mem-
For se v e r a l y ear s I have bee n one of t h ose p revileged to attend the pr i va te a ffairs of the Ca li phs Mamou n a nd Moutassem, a nd t his i s what I have n ot i ced: a s soon as the voice of Ibra h i m was heard, the people i n t h e palace, a nd espec i ally the va l ets, slav es , a nd l aborers wo uld drop th e ic work to li ste n t o him . As soo n as ano t her comme nc ed t o sing th ey wou l d re s ume their ta sks Ni t hout wishing to l is t en.
aged Ibr a h im Al -Ma hdi wrote while at the pa l ace court of hi:;
of t he ro yal fa mi l y o f Mos le m co ur t s f rom sing ing i n public
1' 1":3
l'l aces as ente rtainers, broug h t f orl.o.·ard man y s er i o us chal l en g ers 10
h is O\·m r eputa t ion as "Is lam's gce a tes t sing er and poe t.1I One
I le ll
compet i tor was his chi ef riv al - I sha k, \'J ho se fat h e r - Mous -
o li _ a l so comp e ted a t the cou r t
t h e ...Jork s o f poetr y a nd songs t h.
phew l'1amoun - Ca li ph of Bagdad. Quot i ng a no ther
Mamoun ' s r u l e , Itmade Al- Hahdi I s songs and poetry requi ce d
Il' adings for
Second
The fo l lowing ar e sane o f
(Div i n e Ones) of Bagdad , f r om t he time of Ibrahim's
II
had begun to earn i ts pe rfor mers. I shak an d h is f a the c, Mousso l i, pe rformed wi t h great d i sti nc -
JI!
poet, he wrol ·
T hou g h I be a s lave my s oul, th rough i ts nobl e n ature , i s free ; thou gh my body be b l ack, my mi nd is taic.
In n and acclaim thr o ugh o ut Islam .
In describing the be auty o f my beloved , I dream o f t he pure g Ol d i n the co in s of the ancie n t Egyp tians, Of the p ear l in i t s she l l in the depth S of the s ea, which is th e dispa i r of the fi sher, Or of th e exq uisi te finen es s of the go l d t h at t he g il der puts on t he leaves of a boo k .
But Ibcahim ' s g r eater
popu lar-
!!v came as ·t.h e re sul t o f h is diversion f rom the t radit i onal st y le h i s r e l i g ious compositions, meth ods o f recitat i on, a ls o hi s dqueness i n r e l igio us sing ing. Th i s cr eati v ity made Ibrahim
The fo ll owin g is a s ong he c o mp osed for hi s nephew , Namo\ll ,. in the prese n ce o f other roya l ty :
for t he h on our and l a r ge f ortu n e
,I ,:h II
the ear s o f evec yone who had t h e oppor t uni ty to listen
h i s conc er ts . The exte n t
I
'1
t o whi ch I brahim car ried h i s crea t ive gen ius a nd
" "rJom fro m t radi ti o ns in h i s a r t ~'l as show n in the tw o lines of o f the son gs h e composed whi le he was still Ca li ph o f I
Al -Mad hi , angered by h is l over - Di n a k, com p o s ed th e r ol J'II
Bagd ad:
am the Ca li ph (King) and the s on of a k in g What i t p leases me to sing , I s i n g.
ing poetry and s ong:
I t i s q uite e l ementary t o q ue s tion 1f Ibra him sang wha t ever Cursed cre a t u re, t h ou ar t the mistress of the h uman race. \>lo uld st th ou have all the men in the wor ld as IQv l' ers? In mixing thou t he fa t with the lean, dost no t t l, y rise wi t h disg us t 1 I br ah im r S poetry be came a par t of I r.ln ln r s r.clig ioUG wr.rd
22 4
I {"
t like s i ng1ng when he wa S forced t o a b dic ate his t hr one
Ill::; returning ne p hew, Ma moun, f or who m he had wor ked whe n he III"
Iii::; grea te st poe tr y .
(1 J11'
must conc ede t ha t
Ibra him had a ll kinds o f reasons t o
22 5
produce excellent \lIorks; \llhereas his competitors, Ishak a nd HOI!
Ilf"!eded . The f ollow i ng poem he wrote in p!,Qtest to the war \.Ias the
so li, did noL
li rst he composed and presented to t he reign ing
He was always being pushed by one incident lh.d
resu l ted from th e time when he ,... as Calip h , ""hich req uired him I. compose poems and song s to combat t hem - wh il e at the same in stance not revealing his interference in po litics..
Ca liph ~
In it he
h lc l uded all of h is g enius in the first line, as he invoked hi s " lig io1l5 calling : "A l'lah , love, pit y a nd compas sion, hatred and extreme patriotism."
Any such
dedicat i on on the part of his nephew , the Caliph Harnoun, woulll II i s poem, and song , \'1 h ich he san g i n his prese n tat ion to the Ca-
have meant t he difference
b~tween
life and death for I b rahim. lr l1 15 court,became the f ire y son g t hat rallied his peop le a Cj ainst
Once showing his superiority over his greatest rival - ..1. .1, Ibrahim chal l enged him to instrurne n ts ~
ing of
il
,.1
contest of reli g iou s sing ing and
Ibrahim began by singing in the tradi ti c)n
1
III!
invad ing Greeks. He illrote: Oh, an ge r of Al'lah, thou hast seen t his horrib le spectacle, avenge, there fore t he female victims. As to tl1e men, they h ave found a g lorious dea th , perhaps a j ust punishment for their sins . But Nhat of the innoce nt wome n and children?
~
reli g ious chant and strummin g on a string instrument, knm'llw very \'Iell that the con t est wou ld appear ex tremel y c lose. Bul
Once a ga i n a so ng had \'Ihipped a nation of peop le into suf tens i on ro se he upped the '",ager j and of eour se Ishak a nd hi:; le nt fre nzy t ha t i t helped to oven/helm the enemy; this time it bac kers responded .. Ibrahim, i mmediate ly after began sing int') I " the Baba s sies against the hi gh- ta iling Gro eks. a tone similar to the range of his instrument, then o ne oel v' The end of Inrahi m's career s hould h ave be en i n all its <J lory . higher
j
the n changin g comple te l y to a " chord grave ," and e nrll d 11
a " bass octave . "
He had covered a range of four octaves,
l his man of African origin had a fellow poet cal l him
\'1hl, ~ , I
·· J'HINNIN" ('L'he Drag on) i n one of his poems, a fact I b rah im
was the equ i val ent of three s - t enor, baritone o.ntl 1'1 t, h l not forg et. He kne ..J that it was h i s b lack color and h ug e The contest was over before Ishak had a chance to ope n hi :;;
1,1"11~ 1t1lf'
,-,hich brought o n the u nkind comment. Yet , he c oul d not.
again .. He and his backers knowing very "'/ell that with a ll I h· effort and co u rage he could have dra ...m upon , he would no L I,. 'l'h e end of Ibrahim AI-Nahdi I s career b egan closing in as he
to do any of th e unusual feats of his competitor. This wa:..; IlL end to the compet i tions b e t\-.Jee n Ibrahim and a ll of his
t'I •.i::.: ed
fOl.~ I " "
in h is lifetime, a nd the fact that h e a11m.Jed himse l f to be -
rivals. L'Jh il e i n his sixtieth year I brahim was able to tU): n I •
L:a liph. Th is b r ought on a reques t from a close fr ie nd \lIho
j"
. I,..d t h at he Durn all of h i s manuscripts that dealt t'lith the
ca l poems and songs, a f ar c r y from relig ion and lov • Thl
I;,
Has due to his aged life, at which time he had bec ome u bnt'l the disue s!J of war and pover ty .. However , t J1C Theophi lu s o f r;r e ecc in OJ O C.E:.
226
his mis g iv in gs over the amount of wastefu l th i ngs he had
in 'v a~;i ~fI
( AH228 ) (Jave h im LhC
1">1 ':'1 1 XC II,
I
p;).t'Ls of h is you t hful career . To this , I brah im responded
,\ l J th e
fo~·c.c.
his failing voice cou ld su.rrunon:
227
Fool thou ar t, what s h ould I do with Charayaho Ought I t o bur n h e r t oo? She knows a ll my so n gs by he art .
I b n S uraid j died d ur in g th e year 724 C .E .
furt he r de tails on h im , vne s hould r ead 41 ENCYCLOpED IA 01:' ISLAi'1.·
., :. b i rth is ".Char a y a h" wa s Ibrahim's li feti me f riend and disci p l e . Sh r. t lIe
(AH 10 2). Hi s d at e
0
b s c ure ..
For
had no uri s h ed h i m all throu gh h is vic tori es and h i s de f eats . ::t. Next "Jas the man ca ll ed "LORD OF THE GOLDEN AGE OF ARAB ( I s was the i ns pira t ion for ma n y o f h i s poems
on love ·h e ,tni c) LITERATl.iRE" - AI-Jahiz (778- 868 C.E. or AH 1 56 - 246) . He
wrote dur ing all o f his youthf ul lif e. I , r;
I n the art of Sound, Ibrahim was o n e instruc t ed me n o f h i s time. In si n g in g, and in pla y ing th e s tr i n ged i nstr umen t , ~ a ll. The relig iou s p rejudices o f his roya l birth at no t ime l eft him f ree to rare g if ts.
o f the most in r hythm , he exce ll ed day and h is d evelop his
a l s o acc l aim ed : Th e most genial wr it e r o f the age , if n o t Arabic l iterat ur e , and the found e r of t he Arab p co se sty le, via s the gr and s on o f a b la ck " sl ave J Amr Ben Bahr; known a s AI-Jah iz (lit h e Go gg l e -Eye d")~ The above q uo tat ion on Al-J ahiz "l as take n f rom H. A. R . Gibbs, '
The above c omment is the manner
in whic h t he noted Ara b hi
t or ia n, I s f aha n i, spoke o f Ibr ah im AI-M ahdi (Is l am's
g r eatc~ 1
II ABl C LI TERATUR E. Accord ing to P. K. Hit ti 's , HI STORY OF THE ARABS , AI - J a hiz was
songste r, poe t and Caliph of Bagdad) in hi s master fu l wor k , 11 .'1 .c r i bed i n the f o l lowing man ner: 43
HANI' S BOOK OF SONGS . Al l o f
the o t h e r o ut standing Ar abs o f Afr ican de scent Ll ili l
ind i gen ou s Africans who i n fluenced Islamic r eligion and cU ll
III
are too n u merous t o mentio n i n this wor k, a s t hey co u ld not pp receive the prop er treatme nt n ecessary to detai l tions. Never - the - Iess, a few o f
the ir co n i I I I...
the mo s t outstanding ar e h 1, I.
noted as foll ow : Ibn Suraidj, \,,: ho introduced the Per sia n Lute in to I sl J1)\' ligious mu s ic i n Hecca, was" I slam ' s Haster Essayist." He fr i end of the Ca li ph
11"lIt of t h e n oted Arab p ro fessor Ill.
G. Pa l grave in h i s bo o k, ESS AYS ON THE EASTER N QU8STION, ",' / d escribed Ibn Suraidj in the following remark s: 40 Ebn Soreyj, t h e Ma r io o f Heja z s in0e r S j h is dusky and ir regul ar f ea t ures hal f- hidden by a veil be t ray his mulatto or ig in; he is k nown ever ywhere as the first music i an ; t h e spri gnt lles t born- sin g er j a nd t he uglic~t f ac e o f the day .
228
AI-Jah iz was a native of Bar za, As i a Minor, Itlhere he \vas a
\OM
a nd compo ser of ele g ies i n honour 0.1
An ear l y re pr esen tat ive o f the zoologic a l and ant hro p o l o g ica l sc i ence s wa s Abu- Uthman ibn Bahr a l-Jah i z • •• who se Kitab - a l-H awaya ••• contains g e rms o f l ater theories of ev~lution, adaptation? a nd animal pSYCho logy . AI - Jah~z kne w holtl to ob ta~n a mmoni a f rom a nima l offal by dr y dist i l l ation . H~s i n fluenc e over later zoolo gists •• • is ma ni fest . ~ u t t he influe n ce of Al - Ja hiz as a r ad ic al t h e olog ian and a ma n o f le tter s is g r ea te r . He • • • was one o f the most productive and freque n t ly q uot ed schol a rs i n Arab ic litera ture . His originai i ty, wi t, sati r e , a n d learning, made him widely know n .
I
( o f Africa n descen t) and an -
Mu 1taz lite . Under th is man Al-J ahi z studied SCie nce, phi '1,lIy, an~ psycholoqy. He also ro se to found h i s O\vn school ,"1 . i ~ still called today • . ~"THE JAHI ZITE PHILOSOPHY. "Ill .. beg i nn in g he was
to pr odu ce t he follo wing major
'I
From th is l iter a ry
of v/ orld fa me :
&Ilt-n use d the word "NEGRO" h ere. This 1 s incorr ect; the Arabs lilt , p e r i o d . di d. nat knollJ of this word which i s Euro pe an in It was manu fac tured by the Portuguese i n 1 71b Ct y. C .E . 1 II Il . 229
THE MERIT OF THE TURKS. THE SUPERIOR I TY OF SPEECH OVER SILENCE . I N PRAI SE OF MERCHANTS AND DISPRAISE OF OFFICIALS THE S UPERIORITY IN THE GLORY OF THE BLACK RACE • OVER THE v/HITE . THE BOOK OF ELOQUENCE AND RHETORIC . THE BOOK OF ANIMALS, Vols. I - VII.
II
:~ nj
(Zengh) and other ind i genou s Africans wh o m he f elt sured
Al - Jahi z contin ued later on i n the same wo r k by noting I. e f Oll owing:
to be his greatest con tribution to world liter ature . This
o f COurse , sub ject to i nd ivi d ual accepta nce and interest.
or greater , depending upon t h e c r itic . I n his b ook, KITAB a l-S'[IDAN WAL ' BIDA N (The Superiority i n I f ollO\~il)l1
Lo qma n, whose wr itings are we ll-k nOvm and wh o was called liThe ~"ise" by Moh amet in the Koran t~e re f ollowed by others. There we r e also Said i b n Jubair, a ve r y pious man, highly esteemed f or his profound know l e d ge of the trad i t ions of the Prophet, Moharoeti t he Ethiopian, Oilal , of whom Ca l iph Oroar , said that he, a lone was wOr th a third o f al l I s lami Af ga, the fi r st t o d ie in t he Holy Wa r s of th e Prophe t ; El Migdad , the f ir st to figh t in the Holy War as a hor ::;·' man; El Vianshi, who ki ll ed the fa ls e pro phet , Musaill rna; and Julaibib , who died in battl e afte r va l iantly k ill ing seven me n, and who was buried "lith the Pro phet ' s own ha nd . Th e r e \<J e r e a lso Far aj , the bar ber - s ur ge on! who 1,-1 .""1 : , so ju st t ha t he was often cal l ed by the j ud ges f or coun s el j a nd El - Ha i quta n, the poet . \;1h e n th e '\.Jh ite po et , Jar i r , sa'lI El - Hai quta n in a whi te rob e on a f east day , he r e ma r ked, "He look s l ike th e penis or a donke y wr apped in white pape r. 11 El-H a i quta n r e p lied to h i m i n a poem in whi ch he said, "Though my hai r is woo l y a nd my sk i n b lack as coa l I am generous and my hono ur 5h in es~ My color does not pr evenL my being val i a nt wi t r, my Slt/or d in battle. Know , you . . 'ho would bo ast of your petty glor y that the r ace o ! Bl acks i s more glor ious than your r ace because th ~ Eth i opian Empe r o r afte r meeting the Nhites , acct.(.· rl Islam ins tead •••• " Al - J ah i z was writing i n r efer e nc e to Loqman (Lochman ) _
46
vJe (Afri c ans or Blacks) have conque red the country o f the Arabs as far as Mecca and have governed them. lJle defeate d Dhu Now as (Je"lish r uler o f Yemen) and killed all the Hi myarite princes, but yo u, Wh ite peopl e : have never conque r ed our c o u n try. Our p eople, the Zeng hs (Blacks of Afr i ca ' sEas t Co ast ) revll l ted f o rty times in the Euphr ates, d ri ving the inhabitants f ro m th eir homes and making Obollah a bath o f blood . Everyone know s t h at the Bl acks are among st the mos t generous of mor ta ls - a qual i ty t hat is found only am ong nob l e character s . Bl acks are distinguis hed amon gst o ther pe o p l es by the ir natur al gift f or ryth mic d an cin g and t h e b e st artists on the drum, all o f t hi s "Iit h o ut a n y special traini n g. They a re also the best si n gers . Their l a n guage is the easiest to pr o no unce. They are eloquent, are ab le t o express t hemse l ves in a l ively manner, a nd ha v e no stutter e r s. It happe n s some tim es tha t Bl ack or ators speak be for e their kings f r om mor ni n g t ill sunset with o ut n e e d f or a paus e . Blac k s a r e physically stronger tha n no matter Hhat o th er p eo p l e. A s ing le one of them can l if t s tones of g r eater weight and car ry burdens such as seve r al Whi tes could n o t 11ft nor carr y b e b~ee n them. They are b r ave, str ong , and ge n e ro us as ~v i tness their nobi l ity and gener a l lack of "Iicked ness. They ar e always gay, smi l i n g , and o pt i mi stiC , all of wh i ch are signs o f t hei r honesty and fra n k n atu r e~ Th e r e a re , hO\'Jever, th o se who inter pr et these q ual ities as ma r ks o f a f eebl e mind or a calculating o ne. But th i s would be e q u iv a l e n t t o sayi n g that the mo st i n te lli gent peop l e a nd th e most g i fted are the mos t ava r icious a nd the mo s t cal lous. The Bl acks say t o the Ar abs, ' A sig n of your bar barity is that when yo u wer e pagans you cons i d e r ed uS your equals as r egards the women o f your race. After you r c onvers ion t o I slam, however, you t h ought other wise. Despite t his the deser ts swarm with t he number of our men who marri ed yo ur I,-, omen and wh o be ca me chie fs and defen ded you against you r e n em i es.
Qult
a few of his other works are considered to be equ ally great,
of the Black t. Race over the i>Jhite) AI - Jah i z wrote the
\tJh o was mentioned by the Prophe t t'lohamet in the Koran i-ji t h
'n y F.uropean of whic h he hear d.
Many I1IJ1ester n Cl writer s consider the l ast seven volumes of U -~k
li se,
I'll
"
.•. ~Note that th e d irec t tra n s l at i on of the word with r e f rf"O(-' peop l e o f Africa n origi n i n Ar ab i c i s " BLACK ; II not IIN e ~ll:o :" H ma ny Euro pe a n- Ameri can writers co nt inue to u s e.
I-hat the Loqman me n'tioned o n page 226 vias cal l ed' " Aesop " by (i rr-e ks a nd other Eu ro peans~ He was a native o f Eth i o p ia , East tCel , ilnd was ca l led ltThe man b l ack as coal. lt He spent most of lite in Sais (8 gypt), wh ere h e died. He v is ited Gr eece f or a \I. I Y .; hor t pF!r" i od o f time 8
230
231
You eve n have s a y in gs i n you r l an guag e \-i h ic h vaunt the deeds of our k i ngs - deeds wh ic h you often p l aced a bov e y our Ol
the father of the Su l tan Ali), l ess black i n col or .
The Bl acks a l s o have t he sweetest breath and the g r eatest amount o f sa liva being in t h i s re~ spect l i ke the dog as comp ar ed wi th ot her anima l s. As we said the Bl acks a r e mo:c e numerous than the vJh i tes si nce they a r e mad e up o f Eth iop i ans, the Fezzans, Ber be rs, Copts , Nubian s , Fagh\lJ ans, the people o f I'-leroe , Ceylon, Indi a, Quamar and IndoCh ina . The isles be t ween Af r ica and Ch i na ar e a ll pe o p l ed with Blacks, t hat i s Ceylon, Ka l ah , Zabig. Nost of the Arabs also a r e a s black as we , the Africans a re, and cannot be counte d amongst the y.'h i tes. As f or the Hindu s they a re e v e n darker than the Arab ••• • The Cop ts (natives o f Egyp t) a r e a l so a b l ack r ace. Abraham I.,. i shed to have a ch il d by one of thei r r ace and thus I shmael, the a ncestor of the Arabs, '-;,as b orn . The Pro phet t10harnet a l so h a d a child by Mar y the Copt . If a b lack skin i s th o ught u n s i gh tl y \.Jhat the n must be sa i d of the f' r e n ch , the Gr ee k s, and the S l avs with the ir th i n, r ed , stra i ght ha ir and be ard ? Th e pa l eness of the ir eye l ids a nd the ir lips appear t o us, Af rican s, very ugly •••• Go d did not ma ke us black i n order t h at we sh ou ld be ug l y ; our color comes from the sun. The p r oof o f this is that amo ng the Arab s a r e als o b lack tr i bes as the Be ni So la i m ibn Mansour . These Gr eek s l aves whose offspri ngs ~n t he th ir d gene ra t i on become as black as the Be ni Solai m because of the c l imate.
II, stated that : . Th: . Ne g ro,· ~ :C ym ibn Akym, \-Ias mor e e l oquent tha n EI1-AJJaj . I t 1S f rom h i m that t h e Syri a n s l earnt the scie n ces ~n d a lso f r o m E1 Mon tag i ib n Nabham , "'Iho wa s a nat1 ve o f Negrola nd · a nd ha d a p i erced ear . He h a d come to t h e Ar a bian dese r t as a ch ild and l eft i t wi t h a comp l ete Icnowl edge o f Arabic. Wi t h refere nce to Mohamet ' s (th e Propi:\et) Black wife t he with regards t o comments about h e r made by Bi l al:
AI-Jah iz compared the ro l e of t he Europea n s in h i s countr y, II I ng hi s li fet ime,wi t h the Afri ca n s as he c o nt inue d: One h ardly ever finds a G.t'eek or a Kh o rassa n in a p osi tion of t r u st in a ba n k. Wh en the ban ke r s of Basra (Jahiz' bir thp l ace) saw the exc e llent affa i rs t hat f'araj Abu Kub, a Black, had ne gotiated f or his master, each of them too k an Africa n ass i sta n t. Ca l iph (Su l ta n) Abde1ma1 i k ibn Merwa n ofte n said , "El Ad gham is a maste r amon g a ll the Orienta l s . This £1 Adgham is a l so men t ioned by Abd ul lah ibn Khazim , who calls h im " ' An Ethiopia n, a black so n of Ethiopia. This concludes our essay on the Gl ory of th e Bl a ck Race •
He went ahead to des ribe the Prophet Mohamet 's Black (Afric an ) ancestry, as he wrote : The t en sons of Abd e l Mottal i b ( t h e o ran d fa th ~r of MOha~e t ) wer e a ll bla ck a nd st r ong; s~ was Abdal lah 1bn Abbas, Mohamet · s cousi n . The member·-· 01 the fam il y o f Abu Talib (a re l a tio n of MOhame t '" J wl • The word s "N EGRO " and " NEGROLAND" we r e f reque n t l y used I )y I himse l f of Afr ic an orig i n - from Jama ica in t h e C~r ibb~n nn.
J.
"r. 232
a ll more or
He went on t o ident i fy the Black peop l es of the \~or 1d . He said :
J. A. Roger s , in his book , WOR LD ' S GREAT MEN Of' COLOR . \To 't .
- The Blacks c a n be a l so pr oud of the f act that thl' sing l e dea<;i perso n over whom the Pr ophet ever y p r ayed.was the1r r u l er, the Emperor o f Eth i op i a. And \.Jh1 1 st th e Prophet was i n Medina and the tomb of thc· Emper or in Eth iopia. I t \lJas also th is Ethiop i e.n r ult·) who marrie d Omm Habiba, daughter o f Abu SOfyan to 1 h· ' Prop het. vie t say the Afr i cans fr igh ten the enemy by our bl ll1 ness :ven as r: i ght is more fearfu l than day_ Wooly h .. I, too , 1S the f1n est and strongest. Black i s s uperior . Bl ack cows are co nsidered the best and to have the Tll " , durab le h ides for le athe r. The same is e qu a l l y truf' ,.I black ?Onkeyse Bl ack sheep g i ves the cream i est mi l k . Mounta1ns a~d s~on~s ar7' harder the blacker they a r '. The black l10n 1S 1rres 1sti b l e. Blacle dates a r e t: J'\I' s wee test. ~ •• Black ebony i s the most s olid a nd the Int') ' t durable of woods . The blackest hair i s the mo st bU (lIll I f ul and in Paradi se e v eryon e wi l l have blac k hai r' . '1'1 .. pupi ls of the eye, too , are b l ack a nd are th ey not I h most precious part of t h e human body?
~"e r e
A. Ro ger s, lvORLD ' S GR EAT HEN OF COLOR , pag e 95, Volume I, Lhe following about Al-J ah i z and the use of the word"Negro."
233
It mu st al s o be not ed tha t wh en Jahi z r efer s to Negroes· he is speak ing princ i pa l l y of tho se in Afri c a and the f irst ge n era tion o f Africans li ving in Ar ab ia , and that wh e n he s peaks of wh i tes he is al so includina Ar ab i a n -born mUlattoes. An Arab, n ear-\~ hitet or mul a ttoe , and eve n black, "',as inc l i ned t o l oo k d own o n t he incom i na blacks f r om Afr ica a nd to co nsi der tt,em i n fe r im: muc h as a Northern Negro is incl i n e d to cons ide r h i mse lf sup er ior to a Sout h er n one or a \.J h ite or a b iack: c i t y - dwe ll e r d oe s someone f rom the country.
once "low ly Eu rop eans " (Hhite s) ar e nm·J the r.\ a sters of ·the o nce "high Af ric a ns l'(Bl acks ) . Al so,
I he anc i en ts of AJ::" abi a,
f' renc e s . l
The r e l atio ns hi p of t he col o r
l i v ed. It nev er e ntered the l a n guag e o f Islam, Arabic , u ntil II, lat e par t of t he 1 7th Century C.E ., at ", h ich time t he Arabs m.II'
ca lled "S 0NGHAY"
H.!'J~o:r ol andll
rtd ge neral i nfor man t s who have tried to mak e the E thio pians
II
!.> a me " educ a t o rs " ha ve tra nsl ated t he ''l o r d !OSUD A_N ,I! or !' SUD,"
, j
I It file a n " NEGRO ," wh en in f a c t
( S ongha i ) Empire, a nd the vast majori ty o f
j.,. con t ext o f the Ar ab ic u sage. This, o f c o u rse, "las a n atte mpt ;: til l ma i nta i ni ng
th e racia l quest ion in Arabi a ( Isl a n,) 1~l t
presented by AI -Jah iz, Isl am, are u sed a ga inst t he Air ic n n :J
once consider ed thei r
1!inferior .1! I t
that co l or _.l2.E-~&~
is not the monopol y of Judaism, Chr j :: 1
Is l am, nor
shou ld b e readil y unLl "'1
I.
One should readily see tlh.\ I
!
he " Negroi d ,'! b u t "Semit i c " or l' Hami t i c .!! Ye t i ':a ns o f
th e indi ge nous
ru t: k ,"
j"
or n Negro,
II
the my thica l Noah I s Ark drama.
r elig ion , beca..tse only a very small p e r cent-
of European s remai n r ai t hfu l
h.
'" S ince t he word "NEGRO" ,.,t as no t i n u se dur i nq t he "Lima \")! Jahiz, i t wa s i mpo s s ibl e for h im to have used i t a \-JJ-,(!l; V " I \ ! wou ld h av e o c c urred in this text , -En ';.! l i !>h t x:-a n s l a Llo n , t h.· '.-Jord has b een subs titute d by th e author o f t h.:i ~.t volume .
North Africa e x i s ted befor e the fi r s t Je w - Abraham ,
we ll as b ef o re" Sh em~ and ' Ha m"of
I
23 4
rac is t c o n cept th a.t North Afri ca could
ca n unders ta nd t h is, bec a u se Is l am ha s be e n c onceded to b e a
is it th e e x clus i ve property of European s i\ J"ld
Eur opean-Americans (l.1h i tes) .
t h~
.01,,1
the ir des c endan t s t od ay by ·the s a me p e o p le whom th e Afric <:l u n (III
or
it me an t HAf ri c a lT or HAf rica n" in
III
there in - Hend e ( ilMand ingoes O) <> T hes e conce p t s o f
I.empt s by many Europea n and European- A.mer i can (I'/ h i te) ed ucator s
I,· ',· cal l ed " NEGROES . " It is also ve ry s ig ni fica nt t o n ote that
tlN ~ r;,"
t he indi g enous Ai r! ·
T
i n AI-J ah iz' v-JOrks cer tai nl y re fut e s th e g eneral raci s 'c
V"I- ything - e l se but Bl ac ks (indig en ous A.fr i cans ), whom they t oo
co n tac t wi th th e P or tuguese or igina tor s of t he ''lo rd i n ("e st AI,
peop leo The ar e a they l abe le d
T he ident i f i c at i o n of th e E thi o p i ans (indigenous Bl a ck Eas t I r:iean s)
wa s never us ed by anyone duri n g the period i n histo r y when II,. 1
"N8GROLA.."'1D" and i t s
q ue s tion in Isla m, wi th r egar ds
1 ; th is s h oul d be obvi ous a
Hri t , -,
(Hhites), but the wor d "Ne (!l'"""
Th e Portu gue s e h ad e stabl i shed their
the in-
I f) t he Blac ks, wa s as muc h r el igiou s a s i t Has r aci al and c ul t ur-
tra nsla ted from the ori g in a l Arab ic \10rl;; by AI-J a hiz , to wh i c ll
a nd o f cour s e Eur op e an-Ame r ican s
they too now j oin the ra n ks o f
[lli sitors a nd exc l ud e the Afric a ns or enter them in infer ior J::" e-
1! Af ri c an Ti nov'! app ear s in t h e abo v e quo tation . The F.; ng l i sh tex t ,
!l 1!.~ gro "
jus t as t he Europea n s "J e re
(o nce e xcl u dc:d f J::" om h istory, or e nter ed i n a degr ad in g man n er by
No t e that " Hes tern" h i stor ian s use the "lOrd " NEGRO" \'4her " v'
Rog e r s refers, may sa ti sfy Rog er s and man y o th er
t ha t
1,-a n s to l erate i t
"~ I I
to it , a nd ver y few Europe a n-
in th e United Stat es o f Amer ic a. On t he
)l.1 nd i ·t s e ems t hat J uda i s m and Christian i ty mu s t be pr o tect-
I I l<)ltl
b~c orn i. n 0
cor rupted wit h II Negroes " -
their ori g in a tors , i n
235
order that the lily
and Euro pean- Amer ica ns re -cl ass i f ie d t h em a ft e r
" wh i te lamb of t h e sh e p h erd " (th e blonde
t he conque s t o f
Jes us Chr i st pa in ted. b y Michae la n ge lo) \."ould never become t he
t he E ast ( p a rts of Afric a and Asia) by t he Por t uguese a nd the
'b lack sh e ep o f
,'Ies t
the fa mily;
I
and. tha t no b l ack - s k inn e d a nge l
( t h e Cari bbe an Is la n d s and the Ameri c a s) b y t h e Span i a rds,
wo u l d ev er integr a t e or am al ga mate t he present Caucasian he avjol,
:nd the ex te n sion of t hese t wo conque sts by o ther
be ing presen t ed. to Chri s tians and Jews a li k e . Of co urs~ Ethiopi ,
I,ial
a nd Su danese peopl es are today c a ll ed "black -ski n n ed. Caucasicln ..
who p lanted Euro pe an- style Chri st ia nity as t h e s pi ri t ua l
al o n g vJith man y mil l i ons of o ther
l or the ir c o l on ial e xpan s ion a nd the institutio n o f chat t e l s l ave -
so-c a lled "Negr o es" in or d e l
c l a :irn East and Nort h Af r ic a n h is t ory a nd h e rita g e for the "wh .i l
this
is
The i sle s b etween Africa ( Sudan) · a n d Ch ina a re al l p eo pled t>J i th Black s, tha t is Cey l on, Ka l ah , Zabig. Mo s t o f t he Arabs a l so a r e as black as we, t h e Africans ar e , a nd c annot be count ed am ont] th e ~lj hi t es. As fo r the Hind us (i ndian s o f India)· the y are eve n d ar ker (b lack er )· t h an the Ara bs ,
the ear l ie st human- l ike ( "
s i l s u near th e d in Afr i ca .· T hi s t h ey hoped wo ul d have the " wh i t e -s k i n ned Ca uc as ia ns " a s t h e origina l
t h e la t e 1 5th t hrou gh 1 9 !1l c enturi e s C.E. ,
I n f ur th er id en tif yi n g the " Bl ack Rac e" AI- Jahiz wro te :
the at tem p t b y t he Wh i tes t o c o - opt Zi njanth[" t.l I'
us bo is ie, Bo skop man ,a nd o ther s o f
from
, y.
s kinn e d Ca ucasi a n s" of E:urope a nd t he America s . Th e t echniqu e I, h ind
nations
Europe a n co lo-
est abli ~ II
peop le of th e
AI-J ah i z' descript i on and i de nt i fica ti on of the Pro phet Moca ll ed "GARD EN OF ED EN" spoke n of in t he "wester n Re li gions" dai sm , Chr i s t iani ty ,and Isl a m) being se t
straight wi th re s pc( I •
their indi ge nou s Afric a n origi n s in t his ...,ork . Al- Jahiz'
'" p l aced h im, Mo hamet
l! !file t
\11 i
~
of
said "race " bef or e th e c olonial a n d imper ialis t E uropeill1!'!
In
Wh at AI-J ahiz h as revealed about the Prophet Mo hamet' s f am il y [1
se ld om mentioned hi s t orical fact abou t him. EVe n t h e Prophe t
li) h r1ohammed ' s
This , in f a ct, wa s a common p l a ce i d en t i fication of th. ' 1,,,11 African s and other peop le s of t he " Bl a c k Rac e!! by m('lII lo,'
II
The t en s o ns o f Abd e l Motta l ib ( the gra ndfa t her o f Moh amet )·were a l l b l a c k a nd strong, 50 ~... as Abdu l lah i bn Abbas, Ho hamet ' s cous in. The of t he f a mi l y of Abu Ta l i b ( a r e l at i o n of Mo hamet and. t h e fa ther of the Su l t an, Al i) · wer e al l more or l ess blac k in color.
once more q uoted:
e nous
i n the f a mil y of t he "B l a ck Ra ce .
r e g ards AI -J ah iz wrote:
sta t e men t , whi ch r:'\o s t af f e c t ed t h e above is :JUf' ,
The African s have t he swe e test b re a th a nd the gr ea t es t a mou nt of sa liva be i n g i n th is respect l ike the d o g as comp ared 1.-li th other ani mal s . As we sa i d Blac ks ar e more nu merous t han th e Whi te s s i nce t h ey are mad e u p o f E thio p i a n s, t he F e zza n ~ , Berbers, Cop ts , Nubia n s , Tagh - wa ns, t he peop l e o f Bl a ck Ce y lon , India, Qu am ae a nd Indo- China . Zl S
I
Na t io n of Is lam (Black Mu sli ms) of t he Uni t ed
o f America ma in tai ns I slam' s exclusive "As i a n or i g i n.,,49
Ip l , th at its orig inator s ,."er e a ll II Asi a t1c Bl a ck Men ." But Al -
1,1:-"
who 1.-l as b orn, ed uc ated a nd lived there in Arab ia , refute s
II ' t heor ies, a nd many mor e . T his i s best seen in h i s r e marks • Se e Y. ben-Jochannan , BLACK MAN OF THE NI LE, Al kebu- .l a n \ 1"" 0 ,1 New York , 1970 , Cha p ter o n ear l i es t f o ss il-m a n t."ith r e :J pOl"' l I, t he c o- op ti on of Zinj an t hro pus bois i e, Bos kop man , e t c ., II I! comp l e te a nal ys is.
236
W or u~ I f\ r ~
in bracket~ b y the author o f t h i s vo l ume , indicating the i n t h e t r ans l ation of t he ori gina l Ar abi c text t o En gl i sh Vnro c mph u s i z e the miss i n g "'Jords.
23 7
wi th res pec t
to Lockman (Loqman, whom the Gr eelcs call ed "Aesop'"
This h istoric a l record revea l s that a JeH wa s onc e the
and othe rs ,59 a nd of course his iden tification of t he Prophet
r ule r of Yemen, an Arab country acr oss the Re d Se a f rom ethiopia .
Mohamet:
"' nd tha t re l i g ious tolerance, not in to l e rance , l'las the patter n of Black ebony is the mos t so l id and most durab l e of woods .. The b lack ha ir is t he most beautiful a nd in Par adise, everyone will have black ha ~r .
Liv i ng amo n g t h e Bl acks , eve n of Arabia. I t al so states tha t the If'WS of th at era \vere not " Ca ucasians" in any sen s e o f the word,
The above comme nt by AI-Jahiz is repeated , as i t was connl
so many modern European- American a nd european (Je\·/s a nd Chris -
.1:,>
d e r ed the mos t common desc.ription of the major \rlri ters of Asio!
I l ans) h istorians have cons t a ntl y in f erred.
of the Islamic peop le s of his ear. This ';/as no mor e a racist vi
One can readil y see \,oihy the Yemenite a nd Ethiop i an (P alasha,
tha n t he expression in Mi chae l ange l o 's " everyone in heaven
Beta Israe l ) Hebre';js (IfJe\vs") h ave mai ntai ned t he o ld est a nd
Ir
is blonde \-li th g olden hair and blue eyes" p ictures. Thi s is
l l('
5 t a uthe nticall y a ncient
I
expressed in t-tichae l angelo ' s pain ting of l1THE LAST SUPPER" (p ,..
These tr aditions, of course, are expected to g ive way to
a nd ot her r e li gious sc enes o f so l ely b l onde ange l s i n an a1 1-\JII I Chr i stian h eaven f l ying arou nd an equllily
&()~
Jesus Chr i sl
;' lcopea n and European-Americ an Talmudic Jud aism , \r/h ich i s pre se ntl y "' n'71an ized and An g locized to mee t curre nt reli g ious i nterpr e ta -
111
his blonde family - Josep h (his father) and Mary (his mother).
Inns tha t a r e most suitable t o th e religi o us power-struc t ure
Jesus l brother , Jame s , being care full y concea l ed or o mi tted 11""
\11
t h e scene, hm·/ever.
111('
On the conque s t ,of the Blac ks (Ethiopians in this cas e) .. v ot hers, AI - Jahiz wro te:
'I\(~ for any gr o u p o f
11111
peop le \'/h o may hav e b ecome similarly
ca ll ed
Ir l~ LANu
1n
Persia; and t hat they also conqu ered all of Arabia, mo st
"lit
~t
e ver - else . Al l of these co l or:3 are appare n t among the
I. ·,· e~. . ( mi snomered tiJ e ws") t ri bes ~'Ih i ch are stil l i n exis t ence lili
~ca t ·tered
a l l over
t he Pl a net - EAH.TH.
I t would have been h1.imanly impossib le fo r "~I
the Blacks of Ethiop i a (ind iQo nt ,II
or "S emitic':) once set u p their k ing dom
2 38
mo dern s ·tate of Isra el . Th i s i::l'pe o f reflection is nonethe less
nJ , and of cour se , th ose ~'Jho are Bl a ck: Broltm, Red , YelI Ol.... , and
Af ricans whom many call "B l acks lt or "Negroes," some time s "Il.ulI\'1
persia, and par t s of I ndi a.
I
the presen t Eu rop ean-Amer ican ('.'Illi te) dominated government of
1!lvt) lved in the same h istor i ca l circ umstances as d id the \vhite
\'~e ( t he Bl acks) have con q uered the country or the Arabs as far as Mecca and governed t hem . ~le defeated Dhu NO';/as (the Jewish King of Yemen) anu kille d all of t he Himyarite princes, but you , i·lh i t e peop l e, have never conquered o'U.t' country. Our peo ple , the Zenghs (Blacks of East Africa) revolted forty times in t h e Euphrates, driving t he inhabitants from their h omes a nd ma lci ng Obol l ah a bath of blood .
I t is to be noted tha t
tradi t ion s ( or thodox ) o f ancient Juda-
I ,
the J eNS (Sem ites,
Cauc
II i.ra ns (the so- called "Neg roe s," etc .) or their fel l O\rI Asians I. A1 b s (onc e also cal l ed U$emite s,ti now "Hami t es . " ) . Thi s is .. vitilng the Jevls \rIere of a d i stinctly different " race l! o f peop l e , . L l!
th ey entered Africa (Sais, \'Jhich they ca l led Eg ypt)
w
Of 239
r
course, some people refer to t he J ews, Irish , Italian, Ethiop1 II
~ff ort
Austra lians, etc., as "races," the 1rlord IIrace " having become ill
Afr i can orig in, a nd indicate offense \-/hen such is re jec ted by
itself an enigma. Why? Because some of the same people wh o ar c
t he African communi ty of peoples.
classified as "Semites!l and HHarnites" conve niently at times bc -
nece ssi ty to point out, at least, t he major con tr ibutions
com e "Caucasiansll and " l>Jhites. rl Even
" Negro~
... -' become "Hamite:J"
(as ah/ay s) to j ustify i ts app li cation to peop le of
There fore , it is beyond bare
by Black pe oples (th e so-called "Negroes, Bantus, Hottentots,
and IISemites" and other names differe.llc ... 0 the sla\re nomencla tul
I'y gmies, Bushmen, Africans South o f the Sahar, etc .. ) in all
when everyone y Or anyone, within the gr oup do something of rna i,,,
man ner o f human achievements, religion included . Semantically speaking -
sign i ficance . And of course "Blacks,1I such as St. r1aurice of Aw•• on, Patron Saint of the Roman Catho l ic Church of ,
lo:~~
th ere is an assumption in the
nmer ican-English langu age that any human name without the
t heir color in t he religious shuf f l e a l ong \"ith S t . Benedict (I,
_, djec tive "Negro" is understood to be IIC aueasian.'1 Thus, "the
Moor , St. Cyprian, St. Augu stine, st . Marti n de Pores, st. filnl dl
itL!gro Minis ter, Dr. King, Jr. ," ins tead of "the Reverend Dr.
(St. August ine's mother), st . Felicita , St .. Perpetua, st.. Nyml,1
,.l ng , Jr.
and the entire entourage of "saints" of Alk ebu-Ian (Afric il ac-
I:: : lam , Bilal ?"
cording to the Gr ee ks and Romans). This is true, to the poin l
I.,\ :;t Af rica. Therefore, he is supposed to have been a "black
where i t 1s s t ill being averred that
!I .. . . .
Po pe Paul VI cannoll 'l ··1
the first Ne gro saints of Africa Hh en he vis ited Uganda ••• ,II ,
j.
martyrs - "Saints II of Chri stendom were indigenous
A frican~
rf\I -,,:t any day in - the Harlems of the United States of American ,
(1-'., I I
Afr ic a or the Caribbean Island s. One reads about the Chronology o f events in the life of
P"I\~Lmet .
Nyrnphamo and Pe rpetua l· - so-called "Neg roes." No one, ,-lith any sense of justice, can say that there t
Certainl y no t, because he \"as born in Ethiopia,
!Iucasian" or something other than a plain old "Negro" one can
~1'G t
thus over l ooking the fact, or ignoring same, that the fi rst
l'lhy not then, "The Neg ro f1uzzin and co-founder of
But, i t is very rarely men t ioned that in the year 6 15
.J :. o r BH 7 his followers had to f lee Mecca for Et h iopia , East
'.
need to mention that the indigenous Afr ican s h-Jho were re:lpC"u ' ,
, ri c a - a period of six short years be f ore the Hegira (6 2 2 C.E.
for the beginning of Judaism, Christ i an ity and Islam) were o f
r 1\1-1 1). The same conspicuous absence from history is made of
p ar t icular color than any other persons involved. This wo uld I·
hj' -fa c t
ideal. But life, reality, and idealism are not synonymous
n t his text and chapter to the £mp e ror of E thi.opia in 629 C .. E.
\... ith the IINegro" and "slavery .. " Yet "Negro" has beell
11111.1
synonymou s "lith "inferiority. II But its creator s - Europe-ntl
",.1
European- Amer ican h istorians, "educa t ors, " etc ., ha ve f;} J,'01
I
that Mohamet also sent one o f th e letters mentioned before
/I '7) demandi n g that t he emperors of the world drop their
"I'ctive Gods
It . . . .
and worship the one and only tr ue God -
I la h " as proclaimed by his Pro phet - t10h amet h imself.
~ These -three are mentioned d ~) OVe wi i..;rl the oth c _t:" 1nd il]( -0
? "O
241
las t day of life o f t he Prop he t of Al t lah - r-10hamet on th e Plane t Ea r th , J une 8 , /\H 10 or 632 e . e.
A CHRONOLOGY OF THC LIFE AND DEATH OF MOHAMET ·BH 53 (569 C~E~) Death of Mohamet's fa th e r,
BH BH BH
BH BH BH BH
·- AH AH /\'H /\'H ',.H AH
AH
l\H
I\.H
just a few mon ths b efore Hohame t ' s birth . ~2 (5 70 C.C.) Birth of t10hamet at Hecca, or Medina . 46 ( 57 6 C.E.) Mohame t l smoth er - Ami n a h - died. Moham'"' a n orphan a t age six (6) ~ 2 7 (5 9 5 C .E.) Moh amet mar"ri ed th e wealth y widow of il merch a n t of Mecca - Kh adija. 1 2 ( 6 1 0 C .B . ) "Hohamet receives h i s Ca ll from the Arc h angel , Sa_int Gabri el. 1I 7 (615 C . E.) F light o f Hohamet and h is fol lowers t o P, "t hiopia, Eas t Africa. Some exclude Mohame t f rom thi ~; e v ent; o ther \~'r i ter s declare he was with this group . 3 (619 C.E.) Dea th of Mo h ~net's wife, Khadija . 2 ( 62 0 C . E.) l'1 o hamet ' s "Night Jour n ey on the c laudio f:com H7cca to Jerusal~m aboard t he S event h Heaven," accor d ~ ng to Mos lem Ho l y Scripture.
1 ( 622 C.E . ) The Hi j ra (or Year of the Hegira ). The b egi n ning of the "Hoslem Era lf and Calendar .. 2 ( 624 C . E .) Ba t tle o f Bad r ( Ho slems massacre of the Qur nysh (Quar i s h) people (li tribc "). 3 (625 C .E. ) no~lem s massacred in the Battle of Uhud. 4 (626 C . F:. ) Bl ack Jews (the aTr ibe of Al-Nadhir) extermi nated b y t h e Noslem s . No more th a.n b~ e1ve 0 1 their number remai ned, but they \"/e!'" e expe lled f rom 1\, S ( 62 7 C .E . ) Necc:ans def eated i n the ir attemo t to se i ze I'Je dina and captur e J-."johamet a nd h is f ollower s " The I-Jar of t he Di t c h. " 6 (628 C . E .) Noh amet a n d h is "S oldiers ,.,f Al ' l a h" ma ssacre t h e Black Je\'IS of lI.ura y za. :\ 1 1 \,'omen a nd c h ildr en col d into sl a ver y , e xcept those take n a s f or harems i n t.rabi a and Per s ia. More thZln 700 me n mur d ered . Onl y one ( l ) reported saved be e , \\' of h -i-"s conversion t o I sl am . 1 7 (629 C . E.) Hoi1amet s e nd s h i :; l e tt er s d em andin g lIl t ' eve r y h ead of s t a te surrender th e lilse l ves to "the 0111 tr ue Pro~het o f AI' la h , ;1 a n d to ",\ 1' lah' s Holy '.lor (1;1 ." Letters ,"Jere sent to t he emperors of Byzantium E thiop ia, Yemen, China , a nd many others . ' 9 (6 31 C . E.) lI.rab ia n stat es acce pted Is lam in t h e face of be i n g liquid ate d b y Mohamet's lIarmy o f Al ' 1" \ I,' The :(ear of ISmbass ie s. II 1 0 (532 C.C . ) The f areHell p il grimage by r"~ oham cL lo hi s most tJ;u s ted f ollo\l/ers on t he 'Nay to his d caLh in r1ecca, March 6 32 C . E. , or AH 10 . The l a st
BH - Befor e the Heg ira (The year Mohome t . . 'as f orced to I I , I1ecca a nd hide o u t i:lt the Oasis of Yath rib in Hed ina) . -- J\U After t he Heg ira .
Pra ise be t o Al ' l a h, Lord of Cre at ion, The comp assionate and Herc i ful, Ki ng of th e Jud gmen t Day! You alone we \'Iorship, a nd to you al one o u r p rayer for help i s rendered . Guide us a lon g t he stra igh t path, Th e path of tilose yo u have favored t No t th ose who have suffered your wr ath. Nor of thos e . . ,ho have dr ifted astray . Prais e b e to Al ' l ah , Lord of Creation . The above pray er, "The Exordium ," is to be said b e f ore readI fH) a n y age i n li The Rec i t a 1 " -
. . 1h i Ch me anS "KORAN'1 or "QUR ' AN"
I n Arab ic ( g e ne rall y t h e Hoslem Sible or Hol y Bib l e) ..
T he fo ll owing are t he Goddesses of I s lam Hh o became t he ••• ' \lAUGHTERS OF AL' LAH" : Al -
la t , the S u n God d ess .
Al _ Manat , t he Godde ss of Ven us. Al _ Uzzah , the Foc t u ne Goddess . Th e major in t erpretations of t he Kor a n used in th is work a:ce I
\ ~'..' n f rom the s tandard au thorita t ive c omme ntaries by AI- Beid hawi, I
-~'a l aheim I and Al - Zaroak hshar i, three of the most outstand ing Is-
! 'Il1tC
sch o lars o f
th e Kora n. I t
is to b e noted , however, that there
o t he r e sta b lis h e d i nt erp~e tation s in u se by a nu mber of Ara b hl)()ls , each h aving i ts own au t h o ri ty . Yet , thi s is t he one \\lhich
been e ndors ed by author i t i es in Mecca . AL' LAH ALONE K NO i-J UHAT HE MEANT \-JHEN HE t'JROTE THE SE t'JORDS
~'he above q uo t ation is typical of the re sponse Islamic schol ,~i. ve for t he u nd eclph er ed Arabic s cri pt a t t.he beginn ing of I lain verses of t he Koran. This is th e same mann e r in wh i c h t his
242
24 3
KI NG , MOHAMMED ) DI VI NE, l'tATTHElrlS J AND GARVEY: n.EL I GIOUS NEW DIME:NS IONS
ch apte r comes t o i ts c l osi n g . No o ne knows \-J hether Moh amet , J es us Christ ,or Abra ham wa s
Cha pt er Five
" TRUE ?RO?H ET ." Ma ybe th e on l y ll Tr u e Proph e e\.,ras a Upag a n, 1I or
per haps o n e of the prese nt Africa .n - American s - wh o, l ike th e
phe ts of o l d named abo v e , is being ignored a nd r e jec ted be f or l> h is acce ptance, by hi s ol-ln p eop le.
On Apr i l
pl ~ ' w ~s
1'(
4,
1 968 , th e Reverend Dr. Martin Luther
Ki n g , Jr. ,
sh ot down i n col d bl ood by an assas sin' s b u ll e ts . Th is t r age sh o cked the ent i r e world i n a simi l ar manner to the as-
l -s si na t i o n o f Mah atma (" T he Hol y One " ) Mohand a.s Karamchan d Gh an -
tIo'HO? OR WHAT ? HAKES A " PROPHET" ?
1\ i -
the man fr om who m the late Dr King, Jr
" do n - vi ole nt p hilo s o ph y .
II
0,
mod eled h i s 0\'10
Dr. King I s tragi c death immed iat e ly set
. ,1 f a cha i n reac ti on to the v i olenc e that s t ruck h im down . In ,n. lo y of the Afr ie an-Am er i ean ( Black ) commu n i t ies throughout the tid ted S t ates o f
Amer i ca, the r e act i on follo\.,red a l i ne of ma ss
I,·.-; truct i o n to rea l c.nd per sona l prope rti es i n wh i ch the rioters Hd no own e rs h i p . Th i s venge an ce f ound i t s way ag ains t
t he absentee -
wrw d r e tail stor es and tenement hou ses \-Jh ic h thes e commun i t i es \V ~
for gen erutions held in co ntemp t
be caus e o f perc e i ved ma l -
rlr t ice s tha t ari se from th e i r ad mi n i stra tio n . Som e how , Dr. King ' s sh or t, but very act ive , Career qlf ' l y assoc i at e d "li th the str uggl e f o r r
III'
uconst i tut i ona l r i ghts " -
5 0 - cal l e d "no n- v i ole nt c i vil ri ghts move ment,
"'k on a not her
has bee n
Ii
a c aree r whic h
per spec tiv e wh e n he was aHarded the cove ted uNoble
We Priz e" o n t-1arch la, 1964, by t h e Par l iame nt o f t he Kingdom ' ; ~·Iu d e n
for h is ,-Jork in the " n on - v i o l e n t movement ll t o\... ards worl d
i n the Un ited state s o f Amer ic a . Bu ·t Dr. Ki n g ' s overal l
·t ·
o n al li f e III I
;
pro -
f rom 195 5 wh e n h e j oined wi th Rosa Par ks and
i n th e ,j Mon t gomery (A l a bama) Bus Boycot t " -
had anot her a nd
nl ' q l e c t e d phuse, th at is, his revolu t i o ni za t i on o f the ro l e t·rt! u nQ tl n t a nd mo st r epre ssiv e c l e r g y (J ew is h , Christ ian , r1 os -
2 44
24 5
lem, and others) of th e United States of America. In short, he
t. heir pOHerful r e li.g iou s p ropaga nda machinery, not to men tion
removed !!Soul saving" from the sanctum sanctorum of million-
I.h eir all ies '", i t hin the g overnmen t of t he Uni t ed S t a tes of
dollar churches, mosques, and synagogues to the people in the
:'\meri c a, made him the in t erna t ional fi g ure of " •• • chang e
streets of the urban and rural communities which the m.
I
He crosse d religious-denomination barriers and
hrou g h non-violen t means . "
Th is does no t , in a n y "'/ay 'l-Jh atsoe v e r
.,l.k e a"Jay from the grea tness tha t Ha s Dr. Martin Lu ther King ,
classif~cation s
j .
and ignored eth nic and national origins through action . He did
Jr. tsj it only cites the main beneficiaries of hi s str u gg le s -
not resort to meaningless rhetoric from pious pulpits on high -
Ule so-called t'T.'J hite liberals" of the United States o f America. The rythmic chanting voice of the Revere nd Dr. Kin g, Jr .,
the u s ual decadence to Hhich organized religion has sunk. He
,J Lth all of its African-American (Black) Baptist and Vood o o
identified the goa l s of European-American Christianity (with
ty listic delivery VJhich came from a heritage of h u ndreds of years
\.Jh ich he was associated), thereb y leadin g the mul ti tudinous poor (the forgott en peo p le of Judaism, Christiani t y, and Is1.':un)
IIi 1t\'Jesternizing" traditional African reli g ious background ,
wh om h is fe lloH cler gymen were sup posed to lead and ser ve, b ut
nLe grated with European-American-type Christianity, was made
whom t h ey so miserably failed.
Li ll on that infamous day in 196 8 by the bullets from the gu n of h~
Dr. Kin g 's life in religion as a moving force for chanDv ,
confessed assassin - James Ear l Ray.
The Reverend Dr. Martin Lut her King , Jr ., th e Christian
by an Af rican-American was not u nique. It was a li fe t ha t e n j i. ,,' ,
(tor mer
a limited sense of respect from those who controlled society
and marty r, had recen t ly, be fo re his murder, appealed to
,d .; c e l igious co n tem porarie s o f
during his lifetime, and no\'I, and in all of its ramification ::. Whereas, others who have struggled very much in the same ma J'lIl4 ',
1
II
t he clergy in th e United states
Amer ica in so man y 'vJays s imilar to the indig enous Africa n
be f ore his birth and after his assassination, have not met w1 I I,
1I l.I c k,
"Ne gro , " etc.) "Church F ath ers" (St. Cyprian , Tertullian,
tne same type of approval he received by the UWhite Power
uri S t.
Aug ustine) of Christendom's a ppeal to early "Christian
~; I I
The f ollowing people were, or are, just a few of the Black Vlho (in their 0,,10 way) did as much:
\I.
time " to c han g e its irreli g ious way s . But \" ill Dr. King be
111"11
~Lified for
the late Fa ther Divine,
Honorable Marcus Moziah Garvey, and S\'!eet l)addy Grace.
Tho :~\ \
Prophet Eli jah Mohammed." These men, both ed and a liv e ,
the direction of t h eir lives. The IIUniversalism" ''chat: ../ a 3
,I
11 .01 ,
I II ~
throug h his endorseme n t of U\1hi te liberal" co-r el:l9 ioni:;t;..· . . "
I \ \.1
I ~J~ l c s everywhere)
his "SOUL HAS ENTER ED THE ANCESTR AL SPIRIT
/I.D . I' Amongst European-Amer ican s and Af r i can- Amer icans i t may
tldV
done as mUCh, or more, for million s of Af ri c an-AJnericans t o \
t ll e correct "Chris t ian sect.1I Ye t, to t he Africans (Blac k
wi ..
are stil l alive include: Rabbi "'l entworth Matthews and the"l!l.HI' U
his Chris t -li ke lif e? Not at all; he did not be long
'\1',
"
" enter e d into heaven to await judg mer..t day ." This must do, LJ H:!.r c is no preced e nt set for
the beatification of the dead
'I""q the Bap ti!"'. ts, so that Dr. Kin g , Jr., could
be beatified
247 246
like other uBlack saints,1I s uch as the South American St . r'larLiII de Pores.
But unlike S t. Martin de Pores, whose major claim to
beatificat ion was said to be for caun t r y . ... ,, 2
(a kind of a St.
It • • •
S t. l'1artin de Pores' beatifica tion Has f o r his f i g hting lJ a inst the inhuman slave trade \-.Jhic h so ma n y Christian (Roman
chasing rats out of his
'ntho lic and Protestant) a nd J e wish member s of the lai ty and clergy
Patrick of Ire l and chasing th~
elf his country (and other parts of the
" snakes out of Ireland" myth), Dr. Kin g Jr.' s beatificq,t ion
Ill'
would be for "keeping things cool
'he Right Reverend Bishop Bartol eme de Las Casas in 1506 C.E .
benefit of the
amon g the Blacks for the
Wh i te li bera l s. II
othen"ise ed .
"New \'/orld") controlled,
The Iisiave trade " that was s tarted by
,n the Island of Hi spa ni ola (former l y called Hayte by the indigenou s
To equate the Reverend Dr. f1artin Lu ther King, J r. with :; I
"op l e - the so-cal led "Caribs ll
•
Note t hat this isla.nd i s present l y
Augustine, to some, wou ld be almost sacreligious . But the fact
livided into the Republic of Sa nto Dom in go, and the Republic of
stil l remains that Dr. King Has more activel y engaged a mong til'
II lit i) •
common flock t han the gr eate st of Christendom' s " fathers of til
Dr. King ' s indigenous Afri can predece ssors - St. Cyprian, ~tu ll ian ,
Christian Churc h " - SL Cyprian, Te rtullian, and St . Aug u stllil These three indi gen ous African Ch r is tian " Ch urch Fathers," cd
II.
Nor th Afr i can Church ..... hic h the Roma ns cop i ed , were Chr i stend(.m' g reates t academicians and phi l osophers durin g their life, remain so after t heir death .
They set the
"!!:!.Q}'...!l"
follow , but Dr. King applied t hem for
a nd " spir II I
the f irst time i n
1.1
t he way of J es us Chr ist,II
4
a criterion \yhich the overwhelming
lIoth e r major d ime nsion added to Christianity by another son of lica (A lke bu- lan ) . And, of cour se , to a ll other rel i g i ons . It l he Dr.'s a b ility to employ within Chr istianit y in the Un i ted
hllnldll
history.
, Le s of America that which is " God -li ke" in mankind, i rrespective
The Reve rend Dr. King, Jr . \;lent beyo nd the revolution '" \ t I, Chr i s t e ndom, furthe r
!Ileal Christianity . They sa ...! no salvat ion for any man " •• • unless
\ lori ty of Christian leader s sti ll confirm. Here in one sees
al)oI
cour se for other Chr is tians like the Reverend Dr . Ki n g , J r.
and S t 9 Augustine - addressed themse l ves to phi l oso-
th an his namesak e - Hartin Luther, t ht'
European Ca tholic Christia n reformer of the l1iddle Ag es. Jr . led t he multitudes j and this he did irrespective of
jJ l .
j.
He most c ertain l y empl oyed this princip le
(, he a dopted t h e physical and spiri tual techniques o f a Hindu I
,., waS des i gnated a " pagan" by Christians , J ews, and Moslems It"' , e ven t hough his life was the mode l for million s \·Jho cherish
r.ln
c re ed , color, sex , nati onality, and other divisive clas·sll
I rel i g iOU S c r eed .
II.
somet hin g n ever be fore accompl ished by the "Church Fathe r; :.... ,,'
" n.on-violent activist movemen ts," at least those who say that If do , arou nd the \·.,rorld today .
his namesake, Mart i n Luther. Al k b u-l a n wa s the origina l name for the continent th e Romans I I;r: ceks r e n a med IIAFRICA . II See BLACK MAN OF THE NILE, by Y. t JOC han n Jn , Alkebu-Ia n Books, New York , 1970, for further Iflltmatio n in th:Ls area of African his tory . 248
249
Were the things -
I t i s con ven i ent, bes ide s bei ng i .,no rDnl, for a nyone t o
the type of "Christian Doctr ines " preacl
by St . Cypr ian, Tertu lli an, and st. August i ne - wh at moved th,..·
I'ha t
Reve r e nd Dr. Martin Luther Ki n g , Jr. ? Or was i t t he humanistic'
i nd i g enous Africa n s of all t ra ce s o f
tr ad itions with i n t he Afr ican-American subcu ltur e that expandt,.t
lL' oug ht f rom Africa and then tota l ly
the European s and European-American::; we r e ab l e t <) de nude the t he i r rcl i (jious h e ri tage they su p erimpo ~ c
"pure " European-
l y l e Judaeo - Ch r is tian i ty ,,, i thou t one thou g ht or their Afr icanism
wi t hin the United Sta te s of America - of Nhich Voodoo, ,JU JUt Obyah, and other traditionally i ndigenous Af rican reli gion s ru
( Voodoo, Obyah, Ngai , Limbo, Oamca ll ah Ouedo , etc.) r ema inin g.
component parts?
" S teal a\'-Iay, S teal a\"ay" the " Negro Spiritual" cr i es ou t .
Most Jewis h , Christi an, and Is lami c c on ressan ts Hould ctf'llY
"Ilide a\"ay, Hurry, Hide a.'/aYI master ( massa he come) is coming ,"
even t h e poss ib i l ity of any indig enous Afr ic an her i tage in 01 •
I t: says . " Ah say , God be ,.'-/i th you t yeah, ah say God be wi t h
Kin g ' s religi ou s life. Th i s is beca u se they have assoc i ated Ih
, ' ~ o. h,
orig1n of J udaism (Hebrewism), Christi ani ty, and Islam sol e ly
I"C
"~'IHITE
SUPREMACY." Ye t, in the Rever end D,
Ki ng's pub lic appearances and spe eches (mass meetings) be f oJ called "liberal" a nd "humanisi..:ic," as we ll as societi es, anyone fam i l i ar
~/i t
yeah, till we meet a g ain! Ah say •• • , " etc. In each of these
sees the Voodooistic African background asserting itself against
lIe! dry and soul less European- AmeC' ic an {'/elch-sty le Chri stian pre -
Europeanism and Caucasiani sm, and of c ourse capitali sm - 1n simpler wi th
a~::; u me
" u tation Ni th its Eng l ish perfectivi ty . Thus , "••• God \oJill be "'Iith U II
I
"phi lan thropjc~'
un ti l
it is possible for us to meet again,"
The Reverend Or
&
r t in Luther King , Jr ., as any other " So ul Preacher, " \'JOuld say:
h t he African- Amer ican (so- c. 11 I. I
"Yeah, Ah been up to the mountain t<)p - Ah say, I been up to the moun tain top •• • , II etc .
" Negro") Church, Synagogue or t·losque cou l d hear the carr y-ov'l 1,1 the "yeah ," as in the "A h say, " the SOUL of the Afr ica n Voodoo the indi ge n ous Afric ans and their descendants in the " He!; b.."
II III
Hemi sphere .
II
Afr ican chants that en t e r ed the Un ite d
Statc:~
f inds itself be i ng released . But does the "yeah U indicate some
" I
411
i: of vocabulary def icienc y as ma n y
" ~'J est~ rn"
e ducatoC's i mp l y?
America by means of the enslaved Afri ca n s (Blacks, not "N'.! ' fJ" ). Re verend Dr . Martin Lut her King , J r.'s doctoral degree \"a 5 earntha t were trans fe rred from the sug a r plan t ations and co Lt On
I
I ([' om One of the most r.espected , academically t h at is , institu-
of
the Car i bbean Islands (ca lled the "t/est I ndies" by the ::11 ,111 I'I)\!:; of hi g her l earning in t he United States of America - BOSTON
COl onists from t he days of Cri stoba l Co l on , 1 492 C.E . )
f rolll' , I
"v/·:n SITY, Boston, t1assachusetts . or 1 62 0 C.E:.
F or it was there in the Car ibbeans t h a t " CAI-;';' j" Un ior tu ~~ tely,
(kah-ee -so ) or
"Carry- so" became "Calypso , " just as i t
~"I :'"
there are no musica l sounds t o come from these
1,<. , ,1-: in t h i s chpate r, a nd many who read th em may never have the
the United States of America that " Voodoo chants" and o l h ~ Ird genous Afr i can spiritua lism ~I as mi s nomereo "NEGRO. S PIRl.'!'lI .\1 • "Negr oes" were never l.mpor ted from Af rica (Al kc.bu-l , \II) \'Iere. Afr i cans cannot produce " Neg rQes," j U3t as e urop ,n, ,, 1 produce " Pa l o F ace Tra sh" or "Honkies. " '1'h(' ::; ('> d ~J;~ato[y I" n I. i nve nted b y cer tain men to ffiilin t ai n th(>i.r own pccGo n n.l r :\t ' " means by wh i ch t o ke ep a.ll Arne r iC('l nD d i v ide d .r I , III 1r W\ Jtl I I
III'Wlll ll ity of witn essin g an African- Amer ic a n minis ter of t he IM ' l - one ','-Iho " r e c e i ved his callingll without any for mal educa-
I'" 1.11 a E': uropean- Amer iean (t'/hi te) type Chr i stian seminary S \' OIjnl') in
['til
"O l d
l~"::.hion
Reviv al," Brin g ing The Message o f
25 0
2 51
Jesus Christ." The sho ..Jmanship, at lea st t he ph y sical expressill ll
The " I s lam" being spoke n of at this t ime is officiall y called
of t he mini s ter, alone, crea t es th e nece s sar y environment and
' L'he Na t ion of Islam'!I - colloquiall y "The Black Mu slims," the latte r
ting for
name b e ing the one Professor Er ic C . Lincoln p laced upon the f aith -
the transmi gration ( metaph ys i c al) exp erience in whic h II
entir e c ong rega t ion ( mostly wome n and children ) b ecomes enr ap I n t h is ceremony one can al s o see, menta ll y that i s, th e Oba
II
0'
11.11 in h is s tudy of them that a ppeared in h is b ook b earing the ."me name.
Nana ( prie s t) as he praises the God - Oledamare and h is Orish,l
7a
"T he latest Prophet," said to be the so n of a Baptist preac her,
( mi n o r Gods) . Then the cong re g a t ion br e aks loose in a trance- lt
1.1.li Po o le, and his ..life - Harie, b oth of Sandersville, Georgia,
suspens e , dancing in praises on hi gh to t heir maker - Jesus ClII I
I.)c merly called himself - Elijah Poole, presently renamed ... ..
in this case as i t would . be, ..Jere thGly in Afric a . In the same "
"r'he Pro ph et, The Honourab le Elijah Moh ammed, The I1essenger, The
one sees t he houngan (Priest ) and Marobo ( priestess) as t he y :.1 ,,,
1 1.rnb , II and a host of other names hi s flock a ss igned to him. The
their a s son (rattle) during the voo doo ceremo nies of the Cal- j i ll
,et th at thi s "Prophet" did not have, nor does he now possess,
Islands
ny end o rsement from l1ecca, or an y oth er center of International
I
ada p tat ion, of their fello "l Afri c an s , of t h e Yorub"
g ion of Nigeria, I;Jest Af rica.
I
6
. ntherh ood of I s lamic Peo ples, is meaning le ss to his fo llowers,
From t h e earliest b e g inn i ng of Voodoo ' s entry into the All can He th odist Episcopal Ch u rch
7
a ll oth er f orms of African- AI'\'II.
Buropea n - style Chris t ian sects were equally affecte d. Besicif ' J ~
Ch ristian minis t ers, and o ther personnel wi thin t he cler g y ,
1\("'1 s incerely believe that their n e "J
Proph et" . .... h as been sen t
At 'lah t o save t he l o st Ne g roe s , and t o complete the \-J ork le f t ,,,.l1one b y Moh amet"; wh o came to compl e te the work l e ft undone by
101
U~
Chri s t; ..Jh o came to compl e te t h e work left undone b y the
heritage found i t s way throu gh c onversi o ns from Judaeo-Chr 'i: .\ '
111 1l(lr e d s o f reli g ion i sts of the Nile Valley and Eu phrates Valley,
to I slam. To speak of Islam in this context should not o £fC llri
11 of which 'ed through Eg ypt by way of the Nile River (Blue
anyone
I
especially those who
kno~"
the his tory of t h is reI i.., II III.
".
from t he Arabian Peninsula Af rican ori gi ns . However, the ver y few o f
l i e d "Nig gers, tlBa n t us," and other s uc h ins u lting names) along
the newly converted Blacks to Islam understnn .1 II, '
c o nte xt. ~'J h y ? Becaus e their new t ype of "I s laro" also look:; , .. I b ut, only in the sense of re s pect for the o rig inal philo!:;OI'I •• Prophet - Mohamet, to whom the ori g ina l b ranc h o f I s lam OW''I bir th. Ne verth eless, many have fo r gotte n t h at Islam b irth t o an indi genous Afr ican f rom E th i o pia
_II
Rah ao, the sec ond g reatest man in · the histor y of '· Ti-lam, only to Hohamet the Prophet:
.
I
ul ~o ~ I
Hadzar t ni l ... I
ltd \'Ihi te) and b y indi genous Afr icans ( whose descendants are today
fLU e t·J ho came from the interior of Ea st- Central Africa, \.,ith 'lit i s known toda y as t he
"MYS'IERY S YSTEr-1." Th i s they did before
t I" descendan t - Mo s es - c ou ld fin d t h e nec e ssary LaNS called IIY " 'f HE TEN C0r1l'tANDt-lENTS ,u which Mo s es t o ok from the more t h an hun dr ed and forty- seven ( 14 7 ) Il NE GATIVE CONFES SIONS" already
j.
!'j!,.: ' " " "
.'WI\
in earlier pages of t h is vol u me, all of which t ook place
111ft' r40::; e s i.lL"ri ved at l-1ount Sinai with t he indi g enous
~frican-
Lillnl ~ .
The story of how Elija h J10harnme d - "Pr ophet , Sheperd,
l nd Judaeo-Chri st i ani ty. Of co urse t h ey are s ome ,·/ho may s ay t hey !l sop hi ~ t ic a tedl y"
f1es sen ger," or such , can be best seen i n it s fu lles t ill
"-ume f rom sec t s \.'Ih ic h are more
Professor Eric
l'll urc hes ," suc h a s the Roman Ca th l i c Ch urch , Pres by teri a n Church ,
C .. Linc oln.' s extensive first- h and inside
re vC'o
la t i ons on t h e Nation of Islam, a nd need not be detailed fur i::h( in t h is
volume~
H01..J"ever, an ind e pendent ana l ys is of
it~
I
connot·, I
through traditional heritage of its indigenou s African backg.t·o lll
or fri e ndly to those who men~"
claim
to
be
II • ••
Asiatic Black men
I
liI '"
nnl ican (Church of E:ngland ), Lutheran Churc h , .Moravian Church, \ d o thers of the Same in t ell ectu a li zed academ i ca ll y - based reli g i ous I n:'>titut i o n s '.-Ihere the absence of "Sou l " i s compensa t ed by philo-
l fio came by wa y of the Afri ca n r1ethodist Spiscopa l Church (A . t·1 . S. ). Il e y f ollo wdd such great s a s Ha.rriet T ubman ~er i c an
In so doing, and sayin g , hO\.J"ever, they a lso claim that
r ,· .... r
Alkebu-Ian (Africa) , and i g nored ever y b i t of anthro po lgic al
I
evid e nce of mankind's earliest ori g in in t he Olduvai Gorge ar
The q ues t i on , as to 'v,h ich God, or wh i ch religion, came 1 1,
'jt
It
the Afr i can - American (Black) Nat ion of Islam s t ill h olds on t(. Voodooi s m, J u daism, Obya h , Magic , and many other indlgneou:; 1\ reli g ious b elie f s \-l i th in Isl am i t self, which
All of th e se tradi t i ona l belie fs iI
1
I I
(tr' ,
imported into the Un ited States of America ori g inally f1."om
t.
pr e f erence for
The vast majority of t he Nation of Islam's faithf u l
:ll "
and "FIR E J\ND DA!1NATION" Bapti s e, ·Mc t hodit't , ChurCh of G u I ,.
c
In O~t
omm on ;l n 01-11""
r r'l iqiQuG cxpel.ienc:r,ft
.rldJ f l'· 'lf'Ht n ' jr v l lpt: :J ueh
( I·Jhite) r el i g ion s - Jel.lJish 1 Chr i sti an or
\.-JOu ld accept in th e ir hip any person of II noo"non -~'/ hite
pigme n t" t o Nor sh ip a n y God. From t h i s
k;'Jr ound of rejection t h e Africa ns (as they still ref er to them-
t v,'s ) founded the "Air ican Methodis t Ep i s co pal Ch urch, II with th e Reverend Bishop Ricre.rd Allen as i ts f i rst leader . Th is is the
1'1lLj·
rwcs i n Christiani ty a nd o t her in ter related reli gion s f or
traditionall y African- Ameri can and A"fr ican-Caribl.Jea n " ::;avu ! .j.
Sh.'ktn ~ "
t')pean -Amer ican -sty l e
\Y
, 1(!oL
al:..ion after generat io n .. This was true un ti l
th e turn of the
IIllcth Ce ntury, C.E., b e f ore i nd i g en ou s Afri c an Je\,lS ( Israe lites, I" ha:3 , Be t a Is r a el ) and Hosle ms began e n t er i n g t h e Unite d s tates
the relig ion t heir mas ters fO l:" ced upon them .
't ~; o \ll
were fo rced to t h is branc h of African-
,'k )r ound and heri t age of all subsequent Africa n - American ex per-
b eliefs mo s t African- Americ a n s would now r ej , ,
Christ, and other suc h
)
V. l
Afr i ca by \4ay of the Caribbea n peop l es of Afr ica n origin ; ·'Ii d I. t he se
i e a ns (not "Ne<)roes ll
opean" or
surf ace of inves tigation i s an anal y si s of t he many 'v/a y s in wll
mu c h o f
le from the s lavemasters (Chr is t ians a s ""ell as Je,,,s). T h ese
jQ r,. lern -
fi n d s no suppor t in this volume. Wha t does fi n d it s \-Jay to ttl!
"paganism'~
the Reve re n d Nat Turner and
11l''',"ican Chris t i anity duri ng t he period I.I/he n no branch ( sect) of
o f Tanzania, East Afr ica.
stil l ca lled
liberato r of the aave pe r iod,
the fearless Africa n-
hf' Reverend Denmarl< Vesey - revol u tioni st s I¥'ho tr ied t o free their
Islam was always here . " They have d e nied th e i r own origin frnlll
t r aditiona l
IIHigh
n v h ic al Chris t ianity. The ot her Af rican-Amer ican s i n t h ese sects
sha ll be emphasized, stressed, etc . This may not be the bes t .v tab le explanation for most br others and s is ters conne cted th e l'
ca l l ed
i\r.Ip.r lean
t
:from the Caribbean a n d Afric a a s s t u den ts a nd Seamen ..
'·',."the.r Di v i ne , called by many " ••• t h e most colorfu l
,I
1111 t
f i gur e
Groa l:. Dopr ess i on Year s" ( 1 929-1 942 C .E. ) , was a n Africa n -
le.," 01 exLrem(o. l y 1>rilliant i milQin tion. He came along on the 2!;)S
scene \.. hen Black Ameri ca had a vo id in its pol itical and e conol,l l e ader shi p . No t onl y Black Ame r ica , hov/e ver, bu t
wm~ I .'
t he entir e
; ,ousa nds have proc l aime d to be H§ oq" , h i mse l f. If you be came c u-
I
I i nu s or in any other \>'ay int ere s ted t o find out the
:~~
or
vias c aug ht in the "Gr eat Depres s ion!! of the Herbert Hoove r era,
'J..c t io_r.!. o f y our ima g inati on , and y ou s om ehm.." he ard that yo u coul d
a n era of eco nomi c , as well as cu l tural and religious depravi ty .
)(1
whi c h wa s y et t o b ecome " • •• his p eriod of 'Jreatness ••• '.', acc ord' to thos e v/ho still remain faithfuL
and se e "Go d ll in p er s on for yo urs elf - \vhat would you do ': Th i s
tm se of cur iosi ty a l one
idened the "mystery-II around "Father,1I
\nd thou sand s of a ll co lor s o f peo"!, le came to s tar e a t the fac e
Look i ng back on th e past compels one to ask: vJh at forces d l ,l
th is African-Ameri ca n (Blad::) God - "Fa t her ( Peace) Div ine. "
(\
Fa ther Di vine employ to convince so many thous ands of people (II
Fat her Divin e .oJould s tar e ba c k a t hi s audience f r o m a thr one
e ver y e th nic g r o up, r e lig ion, natio na li t y 1 sex, ag e, and color" to I,<J hat he e l ected t o call his !lHe avens?"
t ...
The answer
I, L ab ove the e l e vation of a ll o ther s wi thi n th e main room \·rhic h ..
i~
var ied as t here are people II/h o question and \-.Jh o a nS"l e r. But on'
s erve d as a dinin g roo m 7 l e c t ure hal l , etc. , as the lat te r
\ 1. 1;0 I
LI l dOes noVl tha t he has gone to the "Great Beyond "; IrJhere
Ii:; fa ith fu l maint ain ".~ ~ He sits and \oJa it s to J udge. 1I9
dimension se ems 'a hoJay s t o be over l ooked, t hat is, his o ..... n religious bac k gro und.
Str a n ge l y enou gh , the t yp e o f Voodoois tic J udae o-Christian ity v~ lo ped
F a ther Di v i ne wa s common l y Icnown to be a "Nyst ic." But , Jk
in Father Di v i ne ' 5 " Hea ve ns 'l \oJ a s forced to take on mor e
no t.ur ban, nor ga zed in to no crysta l ball as pe op l e seemed t o
Illtl e: mean s of e xpress ion t ha n the Afr i ca n-American Bapt ist b ack -
envision whenever t he \oJ ord s " F a ther Di vi ne" were me nti oned. '1'111
uund of I'Pa ther" h imsel f .
"Ny s tic " ""as a lw a y s impec cabl y dr essed 1n a bus ine ssman's su i I
"'If! 1' o l lo\·l ing o f Eur opean -Amer i c a n (~Jh i te ) f id t hf ul
Nhenever he via s seen i n pub l i c o r private audie nc es. Ther efo.
~
.
I t rnCc ed~
~vh y·:
Becau se of t he disproportionately th e mo vemen t
As s u ch , t he u s ua l tabourine beatin g, piano- p oundin g
the old ste reotype no tion o f my sticis m gen er al ly associated \1 1 I t,
Ii ., n ts I a nd t he en t er i ng in to Voodooistic r e li g i o u s tr ance s g ave
the Mi dd l e East or the Far 8 ast, and oth er fa r- off lands in tIl '
W"Y to F ather1 s modif i ed Afr ican-P..merican-s t y l e of European-t ype
Paci f ic Ocea n a nd the Nediterranean Sea was elimi nated.
'lis Lianity Hi t h its 0",10 s ense of reli g i ous fervor in whi ch i ts
Employing a page from Voodooism , I'Fatherll - as he
\~ a~
ionatel y called by h is f ai thfu l follmoJers, \oJould g rant p
ulopC!a n-American bro ther s and s is te rs cou ld fee l mos t c omfor table
fit I ·
r! ,', (\I ~
11i
r e c ep tions to each member of h i s fl o c k. Each vis it was l i m.l l. d , a maximum o f 1I 0ne minute .. " Th is limitation ...Ias also extC !'\(J.·tI strangers who frequ ente d h is " Heavens. \18 Her ein was a m.l j
. r'
I
11
p ~rt ic i pa te
I e ilt lea s t in the ir late f or tie s , exce pt t he v er y y outhful i n
,
1r Lee ns, le a vin g v ery feltl between, thei r
"
Yc: Sou l
of the "mystery. 1I I ma gine he a ring about a man during y our o ,m ,. .lif etime wh o.,,'
256
f ull y. Since t he vas t majority of the faithfu l
ll
t ype of vlater ed -d o ...m
Bap t i s t i mi t ations were possib le4
" Br others ll and IIS is tersll ",J er e n ot f r aternal a nd sorori a l in 1m ,
of the .same
:~ ct
o f v al ues n o rmall y used in the Amer i can 257
English l anguage. These \-Jere in esse nc e of their meaning; as celibacy was the rule ra the r
Id s sense - wi th i n its r e l igious soph i sticatio n, and in all of
physictl'
than choice within " F'd
erls" mo ve ment, especia l ly in the "Heavens. " Of course this
0111
'Ls beauty as practised and devel o ped in West Af rica . As "suspenlOn j" not of f ear, but o f g r eat e xpec tat ion; o f hope, a nd no t
the d i sso lut io n of cou n tless marr.iages, as evidence by the man
t ~pa irj
\'Jives a nd husbands who sudden l y fou nd physical sexual j,. ntercolll
'i oe) , and not of an unkm·m "God" whe r e one mus t tak e hi s (or
with their spouse to be :
u:r) cha nce that heave n'
CONTRN~Y
TO THE
D~SIRE
OF GOD - FATHER DIVINE.
says tIl\'
t.
I
feet . 1 1 A God who m you cou l d not
~ ouch a s an ordi n ary follower,
you cou l d stare upon vJhenever you are f or tunate enough to have
I l l:
ti m l eave His Main Heaven i n New York C i ty , New York , o r
16 To the Irioman He said, " I wil l grea tly mult ipl y yo ur pain in chi l dbear ing; i n pain sha l l y o u shall b r ing f orth ch ildrp.n, ye t your de5i re sha l l be for y our husband , and he shall r ul e over you."
in Ph il a -
; lr.>h i a , Pe n sy l vania, 'IJhere i t had t o be moved because of lit ig a Ions bet\;reen IIPather " a nd th e "Peop l e o f
\-JaS mentioned as being the roo t -c ause o f t he d i saffection . 1-1 ,1) Ir/hen onc e faithf ul fol l o \-Je r s became dise nc h il11 1 •
the State of New York . 1!
In , Ma n t eng , and o ther ~~od ,
,
HiC)h -Pri ests -
t he direct represen tatives
O l edamare, on ear th - a re not t o be t o u c h ed or even spoken ~-I as
and '-Ja n ted to rec l aim the ir l ife's sa v i ngs, \-Jhich they had :.,n
, in publ ic
re ndered voluntarily a s a prerequisite f or entrance to an y til
v ine., " ...,ho mas te red Voodooism. l..rhen one adds t o t hi s the myth1_
I.-H~ al
II. bre w)
thy individua l s s urrendered their total for I ti ll
th i s movement . And, o f course, the y a ls o surrende red tb e i a;
asked ..
poor p eop le? This , t he unbt " i.
And to t hi s , thousa nd s o f answers were readi l y
Gree k mythol o gy I
the re should be no rea s o n
.l icaled " Ra bbi '...Je nt\;ror th 11att he ws - " Dean o f Africa n-Amer i can
I
U
about Fath er Di-
one moves f rom the " Myst ic Divine" t o the much mor e "so-
1\ ::.
11!'k )
1"\ '
tl
- I'lh o t ook a ll of the5e myths a nd then added his own.
I
,1\1., .
THE SECRECY OF SUSPENSION whicb ore fDld.s oomadil y i n " Black Hag i c, " " P.l
III
j - -
But none seemed to f i t the bi ll as we l l as •••
258
\,Ii th
l't one should no t see jus-t \o,'hat '.'Ias IIMys t ica l
Hhat kept this IIG od ll g o ing? What "Black Magic" wa s thl' l " Father " Hh5.ch moved
ori g in, a l ong with ch o se th e Jeo,.ls t ook from t he Africans
r;'Jypt a nd mixed
mi l
body, and s ou l t o "Father . "
made h im
instituted b y th is African- American, "Fa ther
L- oncepts built i nto the stor y of Jesus Chr is-t a nd h i s JevJish
many TlHe a ven s " th o ughout the Un i ted States of Americ a . Am d: --II'-II many very
12
These t ypically t raditiona l Af r i can ist ic r ites, where the Oba,
La\-] suits re su l t ed , a nd i n many o f t he actions Father I)id"
fo ll o~s
gate may not open to h i m, therefore
, .. " etc. , accordi n g t o the Chr is t ia n re l igion ' s Tex-t to this
101lJ i ng;
o the r s
5
c hance t o " ••. s i t at the ri ght hand o f God the r'ather Alm i gh ty
,( I
The refore, this Voodoo istie - Jud ae o- Chr is tia n base d re l i gi o n rllbu n k ed the Firs t Book o f No ses ( Ge nes is )lO _ ..;rher e i t
o f a guran t eed communion with God - Himse lf (Father Di -
11
Je \;r s (Israe l ites
- as they pre f er to be ca l l ed) - one
[:; in to a most sensitive area o f l" ly b a l a nced,
co nce rn. This area bec o mes
no t because of the ~[ and untruths sur 259
round i ng the fai th f u l, b u t be c au'>e of the general charges 01'
: t r eet , at t he nor Ci'1.\oJ e st cor ner o f Ho unt Morri s Park ';lest, Harlem .
"an ti - Semiti sm " of wh ic h o ne mu st bec ome so conscious of late: \~I I '
whe n deal i ng \V'ith "Jewish" ma t t ers. Howe ver , this re velation
contin ue , i n spi t e of th i s latter cond i t i o n. Why? Beca u se t he ' " f ron ta t ion betwee n Bl ac k a n d Wh i te J ew s (H ebrews"'all) is a
Math e '.lI s d i d not secure Rabbi nica l crede nti a ls
lo om a par ticu1 ar Euro pea n or Europe a n - Ame r ica n Yeshiva acce pt.J.ble
( \·l hite) Je\.oJs , \'/ hi ch is n o t r.eq uired by t h e
.'1e:cic an- sty1e Talmudic Jud aism;
the so- cal l e d "Negroes!! _
W (~ t.4 , .
I d .n t he e xclusion - Orthodox, Conserv a t ive , Ref orm, Reconstuctio n; 3 I
t here were t hou: ... .,,' 1
of Bla c k Jews ca lled "Fala shas " in Et h i opia, East Afr ica . '.1'11"
t h is als o hold s true for the
' It 'mbe rs o f his con9regationj and e v e ry sect of i,"hite Judaism ma in -
(up until the LU I"
t h e ear l y Twentieth Century C. E.) i t was bel ieved that no P t: (l id
Very fet,>1 Ameri cans, of any color , knew tha t
i ~abbi
:nrah to b ecome a Rab bi, he .f('Jund h i ms e lf exc lu ded from European-
For a s long as there \·J ere Europ ea n a n d Eu ropea n-American
of indi ge r.l.Ous African orig in -
Decause
I ,) Europe an- Ame r i c an
f o.! o ,
l i ke t hat betw een Whit e and Blac k Chr i st i ans.
n·Jhite) Jews in the united States of Ame ric a
York City , Ne w York . This institution has sinc e mo v ed t o l23 r d
'; ! \./
hl ~re
nel.~
group that ca ll s itlS el f
" Je ~li' is ll
Science.!! Yet
a r e Rabb i .s by th e dozens f rom Eastern Europe (White one s ,
II tt is ) ,·, h o h ave no c red en tiu l s what - so - ever, on l y the endorse me n t
.
J ews , " Hebre\oJs " as t he y prefer t o b e c al l ed, are properly d, ' ,I
II ld the ve.r::y
I
,. l nother Ra bbi - all t h a t
is req u ir e d, a nd they are acce ptab l e t o
l east one ,or more,of t h e J e wis h s e c ts a lr ead y men ti o n ed. If o ne
nated "BETA ISRAEL " (C h ildr en of t he Ho u se of I srael, c orrect l y House of Israel) - t h e name they call themse lves . The k nm'J l vo\'l f
tll>u ld say tha t t h e BLACK NESS of Ratbi t1atthews' ski n has any th ing
of
, do with his reject i o n as a Rabb i
the ex is tence of these Africa n Jews brou gh t
to th e sur t,JO
I
by h i s Wh i t e -s kin ne d Jewis h
p r esen c e o f th e West Afr i can - Rabbi We n tworth Matth ews, crav hl',
l'l i va l ents , a ll sor ts of "an ti.-S em i t i c H char g es woulcl ens ue , of
t o find
Ill lr se . But one must 'donder why, afc::r
out more about the reli g i on o f
t he European Hebr e',·i :.
11 11 .'3- 1970 C.E . ) there is not one sol i tary b lack-skinned Afric an-
prac ti sed. In so doing he a l so f ound that t h ere were no ::;e llll' , i
t'ica n Rabbi in a European-!\.m e rican sy nagouge or temple, or eve n
i n t h e Uni te d states of America on t hi s s ubj e c t , Hebrel>!i::.m, \I I. he c ould matriculate a b o ut th is vit ally important relig i on " I f ore fath ers; but,that there was one in Ger many, of which lit"
I
i n g , Euro pean-s ty le, i n 19 28 C . B., the Rabb i r eturned to t il .
I'ldb l e to any of the European-Ameri c an (White) Ta lmudic groups . 1
n ma de b y Rabbi Matthews a nd a n umber of oth er Black Rabbis f or ili ~1. t io n
l
wi th hea d quar t e rs above a pharmac y located in a te n eme n t. b 1111 .1
260
I
,
o f t radi t iona l Heb rewism on t h e ord e r of th e Et hiopian Heul '
ll .II
\I . is of course , not n eglecting the fact t h at many attempts have
I'
States of America and founde d the " COMMANDMENT KEEPERS CON' ;1:1
a t the n orth e ast corner o f Lenox Avenu e tl n d 1 28Ul ·S t r cct. ,
n Afr i can-American congreg atio n with the nec es sary credentia l s a c-
II
ed th e oppor t u nity a nd enrolled . Completing his Rabbinic;\)J 1\
I
fo r ty-one (41) long years
b~ cause
with the Vlhite Jewi s h communi ty .
Is it no t
true,
of t he White Jews cu l t ura l and "r ac ial " infl u ences a nd
It jllfTLc nt wi th th e i r
i;Jhite Ch ri stian brethre n f rom Euro p e , they
no\:: f r e e! to challenge the effect of the
ad mittance of Blac k Je\Ii'S4
261
ile ir experie nces i n S ur op e and the unit ed State s of ilIne ric a ,
In very plai n , and very simp le, lan guage : Are th e I,.ljhi te Jews 01 econ om j ~ ,
t h e United States of Amer ica not sub jected to the same
1I" e d the Talmud . But, it must be a l so ed th at. th e re is no
social, a nd po l itica l pressures ~" ithin this society as a l l oth el
I \\.] or re quiremen t
Hhite Americ ans like themse lves
I ...
l ess of defenses,
I
a nd i n like manner res pond? Rcqol '
the fac t s t il l remains that Black Jel,!s (Is!". !! ' !
Chris tia ns -
their
co-r eli gio nis ts. The
if it \'las the la\'ls by the Prophets t·Jith respect to the TORi\}!
(r ive Books of Nose s )
jl·b l.;"ew (Je\'l ish)
"I d'
I
it~ \"11
Jew s equal l y as it affect White Christi ans , Moslems , a nd othl..: i"
..
I II
inc luded in an Isr ae litels lif e. Like the Beta Israel however,
I
I t,
,I
I II
I
sanctio n equ al to ti,e 'It:t:ah, frcm Ral:;:bi t'o"..atthews. Ti16:'e are oU
.'
i nc l ud i ng the Karc ai tes livi ng in Israel, who a l so have n ot ed the Ta lmud.- on the g ro u nd s that " no r.lan h as the ri g h t a standurd
interpreta tion
o f the Talmud, or
of the 'vJOrds of Go d ." The
LO 111'
rica do not
~\lar rant
the Car i bbc un :.,
Hebre~'ls
(Israeli t es , or
~;lI r o p ean-Arneric an
ltd lis m. However,
Je~."s)
and t heir f e l l mJ Eu...:opean
Jews dev eloped in t o blo separate forms o f
t he division i s muc h wi der and more divers e th an ~'lhite
Jew
, I uti l I follo"1 the ritu als i n order of their performance, just as
1111 1
~lnck
Jew vlill be at a l oss v,he n he en ters a \'Ih ite J eloJish syn a-
the u se of the Tal mu d . On Lhc oU'II!r 1\[\n(l,
quite undel:' :.1 ta ndable t o see wh y t h e t~)) i LQ Jew :.> , a'l~o b e
262
,
r't l can
11 no t easily e nter a Black Je\'lish synagogue (Ho use of ';lorsh ip)
. 1. w
Kos her and t h e othe r un -Kos her. Never-the- I ess, the Bl.J Ck ,H perie nces i n th e uni ted Sta tes of America,
('Ipean and E:uropean- Amer ican counter par ts.
If, bebleen Black and Uh ite Christians . There f ore, a
d CC t ') d
its rejection, d oes not ma ke o n e set 0 1.
have, Holy Days \"hich ar e f t:'.m i l iar or unfami l iar t o their
The net result of the es tran gement bebJeen independe n t fl.. frican-
accepted by e very other J e wish communities) does no t re cei v e Ih fici~. l
( the Ag I agi te) ,1 5 then on e
11 , 'uId equally under stand vlhy the Palas h os and othec I\fri can, or
t.
rah by variou s schools of Je lvi sh II scho l ars,1I and not nec e:) ... 11
centuries before "Q ueE;.0_ Esther I s (Hadas r sah) strug gles to
h i an- f..merica n Israel i tes (Jel'is) may h ave , or ma y have , 0.": may
(F a lll~. jl'
the Talr.lUd 14("lhich is o nl y a n in ter pretation o f Lh, '
~ I~
v~~2~~J:l_i.:..~~}2p':le4_f..Lq,!!l_....!S:.~_0.£.._tl_a.!!l9}1"
F i ve Books of Mose s, common l y referr ed too as the " Hebrew " 0 1 II I 'H' "
l i ke th e european and Eur opea n-Amer ican J el..,s, beca\lse
their separation from Nhat i s toda y t h e "'.'1 hite " (or Cauc asian)
,I
The teachin gs of Rabbi l-ientwor t h I'latthews f ol l ow stric tly
teaCh i ngs ..
t hi opia, Ea st Afric a) v/ould n ot have a HANlJl
,t1 Lights)
J
ligionists that are of Europe an (Cauca sian) or igin .
ish" Torah . And, of cour se, he a l so teaches the other major:
for t10 ses lcne", n ot any TALHUD. 'rhere f ore,
I f one can underst and th a t the "Falashas " (A frican Je\'ls of
ism " that a ff ects the ent i re United States of America, inclild ll " its colon i es (cal1 edl1 pos s e ssio nsuandllte rr i toriesll) af f ect
j
·,l lm ud. l3ut , they did ack nowl edge t. he Torah , accordin g to the
v.lh ite American Jews than their Black Christian brothecs a n d :.: I· ~}hite
on~
11 .... 1 t hee Noses, Isaac, Jacob, nor JehOVah (YahHe h) ack noH ledged the
ites ) in the Uni te d States of Am eric a ace no better off a filon <J
e rs are among
for Je'vls to have a Ta lmud, or to re a.d f rom
'dlt
,
~ .•
253
gogue . Ye t , t o a grea t ex t en t
lhe n l a ck Je'lJs (Israelite.3) , as a result '.:he "Ne!Jro Je\')s" rer.1ain
this is a l so true amo n g :·'Ih i t e
sects of Juda ism - Orth odox, Re for m, Co nserva t ive , Recon s tr uc Li 'H 16 0 th t
, lmos t non - vocal \oIithin \'Ih
there are many b asic similar i t i es
:~ lect-ed
that s t em from Hehre ...lis m'
(Juda i sm) i n di g eno u s Afric a.n orig in
,i. on and [.lol Lc y - railking b od i e s of their r espective House o f '.J o r -
etc .
n
,e
0
h er h and , 5
are muc h "" i d er and mo re u ncommon
than th ose bet'rleen th e sec tr. , . ,
\"rh i t e Or th odox y and Recon str uc t i o n a li s ffij all o f Nhic h in vo l ve'
I :l e itJhite J e\·/s , h.3.ve 5 0 far as sum ed that " Bl ack Judaism " should
co nte n t ed
I.
effec ts of " racis m" and " co lor pcejud i ce l1 that g naws away a l: \ III
tili t
United States of Americ a n li ke a cancerOUS g rowth,
I
~Iy rd a l
which Gunll "
i s fu rther affected by economic cons iderations . But Black ,111 11 .1'
p e an -Amer i can
( ~-J hi te)
hiD
Sammy Dav is es
\~ho
mere pr ivili<]e o f ass ocia t ion with i t;
nothi n g cou l d b e fu r ther f r om t h e t r uth . Th i s i s contrary t o
he p o s it i on ·t.3. k e n by more than n i ne-ty - n:i.ne ::'l~rcen t (99%) of th e
the Af ric a n- Ame r ican (B l ac k) Rabbis .
II I
Th e Af r i can-American Ra bbinate , a l l o f ':Jhich in one deSr ee or
coover t to CUI'
nol;.h er, b ranch ed of f from Ra bbi i:Jentwor t h Hat tne\-/s a n d his CON-
Ta l mudic J udaism u n d er th e lab el of
JB HS"; · the la tter te r m be i ng con tempt ibl e . Bl ack Ju d aism,
the
/lIe United States of America; 7a pos i t i o n that is endor sed by a l l
Black Ju d a ism " i n the Uni t ed states of 1\111'
i s exc lu s i ve of the one or
"Ii i:h
'flt al Afric an- Amer ic an Hebr e\oJ (Is r ae l i te) corrunu n i t ies t hrough o ut.
ca ll e d nAN ItMERICAN DIL8r·1MN' in hi s book of like namc rel="nofollow">.
The c ourse o f
on the d eci -
h ip . 'rhe net result i s that the contr ollers o f Talmud ic Jud aism~
d~ffer c n('
common a mo n CJ both g roups; b u t a part from th is , the ir
- none of their beine] repr esented
IiDrIJENT KEEPERS ' CONGRSGATION i n Harl em, Ne l'l York C i ty, Net-/ Yor k .
I
i):'
Chris t i an i ty and Black Is l am , d ue to fundame ntal economic
, is histo ric fa c t apply equa l ly t o the hand ful o f Bl ack J e\-l s
t i es and soc i a l rejection h ad t o become 1rrace cons cious," LlllII
It('
I yes vii t h a European-Arner ican ,!'al mud i c gr oup - u nder
not necessar il y " raci st .. " Unfortunate l y most European-MCrie ,u ( ~ i hites) cannot distingui s h b etwee n
Amer i ca n s endp.u vour to honor
the hlo ter ms 'dh en Afrj.! ""
t he fo rmer
j
yet the
~'Jh ites
the rever.3e, and teac h the Bl acks it s o per at ions . For
l"ll:'il'
1\.
ug l y as it may a pp ear .
IIAT ZAAD HARISHON, " a nd i n so d o in C) ,al s o acc epti n C) the s l averna st I
like in thei r
economica ll y we ll off . Be cause of the econ omic advvtlta1j
t o "Neg ro J udaism. "
f rom Bl a c lc J u -
'rheir l o n ger hist or y o f the a\., a r eness the Dlac k
"' lite communi t ies, affords t hem p OHcr and 9res tiC)e over "i:.he
I. 1.1\1 ,
ne\-Jly f o u n d r ole a s t r aUb la zers
ilo ' iJre\-l li fe , \-Jhic h they .....'ere first i nt r oduced to in
The occas i on al conv er ted "Ne gro" from Chr i stiani ty t o 1:, "
l
• J\f ri can - American (B l ack) He b r e \'J5 p r efer to be c o-l I e " l ~ . H " 11 !IB lack J e ws ll and IIB l ack Judai s mll ure som Qt i m o~ a c cep t.cdj 1..;\1\ e ver speaking to any o f thes e r: liqion i a ta o f Lhc lIcbr 'II 1", . 1' "NEGR O JE t)SIr are n ever to b e mentioned - ~ L 1 3 in:J u l tnq ti ' !
<6 4
' ''NEGRO J EI:JS" n omenc l.ltur e . Th i s group, sud denly, fin d s the
•
1,,11
th a ~
the na me of
!llIr c e f r o m t>lhe nc e t h ey ori g i nally s pr u n g u n t e na bl e ; thereby they r e -
t hi::; l
ver y much a pa rt of the soc ial s t r u cture of tl1 e ";i.MER lCAN fWI
Amer i can Ta l mud i c Juda i s m is ge nerally a persona lity
bro k e aViay f rom Ra b bi Be vins ' synaqogue and d them-
.111.11,'
!I ."} v i
:;es, si nc e mos t , if not all, of them a r e conversant in
I' ·
prC!~c nt.
II
orr i c i a l
f o r m of Hebrew (Sf a r dic ) spoken in Is rae l 1 ,m rJ u ~g c
of th a t n at ion . The
~~ Ne!J r o
t o d ay as
in the
vJ ind O\oJ "
265
type
af filia ti o n br ought fon-J a rd fr om t h ese "Ne gr o J e \-J s " on Har ch 10, 196 8 , a pub l is hed condemnation o f vlhat they ele c te d to cal l
g ro a n ti -Sem,iti sm, ,,16 but no t a sin gle ,.,rord of pr otesi.: abou t , o :r against,
' J evJis h ant i- Blacl
ra elites <Jews )
I
,un;s. They re presen t II, smal l · ··,~ct:~ n of l~tll l SX'IIc\lng on urba n projects and in only rare ;ns am;es h.il e funos bee;! (I I· \(;.t~ d f~om an ongoir.g project to -a special program .... tUOlng example of ch urch bllckinll for the concept of se U-
' Horked e n these programs gen· "Tally su ppo rt th ei r continua· l ion. The special prog rams. on the olher ha nd, we re set up ma inl} in respons~ to growi ng dem and~ In the secular Mac k co mmnlly . }:" cor- trOI o \·cr UlelT own :U: '
"Ne-
Th e const an t
fro m wh ence the "Ne <Jro Jet·Js" or. igina ted, felt
determination for the pWT is the In terreli gio us F~un~atlO n [or Comlnunity Organl latlOn. a cosHtion of 10 Frotestant ~e· nomination;; wi th pa rticJ rn tl,on by some Catholic and .l ewl . l: £rouos .
l ack o f re lig io us insti tu tion s 5ni tiated pr o-
no ob ligati on o n their part to publ.ish any suc h d e nounciation,
It·,lms is i ndica -t ed above . Fur th e rmore , it is sh o l·..-n th at t he
r ealiz ing very '.-leU that indiv i duals ..,Ji thin each grou p ( Blacks anl\
'I p lrc he s and syn a go gues only
\·.Jhi te s) I o f Jevls and non- J e ws, h ave been equal l y g ui l ty of "E..fl£ is m, re li<Jious b i go try ," and al l o t her such cu lt u ra l patter ns o f
I'.m I',
II
test th es e f indin<) s ; but secul a r and religious Uni ted Stdtes
01
(·! ays
t h e y ar e pr ode d by th e s o - ca lled "B lac k milit-l n ·ts, " or by
On the s ummary of \'Jhat t hese re lig i ou s i nst i tu t ions wer e in Jd: actu al ly doi ng
Of co ur se s o - ca lled I' li ber a l mind ed" h o pe f ul s
in o bj ec t iv e l y me aning f u l
.lce r iot s ."
beha v ior that h ave become s o vital l y important to the "M·1ERICJ\N DaE:Al't.
JiIOVe
th e a t"tic le ' s subt i t l e , SURVEY UNDE:R ~'rAy. ,
" il11ighted t h e f o ll Ot-l i ng :
America i tself da ily reve a ls s uch in e qua l itie s, as sh o \.,on in lh, · The foundat ion has never· theless made grants to a number or co ntroversial groupS. .'tuch, as the Black Co ngress in LOs • A ngel e~ and the .N~ ~lo na l ~eUa re R: £ht~ Org... nlta OOn .
f ollmdng extracts "
THE NE W YORK TIMES . SUNDA.Y. fW"A Y 18 . [969
gran l's t o organltations of poo r people. including mil ilant OI~ C·:· on t.he otll er are thai(' who pr ~, · ieT to maintai n control over their funds in ChUTCh programs or se ~v\ce to the peor . _
eSll;n~he ~ae~I~r:,ra:i~Vne;al ~~~ 5:a:r led special "crisis in the nat ion" pro;;rams em phasizing the dired trans!e r of money to groups of the poor.
I,
i' ollmling , unde r
the suhtit le, TENSION OVER PRO GRANS :
The "Rev. Dr. Wesley A. HOlchkiss of the Uni tea Church's American MissiOll ary AS$ocia tion, referred In lhe $IX Negro <.."OlIege5 in th~ ~ou! h ~u ppo rted an lluallv Wjl h ~ ISO.· 000 each. Most of the students It t hese colleges, founded just a rte r lhe Civil .War. are poor.
Ma ny ll)istrators of thr~" ;lrogl"lllr.lS comp lain bi u erlv. however, th at the amounl , /,1 Ibtted are insufficient to havlI anv me2.surable d ieet lin illl!<)Ov~rty progri\m. "they also rt pert th at 1M weU·pubh(:I..t,..J prog rams. many of which W\,I ' spurred by th e assusino lion "I the Re.... Or. Marti n I.ll rlwl
266
I
-3.S
gra ms. Ihe church cst~ blished [ a spcd~ 1 progra m in 1968 10 meet the "nation al (;ti~ l s." Til t : p r ogram'~ d lfector. the Re'" :ChllrJe!; 1'. . CObb. was h .g hly ' critical of the Inai n~ tream pro· !grams and com pla: n ~d of :; lac k .nl fi nanc'lal bac!:illr;.
se en i n the s ub ti tle, VIE~'IS
the ori£inal announce [{X"nl):, I .
T1!.e Rev. Dr. Tl'Umlln B. wh o has jus t retIred " . r :-.pc· uli \'e vice president 01 11 1~ 'Doo td ot Homeland Mis· Ifl" . lO l'lk i~sue with Mr
I
the ,poor, ha ve· tAken th e servo ice·oriented ap proach 0' urban "mission3." hos pitl.ls, educatio n
I
:,:; te n s ion gre\·l fact ions aro se,
1'<)Ugla $~,
TradlUOITal...-programs. repre · se nlln ll the overwhelming uulk .of expenditures In pro.s rams fO r
The church oHic ta ls emp ha· sized tlie import ance of t heir contributi on of nearly SIOO.GOO to the Interrellglous Founda· ; tior. as a nrime means ror d!' reeting funds to Indige nous groups of poor peopl!!. 11'1 ~dd ition to th e .older pro·
~i;~e~;·' t~~~~a!Oi ~;i:I!r:II;
Under t he subtit l e, HOST PROGRAMS TRAD ITIONAL, the £ol loN vias ci ted:
diocese. A national survey of what th e Catholic church has done is being conducted by an .emergency Ta~k Force on UJ' b~ n Prohlems.
These pr ogr c1.ms b ro ug ht about their o~-m probl e ms, as sh O\·:n by
Protestant Churches Divided on Their Urban Crisis Programs The emergence of Jllm c~ Fonna n as a leader or a cam· :lllign to make chu rches and ~yna gogue5 pay $500-mtllio n In "repara ti onS·· to black Ame n · cans for past Injust ices has ~rou l:h t inl o focus sharp dlr· ie rencu among Pro:estanl ch urch IC'.2.ders over wa ys 0 1 de ali ng wi lh the poor. On one side are ~hurC h me n who wcu ld make unrest ri cte d
Two nat1c n.:1i Roma n Ca:~o : .Jic groups have coot ributed"pe ut S! 7.000 to the fou nda· ~:.rt>, Ot he;- <;a lholfc prog,ra ms i a/ Y! 'f!delY ft'O tl'" diocese 10
ul:Jl.
"HI~ proJl,fl m lB a d rop in ,1"11' Imc:kN." Dr. !)<.lI.l&IB~S s:\id. · ''-10..1 ... r our r rngrums were
JUI'Wo.rd·lool;lnlL I ,,1Jb~ ~ b.'r.',n:·
IxfDr!)
Mr.
Dr. Parke r said: ··The chu rches have ' i m lt~d resources and w i'; have to use the m where OUr w ~ight wit! be re lt,. We Clln't just go out onto the st ll"et and hand o ... er $350.· 000 to (he fir"t hIllel< mal'] whr w" lk.~ by. " Cohtl j" a milit.1nl and we ga,'e 111m :i Cllrte hl a.nche. Jj hr fa.i ht-bl1 d he hus - It IS not
~~Sl)r.~~~\~r tl~: ::~lltt ~i ~; probl em which none of .us can expect 10 ~ oive III a h Urry:· The Prote!t.a ot denom ination with the special program tha t conforms mos t ne arly with We Idea of self·determination ror th e pOQr is the 3.4-million memo ber Epi5copa t Ch urc h.
As the so-call ed " Black Power Movements" have been either ligned or over-played by the mass commu n icati on med i a, done to the religiousl y contro lled proqr ams,
m il
' The same type of God or Gods \'lho made t he diviners and pr o phets that precede d the m i n t he fJlys teries of the Nile Val l ey r cli<J i ons o f the S un God Ra , ~,)h ic h the Hebre\"s I Chr ' s ti ans a nd Hos le ms adopted a nd put in their "Holy Scriptures ures " (Tor a h , Ne w Testa men t , Koran) , also made them prophets .'
h~ '
so it
as sho',m u n der the'
subtitle, PUBLICXTY MISLEADI NG: ML Modeste agreed ~hat in· ilial preS5 release~ had given the impression (hat the fund would amount to $3-million a year for a three-year period. In 1968, i;ran ls 10 101 organizations lolaled $L6-millicn, an d about S700,OOO has been dis·
t ribute for JnV01",hg ch ur:;: he~ in se rvice-oriented so-
cia) progra ms. " The chu rch will have to reo organize its whole ~truc tur(' ." said ML MOdUle, "to eli minate these tradit iona t serVIces and slart putting significant money into llle k inds of projects we a: c in"olved in: '
The f o ll owers , faithful , of these prophets reminded their - itics t hat : ' • • • ma n establ i shed p ro phets, heaven, and sainthood , and the s ta ndards for samej just as ma n est ab lished th e story of Adam and Eve, and the physica l bir th of Jes u s Christ through a virgin - for a mothe r \
Sut , tlJr . r'lodeste's \<}ords ....~ e r e r ebutted as f ol l o v)s : Most black chu rchmen inter· viewed described the .Episcopal program as the best 1Jl a slow fi eld. They conclude th at the churthcs ha\"e used words such M "cmergeIlrY" a nd "priority" ~h e
cha!Jter
:0 pay lip 3erv;ce to a ne!!d for a massivE' c,mm i t r~cnt of funds, "The churche s' at!! begin ning from a position that dO{'"i not r!!cognize the d imensions of the
problem," said thi Rev. Dr Char les S. Spivey. ex&uli ve cI" ret:tor of the Department of Racial Justice of the Nal jon~! Council of Churches. ''TllAr, what wh ite ra cism is I.lI I.OOut."
invo l vement of the African- Americans (Blac kS ) i n
thi~
of their l ife is n ot isolated t o them . T:,e ind i qenou :,
Afr icans in f l ue nc e in the 50-called " t'/ESTERN RELIGIONS" in
1.111'
Ameri c a s, es pecial l y Eu ropean - A!i1er iCan - s ty le Chr i stian i ty ,
l'i.1t
als o fostered by oth er 'tl e l l - 1cno '... n Afri ca n - Am erican perso n al i 11 · TH O o f "S~'1EE'l'
the major person a liti es referre d t o 1,
- ,,!ho found ed li Th e Church Of All Na t i on:-:;
All Peorle" back in the 1 930 ' s; and the "U niv e r sa l Churc h For II
PR OPHET ( S i
PROPHET JONES
!. I, ..
Since t he Apostle ' s Creed of Christendom still begin s \"ith: "I BELIEVE IN GOD THE FATHER ALMIGHTY, MAKER OF HEAVEN AND EARTH ,!' etc.; (not) 'I KNmv' .... ,e tc . .h e n reople c an fee l ,"()~; t
All P eo p le." There was a host of olJu •
to themse lves. t-'iankind may equally rejec t
ll rn"! n sions ; as such i t { I
is st ill the same "I believe" which the
i.can- Amer i can fo lloh' ers o£ modern " pro ph e t s,' prophetess es,"
m l I1 divine r s ,u
used as their authori t y .
The i nd ige n ous Afr i ca n s and ma.ny of their r elations i n th e ITI ..... r
i cas and the Caribbeans wa.nt to know if the " I Be lieve" in
Voo d ooism, JuJu i sm , " Black Mag i c ," a nd o th er so l e l y tradit iona l
1I20 Of course millions of Ana.:! !'" " pr o p hets" a n d "pro!?hetesses .
fr i can r eligions
cons i dered the m "charlatan:;;, i mposters, infidels," and lj ull,l,
Iv" :-:. o-ca ll ed !1 1,<} E$ TERN RELI GIONS " I'll ). The ans\./er ,
o f o ther such n ames they felt appropriate to the issue. Bu ! II II
"d i v i ners" and " prophets ' ! asked in turn; '.'lHO I OR WHAT I HAS THE !\U'f HORITY TO t1AKE PROP HI:: T$. The i r
log i c a l
r easo n ing ~
2G8
anS\1e r, to their
0\.',10
q uestion, foll oH
th.i~
I
1 I ,,,
the pos -
t bi U .ty of the e xi ste nc e of a God, or at least give it different
Al l"
- foun d .',
d e s i rable
f ree to adulate their O"'in God in any manner
t
i s not as author i ta tive as the " I Be lieve" in ( J u da i sm, ChCistian ity, a nd Is -
natural ly , has n o t been forth-coming , ver ba ll y
is . But the s ilen t ge n t lemen ' s agreement t-Jithin t\-)O of the
-c.\l led " itJestern Re ligion s ll
I,>tf'\ n, l \:c ot her
-
Judaism and Ch r istian ity -
that
religious t houghts in the Amer icas and the Carib -
,n:,:. , ~ I.lp p or te d by the active coopera t ion o f
t he es tabl ished
2 69
governmen ts , make the " \lIe s te r n " ( Eu rope a n and Eu ropean- Arner ica n, \'-Ihi te ) " I believe" of fic i a l. Cer ta i n l y " official ," but o nly in
11Qn y . Her
s~'/ei'trin0 - in
book, the Il HOLY SCRIPTURE " o f Juda i :;;m and
Itr istianity, upon \·s hi c h the Ill)room" must place h i s lef t ' hand,
t h e sen se that any dis t ractio n by any other g ro u p e qual ly having
IJI~ ile
an " I Bel ieve" d i f fer e n t
n t:'S _ Jehovah and Jesus Christ. Even Is l am , t he o uts i de l over ,
t o that o f Jud aeo - Chris t ian t eaching s
must s uf fe r all form s of p r es sures ) shou ld such III Be l ieve" be-
the Uni ted states of Americ a inc l uded , either adopt or a l lo\.<J to
beco me adju ncts o f each gover nment ' s
s~ructure .
rl~
t o tak e the oath to the I' bride's" cr ea-
"\'lester n ReligiQis," does openly
the " gr oon" on that day o f
r esu l t i s ' a marriage between religion and <] ov e rnmen t . In s ome
Of course Voodoo ism , B'...ldhism , "Black Mag ic," Sh into-
I ,m a nd a ll ot h er non - appr oved r el i g ions (the ha r lots ) a re no t
t heir "heathen \. . iJ.ys" may contaminate the sacred rite5 that
th,'lt
, :-: handed dO'v1n by Jehova:h and Jes u s Chr j.st ,. . . ith one of their
c o untries the mar r iage is vli th the offic i a l sanc t io n a nd licen:,! of
the
Sta te j in other s - s uc h as the Uni ted S t ates o f Americ,\
it
is a common-I av. r e l ationsh ip . I n the United S tates of Ameril ,I
'hi d om ens " (witches or b itches b r eI',) ' But as the mer riment be 111:- Voodooi sm is l et through the b ack d o o r Illlr:se avoiding t h e eyes o f
J ud ~1
Chr is tia ni ty and Cap i ta li sm ( "Amer icani sm) , Islam is no t an 01
o f th(? " b ride, u t o t
I
,j
m uS
ial ly in vited gue st, nor member of the family , even though Lol. , a ted \vhen she crashes the marr iage ce r emonies . Voodo o, Buddhj
:-I~_
Bl ac k Na gi c, Sh int oi sm , and all other re ligion s \.<Jhich ar e no L
:10'1
ular Ivithin the Eur opean and Europ ean-Amer ic an experience al.lil
~inCl5
~re pare
t y and IslaJ'i'l -
and Divine affected Judaism, Ch r is -
t he 50- called
"~'/ES'rE:R N
Un ited States o f America muzt be over!1auled
II'
I i c .) n s
groom) . This is best disp l ayed on J anuary 9lb of e ac h fo ur th 'If .. when a pres ide nt of the Un i te d States of America is t o be i n]]. cated. As the " groomtl is sworn i n the u brid e" pe r f or ms th e ( ,
I
270
to the
~<Jith
deepest se -
the ben i fit of the African-
( Blac ks) . The extent to ,·j hich th(?se Arrican - :'v neric ans
mllde the ruler 5, or le ade r s, in char ge of 'w'Jha t J e 'ds, Chr is -
VI
n~
ilnd r10 sle rns b e l ieve , canno l: be c:::.timated in tiny particular
In i t iv e stat ist ica l methodolo<]y .
"" • " TRAD I TIONAL AFRICAN RELI GI ONS" is the proper express i on I j ,' the various reli g ions of Africa which are u nc o mmon t o the k ilt. led ge of al l who now ca l l th em " pag.m i :)m , ani m i:;I.~ , fc l i:-; hlw'I" ot h~r names ...l,ss igned Af rica n reli qlon 5 by th{~ :; l a v c ma:";Lc.r •
RE LIGIONS" -
.. Int vJhe re their marria ge and/or harlot r y t o the g overnment of
1)II:.ness and me an in gful c hanqes f o r
( t l"
th e fana tical iol l o ',,, -
the ' LIBATIONS ' - mor e common ly
Rellgions ll
the Amer ica.:::
or side lv ind oN. o f
(alcohol ic beverage5) .
Ki ng, l'lo hammed, n a'ct:he'ds 1i
the looke r s on -
have been exc luded from the we dd ing and marria ge of t he Il 1d c::'l "'I/ (th e brides) to the g overnments o f
the Hedding
ve n invited as su es t ;; , the mil.rriage couple be :in9 too fearful
Th e e nil
the b ride is J ud aeo-Ch ri stianity . At the wedding, betw een
her affect ion fo r
lO W
'~re moni es .
prac t i se one o r more r el i g ions and r e j ect others not c ater in g Ln
lj g ions
r i~jht
he other par t of trle "br ide" -
come known t o the ge ne ral p ublic .. In s i mp le words, every societ.y .
the S tate - cu l tur e in powe r . \\' he n thi s i s done, the preferred
raising tr_ e
t , \·lhic h i s pr esentl y "
j
Ho~..sp.ver,
at i t h ir; hes t pitch sinc e t h e ing
h p Af r: i ca n - Amer i can ( Black ) poli tic a l
JJ. ncIIs f10 z ia h GiJ.rve y ,
th e c o nti n u ed soc ia l
~'/i ll iilm
s ccn~
of s uch notables
r:: . B. D\.18 0i5, Cl hajj Nalik Sha271
bazz ( Balcom X , or Ma lcom Little), C'2xlos Cooks, J\.rthur Reed , a nt'
Ilot have had, and could not ima g ine, a Jesus Christ other than
a h ost of others before them, have had tremendous impact on what·
I.he
is today called
Il.ich aelangelo pain ted for Roman Christendom ...
(African -
\I . . . .
the cuI tural revolytion.oOoO II among the youth
Black, and European
~.1hite)
HHITE BLONDE NORTHERN I TALIAN
of Ca ucasian (European) origin
22"
Songs that were origi nally created by Europ ean-Americans for
of the Un i t ed states of
America's total involvement on the college and high school camp-
P,e presentation of a lily AJh i t e man's Christian heaven
uses.
wor ded by the t h eologians of t he African Or thodox Church t o sui t ~ lack man's Christian heaven .
Barcus Mozi ah Garvey , once the best known Black man in tht! world (1917-1928 C.E.) and founder of the IIUNIVERSAL NE:GRO UlPROVE:MENT ASSOCIATION, Inc. lI
inal personality who projected t he "Bl ack Revolution" rection i t
in the d:i -
is present ly t akin g Hi th respect to re l i g ion all of
\.Jh ic h bega n in the ear l y 1900 ' s (1918-1924 C.E.), which the R{"!'verend Dr. Hartin Luther King , Jr . later brought to its zeni th in th e 1 960 ' s CoOt;.
~·Ilp.
F or it was the late Marcus Moz ia h Garvey
firs t demanded, at t he turn o f
t11 ~ 1
th e TI·!enti eth Century CoOE.,
BLACK PEOPLE OVER THE \"JOR LD NUST ':JOR SHIP A GOD OF 'l'HEIR O;-.rN LI KENESS - ONE BLACK AS THEY AI~.E
Utack man 's h ear t
No more was i t ne cessary for a
to be " ••• wh i te as snO\-i • • • II 2 3 to " •• ~ enter the
li t es of h eaven" as required in a European-Am er ican Chr is tian lJ,{man l. They also created their m·m songs for their own hymnals ~ 1'11<:: "ON'..-1A.RD CHRISTIAN SOLDIERS"
vlere not the same European or
'w o pean-American (Hhite) soldiers of th e first through sixth .tL'1 1HIS TIAN CRUSADES" of the attempted annexation agains t l'1os1em I l Ids .
It VJas given a new meaning: Thus they ,.Jere t he ulibera t ion
Ill rl i ers" of Africa from the hi p of the U.-N .- I.A. But t he I
r i c an Orthodox Churchs I neHly-founded Chr j.s tian hymnal s
had
t.ake a back seat to the U.N.I . A. 's grea t er s logan that repre-
In
Mr .
\tlere re-
Garvey 's demand was i nstitutionalized when he establish et.l II •• Ite d the TRI -COLOR FLAG OF AFRICA -
t he Re d,
the ,~f a n d t he
AFR ICAN ORTHODOX CHURCH as an adjunct of the U.N.I.A., and I'l h "1I l!:!:!l- which Mr. Garvey establis h ed in 1918 C.E:. asllthe National he set up George I.\ l exander I>1cGu:i.re as " /\rchbi shop and PrimaL('" that institution.
21
111 '\ o f Black peoplesj!! as he stated: In so doing, V!L'. 'carvey fo ll0'.-Jed and int.J..p
d\iCC'(;,
,1 "J13l.2.P.Y....J2-a ir~ (\·/oo lly hilired), P)Ac_~_i!..rW_thick-~_rw d
::--T.,~_·~~I.\>.
5:)1J.:...:i,.SJ::,r to the more than fi ve million
(~,
AFR ICA FOR THE AFR IC ANS, THOSE AT HOME 1 AND THOS E ABROAD.
000,000) exc lll 1
The f ir st pa r t , " AFR ICA FOR THE l\FRICANS," 't/as originilted
DJ ,,-c:c memDership of the Afr ica n Or th odox Church throughout I j;. i\mer icas,
the Car ibbeans, Canada 1 and llfr icaoO This image 0 1.
.1
IIBLI\CK GOD" Has adopted from the Eth i opi.an Cop t ic ( Ko pt i c) Cl l',,' picture of Jesus Chri st Nh ic h became the standard picture 01· ./. sus Chr is t in many Afr ican-Amer ican c h urclle s - Hhich onCQ
272
~" ("l\ l ll t
!
III
he late Dr. EdHard ~'1ilmot Blyden ( a Bl ack man who ,;, as one of or i g inal Pan-African advocates before the turn of the
~oll t iet h Century~
:,.,.r-
C.EoO
Dr . Blyden \tJas born in ·the Danish
t:! xtJ:'act 26 on page 277, entitled, • • • THE IMAGE OF GOD .
273
Vir g in I s l and s , present l y
i 9lS C. E • •
t h~
United States Vir g in Islands - SilK
brown races ore fighting for the preservation of Asia, and fouf hundred m illion N egroes shall shed, if needs b e, th e lasl drop of thei r blood fo r the rede m pt ion of Africa and the emancipa tion of the race everywh ere.
After l eavi ng t here, he bec ame President of the Col -
l ege of Li b e ri a ,
~'IIe s t
Africa; also .'\mb assador
to the Court o f St . In oed e r
J ames, Great Br i t a in, fo r h i s g overnment. He \'l as t he au thor of many bas i c books o n Afr i can r e l igions , Christiani ty ; and Islam) . I n the PHILOSOPHY AND OPINION S OF MARCUS GAR VEY , e dited and
!
to arti c u l at e a s mu c h as he did on the subject o f
~ligion ,
'l~sumed
especiall y with re f er e nces to Chr istian i·ty . t-1r G3r v ey 25 the role o f a phi l osopher , as see n in the f ol lo'di n g :
pub li shed through h i s second wif e - Amy J a cques Garvey , Mr . Gar v
P URPOSE O'F CREATION The m an or woman who h as no confidence in self ,San unfo rtunate be in g, and i ~ really a mis fit in creation. G od Almighty cre ated each a nd e ... ery one of u s for a p lace in th e wo rld, and fOf the le ast of us to think that we were c reated only to be what we are and not what we can mak e ou rsel ves, is to impute an im proper mOli';e to Ihe Creator Cor cru ting us. God Almight y created us al! to be free . That Ihe Negro ra ce becam e a race of slaves was not the fau lt o f God A lmighry , the Divine Master, it was the fault of the ra«. Sloth, negJect, indiffe rence caused us to be sla ... es . Confidence, con ... iction, action will cause us to be free men today.
s t a ted th e b a s i c t ene t s that f ormu l a ted his reli g ious b e l ie f u nder var i ous sub - tit l es; as fo ll oH5: 2 4 PRESENT DAY CIVILIZATlON \\'.:: :Irc cir',:\Hll\"enled IOday by en"'l ronm cnls mnre dangerous ' ,10 those which c ;reum ... enled other peoples in any other age. We .. ,,' 1.lce 10 fnce with cn v iron~cnlS in a civilitation that is highl y d( \'e!oped; ;a ci ... jli'ution 't hat is competing wi th itself fo r Its own ddlruclioni ;l civilizat ion that cannot last, because it has no spiritual fo unda tion; a civilization th31 is ... idous, crafty, dis honest , immoral , irreligious and corru pt. We see a small pcrcenlap:e of ehe world 's popu la« feeling happ}' and contented wi th this ci ... iilUlion that man has evolved , and we see the masses of the h uman race on the ot her, hand diSSluisfied and discoTl(el)tw with the civiliUlion of today-thc arrangEmen t of · hum~ n society. Tho\lc masses arc de termined to de slroy the s)'stems Ih1lt hold up such a sociEty and p,op such a cj ... jlization, As by indicat ion, Ihc fall will come, A fall thnt will cause the uni ... ersal wreck of the ci ... iliution Ih at we now see, and in this civilization the N egro i~ called upon to play h is part, H e is caHed upon to evolve a national ideal, based upon freedom, human lib erty and trlle democracy.
If I
fe , it \'Ja s h is
" ~. to
{1S
h i s mm
He wrote the f o l lm"'ing in c onju nc tion
ith his be lief: PuRl1"\' OF RACE '. beli~ve in a pu re b lack racej uu at how all se lf- respecti ng wh ites bei leYe m a purE white race, as far as that can be. I am conscioul of the faci that . Iavery b ro ug ht upon u. the curse of many 001019 wi th in the Neg ro rnce, but Ih at j, no reaao n w hy we of ou rselv~ should perpetu.alc Ihe evi l ; hence instead of encouragi ng a w ho lesale bastardy in the race , we fcel thi t we shou ld now sel out [0 crea te a race ty pe and sta nda rd of OUf own which co uld no t, in the future, be stismatiud b y basta rd y, but cou ld be recognized and res pected as the Hue race type anteceding even OUT own time .
':/ith res pect t o the r igh ts o f the Bl ack man to in he r i t L1 I' ear tIl , he said t he fO l lowing :
S in ce Mr. Garv ey toJ as not a be l iev er i n non -vio l e nce a s a \oJay
DIVINE APPORTIONMENT Qf EARTH God Almigh ty created .. II men equal, whe ther they be whitc, . yellow or black, :md fo r any race In it that it cannot do whal others have do ne , is to hurl ao in su ll at the Almight)' who crea tcd all racn eq ual, in the begi nning, The white man has no rig ht of way to (his green ea rth , neilher the yellow man. A ll of us were created lords o f the 'cre:'ltion, and whether wc be white, yellow, b rown ' or black Na ture intended a pLace for each and every oJ)e . If Europe is for the wh ite m an, if Asia is ror brown and yellow men, rhen su rely Africa is for the blaek m an, 'l'he ~reat wh i ~e 'm ltn has foug ht for the Dreservatioh o f .£u rope, the great ycllow :.Iud
t h e re was a ny t hi n g Hr. Gar v ey loved as much
I ,
Lhe f reedom of t h e Bl a ck ma n', he also 5a\" his God - J esus
"t
l~t ,
a s a " Wa r Lor d : " GOD AS A W AR LORD G od is a bold S,;,vercign-A Warrior Lo rd . The God we worship and Adore is a God o f War :.\S well a9 a God of Peace. He doe, not ;ollow an yt h ing to interfere wit h his power and autho r ity, T he grealelH b att le e ... er fo u ght was not between the Kaiser of
275
German yon the OI,1e band and the Al lied Powers on the oth er, it was between Almighty God on the o ne h and and Lucifer lhc Archangel on the other. When L ucifer challenged God's poweT in Heaven and ma Tshali ed his forces on the plains of Paradise, the God we worshi p a nd adore also ma rshalled His £orees. His A rchangels, H is C he ruhi ms and His Seraphims. and in battlt! srray He placed Himself b efore lhem with the royal ~Ian dard of Heaven.
I'-tr.
Garvey had to adopt the use of the \'lord
II
Advance, adyance to victory, L et Africa be iree; Adva nce to meet the roe With the might Of the red, the black and the green. II Et hiopia, the ty rant's fa lling, Who s mo te ~h ee upon th y knees, A nd thy chIldren a rt lust ily calling From ove ,· the distant seas.
NEGRO " (,'hen he
l ehoyah, the Great One h a s heard us, Has noted our sighs and our tea TS, With His spirit of Love he has stirred To be One through the corning years. CHORUS-Advance, advance, etc.
firs t o r ganiz ed the U . N. I . A . , l)ecau se Bla cJes at th at time ,·Iere too much b r a i m.rashed \"lith that t-.rord t o accept their blac kness. I t
is for
t his reason that he spo ke
of a "Ne <}ro God ; ,,26
III thou God o f th e ages Grant unto our sons that lead 'fhe wisdom ThOll g"ve to Thy sages When Is rael was SOfe in need. Thy voice th ro' the d im past has spoken, Ethiopia s hall s tretch forth her hand, By Thee shall a ll letters be bro ken, And Hea v'n bless our dea r latherland . CH ORUS Advan ce ~ adva nce , ete. iii
o Jehovah,
THE IMAGE OF GOD If the white man haa the idea o f a white God, let him worship h i, God as he desires. If the yellow man's G od ia of hia race let him worship his God as he sees fit. We, as Negroes, have fo und a new ideal. Whilst our God h a9 no color, yet it is hu man to see eyerything through one's own spectacles, and since the while people have seen their God throu gh white spectacles, we have only now started o u t (late thou gh it be) to see our God through ou r own spectacle!l. The God o f Isaae and the God of Jacob let H im exist for the race th~t b elieves in the God o f IS3ac and lhe God o f Jacoh. We Negro ei bel ieve ;n the God of E thiopia, Ihe e vcrlast iug God-God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost, Ihe O ne God o f aU ages. Th at is the God in whom we believe , but we shall ·worship Him through the spectacles of Ethiopia.
In descr i bing Christiani ty , Mr Garvey wro te the following : CHRISTIANITY
comrxm in Voodoo ism . In ke e p ing ':Iit h an eye o n th e age-o ld inalso tied the Afri can OrthOC\(J Y
Chloll:c h to the pol:i.tic s o f Africa , F:th i opia i n part i c ular , '; lh't l he o rder ed t h.). t
it 1'ge Re s olve d ; That the An th em , "ETHIOPIA , '1 '1 11
LAND OF OUR F'ATH SRS • • •
RACE ." T he
foll O\~ing
, 11
etc .) shall be t he Anthem of the "N I·:,.\ I
UN IVERSAL c;TIfroPIAN A NTHEM
1 E thiopia, thou land of our fathe rs, Thou land where the gous loyed to he,,, As storm cloud at night suddeuly gath ers O ur armies come ru shing ( 0 thee . We mus t in t he ligh t be v icto rious When swords :lre th rust o utwa rd to gl ea m ; F or us will the vic t'ry lJe g lo rio us When led lJy the reu, b lack and green. Chorus
276
1:"'urther ana l ysis o f
sta nz as are taken from t he : THI~
28
A form of religion practised by the mi llionl, but as miaundef'9tood and unreal to the majorit y as gravi tation is to the untUlOred savage. We p rofess to li ve in the atlTlosphe re of Ch ristianity, yet our actll I re as ba rbarous as- if we never kne ..... C hrist . He taught u s to love, yet we h ate; to fo rgive, yet we revenge; to be merc iful , yer we co ndemn and punish, and stiH we are Christians. If heH is what we are tlilught it is, then there will be mo re C hristians there thnn days in all creation. To be a true Ch ristian o ne must be like Christ and practice Christianity, not as the Bishop doe s, but as he says, for if ou r lives were to be pattern ed afte r the 'other fellow's all of us, Bishop , Priest and Layman would ultim ately meet around the furna ce of hell, and none: of us, because of our sins, would see salvation.
i'lr Gar vey ti ed hi s Christianity to the everyd ay activ iU ",:
digenous African tradi t.i on , h e
U9
"
t l'~ "
the philosophical c o ncepts by the "Bl ack
(a na me Hr . Gar v ey was afeect i o nate ly call ed)
~'JO ul d
be su -
It1.trJu s to one 's unders tanding o f the Africans' mind i n r el i gion , i t has not caught on by now. However, i t mu st be understood , 11 .\ 1.
Ma l: c u $ Moziah Garvey was t he only Black man that ever lived
• "' r o nt a p o e m by· the la te Bur re ll and Ford , U . I.A .
member s.
277
within continental United States of Ame rica who tru l y challengel l
tho se who still co nsider Africa as the final so l u tion of the Bl a ck
European- Ameri c an-s ty l e Christian ity \·d th any success , all othel
nan's stru g g l e in t h e 'World .
havi ng f or me d European- style Chr i stian-li ke re li g i o ns t-J ith the
Th e le g acy of Voodooism inh eri t ed by so-ca ll ed OI \vestern Re-
same b l onde Jesus Chr is t and fami l y, or converted to other re-
l.i l) ions ll s h ou ld not surprise anyo ne more than t he l eg acy Chr i st-
l igi ons wh i c h are c lose l y connected t o t he same origin s.uch as
Ill ni ty inherited from Judaism, or the l e g acy I s lam i nherited
J udai s m and Is l am, all of them maintaining a b l onde or other t h,.n Bl ack "SUPREHE GOD . " One mus t
rom b oth Judai sm and Christiani t y, u..""ld o f course, t he l egacy all III
a l so r emember that M.r. Gar v ey came from a I!Maroou"
them inherited f r om the trad i tional l y- Afr i ca n re l i g i o ns of the
~J le
Va lley cu ltures tha t r eached t he ir zen i t h in Sais
(~gypt).
back g round o n t he Isl a nd of Jam a ica, in t he Caribbean "i-lest
llia t is str ange about all of t hi s ! hONever , is t h at most " \'Jester n
I ndi e s ," where he \"'a s born on 1 7 Aug ust , 1887 C . E ., to Marcus u n
f. lll i te ) educator s" con tinue
Sar ah Garvey, S r.
111' . Garvey,
senior , was not a ma n of Afric a l!
r'l r.e than fo ur hundred (400) lon g
or European- sty l e ChristianitYi instead h e h eld to h is voodoo-t A.fr i can \'I or s h ip - wh i ch was typical of t h e Afr i cans (Maroon s )
end o f the isl and ear l y in 17 39 C . E.
r>rn t o e;ect th a t lIltura l
Th e conf lict in par en tn l
"pl e -
relig ious devot i o n af f ected young Garvey, Jr. to the po in t wh ...
d
a t sl1c h an early age he que s t i oned Chr i stiani ty's exc l us ivel y
"2Lh~ _..! esus
the Je\", s ',oI ere a b l e t o remain i mmune to any
impact of t h eir host cou n t ry, Bgypt, a nd i ts i nd i genous t h e Eg yptians ( the s o - ca lled
a nd a h ost of other such no me nc l at ures) .
fl,
Hot-J Ca n any one r emain rati o n a l \\Ihen d i sc u ss ing t he mer i t s of
J.'~I
I
There shou ld be no doubt t hat the "Black Mo ses" d i d ch anq f1fl the co urse of normal accep t ance o f millions of Black s from
years t he Hebr ew (Je 1
.e rs, Af ri cans South of t he Sahara, Py g mie s , Ho t te n to t s , Bush-
"VIHITEIl co l o ni a li s t contro l a nd i ts direct re l a ti o n sh i p to Lh. Bri t is h Imperiali st s of the Brit i sh co l ony -
vo l umes after vo lumes on the
.,-npl es spent in North Africa, Egypt in p articu l ar; yet, t h ey
\11..
f o ug ht t h e Br i t i sh and \o,/on t ha i r r i g ht to ind ependence on one 29
~-i r i tin g
~
o r h er reli g ion a g ains l: a noth e r I,!
t o \oJh i c h someone el se be l o n g s ?
e as ily so, by r e mer.loer i ng t ha f ir st f undar.len ta l
lat>! of a l l
11" ion5 - the II I BE:LIEVE , " as a g a i ns t t he "I KNOI:! . " Th e " I DE-
Chr ist" and IIHeaven" as dep i cted by Mi chae l a n g"' I"
, VI::" should mak e i t poss ib l e fo r a n o pen-mi nded d iscuss i on dealing
the Roma n Catholic Church of Rom e. I f no one e l se, hi s mi l l ifl ll
t it. re l i g i ous di ff e r e nces a mon g i nte l l i g e n t peopl e , t h at is, peop le
f o ll o \\'er s and their irers were af f ectedi
j .1
they in turn tn l l!!
enced thou sands , or mi ll i o ns, of th eir offspr in g
and fri n(1'.
The resu l t of Mr . Garvey's t eac h in g s res u l ted in a Malcolm
t ants" who 110'W control the "Bl ack l i b e rati o n mov me nt, "
278
~I,.
I'('ct i ng o r understandi ng t h e other perso n' s 'Words does not n eces -
~ .
Inn i s, Stoke l y Carmichael, and a host of ot h er "modern Black.
oIre -,'Ji ll ing to li sten to the opinions of others and r espect th em.
u11y mean a cc e p ti n g them. Th ere f ore, the remova l of the un usu a l . II
11"1 .. ,
r- 'W hic h \.lsua ll y accompan i e s cOr.lpara t i ve a n a l ys i s o f re li g ions I rt"li,.., l o u s i n st i tut i o n s c a n be accompl i shed . Unfor tuna tely , 279
Ind is egot ism.
mos t peop le are a fraid to openl y d iscus s religion or it s institutions and ad minis tra tors 1 unle ss such discussion i s comp l imen I
I
Yet, both of these values are combined in to a
')l:unon unders tanding call e d ·' FA I 'I'H. II Th is i.onin9 abo ut i ts sour ce -
ary to that which he or sh e be l ieves. Some reduce th is furthe r to a part icu l ar sect I s position ,,/ith in the same relig i on; and ,) suc h they have no religious to l erance for any religiou~ sect b\.lt their o wn.
"~ "
a llO\>l5 no qu es-
·'GOD. " However, wi thou t the avai l ab il-
Il y of further investigation into anythin g th at is subject to langlng develop ments the end result of comp ounding intolerance ""t:ome s a lmost inescapabl y cata strop hic. The cycle become s more Hid more fr u strating as the dogma o f non-dissension be c omes a
Na ny critics of relig ion have poi n ted out that:
! oU·t
••• the differences I,-Jithin an individual re l igion are much more inso luble than the differences between various religions.
of a particu lar group dynamic s . Thus, the foundation of pre-
" Iuice that is pre dicat ed upon hearsay and faith, rather tha n 11'0:1 lnves tigated fact ua l d ata, certainly is typ ica l of today ' s
For examp le; It seems to be easier to create a l asting friend-
c~ions
of that \"rllich i s cal l ed IIWESTERN RELIGIONS.
II
ship betw een a Noslem sec t and a Christian sect than betw een ,\ King, t1o hammed, Divine, Nat th ews, and Garvey have made their Roman Catho lic sect and a Protestan t sect
the same beh-Jeen 0,\1' ,nL on re li gi on in the Un ited States of America, Hohammed and
tist and I"Iethodist. The inter-relationship beh!een an individll. l! l the'lls being the only sur vivor s of the grou p. Mohammed leading religion - vi,s - a -vis - Orthodox Ju dais m and Reform, Suni 1'10D l ,·;·, !i.ati ~n..
and I sma l i -
of Islam to\.Jards an inde pendent Muslim Nation con-
is equa ll y as strong as those l is ted a l~e ady. Or' Ilw d to the Un i ted States of AIner ica;
co.u se of the se fa cts, no other reas on being nec essar y, one :; h l ", 1 more read ily understand \-Jhy i t i s d if f icul t for anyo ne in tItI' professing either of the so-c a ll ed "l.'lE$TERN RELIGIONS" (Jud 'l
I'H.£.9-..t.~d_~w.1lell.
It
\'Jhereas, Matthe\·ls leading
Israel should be ready to op en its ar_ms to its
~Js... y i s~~ bro~her~..2f.....~~_
Af£ic a n-Am_er ican (Black) I s ra-
j
it t.r:... .c_9mmu nity on
al}. . egua l_bas~,
th e same as it does for its
Chri stainity, and Islam) to acc ept their own non-T/Jeste rn or ~ C1 il' . U
much- l ess their a c c eptanc e of Voodooism as be i ng a basic
P;U;"
f'p eo. n a.nd European - Americ an Jewish communities.
I ,., \
th re g ard to the Prophet and l1essenger - E l ijah t.IJohammed,
their present relig iou s behavioura l pattern . rtl('re thought of a non-Judaeo-Christian state or nation of Never - the-less Voodooism, like Obya.h, J udaism, Bl aCk Ma. g ic, tIJld ly- .oJhite European-lunericans within the str ucture of t he g ovany other for m o f indigenous Afr i can, Amer i can ( s o-called " I nd 32
or
.
As ~an
re
1..
~g~ on
I •
~
- will survive as l ong as there is r e' i
Im/(' nl: of the Uni te d states of Amer ic a i s inconceivable to the
j 'I"
· ow( ·,cs th at b e " - much less one control led by African-Americans of bel i ef. t.;lhy ? Because the basic qualities \."hich are inher e n t.. \ II I.tm1c pe rsu as i ons . Th i s s ta teme n t is not meant to be an endorseanyone religion can be found in a ll others . Thus,
(a)
t h e-
null ,
'i l jus t i f i cation of religion is
() r
condemnation of the " ••• al l Black State!! Or "States!! pr o-
fear of th£;.· u n k n,l\./I'l.; L.ion of the Nation o f Islam for the !!Black Nationalists move-
280
28 1
men ts ". It is, on t he other hand, a sta temen t of c u rr en t ex pr-e Ss~
a mong E ur opean-Amer i cans with r egards to t he so- called
'tBlack - ~-Jhite
confr on tat ionO! one hears so muc h ab ou t
la t ely . T h i:;
w o position o f the Blac k Nati ona lis t foll O\-lecs of the s c h ool o f L.l.r c us Mo z i ah Garv e y cmd the U.N . LA .
.,f
it s adjunct -
(Whites ) commu nit ies; whe r eas H: has a rel igiou s
f ac t o~
as ~. . el)
e x a mp l e, European - Ameri can Je\>ls ar e n o t aga i nst an S t a te . .... " beCaus e o f
1I • •
•
t he ir Ju daism , b ut becau se o f the ir common
le m) and other fai t hs . On the oth er: h and , the IrAll Blac k Sta t e" I , '..Jhich Pr ophet Eli jah Hoh a mmed alludes i s one t o be c ontrolled I, himse l f and others withi n his Na t ion of I slam -
a the o c ratic
'.-Jhich is contrar y to th e II .. ... socialist or ien ted soc i e ty"
s poken of by mo st o f th e cur r e nt no n - Garvey t ype is ts
•
Bla ck Na t i oIJ _, I
groups. The secre t i s t h e ec onom ic and religio us
o ut l oo ~
Th is "S pir i tua l" i s a far
Black or i:Jhi te
f rom a s e g r e gated Chris-
'ian comm uni t y in Whi te America . As s uch ) the foll ow i ng exc e rp t 10m a lat er Africa n Spirit ual shO\>Js the n e \-j resi gnat ion of sur ,onder
to the 5uropean Chri stian Go d - Je s us ChL ist - a nd th e
ppc as em ent of stand a rd midd l e-c lass "Negr o Chur ch" id e ology and 11" o l o gy :
35 HV God i s a rock in a ~"eary l a nd, M~ God is a roc k in a weary land) Shelte r in th e t ime o f st o rm.
th is r e spe c t the Nati on of Islam is a t rue f r i end of the e cOJ u"
States o f Am e rica . As such , i t
cry fro m t h e sol a ce -the " Negro"
they \·;in a fet" mor e soc ial nic etie s
I::
non - cap i ta l ist socie ty, Hhet her ruled by '\'Jhi tes or Blacks . I II
the Eur opea n- Ame rican p ow er s t ruc t ure in the Uni t t': d
,34
'Jp his ticates o f tOday find in E uropean-Americ a - sty l e Chr istian ity
the Nation of Is lam, \-Ihich cannot t olerate an Al'l ah -less t yp.
sys t em o f
_ .
Joshua f it de battle of Jeri cho, J eri cho, J er icho , Jos hua fit de b at tle of Jer i cho , And the wa lls came tumbl i ng dovlD .
Eur opean (White , Ca uc asi an ) her itage with the vas t ma j or ity 01
state
.
I)l d Af -cl.c ao - P,mer l. can Spl.r Ltua l: '
all Blae
t he ir fel l ow Euro pe an-Am er icans ( VJhi te s ) o f the ehr i st i a n I MoO--
h i stor y , Garvey 's protes t c an be ve ry well
l de n tifi ed in the IollOl-'l i ng exc e r pt. f Lam the le sson i n -the a ge .
as a secu l ar one amongst the Afric an- Americ an communiti e s . For
al on g I:li t h th e teac h ings
the Afr i can Or th odox Church e 3 3
As o ne l ooks Cl. t
erne cr osse s re ligious li ne s a mong the European - America ns
1
Here one se es a tired a nd beaten "Ne gro" ',o}ho ha s lost all 11)1"
of v ictory over s la ver y. And as another
prote cts i t from o ther s , b e II.,
" Spi ritual " s a Y$ :
Ah ai nt gon a study ';Jar no mO~6 Ah aint gon a study 'war no rna, no mo, n o mo, ••• etc .
whose des ire it i s t o r emove and r eplac e i L. \.,11 ~y
19 28 C . E .
th e I1 Negr o"
vias compl etel y defe ated once more .
any o th er econom iC sys tem o th er t han anoth e r f or m o f cap iL.J l l , I"
Ye t,
<"!dins he had mad e, I.
they \'Jere , he cou ld no lon g e r
the common goal remains at least: -my r e levance i n t h e m. He h ad lost t he African mi n i ste rs One inde penden t Black State v.' ithifl the Uni on of t he Unite d states of Amer ic a ,
a f ar c r y fr om th e ind e p endentl y sett l ed
Tur ner a nd Denmark Ve sey , and a f ew II f-ll·;, ;n07::S" Here n o t
i mpor t e d from Afri ca to th e "1:'Je stern Hemis or "N e '.~' Wor ld;1I Afric ans ,>Jer e . Thus . i nst ead o f "Negro Sp i~ 11Hill::;, " i t ~h oL11d be AFR ICAN or AFRICAN - l\MER ICA SP IRITUALS , if L. l 1 i t i;;, Spir i lIJ a l ,c ather than Voodo o Ch ants f r o m Afr ica. 1"' [
Afr ic a fo r abr oad .. .
28 2
th e Af r i cans. t h o se at hom e , an d t\1o:}('
the "Negro Min iste r s"
"
283
as his fire and damna ti o n- preaching leaders who t ried to adopt
v--·ry little stat i stic al data se e ms to be avail abl e , exce9t f o r
the European and Europea n-Amer i c an crusaders " Onw a rd Chr is tian
l is
Soldier s" 3 7 an t h em, a n d appl i ed i t to t he Afr ican-Ame r ican Chr i
J. Div i ne
ban con verts aga ins t
~ i
ish slave master s .
t he ir Euro pe ?-n-Americ an Chri stian a nd Je',ol-
Bu t
t here wer e no more Benjamin T. -r:an ner
38
ro le
2. S
f ou nd e r of the
II
Peac e 11i ssi o n Movemen t ." But Maj or.
(the name h e or ig i n a lly c a ll e d himse l f ) had made for
l lions a "Heaver:.lI , a nd c hange d Eur opea n-American-sty le Ch ris-
U.a n t r a d i t i o n s f or eve n ma ny mor e f rom 1 9 1 9 C. E . , \.Jhe n h e becam e
to lead them in to the ir own Christia n Churc h of soc ia l a c tion
I'q(~'
shephe rd o f h is own rel i giou s l y- b ase d econom ic movem e n t . This
th e "Black Church" havi n g bec om e a soci a l c en tre f o r Sund ay
·"!Vemen t a ctual l y ha d i ts o ri g in at Sayv i lle , NC\;I J er s e y
Sc hool s ervice s and soul-searc h i n g , danci ng J pr anc in g , and NaU
I vine b o ugh t a mod e r ate -sized
ing. Hi s f i g h ting courage, Vlh icl1 h e had displ a yed in " ••• de
I') ll p l e . In so d oi n g ,
b a t tle of Jericho . •• " spiri tua l, was d e a d, a nd h i s l ater
f ound
co tt ~se
vlher e
f rom a German- Ame ri ca n
they 'tlere d i s regar ding the prevailing
"~-
\"1. an o nl y " cove nant that g overned t heir house, a type o f ge n t le-
hero a nd sav i or - Harcus Mozi ah Garvey ( Bl ack Moses ) had bee n H I
" n 's a ')r e e men t \'Ih i ch i s st ill commo n tl'l. r ea l es tate dee ds t hr o u gh -
ready depor ted b ack t o h i s nat ive Jamai ca in the Car i bbean . 39
'Il the Uni ted St a-te s of Ame rica , ev en though t he na tion ' s Supreme
F ather Di vine had become t he new s piri tua l gu i de to many th ousands, poss ib l y millions .- At Prophetes s Mother Hor ne,
40
n u.t t has since rul ed the m Tl uncon s ti t ution al."
the s a me t i me anot her " divifl
wa s a lso ma kin g a bid for recog n it
a s t he major r e l i gious l e ader o f ano t her
I""
E ur opea n - A merican- ~{',
Afric a n- Ameri ca n ba sed Chri s ti an commun i ty f r om h er on the east sid e o f Lenox Ave nue, betvJ e en l 29Ul and
h ead qu3~ t . l30~
S Lee,·t
~1 i th
I
I
.. Ll y furnis hed cot ta') e a nd i mmed i ately t her e af ter establ i she d 11 ,·mploymen t ag ency tha t '." a s
( o f ga infu l e mp l o yment , and a l so
such a s Bishop Id a Rob i nson's IIMt. S in ai Holy
L: li\il
t he midst o f
move d che " • .• good o l d Spir it ualis t • •• " Voo d oo typ e Af r i <': ;'II'l-AII c a n pa ri shone rs to\'Jard the cu ltis t t radi t ion spo ken of by t),· bib lic a l Da n i e l in the Hebrew Torah (F ive Book s o f ",loses). 1'l ho 'A'as this T1New God " - Fat her Div i ne?4 2 Ab ou t h i s 01 j 11
th e Divines be -
them l o dg i ng . By 1 93 0, Dtvi n e and No th e r
begu n preac hing the ir sermon s of "Godli-
Pu r i ty I a nd Red empt ion . '1 Rev ere nd Di vine had become the L Worsh ip ful F ath e r Div ine ,o a n d t he co tta ge had bec ome th e
I)
'IL o f a seri es of "Heavens 11 for t he mul titu de who cou l d raise IIllcie nt fu nd s t o pa y the ir ,,·,a'l t o re ach it. But the restric 1,",1
P5Lt.l b li she d by Fat her had al so be g un t o set t he patter n for
, l ""' .1:";
28 4
g:..~
t he "Gre at Depression," Fat her
I vine - h i s wife , had
o f Phi l ade lphia, Pe n syl v a n i a , and th e Hol ine s s church e s o f , '1
- No one re a l l y knew the we alth or n Ulil crjCil l .. tr p n c'] LII 01 v i ne movemen t except those wi ·thi n c on trol o.f lL.
f r ee of ch a r g e to a l l witho ut
c lothi ng and f eedi n g the dest itutes who cou l d no t fi n d any
r1
Di vine' s " Pe ace Miss io n t1oveme nt " and o t h er "Hol i nes s ll (Oil sects -
1I • • •
u: ds to r ace , creed , color, or sex." So o n af te r
I
Har lem , Ne w York Ci ty ,' He1..1 Yor k.
!ian
his f irs t wi f e , Pennin ah, Divine mo ved into the mo -
l ~l Lc r
on to c ome . I t
starte d wi th prohi b i t io ns agai nst
th ' '" ., i c:. )L.i.T'l q beve r ,l g es, bu ·t n o ne on f oods. Th ese " Di etary Law s , " 285
similar in many of its aspects to t hose of the Hebre\-,1 Tor a h (Hn n' of Levit i cus ) , could be fo u n d in t h e
" NE;\'1
DAY" -
lower s used to call the "HAPPY I AM PROPHET , 11
\."as contending
the c rmm Divi n e had also set h is eyes q:x>n; along with Bish-
.) t."
the sacred
46
47
t e a ch ings of Father . T he "New Day tt wa s Father ' s week l y pub l icn-
,," IIS H ee t Dadd y Gr a ce"
tion t hat carried the me ss ages a n d other ne,-:s of h i s King dom .
It he: former s eamstr ess) - whose fo ll.o...,er s ca l led "pra y f or me
It took the place o f
the Chr i stians' Holy Bi ble, wh i ch.was bar.
Ile stess . 1l 48 Be ing a !'>loma n in an Afr i can- Amer i can (Black) wor ld made it
to a ll o f the f aithf ul - as the re was to be no o ther "Hol y Scd f ture s ll t h an tha t wh i ch Father place d in the "New Day .
flr tua l ly i mp oss ib l e for Moth e r Horne t o amass t he fo r t unes of
Ye t thi'
\I
and P ro p he te ss No th er Ro s a Art i mus Horne
"New Day" c arrie d advert i semen ts f or a ll of the bu s ine ss es F ilth
I t:h er o f
had acquired.
• l rit ual leader. Thi s left the co n te st to Div i ne and Gr a ce.
1I.!..bA.~'=!..~hE"
- h ad replaced t he need for prayer to
,1
vah, Jesus Chr i st or Al 'l ah . These ,·) ord s we re o n l y to be men ti",
• tca i
and of Afr i can-European ori gi n f rom t he Cape ·/r'!rde I slands
'\las " God Himsel f on Ear th" - ,,,, ho
I
was " • • • £l.~~~ i n agains t
th~
teac h ~~
Fa t hElE.,"
nll'i
~t_!~dei1.J._h_ hi s pUni shment . 1I4 3 In these t wo co nditi ons Fa th er
V"
it,'est Afri ca ' s coast line .
It is be l ieved t hat " . ... ~
("Id the Uni t ed S t ates of Amer i c a around the early 1920 ' s " and
1 1· n ed unt i l his de atn i n 1960 C . E. It must b e n o ted , however, • L v,~
subst i tuted f or Je h ova h , Jes us Christ and AI'la h .
Bishop
Dadd y Grace !! ,.Ias an immigra n t t o the Uni te d state s of A.me -
I
!l.~_f!"
f or t he c ro'l'Jn of Af rican - Amer i ca n
• .·,Ica t
and" ••• .t h e....2..f.~c~.Q.~~_I?.!L.£.u red." For , to t he fai t hf u l r,lf c ou l d "never d i e ." To them "I
her ma le comp etition
his f ol lowers , Hh o are no,." l ed by one Bi shop Mc Cull ou g h, refus ed to accept hi s de a th - claimi n g t hat : " •• • He h as risen into heavenj ,,47
The moveme nt came to t he "B1 g City" (Nev' Yor k) in 193 2 \· .1
" d op tat ion fro r,) their ori gina l Euro pean-Amer i can st y le Chr i s -
the toughest year of tI'l'he Great De press i o n . " Father was r e ce i ved by hi s Neyl York f a ith f u l in Har lem am i dst the se cli) mru ll
01 1 bac l
', 'lords:
i
'i'HE REAT... GOD I S THE ONE THAT PEED S US
But
\I
44
u n like Divi ne, Gr ac e mad e
the r ea l God , \I F a ther Divine , met a f o rmer fis h pedd l " 1
~rabb ing
to g et ho ld of the vacuum the 1927 C . E . d nl" I
of 1'-1at· cus Ho z ia h Gv.r v ey (Blac k Nose s ) - h a d created i n t he II .•, of t he Uni ted StClte s of .'\mer ic a . Micheaux, whom hi s fai t h111 1 •
Mr _ Garvey \oms depor t ed after s er v ln"l
S ntence f or "Nai l F r auu " on i:r::umpcd- u l>
b·l o yc a:r:c of 0 Cha.r fW ~
by
Lh e
ha d es tab l ished the "!:!.::ited House of Pr ayer
for all
ul,le " \·..ri th almos t a s many br.).nches as Div i ne ' s Peace Hissi on s. ~;J a shi n gton ,
D.C"
his he a dquar ters.
l ocat ion, to h im , repre sented th e symbol o f hi s high p res tige
had turned "Prophet" - one E: l der L i g ht foot So l omon MichCOJ,UX'" a l so
~ 'lst e ms)
~I
01 fic e , !'>I h i c h he s a id waS eq ual to t ha t - at least o n Ear t h ht~
Pr esident of t h e Unite d S ta t es of America, but h igh e r
in
",.". being If ~" him se lf. 'l'h"se rf'liqious dimensio n s
\~
.s:imila.rlyexpress ed in a noth e r
10111
u.:~.
" ('l ,
.J';
pt' onoun c e o i n the protest of the major Afr i can - Am erican
287
?Uu
writers dur in g th e 1930' s, whe n Ralph E l l ison wrote h i s "INVISJ III
l h a t \.;as neither Afr ican, Asian or Eur opean i n orig in, b ut AFR I -
MAN II ; 48 Rich ard Hri ght his " BLACK BOY, " and "NATIVE SON , 1, 49 on) ',
CAN-AMER I CAN . Afri can-American in t Ile sense that it It/as a combi n a -
Th e 19 30 1 s wi t-
to be follm'Jed by Lan gston Hugh es 1 II SIMPLE .,, 5 0
n essed a r e vival of African-Ame r i can culture and spiritua l
a\-JCl'1
\10 n of a ll I:hree c u l tural invo l vemen t s h e had been s ubje cted t o , wi th stand i ng t hem , under h i s e n sl avemen t by t he Euro peans,
then
ness that were exhibi ted by P h yll i s Tdh eat ly S I in t he 1 7,0 0'5; lIl". 52 Tubman in t he 18 00 's ; \oJ .E . 13 g DuBois S3 and M.M. Garvey54 in
I he European-Americans
the 1 900 1 s. T he se reb irths d i d not remain on the shores of
nf this,
continental North America -
"o ntinent, espec ially the Uni t e d States of America. He had reached
the United States of Amer i ca in
(',Jhit es ) , a nd that 1:Illic h he had retai ned
r Qm his 0\'10 cu I ture of his Hot he r Land - Africa (A lk eb u -Ian) . All he developed to its zenit h \1hile sojournin g here on t h i s
particular, for they are still seen in Ri o de Ja niero1 s (Brazi l)
he: point where Bishop II S\-/EET DADDY GRACE!! cou l d te ll his fel l ot1
Black commun i ti es;
f r.ican- American faithfu l :
throug h out the island
of Hai t i
Dom ing o; amon g the Af rican-Cubanos of Cuba;
and Santo
••• n ever mind about God. Sa l vation is by Grace on ly. Grace has g iven God a vacationj and si n ce God is on vac ation , donl t worry a bou t him •• •• l f yQU s in aga i n s t God, Gr ace can save ¥ou , but if you sin against Grace, God cannot save you.~6
the Afr ican-Puerb)
Ricanos of Puerto Ric o - with her tw o Black to\1 nS, Caro lina
lJ.ll ot
55 als o, i n Jamaica, and Tri nid ad, where their exponenl . L oUl.sa; are b est seen in the CAIESAU - Hhich ha s si nce become the
\rIO
famous IICALYPSO. II
•
In the Un ited States o f America ' s VIRGIN I SLANDS, St. er al St . Thomas, and
st.
v/ it h al l
1 11' 1.,
t hat has bee n br ough t
for\\lar d \.;it h in the light s so
i t mus t b e also mai nta i ned, a nd it t ed j
that many wri t ers
U!;d9T ee \>J i th the view tha t t he it was not t he Af r i ean-Amer ican s ' 11, 'd £ fection from European- American-type Christ ianity that c au sed
John (former l y Danish Virgin Is l ands un ti1
C. E . ), it took t he form of "OBYAf{l1 (Obiah). In Puerto Rico, CIII and Santo Domingo it became ItBRUJA .1I In Ha i ti, Guadeloupe ,
[In I I
r1artinique i t i s ca l led II VOODOO.!I And in the United S tate s
(",I
t 111 " 1'
to return to their o r igina l African religio us base. One may
,"'I h le to agree wi th such a posi t ion on i t s fa ce value, but no t II i ts histor i ca l
reality , wh ich is so obvious throughout t he
America i t is s t i l l being ca ll ed 'I!,'/ I TCHCRAF'T" and "BLACK H.l\'{~H
I ",c k conununi ties of ";; h e Americas,
Put them all together and the y spel l
)lu'Ti c all y attuned to tl1e c u l t ure and rel i g i on of s aid
the sam e th ing t h ey cliLl
I .
t housa nds of years b efore they arrive d in t h ese parts , legit"
espec iall y i f one is an thropeople~
There !,-Ias ano t her un i quel y phe nome na l re lig ious movem en t
II
t hat
and simply, t he !lI'-lYSTE:RY SYS TEM!! th at t h e indigenous AfricDII'
" ""! o pe d dur ing th e 19 30' s u nder the le ader ship of an Afr i can-
the Ni le Valley and other
In , l an n amed Ch er ry - called endearing l y "PR OP HET F .S . CHERRY ."
par ts of Afr i ca (J\Ucebu-lan) d evl· lul
Hhen all o thers mentioned , so far as this e ntire volume :1..1.• , "I' cerned, Here e i ther n on - existent or unknown in rec orded 11 .i.:. lc thi s of co urse includes Greece and her f.ir:;l kno\10 The 28 0
l.;lck ma n h a d
c &t~ blis h (!d" f Ol:
h,ill1 .:)clf
oj
rOJ. 1O
HOBEl{.
I
II
'1r' oup prac t i sed bas i c Chr i st iani ty , European- Arner i ea.n-s tyl e
'II
J
l l,c y adop t ed the Jet1i sh T almud in p ref erence to the KING JAMES !
1 ·l'F:.;TANF.NT of the Christ i an Ho ly Bible. li THE CHURCH OP GOD," t he
of .colt 289
name of the new religious insti tut i on, \<J as to h ave it s p ari shon
I
I l ~ L 59
a dopt the name of "BLACK JEWS . " P rophe t Cherry , a s e l f- ed ucated
The African- Ameri caRs' move
toward separat i on have sty mied
ma n, and f ormer merc h an t mari ne turned Mi n ister o r Rabb i, clai!!l •• ,
Ill e sma ller , but mo re so ph is ti ca ted ass imilat i o n ists a mo n g them-
that :
,p l ves . These " NEGROES," a s t hey s t ill p re fer to be called , in s i st • • . t he so-ca ll ed wh i t e Jew i s a f ra ud. 57
He in s is ted t ha t
lha t • ••
t he:
Jesus Christ has no color •• a0 i ntegrationist.
• • • Blac k man i s the or iginal man create d by God Jeh o vah (Yvah).
! I1d igenou s Af r ican traditionalism i
• •• the e n slaveme nt o f t he Af ricans was pred i c t ed in the HebrevJ Tor ah ; (al so ) their emancipation .
.ted
tabooed
for eac h and every membe r
1
IIt V\,;!
t i e to the ir
the ass im i l atio n is ts similar l y sophisti -
...dll give t h em th e feel i ng t h at
a re l igion that is ind i genous to Africa , and have n o
mll e r s ; this t hey a l so reject for an o th er reas on ,
in order that
~'J h it e
~. . hite
th a t.. is J in
' !I 'r to r etai n the blonde Caucasian i mage of a Jesus Christ -
. • • ancient Hebr e w manuscripts could be read in th e orig i nal languag e of the Torah .
11 1·l !:' God -
painted by the It a lian, r-1ic haela n gelo , f o r
a
~/h ite
mo pean) Chri stendom a nd heaven ; yet t h ey wil l , in t h e f ace of
Death a nd funerals \'Ie.r.e pa i d very little attention, in k eep i n q
t1
with the
tr u th , ma i nta in that ••• . JESUS CHR I ST HAS NO COLOR .
• . • let th e de~g bury the dead and the livin g b e o t the l iv ing • •• , parap hrasi n g o f
r el i g ous involvement that
can
olnillu ni ca n ts . For this th e i nte gratio n ists would p r e f e r death t h an
not Sunday. Hebrew \-ia S c ompu l :-:r"
to know,
••• He
111" Y are equa ll y Eur o pe an-Ame rican sty l e Chri s ti an s as the ir
fo ll o\';ers. Sa t urday \-iaS main ta in ed _I:
" the true Sabbath l! (Holy Day )
~'Jherea s
l un g to th eir Hig h Episcopalianism and oth e r
• • • because Chri st wa s n ever ki lled by ma n; n o r was he b o rn of a Vir g in bir th •••• acc o r di n g t o his faithf u l
(ther e fore )
J' lle separ atist s retort to as much of l,'lhat t he y
T hat :
Ch;: j.stmas a nd Easte r wer e
~
~>Jas
I
he " • •• has no c o l o r
fl
he s h ould not appear
in any f or m \>Jha.t so-
the Hebr ew r egu l at ions on this s ub ject a CCOI d I .• i n pa i nti n gs and other material presentatio n , especially in
to the Torah. But the Torah (Hebre,,) Holy Bibl e , equiv al e n
t. 1 I"h r.'i st i an ch urch.
Chri$tian Ol d Tes'tament) the refere n ce book o f
\,.I5S
not th e fin a l aut h o r i t y. It
th e se c t . StJ:'ange l y en ou gh,
\"l...l , "
they d jrl
•
.S unday mor n i ng 1 1 Hay , 1969 , was high li ghted b y a small group 11<"
\,..., l 1- meaning Afr ican - Amer i e ans , who c n a l lenged t h e method of
claim any special li neage \4 i th the wor ld ' s o ldest Hebr e \'1 ( ..I . \,/1 peop l es, '",ho a l s o have b l ack pig ment -
the Bela Isr ae l
( Pd l
I'
I'
I, II
or Blac k. Je ...;s) of Ethiop ia , East Afr.ictJ.j ! Ior lhc Ycme rtlLI.! I;, fl'l
~ j p at io n
of
t h e ',>Jell- hea l ed Eu ropean - Ame ri ca.n Chr i s tian "liber-
Hiver~ide
Chu r ch , at 1 20tD Street and Riversi d e Drive,
fl, 'IU , N,,\o' Yo rk City , New York , a :1d the ir h andfu l o f .middle-class
er l y of Yeme n a nd Ar ab ia , Asia) who now l ive In the: StalL:
290
291
as pi['ing "Neg['o" parish ioners who mostly live in the blackes t section of t he Harlems of the City of
Ne\~
II! ·.iQ coll l fa !' :J, l'cs ::: o.1'ch s!oJ.ls c0 nt el' .rhi c 1( \'J~ J~ pl' ovid 0 rGzoJ.('ch on t :1e pl'o:)l l;! ,s of J 14ck people . ';.·his ccnt.Jr mu st '. Y~ "'"'l·r.;'ted trlt·~ '1" lr::ss than )0 :-til l ior,. do l Lll's .
York, but could no
longer involve themselves "'Ii th the same Baptist or sou l-saving
1f.5. '. re call for t :le esta ~ l1is>t ' I::i1t 0:::' ;~ t;'~ i rd.1l0 c3" tel' fo r t.he ~:tc b:i.!l"::; of s ' ~iJ.}.s in co ··-r. tul!~. ty 0 ~·~3. ·.i z~ t ~.OI1S , photo ...ir.:l.:)~lY , . ;ov:'te ' I'.l~ ·l ;'_; , t oJ evi " j.on ~1.ll:::!.;lG an~ r~z>a i ::" 1'.:1.c! i.<) · .l'.d J.r.~·b:: a~d l'e:)J. i~ · :tn r: ~.U• •' Lj,cr .o::1:ill$ !1.(! .'),led i.n c o: ·." 'uJji. c a~.to '~::; ' 7 · .\. :-: h~",'l , l'i'l . c ell :"o~' SIl'l.),1 ~)o: t ;ll\G!l1 ~;1 t1, !"\o 1 )5 :> t· ·..':·, t,..,:, ,.(,; L·.o,'
religious ins t itutio ns of which they were of before th V found their midd le-class statuse As they sat in the ir
p~ws
the
·~f}ll-:t.~'." .
sermon began, only to be interrupted b y a group of Black Arneril _
:1;' .
BLAC~
under the leader ship of one James Forman, of the NATIONAL
.:. .,
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE . Mre Forman led his
,i 11:; "' :1
follow e r ~
. ....)
". '·:"'::.' It.l, ) ·~
j·" (".\~.d,"..,,, t.~)e . . . ... .'. ' :" i,d:.'Fi:.1
~~()J l'l " " t·~
l" ;("'i .· :i.q/Ots ,
do ... m the main aisle o f t h e plus h church in the direction of tit ..
·~ "'':",'.'o; t.
intellectual Il liberal Chri s tian" s e rvices common in such s opl'!! I I
c o mmun ity in which t he c hurc h is based are intellec tually men l t
.~n i::;~.~ ,.. ":l.:',(:' ~
" m·
bi g bl.Js iness.
slave ~
II I
"9 .
cal l
~1~
· 'l~ .
..,._
") .
~1~ C
c.a.=)lis hrwnt or CO'Il' 0; i,:,.~ 'lO~:; t
292
" 01' t: l<~
iI;'·()::.i.'!' 0"" th~,;, .. ~"t ..:. '), ),\~ . C.,;,v€'1..())"".-:./: ~o ·. : ·):").1('.n .
' '3 ~~i:o
,:1.! ' r:!
~fc
i
_~o r
\.!ill the
of
Co :~ 1.aol(-Ar,ti-!)e fa, :e.tion
protec t~ 01';-'
Af ricaa
LMg'J.C
i ",,'\.;~ .
~~ "',a·.; 11s 'nY·10Pt
of n ,:Lac;: Univers i ty , 000 to he 100. tee. in t he Sou.th . !:n:.<)s~ntly Uhd€!r' Hay 1r.l. t>'! S01.1 thci.·!'t Cni vcrs i t /' ~ lJO , 000
d n ltl.7,d, t:,&t I.'CO nll or. :J.t2 aJJ. UI\1l5"":d r\llV.i5 :ill t.:'!(1 ~:.; . ~ of t.' ~ ~.:; c r m.f:!;·':'l ,(:,) ,11
.i!E,·),~~in:;
~::,~.. I)" :::I".+.
Many of t he re main ing o f th e c o n g regati on ,
or
1\ 0
IldVa;lcec~ sC'.o nt:l '. J.C d.~:"" '.'~·.·b!l· ;..S·:· ·· .~ 1·: l· ' ..··: -v i..3"o..!~,::.. .'1 .+\ .., ": to i,:... )f}>···.' oit . \ ;~' .L'~
1') ·~i<.!
:t;sta~·' !is r..:!1~l't
.. c,.;otia :.1:;,'"":5
,.,Ie call ~or the ~st<.hlisbt'lont of
"2. ', Ie enll fo 1"' t!H~ est.n~:l2.ishjl1eilt of fo ur r:.a .lo'l":' ?J.hlishine and ?!' :L"1t in~:. i ndustr ies to t~.le Uniterl St.:.t. tes to \ )e f undod Nith tOil 1:'.1.1110n dolLars each. T;w5e ;mblis'~ i!1(; hOt\ses a rc to be lo cLLted 1 in i.. etroit, At Lan to. , ;.05 An;;o l es and I-Ie. , Yor:k: •.• ,n
'on lil~
":'c')
lTh ~.o:-'
" l.
,
: :,'" tC""1:
l'Cl:~G" ;
c) I
!".J~ are demanciinF,~ ~5 , OOO , OOO , OOC t~ be spe ht i n the fo l lo,·Iir.!,; W4~ :"
,
:-: ~. 1)"··'::;"· !'.,O.~·i .· , . \ ,)
':')") d8\'~J.O :)·:",:,t oC co.')~:') ra~:::'v~::; i:'"' A. ;:l'i.c~tn c O'...'. '1t.t·ie $ a nd SU~l~O.l' t f)!.~ Afrtcan :~i··) cra tion . ·ovc;. . O:l t :; .
to ::>e :C,,;,c1.od uith
Y
':'J \.~!!)l
·1·
Extr acts from the Blac k Han ifesto follow: 60
inpI0"1C) ,,1;.a ~ion of this :;n'o;jram . "
. . '! ·'.)r· .' ..~~.' ., t·· ? '.
",
MANI FESTO ," which h e f elt th e reI i g ious ins ti tutions (of alJ
bound to meet be cause o f th eir r o le in colonialism,
":'")'- ~'!.l··: .. t~~ ·d: .~.
t";~
37.C.
a)
but in pra ctice ignor ed . As the opening song was be ing sung, M.
WC (' "
'~.
:·o..~··
11 3 . Ue caJ l ~o !' :;11"' cst·.a ~lis; I ~:Jent of the intcr· ta t,ionaJ. ;:a~ek AImcal ( 1 ·)1\ ) •• , 11 1I •• , ~ 2 0 , OOO , OOO .1I "Th .... ~dl is c ;te,l'~ od Hit:: t~l rS B ::".Ilr:·L:::'or;s
ca ted middle-class churches - where the poores t p eople of the
de nominati o ns and s e cts) o f the Un ited States of Am e rica
·:~u
IV ' ..'.) ,~("'. ~.l 01' ~ 2 ~ , OOO , !)t; r; t o (> st!).· ,:'..~.s ;' ~. .. atioi';!,J. -·lo.c!, :,aho,' : t ('ib" ~\.. 1' :':·<;.}'~0;"':-;~ ;··.l.I1~l. '..·~ ti ~; i" 1~': C "l 5 8al'Y fo::- I:;'e p.. 'o t ·~ cti. on .) :, .l :-.c:: HO:·'! ·FTS
altar, where the mi nister \.. as already begi nning one of his u::a1.11
Forma n beg an to read from wha t Y.la s l ater iden t ified a s the
,',.,1-.' of
did not has t i l y exist in hot pursuit of t h eir fleei ng minister
, \ .l. v o id h e aring what t h e y ~.,re re to cor rect in th eir preac hi ngs , l.p- ne d to P,r. Forma n; many nodde d t h e i r hea d in agr eement o r dis I' l~f'mc nt vli th the demands,
1 ..,.
If
,J;. l l r 0
and a l so indi ca ted o ther ges t u r es of
or di.~ rl C ; \ $ ur e , but th ey never-the - less li ste n e d t o th e
I n,\ ,j inq o f
oJ
rlt"Q\.lp
of Afr ican- f, mC'r ican s y.lho h ad a n indictme nt 29 3
against t he callousne ss of org-ani.zed i n st i tut ional "Western Re-
I"Ihich so many million European- Amer icans c l aim is " •• t h e r ig h t
ligton s " a nd it s a l ig nmen t •.J i th gover nme nt, mone y, and racism ." Dill
~.1j "
in this citadel o f Europea n-Am eric an Anglo-Saxon Protestantism ,
O\"1n backyard. As such , the news got t o Rabb i Maur ic e H. E.isendrat
where Ylhi te mi ddle - class "l iberal ism" is preached
nf the equally \.J ea lthy Templ e Emmanuel, most noted of the Reforme d
Sunday of the year on the subject of and ec h oed
!I • •
•
each and evel·j'
AID TO MINORITY GROUPS /,
over i ts P.M . Radio Station news broadc ast , the r epl'
se n tatives of Je su s Chris t
on earth -
the clergy - display none
o f Judaism (loc a t e d a t
the northeast corner o f 6 l st Street
\l1 d F i ft h Avenue , a plUSh residential area where very fe\·) ,m y - Afr ic an -Amer ican Chr is t i an , I'10slem t or
A!r • • . handfu l o f i l"-
responsible Negr o e s ,, 66 had ehtered " • • • the house of God • •• ", !UV e .c side Churc h, and tried " •• • to take th e i r
:;~ cts
they r ej ected such act i on when i t happened in their
Je '~J
t r oubles and leave i l
on the d oor step of the Lo rd;" 6?- j ust as t h e Chr i stian hymna l :;11'1
could secu r e r e -
The mere su ggestion that this v ery smal l non- v i ol ent gr oup .1 f African-American protestors ,,,er e supp0.!:ied to p l ace its d e mands
dnc ing t he Omeg Shabbath (Pri day Even ing Service) of the Temple cou ght out s ome of th e no t so non-v i o l e nt J ew.i..5h Defense League,
gested a ll the se hundreds of ye ars t o t h e Blac k s of the Uni ted
';h ose \.J ere reported to have had " ••• .t i re iron s
S tates of America.
l' 1 ,epall bats,
The i nd ic tment against this Pro te s t an t s ec t ear l ier c on f ron tati on beb",een Mr. FOrman
had followe d "n
and his follot.Jers
UqH i "
t h e hierarchy of the inn er-circ le o f the Presbyter i an sect tllolt l istened to t h eir de mands, but had ver'j li ttle t o say with r.c· to comm i t me n t s o f
demands dea lt with
fell o'~I-Chr istian
Yet,
~Jh ite
L!,·
1I~·/E5TERN RELIGIONS "
I .
00""
a nd rad i o r eport s in-
Perl man o f Templ e Emmanuel protested the pre-
Strange as i t may appear , n o one (i ncluding the same "Negr o"
r
l eo ou t
Je~..,s"
- ca lled
Ha t zaa d Ha r is h o n, ..·.,ho
in p rotes ting abou t " Negro a n ti- Semi tism " )
in shock a gainst this \';antonly " vio l ent" d isp l ay of
·' llSh anti- 8 Iack is m. The ir on y of i t al l
~·jh i te
is that neither Mre For-
tL,n or any of his f ollow ers i nd icated <1ny definite i n tent o f I , il: .i. n'J Temp l e Emmanuel, and d id no t " Stranger yet, n ot one of
Chr i stian ity \<J a s not the on l y r e l igion Hr. Forllli;ln i n Lt..:rlri , I ptP ~;s c o n ft"' l~c nt"l
befor e a nd <J fte r. the Ri,ve rsj.d c Church 's n o n-vi olen l d t' lIl n ;.
294
I' '-· rt t ed that Ra bb i
1. ·,1 been ex treTi1ely voca l
(Judaism, Christianit y) .
to call upon, as h e had i nd ic uted i n so ma ny
and other such l'non- v io l en t I'.;eapo o.s ll awai ti ng t he
, [ ; .)io us leaders and" Negr o
brothers and s i ste r s of \ I..
Amer i c a and organized r e l i gions - two of t he
Car chains,
!llvi ted or kne\.J in advance \vou ld be there .
Jr., their a l leged hero, vias born, raised, and was martyr ed : (II cause o f
1
'·nc.: e of the JeH i sh Defense League , \.Jh ic h he cla imed not to have
I)
Bl a Ck commun i ty from \tlhence the Reverend Dr . Ha r tin Luther Itlll
U
ill ) .!rmed Ifnon- vio lenc Qro t e stants." Ne';·,spape r
their financiall y p lu sh institut io n to\.Jard: . II.
ill i mi natio n of th e ills mentioned i n the "I1anife sto."
i f
. i dence ) •
of the c omionate fe e lings they alway s c l aim for their God and Sav i o ur - Je s u s Ch r is t . ti hy t he al arm?
yet,
r"'.,llh
,"
C ivil Rights Organizat i ons '
lvp~
..J 'J~l inst
"N e gr o leaders" vih o a l ligned them-
" Bl n ck St ud ie!3 " COu.t'5 es and flcommunit y control
in
1,tick c o nirllu ni t I n :; " ,·,ho are ahia ys available to condenn HNe ar o ant i -
295
S em i t i sm, " r aised a sing le voice of pro t est against the weapon ::;_ bearin g n on - vio l ent J ewish Defense League me mber s that a\."aited Many Afri can- Ameri ca n s ha v e r ecent l y moved from the ir "I k not·,
a phys ical co n f ron tatio n t." ith Mr . Forma n and his un armed group of Afr ican-Ame r ican s (B l acks) .
c!
The Prophet E l ijah Moh ammed , Rev . Bish:lp" Swee t Dadd y Grace ,"
H(lI, I "
qood Negro family i n my
ch u rch~ .
,etc.
,I!
':l indo\-.' dressing rol e t o
r os i tions of mi n or no n- p o licy mal<.in g participatio n i n ldh i te Ameri -
Wentwor th 11atthews, Hono ur ab l e Mar cus Moziah Garvey, a nd o t her
r;a I 5 religi ou s inst i t u ti ons. Th e "GOOD NEGROES," ne ver- the -less,
maj or r e l igiou s perso n a l i t ies and po li t ica l
h a.ve dec i dGd to act upon, r ather than remain quietl y ,·}i t h in t he
f i gures \-Jho hav e not
r e ceived t he ' GOOD NEGRO S EAL OF AP PROVAL' fro m t h e a lle g edly Wh ite il LIBERAL MID DLE- CLASS COMMUN I TY OF THE UN I T ED STATES OF AMERI CA I
( J ews, Chr i s ti an, Mos lem, Chris t i an Sc i e nce , e t c .) aT"
none -the -less h eroes and s-aint s -
or even s a v i o ur s a nd
amo n g Black peoples v,.ho are aware o f THE FIDDLER CALLS 'fHE TUNES . '
the fac t
that
I
r edee m ~ r
HE WHO PAY' .
,'Ihite Christia n
reli g ion. They are presently asking:
i s i t t hat all of the i'/hite "liberal" reli 0 iou s leadGr5 o f e v e ry creed allm~ their respective inst i tut ion s to become tied to the operations o f th e na tiona 1 g overnm ent; at the same time preaching!' th e separat ion of churc.h and state", 11 VJhy is religio n pro tecting s lum l ords in "NegrolT communities? 'dhy i s re l i g ion ( J e\-J ish, Christian, Moslem) a part o f big b u si n es s , including be ing slum lords? \rlhy is ther e n o place in relig ion f or the liJhite poor, much-les s the Bl ack ones? Hhy is there no chair set at the t ab l e of the white Jel:l ish home for the strange r in the Temp l e (be he Bla ck, hl'h ite, or tec h n icolor) as c ommanded in Hebre~" Scriptures, includin g Black: J ew s? ~'lhy is i t that Euro pean-sty le Christi a nity ( Pr o testant s and Roman Cathol ic sects a l ike) ig norin g t he command o f t h eir le a der - Jesus Christ i:Jho said : " Who - sa - ever receives one suc h as these in my n ame , rece ives me? ,, 62a Is i t e no ugh t o send a p it i f ul chec :c t o t he Na tiona l Association f or t he Ad vanceme n t o f Color ed Peorl e , a nd other s ocalled " respo n s i b le Negro orga niz at i on" on occasion, or take part i n a Nar t i n Luther King I J r- . , type demons tration to prove br o therh ood o f man? Or, wa s t h e Af r~c an-Am eri can s t r ugg l e for right6 a l r e ady gu aran t ee d ~n th e un i ted S t a tes of Ame rica I s Fede.ca l Co ns t itutio n - t h e " BILL OF RIGHTS - c o mpleted wi th th e sacrif i ce of t h e Revere nd Dr. Mar t in L uther Ki ng, J r.'s b ier when i t r o l l ed down t h e s tre e t s o f Al aba ma t o its f i na l r es t ing place as Hh ite Amer ica and her memb ers o f the Cl ergy f ollol.,led in hot p ur s u i t? An d ; Did the c l o si n g of 5 tor es fo r a fet.J hour s hours, shedding o f t ear s, ringin g of churc h bel l s re le asin g of st a tement s a ga i nst " vio lence " when p lied by Bl ack s (on l y) in co ndemnat ion of " antiSemitism," bu t i g norin g ' a nti- Bl ackism, ' ta lki ng about "love thy neighbor " wh il e the poor Hatch bi l lions of poun ds o f f o od ro t i n ware h ouses whi l e more is p l owed under as the c l e r gy o f a ll r elig ions stand idly by ? How can th ese di sp lay of utter d i s Ho~"
ap-
296
29 7
regard for j ustice in the Afr ica n-Amer ica n (Black) commun i ties by the clergy stop? Is it to be expected, co n ti n uously that is, that the Black Amer icans are to r ema in non - violent l y \.,.atching their kinfo l k extermin a ted f o r anoth er four - hundred (400) years p l us ( 1 6 1 9 - 1970 C.E . ), ~ h ich t h ey have spe n t in the Un i t e d S·tates o f America and t he f o rme r Br itish co l onies, b e for e they are· accepted as me re h u ma n beings? Or, are they not t o take u p weapo ns a nq de fend themse lves against tyranny as t he "Pather s" of the Unite d S tates of Amer i ca did against the Briti sh? vihat s h oul d it be? l;lhat is God d o ing ab o ut it? Blac k pe o pl e in the
Uni t~d
States of Amer ica, b e they Jel.Js ,
the p r omised
IIHESS I AH" t o f r ee them fr o m their earthly b o nd s'.'
Di d a n y gr o up , ethn i c or othenvise , ever b ef ore free
themselves
on thei r knees by pr aying ? Di d a n y grou!) before a l l ow its
VIO -
me n to be d ragg e d off to rrison, beaten, spa t upon, disrobed in p ub l ic, set upon by fe r ocious dogs - t h eir c hi l dren inc luded, ',Ihi l e their men sta nd by ive l y and 1tlatch i t al l in the name of God , except t he Afric an- Americans'! it/her e i n hi sto r y is i t r e -
Ch ristians, I1o s 1ems, or of traditiona l ly noted ind ig e no us AfriC, lI !
" orded t hat any o the r g r oup of huma n l:eings stood i n down- pour i n g
religious denomi nations ,a r e a l s o ask:lngtlWhite Amer ica'" ( J ews , Chc
·, llOwerS of torr ential ra in o n t h e ir kness p ray ing fOr a stric ken 64 :: heriff, ca l l e d li Bu ll c o nnor s ,u \.,. h ile h is deput i es awa i t his com-
ian s and Mos l ems alik e ) : Is re ligion 's c ole and so l e purpose for th e e xi stence and pE'rpetuation of the pO\.Jers that a ll O\.J i t to be come wealthy? Th ey f u rther
asked of relig i ous l eader s , Black on es inc l u (lt-.1
Is 1I • • • t hou s ha l t no t ki l l " o n l y app l icable t o i ndivid ua l s and not nations? Are t h E' provisio ns o n s l aver y f ound in t he J ewish, Christian,and Mos l e m Ho l y Scri ptures o rd a i ne d by God (Jehovah , J e sus Chr ist , AI' l ah) a ga i nst Bl ack peop l e o f the 'd orl d alone, as pr ocla imed by the Ca lvinists and La t er Day Saints 0 10r mons)?63 Did the Af r i cans .not Pa ss Over (Pesa ch) f r o m o ne part of their home l a nd Egypt, Afric a (Alkebu-l an) t o another par t o f the i r l and - Mt Si n ai - wi th t h e i r fe l l o\v African - Mos e5 and thou sands more of their fello\.,. Af rican (B l ac k ) brother s a nd sister s - t he African HARIBU (He b rew3 o r J e ws) ? iJJas it not from Afr i ca most of Vlhat man k i nd ca ll "Juda i sm, Ch r istianity " and " I s lam" orig i nated ? is it not in Africa, aro u nd the s ource !..; of the Bl ue a nd ~·i hite - Ni l e Va ll ey, the Old u va i Gorge i n Tanzania,. a nd Eth i opia the oldest f o ssi l s of ma n have be e n found? I s it not i n the Blac k ma n' !: cont inent - Afr ica (Al kebu - Ian ) Judaism , Chris t ianity, a nd I s l a m got the ir " TEN COMMANDMENTS II fr om· the "NEGATIVE CONFESSIONS" and o ther suc h doc uments ? vl D,::> the c o n cept o f God no t o r igin ated a mo n g the inct igpt¥llS Bl acks yJho worsh i pped the S un God - RA of AIr :i (: 11
'Il, )nds fo r anoth er chance to set their vici ou s dogs (bl o o d hounds) " p<) n them , and to shoc k them I.'J ith e l ectrica l charges that were ., I.herw i se us ed for cattl e? - Did the Eur opean (t'Jh i te) Christians ,>I a y f o r
Amer ic a , an::i did Gcxl take it f rom the so - called"Ind i ans, II t h e
'lIlly true indigenous peop l es of t h e Un i ted States of Amer i ca , and it to them non- vio l ent l y ? Did Bishop Bar to l ome d e LasCasas
j,\ ve
the Ro man Ca t h o lic ChurCh 65 rece i ve pe r missio n f r om God (Jesus
:>1
n ll:'ist) t o force Af ricans in t o s l aver y f or t h e ben if it of Eu rol" ·,.n a nd Eur o pe an-Am erica n Chr ist i a n s, and l a t e r ' 1111.
t
on Jew s, t hr ough -
the Amer i c a s, when he initiated the infamous ll sl a v e t r ade ll in
lI e year 1 506 C . E . fro m h i s base o n the Is l a nd of Hi spani ol a (to-
L l Y'S nOMC I
t:::;
' O(~
Ha i t i and S an to Domi ngo ) t'l i th t he approva l of the Pope in a nd t he Ki ng and
~ueen
of Spain? Were the r epor t e d bestial
of the Pharoah (K ing), Rameses II, of Sais (Egyp t) aga i nst Afr ican Hebr ew p e op l es (all of the tr i bes) ; King S au l o f
Ho w l o ng i s "Bl ack America " expected to worsh i p a God on 1 1 k n ees and stare i n t o the clouds awaiti ng t h e comi n g or rctul II ,, '
290
• U, H;Jr t i n 11 1 p r a yer
Luther King, Jr ..' S non- vi0 ::.ent mo v eme nt was i n volved sess i on in a dow n - pour of rai n as k ing Jes u s Chri st l ife of the same sher iff - Bul l Connors - who h a d b ef o r e shocked Bla ck wo me n wi th e l ectric catt l e prods ..
299
Pa l estine a ga ins t
t h e Hi tt i tes,
~ma l ask i tes ,
a n d other s ; Emper or Carac all a a ga i nst the Christ ia ns ; 66 t h e Chr lrl ti a n Cr u s ad e r s a g ains t the Moslems ; the Nos l e ms in the ir ( Ho l y War s ) a g ain s t t he Af r i ca n s o ,f No r t h, Ea s t ,a nd Dic ta tor Ad o l ph Hi t l e r
Maybe the God of Mount S ina i
Moab ite s, Ze bus i teo .
It
~"' es t
( J esu s Chri st), 11ecca (A l1l ah), o r
(Jehova h or Ya hwe h ) , Jerus a lem a ll of t h e m, h ave no place ~-IOOLLY
j iha d s "
i. n the ir PARADISE for peop l e \."ith BLACK SKI N, THI CK: L I PS,
Afric a ;
IIAI R (k inky ). a n d of INDIGENOUS AFRICAN ORIGIN , eVen though t hese ::ame peop l e es t abl i shed t h e bas i s fo r
of Naz is Ge rmany agai n st the J ews of
sa i d GODS and sa i d RELI -
Europe , e spec i a ll y th e War saw Ghetto 67 a n d othe r Ghe ttos ? Are th
u mNS . Maybe these God s ar e removi ng a l l r efer e nc es to t h e Afr ica n
depraved ac t s mo r e con t emptuous t o the Gods of J u d aism, Chri sti ",,1
!'r.opl e s of S ai s (Egypt) and Kus h (CuSh or
a n d I slam t h a n the e ns lave me n t o f t he Afri ca n-Americ ans in the
" HOLY SCRIPTURES ? " Maybe they a r e r eturnin g t he "TEN COMMANDMENTS "
Am e ricas? Are the God s o f J u Ju, Vood o o, Damba llah Ouedo , Hi t c h-
,Ind r es t o rin g them t o t h e "NEGATIV E CO NFESS I ONS" of the " ME f1PHI1'E
c r aft , Obyah (wh o al so witnes sed t h eir sons a n d d a u gh ters c ap t ul
qS IR I AN DRAMA as r ecor ded i n the Py r am id :i a nd o n t h e p ap yri of the
s h ackled a n d sh ip p e d o f f f r o m Afri ca as sl a ve s t o t he l ess c o n cerned than J ehova h , Jesus Chri st o r All aht
rlY ST ERY SYSTEMS OF THE NILE VALLEYS back to the ir o r i g i nal i ndi -
America ~)
O r~
are t h e
~ .II
of the i nd i g enous Afr ican peop l es , ""hose re li g i o n s ar e descr i b("(1 b y so man y n on- Africans a s "pagani stl c heathenis m,
II
and a host
(0'
oth e r p e o ple s ' r e l ig i o n s of Eur ope ) n ot entit l e d to re s p ec t ? HhV t hos e wh o h ave s l aved for
ove r
three-hundrc (l
s lave ry in the " LA NI I • •
TH E FR EE AND THE HOfolE OF 'f HE BRAVE ,, 68 whi l e
.l.. f rican a ncestor s
~-Iho
c r eated th em? Naybe these God s are
nnt u.s COLOR BLIND as t hey He r e supposed t o be , or maybe they a r e ' I()t " SPIRITS" af ter all? Maybe t hese Gods are al l
a comb ina t io n
An g l o-S axon - Sem i tic - Ham i tic Cau c asians ,·,h o h a ve no hous ing f or
11I:\cks to r es t, re s taur ants f o r Blacks t o e at , fou n tains f o r Bl acks
'11
"Je t
t hei r
t hi r strj o b~
fo r Bl acks to work a n d to fe e d their off -
',I('i ogs , schoo l s f o r Blacks t o stUdy Clnd l e a r n, churChes - sy -
(300) ye ar s, s u ffere d all f o rm s o f genocide , a nd still suff e r. e v e r y t ype o f hum a n deg rad ation a nd menta l
I' ~n ou s
1 ,1
other i n vec t ives (which a r e n ever u s ed in re l at i on s h i p to a n y
n o repar a t i o n s fo r
Eth i op ia ) from th ei r
t h ey watc h othcr~, . "I
' 1,1 ilo g ues - mo sques an d ot her p laces of "Jors h ip f or Blac ks t o I " .ly i n ? }:I.nd ma.ybe these Gods \'Iill ju st payof f
t h e Black s f o r
th e
l ect r eparations f r o m t h e Ger ma n and Japa n es e g overnme nts for I I
lillrld r eds a nd t h ousands o f l ives they h a v e g i v e n to ge nOC i de in t he
l oss of their kin fo H::, a n d per sona l prope r ties? The Afr ica n-Am!'1 ,.
TH'ricas for hundred s o f year s , a l o n g wi t h t heir enslav ement ; be-
l osses \'Ier e mo r e t h a n f i fteen mi l ions ( 1 5 , 000,000) extermlnal" ,I,
11n nin g in 1 506 in the Car i bbeans, and 1619 i n Jamesto'A'n, Vir g in-
I~ .
wh i l e cou n t l ess tho us a nds mor e \. . e r e destroyed me n tal l y , o n ly be offer ed tlfor ty acre s o f l a nd and a mu le. e ach ••• II
;
n on e 0 1
whi c h the y have c o l lec t e d to da te i n these Un i ted States
0
I, .
.i- IV - 1970 C . E ..
WILL TAKE CAR E OF I T ALL. 'I
300
~'Jhj,ch
God? Itl ll e n ';' , ~.1l c r o? lIow?
1I (;nl .
J
and it wil l be ger f e ct7 Then e v e r y one shall say :
AMEN ~ AM EN. AI·1EN : THE SINS OF THE FATHER HILL NO LONG8R FALL UPON THE CH I LDR EN UNTO TH E FOUR 'i'H (4 t h) 69 GENERATION , SAYE TH THE LOR D - GOD - JEHOVAH ( Yahvleh)
I\ IU" I I
But , those \... h o a r e g e nera ll y ca ll ed li t h e GOOD PEOPLE , "" t h c IW ' ·\'I ,.. BLE P80PLE, " off such atroc i ties \tlith the fo ll owin<J:
Un i t ed States o f Ame r ica (from c o l onia l d a ys) t o t h e p r ese nt
Hltl
II
,'vpr y thing
and everyone can fee l r e l ieved o f i t a ll , say , as
i L Ih t d neve r:- hflp pe ned .
This way ••• APRrCAN , AE'R IC AN-N-lERICAN
30 1
STUD I ES , and all othe r studies dealing with the Black peoples'
about "Ju J u-ism and Voodooism
co ntributions to world c i v iliz a tion, can be i gnored once more,
America ," o ther parts o f the Americ as ? and Europe .. I n so Vlondering 9
because it would not have e xisted; ther e for e, no more need for
one mus t
"BLACK COMl'IUNITY CONTROL" ; of course , no more I . S. 201, nor OCEAN
are con tinuall y restricted to ~ and oth e r for ms of enter ta i n-
HILL BROWNSVI LLE sc hools for African- Amer i can and Puerto Rican
me nt , and of course free l abor .. The same app lies to t he Un ited
" INFER I OR CHILDREN" to spoil t he " SUPERIORrI European-American
S tates of Ameri ca. In so doing, one mu st r ea lize the p rop er re-
"PURE WHI TE CHILDREN. "
cognition of African origins of Voodoo ism and other contributions
Voodoo , Obyha, Darnballah Ouedo, a nd Magic (Black or any o thl'l
i n Israel and the Un it_e d states of
stop and examine why African i nfl uences on European life
no t d irect l y connected with North Afri ca l,Jou ld integrate Jewi sh
co lor), lik e Jud a i sm , having origi nated in Africa , will be respc'j
a nd Chr i sti a n scriptures beyond present l y accepted quo tas for Bl ack
ed one day as the f oreru nner of what is today still bein g called
people i n so- ca ll e d " (',IESTERN RELI GI ONS ." Equa l ly, i l: vlould mean
II lO/ESTER N RE LI GIONS II (a ll denomination s and cree d s ); only then
th at t here
sha l l further studies not have to reveal the true ties betw een
e conomic burdens would ensue
these rel igions, and othe rs no t mention ed here in. The "Spiritu.-dr ••
li gious tracts for distribution de a l ing
Bl ues I
\Jib lica l persona litie s - from Abrah am,
II
and o f cou r se J "Jazz, " may t he n a l so receive t heir de!;('1 \I
~'JOu l d
no lon g e r b e any 1I 1i11 \·,h i t e heavenD u Tremendous upon. all sect::. to recre a te new re ~'/ ith
b l ackened i mag e s f o r
to Moses, to
Jesu~S hList,
to
ing place and att ent ion along wi th Eu ropean mus i c . Th e rel igioll:.
(tohaJ"1Iet .. It '.... ou l d also mean tha·t Sais (Egypt) and all oth er lands
messa.ge Blues and Ja zz carried for year s to the peop le s o f thc!
,....f Nor t h a nd East Afr ica wi ll have to return to the African conti-
world may then rece i ve its just recognition .. But, as one examll1f
n" n t a n d be r e d eclared .Af r i can la nds.
either Bl ues or J azz, one sees the basic religious musi ca l sl'lll l
qu ir e the fu l l recog n i t ion t hat the I::gypti ans· l-,lere no di ffere n t
f i can ce t hat is a part of Voodoo and Judaism -
[ h an any other indi g enou s Africans . l.'Jhen these t hings have been
also in Chris t .l l'Ut
and I s l am - corne into foc us .. They revea l one common i ndigenoul ! r~\1
Afr i can orig in and denomina tor; an o r i g in t hat i nc ludes the
gious music of indigenous Africans from as far so u th as MONOMO'I'''I far north a 's SAIS, ·
far '-lest as GHANA,· and to the
f~t' - o ff
exu ·" j
Disc l a imers on this subject make st udents of Voodoo a n (\
01 I ..
:,\1
ma n y II Wester o li historians (Jel-,ls and Christians alilce) r.efc.L· t" ~..!:tdaism ,in \'Jest Afr i cal b ut fa il very conven ien tly" to
men t iol'
• t!lonomotapa \i aS t h e or~ Q in al n (, mC 'ot- Nh r t 1 3 l:o a y cil l l Cd ttl ' Repub li c of" South Africa . Sais 1 s t he () l qi n ;)l namO o f ~rrx\'. ' i " c i ent Ghana I nclud ed mucl) o f th natiQn ;: t;1 Lc')()~lY l o We :: I', Punt was l o cr:t.ted where t he ::;om :)lin ~; '.ind por L ~ 01' Kenya J'\O't"1 r.t"II·' . '1 0 :'"
Furthermore , it wou ld r e -
initiated, it vJou ld follow th at t he entire educa tion a l
system o f
U le ilt'Jestern ':lorld" 'dould have t o be completely reva mped to speak
br man ' s contribut ions - all of manki nd, not just starting with lhe
ancie nt Greeks and relating every thing around them o These e f-
f Or. ts, a t t hi s po int , appear t o be unrett.l i stic t o those \llho are
of East Al keb u-l a n (Africa) - vlh i ch was known as PUNT. ·
tradit i ona ll y noted African indigenous religions wonder why
70
~ ~:=: p onsib l e
f or suc h appropriate and me a ning fu l
c h anges ~
Why ? Be-
• The Greek historian - Herodotus, who learned histor y and other .H :xlp lines fro ,n the indige n ous Africans of Egypt from 450 B.C .. E . dc;::> cribed them in his HI STORIES, Book I I, in t h e fo ll owing way: lto l') -Ie Egyp tians, ~olchian s and Eth i opians have thick l ips, broad 11 0=... 0 5 , v/oo l ly halr, aDd they are burnt of skin .. " Her odotus I des rrip ll on f its any "Negr o " in the Harlems of the Unite d S tates IIf Americo.
J03
t
cause rnanldnd loves power, even t he power to enslave his fellow
.~"..N D
EVE IN THE GARDEN OF ED EN" IS .
men .. Because of this pO'.r/er- love , power is not very often surr end l"1 voluntarily by any group thr o ughout t he history of mankind. Strange as i t may seem to the . African-American, this is" how the "conclusion" adds up. But, this is providing youth f\.! l " ~ Alnerica li is willing to remain on its knees lik e their middle -age el and older f orerunners have been doing lately, wh il e awaiting their "Messiah" to come and " d e liver" them. II Yeah • •• "there is a h great day a'comin'; 71 but not in the sense of the "Neg ro SpiEitual" of resigna tion in which these word s were wri tten by down trOill Africans in the United Sta tes of America, when at that time , th, ' only hope seemed to be
II ......
I' m a h comin', I I m ah comin', for my
h ead is bending low. If 72 No! It i s not even of J e richo.
ri
r••• •
Joshua fit de bill
It is African-Americans (Black) and their
!I~
Rights." 73 g uaranteed them by the mer e vir "tue of their birth, by the vlorld communi ty of nations in its Ri9hts~
II
'~Declar a tion
;"\II.t
of Human
"Ri9 htsU 1.'/h ich fou nd mu c h of their fundamental orig in :; I II
the relig ious phi losophie s of the so-ca ll ed HAPRICANS SOUTH 0 ]0' '1'111 SAHAR A" _ "BLACK AFR ICA. II There car. be no doubt that "\oJESTERN RELIGI ONS " is a mi snnmh' of the
1I..n!t!."
RELIGIONS,"
degree . I t i s as racist as i t sounds. "WESTERN likl'?! " GREEK PHILOSOPHY," cannot escape its indi ge ne
'I
African origin, and the inheritor s of their African ori g in pr ese ntly indi genous Africans and their descendants in t h e
C[) l 1 1
b eans, the Americas , Europe, and e lsewh ere. Ii/HAT M;\KCS ONE GOD BETTER THAN THE OTHER? RELIGIOUS BI.GO
DOES, AND RACISM S IT. ANY RELIGION IS AS GOOD AS T ile (1'1 EITHER " RAC E" IS A FRAUD OR THE RELI GIOUS TEACHINGS OF AN
304
"~I
IttdJ Al1
305
PREFACE NOTES 7~ A~
1.
Sll E.
t1allis-Budge, BOOK OF THE DEAD j also his OSIRIS.
2..
A German Roman Catholic Pries t who broke away from t h e Church
The Hebrew, Chri st i an , and Islamic UHo l y Books" (B i ble, e t c Q)
wer e even in this name by most "Wester ners " and Asians of t he r"los lem faith . T h e r e ligiou s Ht ruths" o f ot her peop les a r e ca l led
in a fight against the hierarchy in Rome to reform i ts teachin gr. ,
"myths" and other n a mes that indicate "inferior ity to the Holy
prac t ice s, and dogmas. Luther's r evo lt led to his own e xcommuni-
:.icripture s.
cation in l S20 C . E .
on t ha t ,... hic h i s called "Wester n Re ligion s."
3.
Gh andi (1869-1947
C.E~)
was the leader of India's non-violent
Il .
1I
This is Comm on practice am on g mos t
"Western" writers
See, STOLEN LEGACY , by G. G.M. James~ New York l? h ilo s oPh.:l.ca l.~.
struggles against Imperial Britain f or independence. He \'las t he
I. i b rar y, Ne w Yor k, 1954 .
\'Jor ld's most outstanding fi g u re in the field o f prote st through
1/ .
pos itive pac ifism. He wa s assasinated in 1947 C.E. b y a fellow
i"! n ce.
Hindu after leading India to f in a l victor y over Britain . See
10. Th e e thnic tit l e -
BHANDI, by Geoff rey Ashe, Stein and Day , New York, 1 968.
urlte s the p ossi b i l ity of a ny oth er peop les i nv olveme nt.
4~
11. Thes e are term s \'Ihich have been used to de scr i be the cont i-
Jesus Christ and God are said to be IlSprLt'i t s." African spit 11
Se e Note No.
7 . Also g ive spec ial at tention to the las t s en-
II Greek"_ adde d to the "P h :ilosophy" e limi -
are called !Tances t ors,1f or "ancestral spirits .. "
u,'n t t he Gre e k s and Romans labeled "AFRICA , II amomg other names in
S.
Ihe ancient pa .s t ..
European and Eur opean-Ame rican word s g enerally applied to ru
lig10ns that are no t corrmlOn to tho s e of JUdaeo-Christian-Islam\. origin .. These ter ms are derogatory in use and intent. \'
-:':
Sa . Se e Dr . Albert Churchward, ORIGIN AND EVOLUTION OF FREEMASON ARCANA OF FREE MAS ONRY ~ 1915 j and, ORIGIN AND EVOLUTION OF TIIf:; 1111 MAN RACE, 1 9 21. 6~
Note t h at the Nile River rec e i ve s its sour ces of water fr OIl!
II
high l ands of Ethiopia (the Blue Nile from Lake Tana , and the 1\\ b ara River - nor t h of Lake Ta na), als o t he highla nds of UQan d.\ \ II i'lhite Nile from Lakes " Al bert'· and "Victoria" - Nya nza l"l\'/anz a ). T he lflh i te and Blue meet at Kh artoum, Sudan; the Atbara mee t,..:
.11
Atbar a in Sud an .. See landscape maps of this area sl'lOwing tile e leva tions of the landmassj a lso BLAC KMAN OF THE NILE, by Y. 1.... Jochannan, Alkebu-lan Books, NevI Yor k, N.Y., pps .140,220, 2!.:l 7_. '1 ,1 306
307
INTRODUCTION NOTES
These ~oJords are on l y u sed to describ e non - Europc::.an religiou s
"
1,el iefs . Thei r I.
See, RELIGION OF THE SEMITES , by Smith Rob e r tson.
2.
See, EXODUS, Chapter 20, Verses 13 & 15j also, HYMN OF ADO-
p u rpose i s to estab l is hed i n people s l mind the in-
re r i ority of Blac k t h inga as ag ai n st ("hi t e , he t\oJeen European- Amer i c ans -
vs -
t hu s translated as
Af r ic an- Amer icans.
RATIDN OF THE GOD OSIRIS, Chapter I , Note 55.
10. Th is ~'ias brou ght on by the 1 964 C. E . ki lli n g o f a 14 ye ar o l d
3.
,!,lac k boy named POv!el l at Yorkville, New York Cit y, NevI York, by
Profes s or James' STOLEN LEGACY is a c ri tical ana lysis that
sho ws
t h e Egyptian (A f rican ) ori gin of t ha t wh i ch is be ing c al l
.In o ff -d uty White p olice l ieutenant n a med
G il liga n~
The contro-
ed "GREEK PHILOSOPHY''' a n d " WESTERN RELI GI ONS. " He has take n gr ctt t
vers y over this kil l i ng caused \'ihole- s ca le r ioting in many Black
car e to trac e every detail of Africanism in Greek c u l t ur e, a n d
c ommu n it ie s
expose them as such. 4.
Yor k,
Count C.C. Vo l ney, in his book - RUINS OF EMPIRES, like Bar o n
in pro t e s t .
11. Su c h as Father Div i ne, Marc us Moz i a h Garvey , Pro p h et SHeet
De non 's ,TRAVELS IN UPP ER AND LOWER EGYPT, sat.-! the Sphinx o f Ghi."." (Gi za ) i n 1 789 c . E . , be f ore Emperor Napo l eon Boneparte 1 s French troops bl asted away i ts
t h at f ol l owed the l ead of Harlem , New York Cit y , Ne'..oJ
!),\ddy Grac e, Pro phetess Mothe r Horne, a nd ma n y others. I ~.
See, No te No.
35, Chap ter I .
t hic k lip s and broad n ose with c anno n [ 11'
as tar g et practice. Baron Denon eve n drew the
Sphinx in its ori l li,.
al image - as seen on page 1 40 of BLACK i1A.N OF THE NI LE, by Y. lIt
Ii
Jochannan, Ne w York, 1970. His picture o f
d
the Sphinx is con sidl'l
I
an art tr easur e and should be seen i f at a l l possible. 5.
S~e,
BOOK OF THE DEAD, by Sir E. A. Wa llis-Budge, pp 66- 90 j
a ls o, OSIRIS , pp 62- 166. 6.
I bid ..
7~
EXODUS, Cha pter 20, Verse 3 .
8.
Lik e s o many others , Rever end P l ac i de Temples made the mj :: 1 II
of bel iev ing he knew
!I, ••
ho'.'; the Af r ic a n s think ••• ill so l ely 011
the basis tha t h e lived among st them for a number of year s . lI., failed to note the master and slave r e lationship that exi stccl 1,1 tw e en himse l f a n d other Europ ean re pre se ntatives of the cn l ol ll, . 1 system agai n s t the i nd igenous Afr ica n s he be lieved. he r ea1y 308
i{ 11I
309
SHANGO: CHAPTER I - NOTES
'l.
Moge n David - Hebr ew (Jewish) Star . Cruc if ix - Chris t ian e r ( l "Ji th an ido l pu rpor t in g t o be Je sus Christ , or a pl a in ero!.;:., Ka' ~ba. (A I - Ka 'ab a , r epr e se nting a piec e of fall en me t eor fr Osh Eth10 pl.a ; onc e wor sh i pped by th e peo ples o f Mecca and othel" p arts of Arabia un t i l t h e t ime of Mohame t - t he PrQphet and
1..
fo u nder o f I slam ) .
1. 00 Ano t h er n ame for II !3LACK MAGI C . II In i t s
2.
Common cu stom during the commu n ion ceremo nies in most Chr ir.~ orders (sec ts ) , fr om Roman Ca t holicism to Ho ly Roller s . Ins t e ad of palm wi ne, t he Chris t i ans use grape wine.
3.
The Hebrews, l ik e mos t o f th e anci en t p eople s had sacrifi c !1 o f fellow Hebrews . Thi s cust om c hanged t o a ni~a ls in t h e ,:I e l I of "Sacr ificial Lambs, lI Th e Christi a n s eve n cons idered the i ) Jes us Chr i s t a "sacrifice, " a nd continue to do so at "L e nt" jus t as t he Mo slems with Mohame t at Rammadana I
30. The words i r: ~are ,nt h esis i ndicate t he equiva l e n t ind.i genou ;--, Af r iCan rel~ g ~ ous customs and practices which Je,,!s , Chris L i Jill and Mos lerns ca ll " paganis m. "
4.
The wor <;is "pagan, II " uncivi li ze d" and IIcannibals " are alwa y " I. quotes ~n t h i s work ·, a s they re la te t o s t e r eo type castigaL IlI1I by peop l e ",ho are pre judice aga ins t o thers whose rel i gion not mee t t he ir 0\4n specificc;o, ti o n s .
5.
The Dru ids were an a ncient peop l e and socie ty .. See, ANACALYI' by S ir Geoffre y Higg i ns, VoL I & IIi and Dr Albert Church . . /... ORIGI N OF FREEMASONRY 0
6.
7.
Amon g certain orders (sects) of Jew s, Chri st ia ns and Mo s l " 1!1 music al in s t ruments in re li g ious services a r e Ob'jectiona b 1' \ , whe:z:e as, amon g others th~ ser vices mus t hav e them. Th e <::h (.l l , of l.nstrumentsare as var~ed as there are ord e rs (sec ts). G o~ is male and f emale .. .It all depends upon wh ich r e li g j on
I
be ~ng. referred teat any gloven tim e .. God ta kes on a mascul inl' f orm 1n the three religi ons most commonly used in Europe 0 1101 t h e Americas.
7a .. The Fourtee n th Ammendme nt (July 9, 1 968 C.E .. ) came more ll \ 'II t wo-hundr e d a nd f ort y -n i n e (249 ) years after th e firs t IIJ J 1 s l aves l anded in th e United states of Ame rica - wh en i t \-1.1 s till a British co l ony (16 19 or 1620 C .E.).
8.
For centur ies Eur o pean a nd Euro peam- Ameri can Christi c;o,n Jni aries p r eached this t ype of 'IChris t ' s messa g e .!>
ea.
The Pharo ah in th is r eference wa s Ram ese s II, \v ho SUP P O:h· oI 1 drove Mo ses and other Af r ican- Hebrews (Jews) f rom \-J e s Lerfi I t o eastern Eg ypt ( Mt. Sin ai) around 1 298- 1 2 3 2 B . C . E .
310
Most Af r ic a n-Amer ic a ns have refr a ined f rom this "Anthem" be ca use of c e rtain "civi l r ights movements " that opposed "Negr oes having t heir O\\ID Nationa l Anthe m. 1I James i-oJe ldon Joh nson was once Execut ive Director of the Nationa l As sociatio n for the Advancement of Co l oured Pe ople (N . A.. A.C . P.), Imperial Pote nta te of t he "Negro Elks, II poet, and master musician. Ole Man River is avoided by the sophisticates who wish that th eir history of slavery ca n be ig nored o u t o f exist ence.
II
truest f or m, a name o f an Af rican reli gio n equal t o J ud a i sm , Chri s t iani t y, and Islam . Bi ll y Dan i e l s, an Afr ican- American (II Negro ll ) enter tainer? made a son g ~oJi t h t hi s titl e .. He made thi s reli g ion ap pear t o be a sexpo t symb ol with his an t ics as he sang a so n g b y the name - liTHE OLD BLACK MAGIC . " l1iguel i to Va l dez, a no t h er ent ertainer (from th e Island of Cuba i n t he Caribbean) di d like"Jise to the God Baba Loa in h is son g o f t h e same name . Va ldez should have knO"oJn tha t t his God is sac red a mong h i s indige nous "}\.FRO - CUBAN 1' peo ples as much as Jes u s Chr is t i s amon g o thers .
I L. Reverend P l ac i de Temples ,'
BANTU PHI LO SOP HY, t ransla ted to English from the Fr ench original en ti tI ed a • • "LA PHILOSP HIE BANTOUE , " by Dr. A Rubben s (from Fa ther Temp l es original work " Th e Re ~ , Col in King, tra ns l a t or , I mprima tur, Victor Pe t r us Keuppens, Vi c. Ap~ de Lulua, Luabo - Kamin a, Hay 30, 1 952. Imprini Potes t, Kan z enze, December 2 , 1 952 , p. Simeo n , O.F. M ~ Sup. Re g . ) ..
11.J . Typ ical pos ition of t he Chr i st ian mi ssionar i es , a s s t a t ed i n the ir wri t ings up t o t he mid - tHe n tieth century" I.' . See , GOD , JUJU,AND ALLAH, by Jac k f1e ndels ohn, Be acon Pre ss, Bo ston , 19 62. I \.
See , THINGS FALL APART , by Chinua Ach e b e, Obolensky , New York, 1 959, pp 185- 186.
I t.
Ibid , pp. 1 8 6- 18 7 ~
1,. Ibid, p. 1 87. H, . Ibid, pp. 1 87-188 .
1'/ . "any books dea lin g " i th the Afric a n s l ave t rade to the Ameri cas dea l "'Ii t h t he role o f t he slave ru nner - t he Rever end J o h n Ha'.Nk :ins - and hi s sl ave ship " JE SUS (C HRIST) deLOBIC . II
II"
Deutero n omy, Ch apter 7, Ver s es 6-8. See, F ishber g 's , THE J EioJ; also , Rogers,' SEX AND RACE, Vo l . ToO
·/IJ S e e ,
THE JEW, by M. F i s hber g; also , SE X AND RACE, by J . A& Rogers; HEBREW MYTHS, by R. Patai; and, HISTORY OF MANKIND, by Hatz e l .
B. Sec , BANTU PHILO SOPHY, by Plac ide Tem ples; a l so Note No.2 311
of th i s Ch a p ter •
FACING MT.KENYA, by Jomo Kenya t ta,
19. I b id , pp. 45 - 46 : THE GENERAL LAWS OF VITAL CAUS ALITY. 19a.The Oracle of Ano n cause d Alexa nd e r -the Great" in 332 BCE, to i nvade Egy p t a nd conqu er i ts low land c ities ' (Lower Egypt ) . 20. From the HOLY BIBLE , Revised S t a ndard Vers ion (Ol d a n d New Tes taments), Merid an Books, the World Publis h in g Company , Cleveland and Ne\,; York , pp. 8 6-8 7; Lev i t icu s, Ch apter I , Verses 1-17 .
p~
2240
lb . See chronology of Moses in the TORA H (Five Books of Moses o r Holy Bibl e) . \ 7 . According to Matt h ew, Chapter IV, Vers es 17-20 (Holy Bible New Testamen t) . 17a See, ~vOR LD' g GREAT MEN OF COLOR , by J . A . Rogers, Vol . IIi a lso HISTOR Y OF T HE ARABS, by P . K. Hit t i .
21 . Ibid, Chapter IV, Verse s 3 2- 3 5.
\g . See Chapter Four of t his '-'J or k, Chrono l o gy of Mohamet.
22 . See, AFRICAN MYTH OLOGY , by Geoffr e y Parrinder, pp. 23-24, P t.,,1 Hamly n, London, 196 7 .
1') . See quotat ion o f the Scriptures i. n Chapter T hree , p p 3 -28 a nd 2 9 of th is wor k; als o t h e HOLY BIBL8 - Nu mbers , Ch apter XII , Verses 1-2.
23 . T h e HOLY BIBLE - The F ir s t Book o f Moses (Genesis) , Chapter I. Ve£ses 1-2 5 .
I I) .
See AI-Jahiz I of the li f e o f t he Proph e t Moh amet and other noted founder s o f Islam i n Chapter Four of th i s work .
1 11~...,
It is the feelin g of Some Afric an-American mu sicians t h a t "JAZZ IS A DEROGAT ORY NAME GI VEN TO SERIOUS MUSIC OF BLACK PEOPLE BY HHITES :,lHO DO NOT UNDERS TAND ITS MEANING . TH8Y MAD E IT AN 8XTENSION OF SEXUAL SE NSATIO NS AND WITH CONNE CTION TO TH8 BROTHELS OF ST LOUIS DURING THE DAYS OF RECONSTRUCTION. 01
Ill h.
Mary Baker Eddy "'JaS the f ound e r of the CHRISTIAN SCIENCE "sectll (F~ r st or Mother Ch ur c h) in 1 879 C.E. at Boston, Ma ssach usettes, Un ~ted Sta t es of Ame rica . I t is bas ed upon the view tha t Chri s tia nity i s a science , a nd has physical healing po\
24 .
I b i d, Verses 26-31.
2 5 . Ibid, Ch apter II, VerSes 15 - 25 . 26 . Ibid , Chap t er I I I ; Chap t e r I V, Verses 1 - 17 . 27 . See , P ACING MT. KENYA , by Jomo Ken y atta, pp . 224 - 2 2 5 , Vin trl'J Books, New York. The word " KI KUYU " is u sed by Europea n s :i.n:.I. o f "MU- GIKIYU" si n gu l ar, or IIAGIKUYU II pl ural - used by t he I II digenous Africans t hemse lves). Jomo Ke n y a t t a ex pla i ned th i :. , '" the firs t p age of t h e pre f ace of his book under f oo t no t e No . One. He d ec id ed t o use th e mor e popular uG i kuyu " for bo th :. 1" gular and plural p ur p o s es . 28 . Ibid, p .
2 2 7.
' I.
29. Ibid, pp. 5 -7 . 29a See Prof essor M.D.W. J e ffreys' liThe Negro Enigma ,lI ( in : TI'Il:: AFRICAN REVIEVJ, S e p t e mber , 195]). 30 . See, AFRICAN' MYTHOLOGy. Ibid, Note 22 this Chapter, fir st graph .
IjI
II U I
31 . Ibid; second paragr aph. 32. The HOLY BIBLE, Genesis, Ch ap ter I, Verse 26. 33 . See pp . 1-24 ,' fi r s t line of No te No .. 22 of t hi s wor k ; a 1 :. II, AFRICAN MYTHOLOGY, by Geoffr ey Parr i n der, p . 23 . 34. See pp . 1-2 5, first line of No te No. 23 o f BIBLE, Genesis, Cilapte r I , Verse 1. 3S ~
312
th i s wor k
See pages 1- 27, first line of No te No. 27 o f
Lh'\.'
liP '
'
t h i s work:; .j l "
See,AFRICAN MYTHOLOGY, by Geoff rey Parr inder, pp .
15- 16.
I
Hebrew peo p le s t h a t e xis t ed in Ku s h
(Jews) t ha t
lived in the Ar abi an country of Yeme n un313
t il their removal by the g ove rnment of I s rae l after t he cre. at ion of t h e Jewish State by European a nd European- American Jews. They ar e gener al l y d ark - brown in colour j however, no t as dark as the aver age Black Jew s of Ethi opia - ge n e r ally . They l ook somewhat i n complex i on as the Yemenite Mo slems ( Arabs) with whom t h ey l ived fo r over two- thousand years . These peop l e a r e now bei ng f orced to stop t h eir polygamo u s way of l ife, wh i c h t hey, li ke t h e Fa l ashas o f E thi opia , h ave pr actised f rom biblica l t i mes.
II ORTEGIA, AMONIS, LYBIA , ETH IOPIA, OCEANIA '; a nd " H ~SPE R I A . " See, BLACK MAN OF THE NILE, by Y. ben-Jocha nn an, Alkebu - lan Books, NeH Yor k, 1 970 , p. 2 5 2 .
ST. AUGUSTINE: CHAPTER II - NOTES
44 . t10s t Eur opean and European- America n r el i giou s wr i ter s seem ll. claim t hat their r el i g i ous dec l ar ations are th e on l y "tr ue sc ri ptur e j " t h i s of cours e is i n kee ping with the gene r a l s u per iori ty syndrome of Europeanism .
I.
45. First Commandment o f t h e Jewish , Christian, and Is lamic r e ligi ons as II rece ived by Moses on Mou nt Si nai," acc ord i n g t o t h e ir Ho l y Bib l e or Kor an.
Constan tine "the Great" was r esponsib l e for c ha ng in g the course ..ot" \.,.orld hi stor y when he conver ted to Chr is tianity and l ed Rome and a ll o f Europe i nto Chri stendom. He made Rome the second Ch r is ti an n ation i n the ',.,rorld at that time, second onl y to t he Christian Empi r e of Ethiop ia ( Kush), East Afr ica - wh ich became a Chr istian nat io n more than one-hund r ed years befor e Rome did .
46 . Pr actised as a reli g ious ri te amo ngst many Ch ri stian sects ; but not universa l ly a part of Chri stian teaChings. It has been adopted as a hea l th r equ i r ement by mo s t h osp itals and physicians . ~?j e· r'C: I ;'f
4 7.
of the fem a l e hymen for p h ysica l and re lig ious re.): ... "
Th e Ethiop i an Emperor , Abr aha, conver ted t o Chr is t i ani ty H~ i l e he was sti ll a prince. His fathe r, ~ m ~e ror Johann 7s, had hlm stu dy the II new re l igion" f rom Phoen~cl an and Kopt~c merchan t s ing t hr ough Ethiopia. Up on mou n ting the throne Abraha de Cl ared Eth i opia a "CHR I STIAN EHP I RE. " This t ook place a b out 1 20 C . E.
48 . See Note No . 2 2 of this Chapter; l ast paragraph o f quotaLiun 49. See, FIRST BOOK OF HOSES - Genesis ( The Ho l y Bible ) . 49a Ta ken f rom the APOSTLE ' S CR EED: "I be lieve in God the Fall", Alm i gh ty, maker of he aven a nd earth ••• ," etc. 5 0 . See , PL1I..N AND HI S GODS, by Homer vI . Smith , p . 64, Litt l e, and Company , Bosto rn, 1953 .
53 . Ibid,
~aragraph
!l .
I
2.
54. I b id, pp . 44 1-442, paragraph 3 . 55. The PYRAMID TEXTS, as per Nebseni Papyr us (ca. 1 600 B. C . I·: . • witho u t th e "SALUTATIONS . I! Pages 4 3- 44 of MAN AND HIS COIl.'. 56 . ALKEBU- LAN i~ .the anc ient n ame th e Ethiopians and Hoor.- s I I j I the contine n.t t"hich the a ncient Greeks and Homans r cnnm•• d Ii These are only tw o of t h e numerous name s Afr ic a ha s be~ n ove r t h e past few tho usand y ears . Among o th ers u r e th ... j , J! 1
314
I.
Har tyrdom was (during th is period) a kind o f fad among the Christ i ans who we re " • •• expect i n g the seco nd coming o f t he i"1e ssiah " (Jesus Christ.) " any day .'1 wi t hin the ir own l ife time.
I.
C . P . Gr oves Via s Professor of rUssions in the S~l l ¥ Oak Co ll eges i n Bir mingham, and" an outstanding author on Ch r~s tJ..an Church hi story . II PUNIC is an a nci ent wor d fo r PHOENIC I A.
I""
51. See , RUINS 0;: EMPIRES , by Count C. C . Vo l n ey, pp . III-IV (1 11 " lisher's Preface, b y Pe ter Eckler , New Yor k, J anuary 3 , HI 'III' See descripti o n o f " • .• the f l at no se , th ick li p s , and NC (] J ' ~ features of t he Egyptian Sph inx . II \. 52. See "Epi loque ' ! (in~MAN AN'D HI S GODS, b y Homer W. Smit h, paragr ap h ~).
St Augustine gave very extensive s o f his ow n background in his CONFESS IO NS. There a r e many Eng li sh t r anslations of the orig i n a l Lat i n tex t, most of which are entit l ed "CONFESSIONS OF ST AUGUSTINE ."
See , THE VAN ISHED CITIES OF NORTHERN AFR I CA , by Mrs. S tewart ErSkine , p. 80 j als o t h e CATHOLIC ENCYCLOP EDIA.
I
See , HEBRE\lJI SH IN WEST AFRICA, b y J . J . Hi ll iams . 1.
This p r inces s is immortal i z ed in Virgil ' s work u n der the name of "0100 . " He speaks of he r in r e l ationship to the City of Troy . GIBRALTAR i s a Span i sh cor r u ption o f the wor ds "GIBRAL TARIK.H" . which means " Rock of Tarikh," or "Mount ,£¥ikh . " Gen er ~l Tari k h was an i ndi genous African (B lack ma n ) whQ led th e A fr~ :an - Moor s i nto Spain in 711 C . E . as conquerors, de fe ate~ t he Span~ards.and occupi ed th e t Ot.,.n of Algcir as. Later on, on h~s second ~nvaSlo n o f Spai n he took Heraclea a nd oth e r towns , whi ch drew f or t h the \... ar that 'meted Tarikh agains t King Roderic of Spa i n in the Ba tt le o f And alu s ia near Xe res, i n which the Af ricans were supr eme, and the e n tir e I b e ri an Pe nin su l a be came Af r ican te rritor y .
3 15
9.
Septimus Sever u s was born a t Lep t is Magna (today ' s Tr ipo li t tl tl ia), and died at York, Britain , i n Febr uary , 2 1 1 C .E. See, COAST OF BARBARY , by J a n e Soame s; a l s o, ROMAN BR I TA I N, by R . G. Collingwood; and, THE VANIS H8D CI TIES OF NORTHERN AFRICA . by Hrs . Stewar t Erskine .
9ao Note that STOICISfJ! . . . as t he pr e vail i ng philosophy f ol l owe d by the Romans . This e mpe r or was i t 's protector .. 10 . Augustus Caesar was o ri g i n a l l y called TlOC TAV I ANUS. He 1,olas the Isperator Caesar Octavianus (Emperor Octavius Caesar) who rule d Pale sti n e (Is ra el) wh e n " •• • the birth of J esus Christ was proc l a i med. " He rul ed Egypt (Aegypt) as hi s priv ld. es t a te through one of h i s Pr ef ects (Praefectus Aeg ypt) . 1I
lOa Adopted f rom, AN ENCYCLOP ED IA OF i;WRLD HISTORY, (4tlj ed . ) a~j comp ile d and edited by Wi ll iam Langer, Houghton Mi ff lin Co . Boston, 1986, p. 1 1 3. 11. Professor C . Eric L i ncoln wrote a book by the name o f BLACK i1USLIMS, which brought to t h e g enera l pub lic certa i n f acts about these Afr i can- America n s o f which so many were oth e rwi i g noran t .
I
12 . Se n at or Joseph l;1cCarthy ",,'as a pos t Wa r II U.S . A. Senator, H il i ' made hi s nation al f a me through in ves t i gat i ons a nd p u b lic ox p os u res o f t h e U. S.A . Commu nis ts duri n g h i s te nure on t h c, Un - Amer ic an Commi ttee o f t he Senate. Thi s eommi ttee and l:hl ' Senator met wi t h pub lic r idi cul e and the cen ~ urQ o f his ' coJ. J i n the Se na te. It a l so led to t h e d es t r uct ion o f the p u b l l~ lif e of hundr eds of governmen t employees ; such as Alger Hi ;, hi g h positio ne d State Department o f f i cia l) and Pro f essor J . Rob e r t q,penhoime.r (one o f the fathers of the Atomic Bo mb ) . 13 . Thi s t itl e i s th e equ i va len t of the ancient \\r-lIN I STER OF VM1 ' " still i n us e i n many l ands t odayo
~ 2.
.'4 . Pop e s dur ing Te r tull i an ' s l i f e t ime ( 11 55- 222 C .E~ ) : St~Ani cet us 1 5 5-c1 66 ( he b ecame Pope t h e year of Tertu ll ian's b~ r th) ; St. Soter , c166 - c175j St. Ele u terus c 1 7 5- 189; St. Vic t or I, 1 89 199; St. Zephys inu s 197- 217; and St.Ca l ictus I, 2 1 7-222 (he died t h e same y ear Tertul l i a n did (222 C . E . ) Popes during St .Cypria n's l ife t ime (date ,o f h i s b ir t h unknow n . It i s known , however, t h a t he was bor n during the late,days of Tertull ian ' s life time , a n d die d s ome t ime be f ore the b 1rth of s t . Augustine. And that h e was at least f o r ty- six (46) y e ars o l d when he rec e ived h i s °HEAVE NLY CALL AND BIR TH . " Popes during St, Augustine's l if et i me (354 - 430 C .E.) : St.Lib:rius ruled at the time of St.Aug u st i ne l s b ir th - 352- 366; Fe 11 x II (anti-Pope) ~53-3 65; Dam as us I , 366- 383; Ursinu s ( an t i- Pope) 366 -367; St . Siricius 384- 399 ; St.A n astas i us I, 399- 4 01 ; St Inocen t I 401-417; St . Zos imu s , 4 1 7- 4 18 ; St.Boni f ace I, 418 - 422 ; Eu l a liu s (anti-Pope) 4 1 8-419 ; and St . Ce le st ine I, 422-432 C.E . (dur in g whose Papacy St . Aug u st i n e d i ed at the age of seven tys ix y ears of age).
," "
f irs t \.,ras ordered by Po p e Urban II (1096 -1 147) ; the s econd by Conrad I II and Louis VI I (1 1 4711 89) - t he t hird by Ri c har d I a n d F r eder i ck Barbosa (1189 -1 20 2); t h e f~ur t h thr ou gh e i g h t ("the ",,'eening year~ Ab i ge nsian, - , 'vJal densi an Chi l dren's; Bohe mi a n o f N ico p o l ~s - l e d by S ~ g ~ s mu nd of Hun gary; Varna (1202 -1 2 91) .
. I. I
~l .
Augustine wro t e this poem after h e de cided to fol l ow l e t ter s in pr eference to law , which his father i nsisted be l earned and make his career. He a l so served as a t eacher of g rammar at Tagaste , and subsequently establ ished h i ms e l f as a r h e torjcm at Cartha ge . Augustine ' s f ir st ro o k...a s wrltt2n sane time bet . . . een 377 and 383
C .. E.
19. Ib i d.
21 . Lbid , Note 16 , p. 8 1.
CONFESSIONS: CITY OF GOD; and ON CHRISTIAN DOCTRINES (in :
Gre~t Boo ks of the Western r,<Jor l d, Vol. 18 - Augustine. Edited
'0. Crus ades ( 1 096 -1 291 C . E.): The
17. Ibid, Note No.4, t h is Chapter.
20 . See, COAST OF THE BARBARY, by Jane Soames , p. 60 .
See
u nder Ed i tor -i n - CHIEF Rober t Maynard Hutchi ns , formerly Pres i dent of the Uni vers i ty of Chicago , I ll .). This work is tr a n sl ated from Au gust ine ' s orig i na l Lat i n works. P u blished by Encyclopedi a Bri t anica, Inc., Ch i ~ago, Ill . , U.S . A. Th e CITY OF GOD is tran s l ated by Ma rc us Dodd,".>; and ON CHR I ST I AN DOCTRINE, trans l ated by J .. F . Shaw; CONFE'SSIONS , by Ed . . .'ard B P u ssey .
1 5. Tertu l li an ' s , De ANIMA, XXX (as quoted by Ha rnack in MI SS1 ur J AND EXPANSION, Vo l . III , p. 275 . ).
18. Ibi d, Note No. 16, p. 8 1.
Sab i ne~
Mada uros was also the b ir thp l ace and site wh ere a no ther of t h e ",,'or I d famous i nd i g e n o us Afr ican wr iter, APULE IUS, wrote his major work ca l led " THE GOLDEN ASS. "
1 4. This was r eport e d in the works of Eusebiu s of Caesarea ( c .)r.h 339 C.E . l .
16 . See, THE VANISHE D CI TIES OF NOR THERN AFRICA, by M.rs SteVJd l Ers kine , p. 80 .
See , A HIS TOR Y OF POL ITIC AL THEORY, by George Ho
'I .
These two work s were edite d b y Augustine from conversat i ons h e rec orded whi le 1'n t he company of his mother , hi s so n , some f r iends and pup i ls (when they were awaitin g his co nve r s i o n as Cass ic iac um). He publ i shed th e m as philosophical d i o l ogues.
316 31 7
30 . Thi s i s t he only book of a s eries Augu stine wro t e that s urvlv.
I Cor inth i a ns , 8 . 8. Col . , 2. 1 6. Romans, 1 3. 23. opp osi t ion to the de n ~a l of eating as s u ggested by t h e M an ich e es ~ Ge_ n e sis , 9. 13 . I Ki ngs, 17 . 6 . The Ma niche e s v i e .."s on insects as the most deplorable food . Matth ew, 13 . 4. Genesis , 25 . 34 . II Samue l, 23~ 15 -1 7. Matth ew , 4 .3 . and Numbers, I ~
He wrote t hem immediate l y af t er h i s conve rsion to Chris t ianit "'lhil e leading a typ e of mo nas t ic life be for e his de par t ure from Africa to Europ e ( Milan and Rome) . ol~
31 . This work caused Au g u s tine his firs t controv er s y with th e
t,:inker s of hi s e ar , b oth la yme.n and the clergy. It deal t wil hls own values nOn Chris t ian Do ctrine s. II It also incl u ded COt philosophical concepts h e deve loped after his s t a y in Rome t over one year . Au g usti n e sold all t he properties he had ama :;. after wr i ting this wor k j the pr o ceeds went to the poor .. I t WI1 his las-t writing befor e he estab lished his "MONASTERY II which he occupied with hi s son a nd t wo friends - along with ' foll ow that ed them in a life of s t udy and prayer. 32 . The firs t o f thr ee book s o n the subject, which he took thir ty one y ears to c ompl e te~ Th i s one was completed abou t 39 7 C. E ., e xao t y ear is qu es ti o nab le . 33 . He s t ar t ed. t h i s wor k a f ter the completion of his thr ee v o lum. wor k of th ~r ty -one y ear s (397 - 428 C . E . ). He publish e d i t bet ween 398 and 400 . 3 4. One of h i s g r e a test d oc trinal tr ea t ises. He b e g an t h i s treul l the same y ear he comple t ed a previo u s vol ume . 3 5 . Thi s work seem s t o b e the re su l t of h is disag re e ment wi th ( 10 Roman off i c ial s o ver the f all of th e Et ernal Ci ty ( Rome ) . 1 1 ci t ed t he rela t i onsh ip o f t he Roman Ca th olic Church and th~ Roman Empir e. I t was star ted in 413 C .. E .. as a ser i a l whic h appeared for thir t e e n conse c ut ive years - 41 3- 426 C.E .. TheD ~ '.."ritings we re mai nly reflec t ions o n h is previou s wor ks, wh i l h he brou g ht u p -to-da t e in prepara t ion for h is suec es s or a~ Bishop of Hi pp o Ri g i us in 426 C .. E. Au g u stine wr o t e t hat i l.!. purpose wa s . e ." to c omp i le and point out all tho s e t hing s which di sple as e me in my \Ilorks~ II
·1 3. A':!9 u st i ne s u ppor t ed the P l ato n i sts agai n st o t her philosophers vat h res p e c t t o the f e llows h i p o f ma n a nd h i s God . See, THE CITY OF GOD , VII I, Chapter 5 . 4~.
THE CITY OF GOD, Cha pter 28~ August ine c h a l le n g ed the i gnorance o f n o n - b eliev er s,no t be ing ab l e to see hi s newly fo u nd Je s u s Chri st i n t he s a me man ne r. .
ol ~.
THE CITY OF GOD, XV , Cha pter II , Met hus e l ah 1 s a g e . THE CITY OF GOD, Book XV I I , Ch apter s 42 - 44. The H EBR E ~'-l TORAH s e t Met h u selah ' s age a t one -h u n d re d a nd e i g h t y- s e v en ( 187) y ear so
~ \) .
-,7.
d . I b id , Book II, Chapter 42 .. 6 3 .
lQ . I b i d , Book III , Chap ter 1 4.22. Ma tthe w 7.12. Cf. Tobi t, 4 c 15. ·0 . See , STOLEN LEGACY, b y G.G. M ~ J ames , \filth respect to Ari s t o t l e1- s al l e g ed a u thor sh i p o f mo st o f th e Africans ' work attributed t o h im . ~.
0
Mane th o , the Egyp t ian Hig h Pr iest, was forced to t ra i n Gr ee k stude n t s b r ought into Egy p t , Af r ic a , by Ar is t o t l e a n d the s elf-dec lar e d Phar oahfGenera l S o t er - who t ook o n the t i t l e PTOLEMY I . He was n o t allowed to -train his fell o w Afr ica n s tudents . " Western Philoso phe rs", etc. No c r e di t f or the i r e ducation i s g iven to the indi g enous ( Bl ack, Negroe s, e tc. ) African s t h at t r aine d them, nor f or t he s o ur c e of th e ma t eria l s a nd doc uments they used .
3 7 . Ib id , VIII ( VI ). 13, Ps a lm, 19B 14 .
39
Ibid, Chapter 6.
I . Many of the se stu dents ar e a ccredite d
360 CONFE SS I ONS , VllI o
38. I b i d, VIII (VII ).
ON CHRISTIAN DOC TRINE , I , Cha p ter 2. S ee a lso Ha tth e w, 13 . 1 2 , and Matthew, 14 . 17, etc. , 20 .34, etc .
1 7.
Ib i d, I X ( I V ) 7 . The t hree dispu t ation s a g ains t Aca dem ic~ . Aug u st i ne' s De VITA BE ATA, an d his t wo o t h e r book s - De OR DI ~, ar e in q u e s ti on 4 0 The SOLILOQUIES (2 books) . Au gust~ ne' s c o nyer sation v, i th himse lf . According t o ' Luke , J : S ee Ps al m 19 : 6.
,t . Manetho se rve d u n d e r the se lf-declare d Phar oah (K in g). Ptol emy I (th e f or me r ~1 aced onia n general - So t er - o f Ale x and e r li the Great ' s!! ar my that c aptured and coloni z ed E gypt ) ~ I .
See, BOOK OF THE DEAD , by Sir E . Ao T,<Jallis- Budgej RUI NS Or' CM~IR ES, by Coun t C . E . Volney; MAN AND HI S GODS , by Home r 'vJ Sm Lth ; THE GOLDEN BOUGH, b y Sir James Fra izer ; a n d, OS I RIS b y S ir E . A. Vo/a li s - Budge . These are only a f e w o f t he h undr ~ds o f book s on th i s s u bject . 0
4 0 . I b i d, P sa l m, Ver .. 8, Vulga t e Bi ble 2 1 , I Corinth i an , 54. Ps alm, 9: 9 , Vu l g ate Bi b le . ( V)
410 I b id ,
IX
( V)
13 .
eL
1'.
CITY OF GOD , Boo k XV II I, 29 .
4 2. I b i d, X. 46. Titus , I . 15. Roman s , 14. 20. I T im othy , 4 : 4 318
If _
.O:: dc the CONFE;SSIONS , Book I I I ,Chapter XI-XII c
I . Lb i d , Bo ok I
& II . 319
58 . From , THE PATRIARCHS. 59. See, CITY OF GOD , Ch apte r
conune ntato r s who fo llow St. 1\ugus ·tine· s era and dec i d e t o g ive critiques on his wo rk s b e ab le to r e ac t a nd unders tand t he Vulq a tc"version .1O Th i s suggest i on a l so appli e s to the work s of th e othe r t wo Afr ic an "~h urch Fathe r s, " St. Cypri an and Tertulli an,as seen in the last page s of th i s Ch a pt e r.
16 .
59a Char le s 1 st of Spain t o Charles VUl ( l ast Roman Emperor ,crown~ ed by the Pope at Ba l o n ga) 15 19-15 58 C. E . 59 b Raymond Lu ll was a la y missionary of th e Roman Catho lic Ch ur ' who t wice trie d to turn the Nor th Africa ns a g ain s t . their Ar dh conquerors religion - I SLJU1. See AFRICAN GLORY, by Professor J.C. de Graft-Johnson, f or t he b est of thi s era o f th ~ h i s t or y o f the Nor t h Afr ican Church. 60. The fir s t English version o f the Christ i an Bible was made from the Vu lg ate . Howe ve r, in l 560{ when Rom an Catho licism was outl awed i n Eng land) th e British brought out their own English version o f the Vul gate Bible. This forc e d the remaining Br iti sh Roman Catho11Cs to d~v ~ lop another bible of their own, whi ch was ¢!.es ig.,ed to maintain the.ir own interpretations as the y understood the ~IC hris t story ." ·The result was t he .Rhe i ms and DOuay "ve rsion ." Wh y the narne - Rhe lm s?" Beca u s e the New Testament (C hristi an t e x t ) was prin ted and --pub lished in Rhe i ms in 15 92 C . B. "Douay"came from the 1609-10 C . E . printing of the Old Testament s ect i on in t ha t city. The e nti re undertak 1ng was d irected by Dr . Gregor y Hartin on commi ssio n by Rome a nd the Hol y See . This Bi ble rem ai ne d"~ offic i a l Eng l ish transl at ion "from the o ri ginal La tin Vu l g a te B1 b l e unt1l a bout 1 77 3 C. E .: a t whic h time Bis hop Chal l on e r, Di s t ric t , Eng l a nd, d ec me e t - the new meanings of 1 t e achings. He f e l t t hat the DOuay"versio n"had also become archaic for t hK per i od . In 1 7 7 5 C . E. the Dishop Cha llone r' s Eng li sh l a ng uage " vers i on" of the Doual Bi b l e was printed and publi shed. In 1 810 C.E . . the Roman Ca t ho lic Arc hbishop of Bal timo re, Har y l a nd , U. S. A. , made the Cha llome r' s "ve rsion" t he offi c ial United State s of America Roman Catholic community bi b le. The Arch b 1shop was ed i n h is approval b y al l of t he other America n Catho li c (R . C.) Bi shops . I n 18 58 C. E . . The Nint h Prov i ncia l Council o f Ba ltimore proposed f ur t h er rev i sion~of t he Cha ll omer I s" v er si on~ which the Sacred Cong r e gation d e Proproganda Fid e (T he Sacred Soc1ety for the ~ r opoga t10n o f the FaIth) accepted a nd entru s ~ed _i~ to a team o f outstanding Ronlan ·Cat'ho lic t heo l og i ans and .othe r scho lar s and spe cialists. T his was th e deve l opmen t of t he curr e nt New Tes tament Dible used by Roma n Catholics in the Unit e d Sta t es of Amer i ca that differs s o g reatly wit h st . Augustine' s It is there fore very i mportant that commen ts.
320
',I . St. Cy pr ian , THE LAPS ED, pp . 1 5-1 6 (as tr a n s l ated by Ma uri c e Be ve no t , S . J, Th e Ne wma n Press, Wes t min i s te r , Mary l a nd, 19 57). 1,2. S t .C yprian , THE UN ITY OF THE CATHOLIC CHUR CH ,pp . 43 - 4 3 ,(I bid l . 1, 3. Basic re li g iOUS doc t ri ne of the Roma n Ca t ho li c Churc h. 1, 4. Tertullian , THE TREATISE AGA I NST HER MO GENES ,
pp . 26-2 7 (a s tran s l a ted by J .H . Tdaszink, The Newman Pre ss , !.rJes tm i n i s t er , Maryl a nd, 1957).
~t5 .
I b id, p p . 27- 29 .
l.6 . Ibid, pp. 31-3 2. \. 7. I b i d, p. 8 5 .
MOSES: CHAPTER I V NOTES I.
A SHOR T STORY OF THE ':JORLD , by H. G. '/Jells, p . 5 9. C. P . Sn ol,o) I S commen ts (Im J OHN 0 ' LONDON' S \>I EEKLY I 1952) , and THE NEXT MI LL ION YEARS , by S i r Ch arle s Darwin, Jr . , 19 52.
1.
.. 4~.
NEi1 YORK TIl'IES, Apr il 1 t
1969.
The re a r e J ews of e very hue , phy sica l c h arac teristic , and n a t i ona li t y . Ph aroah Ra meses I rul e d Eg ypt , Nor t h Afr i ca, f rom 1320 to 1 318 B. C.E . Mose s l ef t Egypt abo ut c12 32 B.C.E . See t he BOOK OF EXODUS, Chap t e r 7, Ve rse 7 .
l h. See Note No. l 4b foll owing. l .
THE HISTORY OF EGYPT, b y J .H . Breas t e d; A ,HI STORY OF EGYPT , b y Sl.r E.A. Wa lis-Budge; STOLEN LE GACY, b y G. G. M. James ; a nd EGYPT , b y Josephu s.
32 1
5a ~
See , ANCIENT EGYPT, by La Liebevitch; HISTORY OF EGYWT, by J . H. Breasted; also s THE ORIGINS OF CHRISTIANITY, by Sa Rober t son _
5b. Ibid. 6
[,7 . See, EBERS PAPYRUS, London Huseum, London, England" [8 . See, EDWARD C. SMITH PAPYRUS, Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn , N . Y. [9 . Bibliography on t.his entire chapter is included in -this \o'JOrk following these notese
fi
EXODUS, Chapter 1, Verse 22 .
7~
Ibid, Chapter 2, Verses 1-90
8.
Ibid, Chapter 2, Verse 10 .
9.
Ibid, Chapter 2, Verses 11-12~ Note that Egypt had laws agaj , violence; and that Moses was charged with "committing murde r" before the Hebrews had their FIVE BOOKS OF MOSES (Torah); <1 1 before Moses reached Mt Sinai.
l '::l a These Verses are taken from A HISTORY OF ISRAEL, by Oster ley & Robinson, 1934.
" 100 Up until the time when Moses killed his fellQl.'J African of Egypt, of the religion of the God RA, - according to Exodus, Chapter 2, Verses 11-12 - there is no record of him being i n terested in the plight of the Hebrew people cited in the TOl
10 . See, NEGRO SLAVE SONGS IN THE UNITED STATES 9 by Fisher; also , BOOK OF AMERICAN NEGRO SPIRITUALS, by James and Rosamond Johnson. '1. See, SECOND BOOK OF' MOSES -
) . See Chapter V for information on Garvey, founder and first president of the U.N . I.A. Herzl vias one of the Jews ' earliest writer demanding a separ ate Jewish homeland somewherre in the world . He was born In Austria during 1860 CaE. He was the founder of the first ZIONIST CONGRESS, in 1897, at Basel, Switzerland. MY ~EOPL~: THE STORY OF THE JEWS, by Abba Eban, p . 324-26. See hls 'drltings signed 'Ifrom the Jewish State il (In: Abba Iban's book, p.
110 EXODUS, Chapter 2, Verses 13-35; and Chapter 3, Verses 1-16. lla See pages 1-46 and 1-47, Chapter I of the HYHN OF ADORATION OSIRIS.
283).
lIb Ibid, Chapter 3 , Verses 7-9. 12 . EXODUS, Chapter 3, Ver se 5 . Afr ican-Amer icans are nm'.} carry I , their plight int:o religious institutions" 12a VJilliam F~ Allen, Charles p . ';,rare and Lucey M. Garrison ( c:.'d SLAVE SONGS OF THE UNITED STATES. A. Simpson, New York, I DVI, p. 76.
See Chapter V for outline on the "Civil Rights f<1ovement!l martyr and Noble Peace Prize "'Iinner" ' . A fe\'/ European Jews also served as slave mast:ers in the south and the Caribbeans in the same manner as the Buropean Christians. See ANTI-SLAVERY by D. h1~ Dumond; FROM SLAVERY TO FREEDOM, by John Hope F;anklinj also, AMERICAN NEGRO SLAVE REVOLTS, by Herbert Aptheker.
13. EXODUS, Chapter 12, Verses 37-38.
See GENESIS (First Book of Hoses), and EXODUS (Second Book of Moses) for Jewish origins in Africa. Also, BOOK OF THE DEADj THE'HISTORY OF EGYPT (by countless writers); HEBRE'd ORIGINS; ARE THE JE'\-JS A RACE?j THE JEt.;; \"fORLDIS GREAT HEN OF COLOR~
14. Ibid , Chapter 12, Verses 43-44 . 14a Ibid, Chapter 12, Verse 45. 14b See, TEL-el-AMARA (l4t.b Century BoC . E" Egyptian dispatche:~ ) count of the Haribu (Hebrews or Jews) and Hittit:es entran c' into Upper Egypt, Africa~ Also, see the HISPARICAL BACKGfW ll1J OF THE BIBLE , by J. N. Schofield. 15 a GENESIS, Chapter 12, Verses 10-16. 15a These dates vary, but not sufficiently to cause concern o t accuracy of the events themselVes.
Exodus , Chapter 2, Verses 1-10 .
1 . Jews move from neighborhoods whenever ~lack American~ begin moving in just as any o'cher T ,'J hite Amerlcan does. Revlew cases of discrimination in housing aaainst landlords of ,,,,hom a proportionate number are Jews in ;.eighborhoods designated IIghet,'_ tos" or "slums.1) I<XODUS, Chapter 20, Verse 16 I'le ss against your neighbor."
\
16 . 4100 B. CeE. See most books dealing with ancient Egypt l ll ."', t (" , cally - including, STOLEN LEGACY j HISTORY OF EGYP'T ; an (j [, j, GACY OF EGYPT (these books have alrcud y appeared in th.L: ·, \i t ' .
~.
lIyou shall not bear false wi t-
~c e
U.S.A. Census reports over the past fifty years relating Most European-American Je\-<s are ed as IICauc ;:L.<; ianslO or " Whites. 1I In some plac e s White Jews exclude HL1 Ck:;:.; , including Black Jews , f .rom their places of cultural and ~ o J e '.-Js·.
322
323
social i n v olvement . Jew s are a part o f "W hi te " or Cauc as ian America a n d ch e ri s h the ir European o ri gi n as muc h a s Chri s t ians and Moslems f r o m Europe. 30. Joel Eo and Arthur B. Joel foun ded the SPI NGARM AWARD S in 19 1 4 C . EG F ir st Cha irman of the Board. 31 . J oel E., as Cha ir ma n u n t i l h i s d eath . Arth ur S . , as Pr es i d enl un t il h i s r et i reme n t o n Janu ar y 2, 1966 ; at which time Kir 1e Kaplan, a wealthy Bosto nian J ew, succ eeded in t h e po st. See, THE NEGRO ALMA NAC, pp. 16 6-168. 32 . Th er e is never any p o l i ng in Bl a c k communi t ies a s t o what th. p eo p l e wa n t d on e f or th e ms elves . No Blac ks of the If . . . . . ta r get pop ulation . .. .. II desig nat e d " poor" o r " i rr esponsibl e" f or whOln the N.A .. A.C . P . wa s a lle g e d l y fo u n ded. 33. The !! p oor" a nd li i rresponsib le 'l are never consu lt ed or all ow('t1 to v ote on who will be the Ex e cu t i ve Direc t or of th e N. 1\ .A. C". the Urba n Le ag u e , or any oth er s uch soci a l agency for " co lo\u f ol ks ." 34 . See , Note No . 28 , t his Chapter. 35. Th is word i s used in i ts c l assic sense , n ot in the sense a~ I who i s l ef t o r ri ght o f capitali s m or soc ialism. " Mili ta n cy" is d epe n den t upo n \Vho i s in o r o ut o f t he p o wer that i s beil attacked at any give n t i me. 36 . The n ational headqu a r t e rs of most " Negro Ci vi l Rights Moveme n ts" are l o c ated in I,vh i t e c o mme r cia l ne i ghbor hoo ds . The Co n g r ess o f Racial Equa li ty (C . O.R . E.) is a n unus u a l excel~ tion b u t i t a lso had i ts headquar ter s in t h e !'vhi t e ne i ghbor hood whe n i t had WMite me mbers that controlle d i t ( 1 942 - 67) . 37. li UNCLE TOM" a nd HAUNT THOMA SINA" ar e male and f em a l e n ame:,; I, " Neg ro " lack i es or stoo gies. 38. Sammy Davis i s a radio, te l evision, and Holl ywo o d person a l J. I " o f ver y n oted f a me . He ~oJas mar r i ed t o former VJh i te ac tr e8 :~ Mae Bri tt, who bore him a c hi ld . He \~ as ci t ed in the p ub l i(" media a f ew y e a rs a g o f or hav in g c on verted from Chr i st i anj 1.( t o J u da i sm. He is a Black man . l'tr Dav is is a l s o ver y much 1" vol ved i n th e I! Ci v il Rig hts Moveme nt" (non- v i olent aspect. " I it) •
39. THE J EH , by M. Fishbe r g, pp. 11 7, 1 47 -1 48, Lo n do n, 19 11 ; II i BOOK OF THE BEGINNINGS, by G. A. Ma sse y , Vo l . I I, Part 2 ; .tli BR IEF VI EW OF THE CAST SYSTEM , by Nesfield. Al l o f these IJt .' speak of t he IINEGR O ORI GINS OF THE JEv-J." 40 . SE X AND RACE, Vo l . I, by J . A. Ro g ers, p. 91. Als o hi!..; , NA' KNm'iS NO COLOR LI NE , p. 40 (both books publ ished by He l tJ .i I , e rs , Ne"'l Yor k , N.Y . ).
324
,1 0a See , ANACALYPSIS , by S i r Geoff re y Hi gg i ns, Vols. I & II, London, 184 0. /] 1 . Among th e Beta I s rael (Falash as or Bl a c k Je ...,s ) on l y membe r s ,,'h o c o mpleted their Confirmat ion (BaIilitzvah) c an bec o me in v olved in the p r o c ess i ng o f foods under the l aws o f th e THIRD BOOK OF MOSES, Le v i tic us . See , PALASHA ANTHOLOGY, by Wol f Le slau j als o wr iti n gs in y i d dis h by Dr J a c q u es F a i talov i t c h at the Her z l Ce nt er ' s Li b rar y, l oc a t ed at 59th S t r e e t and Park Avenu e , Ne w Yor k Cit y , N.Y . 1\ 2. The name "FALAS HA" (Fa l a sa in the Amh e ric la n g u ag e of Eth io pia,. East Af r i c a ) means " i mmi o rant" or !r str a n ger . " I n reality , the wor d ha s th e same c o nno t ~tion as "Negr o" o r " Coloured" , wit h r e s pec t to Bl acks. Et h iop ians of non-Falas h a origin often tr a n s l a te the term i nto the f o llowi ng phr ase .oo . "The do'nt t o u c h me ." This l a tte r expressio n comes f rom th e fact tha t t h e IIPalashas " (Beta I s r a e l) have voluntar i ly iso l a t ed the ms e l ve s f r om the rest o f t h e o ther peoples of Eth io p ia , beg in n i ng about 840 C . E . , at whic h t i me they h a d l ost t heir fi nal con tr o l ove r th e Ethiop i an n at i o n un der Qu een Jud i th. The onl y proper for these J e\Vs is " BETA ISRAEL" - Childr e n o f the Ho use of Isra e l or Ho us e of I srae l . See , J EWISH ENCYCLOPEDIA ; FALASHA ANTHOLOGY, by Wol f Les la u; and , KEBRA NEGAST ( Et h i o p i a n Chronicl es - 'rhe Hi story of Ethiop i a). 1 '~ .
Th ere i s n o per s on a live \oJho h as ke pt, or ca n produce , any proof of d i rect des c e ndency from Ki n g Solomon, much le ss fro m Abr aham, J acob, I sa ac, Moses and al l o f t h e others ~oJho came i n t o, or Her e b orn , i n Egypt - Afr i ca; als o t hose tha t l ef t Af rica d ur ing the over (Pesach) .
,11\ . Kibutzi m are c o mmuna l
commu ni t i es i n I s r ae l of the. type i n Afri cans a l l o v er the c o ntinen t of Afri c a have had f or t h o u sa n ds o f years before th e comi n g of the European s t o Africa in the 1 5 ~ cent ur y C . E. They are s omewh a t s i milar t o the me t hod o f l i vi n g the JeiVS o f E t h iop ia , Eas t Africa, are acco u stomed . They are a lso agr i cultu ral l y b as ed , with loca l hee n a nd headl<,iomen, whos e r esp o ns i bil ity i t i s to ini s t er the m. Ki b u tz is singular . Se e , JEWISH ENCYCLOPEDIA . d ~ g en o u s
]" . They a r e Bl ack Jewish communities in t he Bronx, Br ooklyn , Queens a n d "'1a n hatt an - Ne\'l York Ci ty, Ne \oJ York . There are o th ers i n Chi cag o 1 I ll; Phi l ade l ph i a , Pe nsyl va,nia; Bo s ton , MaSSi vJash i ngto n, D.. C.; New Ha v en, Connj and in l'i1.o st major c i t ies o f nor th e aste rn United States of Am ericaG " BIAFRA" was the s el f - procla i me d "indepe ndent" Easter n Pr ov i nce of th e F ed e ra l Go ver nme n t o f th e Republic of Nige r i a, ,_ \-Jes t Af r ica. Th e re It/a s a civil \Var beboJeen the government i n Lag o s (th e capital of the Feder al Go vernmen t) a n d t he "rebe l " b rea k- away East ern Prov ince. The Ce n t r a l Go v e rnme n t i s head p d by Gener a l Yakubu Gowon, a n d t he rebe l gov er nme n t \Vas u nder the le a d e rship of Ge n era l Odumegwu Oj uku . Tnere were 1I I ou~~a n ds , possibly mill i on s , of Euro p ean-Amer i c ans engaged
325
~n mal~gn ing
t o c h a n g e this tradition wh en h e rele as ed a n encyclical de ny i n g a ny responsibi li ty of t he Je~"s f or said ac t. See Pope John 2 2nd Encycl ical .
~ he
Cen t ral Government on alleged charges of t he Ibos!! (the domi nant " ethn ic" gro u p of t he ~a~tern prov~ n::e) . These ~ame peop le have i gnored " ge n o _ c i de ~ n So u th A fr ~ca , ~ hodes ~ a , Angola , Portu g uese Gu in ea, Mozamb ~ que,and Suda n for . over t...J\.!o t y years, at l eas t, wi t hout a wor d of prote st o n th e ~ r par t , eve n t o t h i s very day. g enoc ~ de aga~ ns ~
'(' . 'l 'he . . JQrd II SEMITICII comes fr o m t he Hor d " S HEN" - the ol dest of t he sons of Noah i n the He b re"l Tor a h . S ee the FI RST BOOK OF MOSES, Gene s i s, Chapter la , Vers e 1 : Th us; " These are the gener a t i ons o f t h e sons of Noah , Sh em , Ham and Japheth; son s were born t o them a f ter t h e f lood • •• ," e t c . See a l so Genesis, Ch a pter 5, Verse 32j t hus • • •• !lAf ter Noa h was five - hu n dred ye a r s old, Noah became the f a t h er of S he m, Ham,and Japheth ••• etc. "
47. Th i s was one of t he many propa g anda slogans o f the "SAVE BIAFRA " li bera l s wh o see med to h ave unl i mi ted funds apd c onnec ions with the mass media~ 48. Mozambique and Angola are Portuguese colo n i es where thousand upon t houS an?s of i ndigenous Af r i cans die da i ly in a dea t h str ugg le agalnst Portu guese s l a very and genocide in th eir ef· for ts to f ree themselves. See UNITED NATI ONS SEClJRITY COUNC ll REPOR TS . Rhodes i a, named for Hthe butcher"- Cecil Rhod es (rated bv most Af rican historians on co l onia l is m to be one of the most d espot i c and cruel mast ers of ge nocide i n history), remains one o f the very few coloni es in Afri ca tha t is forc ibly European co ntrolled . The ru le of t h i s se lf-pro claimedllWhite racist" g over nment is pattere.ned a f ter South Af rica's aparthe id. Ia n Smith declar ed this coun t r y !Ian inde pe nde nt nation" in 1968, t o be "ru led by ~'/h.i t es o nl y. " Brita i n , t he ruler- i n - f", over t h is co l o n y fro m t h e t i me i t was take n fr o m Cec il Rhod a nd h i s g ang o f col on i alist o f t h e wors t or der in 1878 r ul 1 i t u n t il the above date, wh en a ha n dful of more than 300 00 European s (mos t of t h e m Britishers) seized control o f i t: Tl c orrec t n a~e of this la nd is "ZIMBABvJE, ,, 31 t h e name o f i ts 1 ge nous Afrl can peop l e be fore t h e arri val of t he Eur opeans ill Ea s t AfriCa .
49 . I n the State of Nississ i ppi , Sotuh Carol i n a , Alabama , and others of t he sOl-c alled " deep South ," African- Americans di l! da i ly of malnutrition and st a rvatio n \'Iithout a bJinkle of ',n eY7 be in g raised in horror ag a in st i t by th ose who were mo ;; ! vo~cefe rous about the civil war i n Ni geri a, t\]est Africa.
50 . From th e over dr a ma in Exodus, Chapter 12, Verses 14- 2 0,
1, '/ .
I
1,0 . Ibid , Verse
,') il
I.
Tacticus wrote ••• " Many again say that theyll (the Jel,. . s) 1I..,lere a race of Ethiop ia n origin ," i n his Book V, Chapter 2. See a lso, HUMAN HI STORY , by Pro f essor Ell i ot Sm i th, p . 134 ; t h e f'ioslem Koran 's "o •• And he ll (Mo ses) "dreyl forth h is hand out of his b osom and be h old i t appeared wh i t e unto t he spectators . "( Chapter VI I, p . 128 )·• •• "And put thy r i g ht h a n d under t hy left arm; it shall come forth \.;h i te" (tran slation by Sabe, AL KORAN , p . 257, 1784) .. Accord in g to Hoh ammeda n tradi t ion s ••• " Moses was a Black man" ( S ir T . l-I. Arnold , THE PR EACHI NG OF ISLAt1, p. 106 ) .
Rabban Jo hanan ben-Zakhai died in the year 80 C . E . There is no de f i n i te date kn01.m o f his b i r t h . Amo n g the most outstandi n g Rabbis throughout t he hi s tory o f Rabbinic Judaism. He is c onsidered to have been 1I • • • one of the greate st Rabbi • •• " by most Hebrew (Jewish) scholars .
_ . The Romans placed Jud a ea under an Imperial Procurator a bo u t 4 B . C .E. By the end of Herod Ag r i ppa I I re ign (50 - 100 C .E .) all of Pales ti ne was a Roma n Pr o vi nce . The Roma n s destroyed Jeru s al e m abou t 13 2-1 35 C.E. a nd d i spersed the Hebrew peo ples. See, AN ENCYCLOPED I A OF t'JORLD HISTORY, p . 11 5 ( ed i ted by \'/. L. Lang er) . A l so, J EWISH ENCYCLOPED I A.
54. Th is quota ti o n c omes from the SECOND BOOK OF MOS ES, Exoc;ll l " Ch apter l a , Verses
326
32~
',0 . The Je"ls were i n Hel len i c Greece whe n t h ey . . Jrote most of t he modern Jewish tex ts in exi stence today . See, 'dORLD HISTORY, p. 87; a lso, HEBREH OR I GINS , by T .J. Meek; and, THE RELIGION OF ISRAEL , by B . D~ Erdm ansj THE CULTIC PROPHET IN ANCIENT ISRAEL , by A.R . Johnson; or, STOLEN LEGACY, by G.G~M~James.
5 2. I b i d, Chapter 4 , Verse s 1- 120
5 5 . Thi s is typ i ca l i n Christian teach i n g s ; that " ••• the J C"J:. k illed Christ." There was an at.temp t made by' Pope John iI~ n.!
9, Ve rses 1-20 .
,') . NUMBERS, Chapter 12, Ver ses 1-1 6. It ~"ou ld seem that Mirriam \-Ias not "WHI TE", as she t urned II • • • wh i te as sno,..... " She was Moses sis ter , and had the same t\-JO pare nt s .
51. LEVITICUS, Chapter 3, Vers es 1 -17.
53. Th e Jews of Ethiopia (the F a 1 a sha s) kno~
F I RST BOOK OF f'lOSES - Gen es i s , Cha9ter
S e e , THE JEvJ, by M . Fishberg, pp . on J 1911 . ·1 .
11 7 , 147- 148 ; 1 20-1 34, Lond-
HISTORY OF MANKIND, by Ratzel, Vol. II , P . 246 . 327
65. HI STORY OF THE CALIPHS , by Suyut i (as t r an s l ate d by H.S. Jar re tt) , p . 66 ~
34 2 , Calcu tta,
Th i s perio d ::lur ked t h e t ime It)hen Jes us Ch r ist V/21 ~ u.l li''' f'cdly " • • • Cr ucif i ed by the Je \'IS and n ai l e d to the Cr oss" . _" {1ur ln '1 th e re i g n of Roman\-:: mperors over IsraeL Pon ti us Pilot, the Roma n Gover r.or (? ,.,;!j~ 'r: f~(; ~;u s) of th e col o ny - I <;.L"uel, b ei n'5 comp le te l y abs olv ed rror.! the cr ime t he y ','/e re iJ.ll c <)ed t o nave comm i tt e d , si n cc i t is supp osed to hav e bee n " •• • the J eH s that condemned Jesus • • • • I f See, NE'>I TeSTAMENT o f the Chr i stian Bi ble ( any Ver sion ).
m.
Ibid.
IlL
The Af r ican- l\merj_cnn "a n t i-Semi t ism" ha s resu l ted ;from tt'e ir exper iences \I/ i th Chr is ti an a nti -S em i t ism~ Th ey are victims o f th e ir o wn r e ligio us t~a c h ing s t-lithin th e Chri s t ian c l erg y, a n d la t e ly beca u se of thell" c u r r e nt i nvol veme nt "l i t h Is l am i c studie s and loca l national i s m.
Jo.o.
See, " S tor y o f Abr ah am" i n t he F IR ST and S8COND BOO K (Genesis and Exodus) OF HOSES, o r OLD TES Tl\J1ENT a
THE SPANISH I NQUI SI TION to ok pl ac e i n 148 7-1 490 C. E. It wa s th~ pe r iod i n Spanis h h i s tor y wh en the Christi ans o f 'Spa i n tr~ed t o supp r ess th e Jet-Ji sh (Hebrew) Relig ion and commi tted t-/ho l es cal e ge noci de aga inst the J ews o f th e I ber ian Peni n su l a.
6 7 . The Nazis o f Ge r many , und e r t he dictator ship o f Ad o lph Hi t ler , comm i tted mass genocide on the Jew s t h r o u ghou t Europe t o t he tu.")e of mo r e tha n " 8 , 000,00 0 mi ll ion men, women , and c h i l dren.!! They wer e exter minated be t ween 19 36 - 1 94 5 C .E. The Re forme d Jews o f Ge r ma ny we r e as much a part of Ge rma ny a s were the Chris t ians up t o the p e ri od when Hitler fi rst u surped t h e Ger ma n Ch ance l l ory a nd declared h i mse l f IIO I CTATOR OF . " The ir inf luence o n t he German gov ernmen t vias , more or le ss, as it is now in the Uni ted States of Amer ica. 68. THE PREACHI NG OF I SLAM, by Sir T. W. Ar n old , p. 358, London , 1 913 . 69. See, LA MONETE de l ' HALlA ANTICA , Par te Secunda, LXXV , 11 , 1 3 , 1 4, 1 5, Roma, 1885 . 70 .
./"i .
l 8~ 1.
J . Se e pp .
3- 29 o f this Ch apter dealing !',lith the the Grea t Sy n agouge.
1:' ,
and
I t h as fa i l ed to ho l d on to the youn g Glac)e Je ~·/ s , be cause i t. does n ot r ela te t o thei r secular needs . It ha s become a place f or p r a yer and no commu nity act ion, excep t on c onform i t y o f t h e r e c i p i en ts ; t h ereb y i gnoring t he soc i~l ins titu tio ns a nd f ?rs: es \'Iith i n the overall Bl a ck communities it mus t ope r ate \'.a.thin~ The net .cesu l t i s t hat t he young Bl ac k Je~'1 f inds h 1s af fili at ions v,lith h is Blac k. Chr is tiun and HusU.m b r oth ers and si s ters muc h more meaningfu l~
P l utarch ; Al exander lith e Gr ea t; " Di odor us S icu l u s , Book XVII , Chapt e r 2; Cla vi er , BlOG. UNI VERSE LLE , Vol. VIII , p. 46 1 ( 844) •
71. See, P O\rJER OF SYMPATHY , by Kene l n Digby, p .
76, Londo n, 16 60 ; a l so, ETHI OPI AN HISTORY, by Helibdor us, 1 857 , (London , 189 5 ) .
72. EXOD US, Chapter 20, Ve rse 16 .
Rabbi;~;:."t~
11 . See, JUDAISl'1 ,
PEO PLE, p .
(edited by Authur Hertzbe r g) , Ch ap te r One,
21..
7 3 . Termino l o g i es u sed fo r "NEGROES " a ct ing con t r ary to the int er est o f th e Af r i can- Amer ic a n (B l ack) communi tie s. Genera ll',' used against Bl acks 1n t h e e stablis hment o f tvhite owned and f in anced Bl acle org a.n iz ati o ns - such as t he N. A.A.C .P.
74. "THE BLACK EXPERIENCE II is a term which ba sica l ly refers t o 111 ~ fri can s exper ienc e i n the Amer i cas from 1 50 3 C. E . when th,~V we re first b r ou ght t o Hi spanio l a (Ha yte or Ha iti) ~s s l ave :-~ through t h e effor ts of the Ri ght Reverend Bis h op Bar t o l ome dt La s Casa s of the Roman Catholic Ch urch . It also has major emph as is on t he r ol e o f the Bl ack people in th e Uni t ed Sta te: ', Americ a fro m c l6 l 9 o r 16 2 0 C .. E .. i n Jame stown , Vir g in ia to! I, prsen t " LIBERAT I ON STRUGGLES .!! Fr om s l aver y to semi- sl~vcr y.
!.
75. The Blac k (African-Americ a n) J ew i s h comm uni t i es have is o lcll ' th e mse lves in fear of t akin g any s tand whi c h wou ld f ind thPfl1 in t he Bl ack - Hh ite conf r ontat io n .. 76c This is th e pr ese n t smok e s creen being used in some ~"'hi t {! ,I I is h quar t e rs as a mea ns of combating Black c o mmu ni t y con ttol
Dic t ionarie s d i f f e r on th e meanin g of this .."ord to the extent t ha t rone of them can be c onsi der e d auth oritative. Th e c o ll oq uia l express i o n i s d e r o gato ry tot-la r d s Black peo p l e , mo stl y di r ec t ed at African- Americans i n p a r.t i c u) ~ .c. "ASIATIC" i s a t e r m !"I hich is strictl y Eur o p ean and Eur o p ean Amer ic a n . The p eopl es of As i a cal l thernse l yes II AS IANS . "
rt.
l'h'is is a phr ase commo n ly used by the l ate r1a l com X (e l Ha j j rl'lalik Sha otl zz) .
329 328
3.
See, AFRICAN GLORY, by J"C. deGraft-Johnson; \'JEST AFrtICAN , KINGDOMS, by Basil Davidson; J\}~RICA SPEAKS, by Leo Froebenlus; AFRICAN BEFOrtE THE ViHITE MAN, by H. Labourete"
4.
THE ARABS: A SHORT HISTORY, by P~K. Hitti; also, COAST OF THl BARBARY, by Jane Soames; !..lORLD I s GREAT r1EN OF COLOR, by J .A . Rogers; and, THE ARABS, by E.C. Hodgkin.
5.
Ibid .
6.
Ibid
7.
A r10DERN SLAVERY, by H. Ni vinson j THE BELGIAN CONGO, by R . Slade ; THE AFRICAN SLAVE TRADE, Basil Davidson ; POLITICS I N THE CONGO , by C. Young; end, STANLEY IN P.Fl~ICA, by Donkere 1dildernissen.
8.
Afr icans such as Bilal, AI-Haj j is, AI-Jahiz, AI-Masoudi, and others v/ere but a fel:} vlho helped in creating the religion ilnl civilization of Islam. See, i,JORLD I S GREAT r1EN OF COLOR 1 by J A. Rogers; LIFE OF r'10HArIJET, by Bald"iinj THE f..RABS, by P.H. rrittij also MAKSRS OF A...~AB HISTORY .
9.
Q
by Roger s j an d
13. The Eurooeans renamed T71a.ny area.s of Africa that ,·JerE alr !:"; o ti .' renamed from 'cheir or i0inal I... fr ican names " See, THE MiJ> OF ,\FRICA BY TREATY, by Sir Ed,lard Hertslet (3 Vols.) j IMPErn ,',I . ISn AND 'i/ORLD POLI'rICS, by Parker T. Hoon; THE AFRICAN P1\:; 'j' . by Basil Davidson; and, PORTUGAL IN AFHICA, by James Duf t ~!. l~~.
See Note No"
15 .
Ibid.
~,
8,
1 0-11 and 1 2 of this Cha.pter .
16. Ibid, Special attention to ',WRLD!S GREAT HEN OF COLOR, b V 1 . Rogers, Vol. I, with regards to Eilal .
Physical virginity that reprod u ct,
Rogers, Chapters on
A soldier in the cause of Islam is the highest role of the faithfuL At death a soldier automatically enters nparadise , l! as shmm in subsequent paragraphs in this Chapter. '3a Ethiopia! s Hebrew and Christian population employed these customs for centuries before Islam was born. Bi1al was born in Ethiopia and carried off to Arabia as a slave . See, BILAL, in J:A . Rogers I , WORLD'S GREAT MEN OF COLOR Vol. I .
,,'J .
Ibid .
!I ,.
Ibid .
,., .
Ibid .
'B . Ibid. ,,)
See, LIFE AND LETTERS OF LAPCADIO HEARN, by Bisland, Vol~ I, p. 28 1 Boston, 1923; MOHA.l'1MED, by W. Koelle, London, 1889j also, LIFE AND TEACHING OF MOHAMMED, by Ameer Ali Syed 1 London, 1891.
10 . See, GENESIS and EXODUS, Hebrew Torah (Bib l e). : I . See, Note No.
the First and Second Books of the
24 of this Chapter.
~ l 'l
Malcom X was the outspoken minister who propagandized Elijah NohaTlUlled ' s Black r1uslims (Nation of Islam) into prominence. He broke with r10hammed and f ormed his own movement. He was assassinated on February 20, 1967~
,;t .
P.lijah Mohammed was a former African-American Baptist preacher ![e converted to Islam and began his own brand of the f-luSlirn
1 7. St Augustine IS, CONFESSIONS; HOLY CI'.rY OF GOD; and his, ON CHRISTIAN DOCTRINES. See also, Chapter II of this vJork. 18" Promissed in the Koran .
.A ~
The HOLY KORAN the HOLY BIBLE (Christian NE1iJ and OLD Testaments) and the'TORAH are as inter-related; yet neither Jel.~s, Chr istians or r10s lema accept all three as 11 . 0 • the words of God. 1I
I~. •
12. The "LAND OF' BILAL . " Consult early Arab meps and literatut'C on Africa for further proof. See Note No.8 orf this Chap tr-' l , also Note No .. 10 .
by
,' 0" The emphasis in this area is quite inaccur,;tely comt?iled/ because African-Americans generally keep thel:L offsprlngs Dorn out of ~vedlock; whereas European-Americans, generally surrender theirs for adoption. Secondly , legal abortlons are much more readily available to European-Americans .
I
11 . See, HISTORY OF THE ARAB \'JORLD, by Hitti; THE RAPE OF APR I !.:;'. by Sonner sen; also, \'lORLD I S GREAT HEN OF COLOR, by ROCJer s ..
1
1.9" Ibid.
?L See, ldORLD I s GREAT MEN OF COLOR, by J Bilal and Mohamet.
AFRICAN KINGDor'1S, by Basil Davidson, also, THE AFRICAN PAS'!' AFRICAN GLORY, by J .C. deGraft-Johnsonj APHICA BEFORE THE WHITE HAN, by H" Labourete; and, AFHICA SPEAKS I by L. F roebenius.
10. See, HOLY KORAN: i"JOHLD 1 S GREAT }lEN OF COLOR, THE LIFE OF r10[-lANET, by Baldwin.
self spontaneously. See also, liJORLD! S GREAT HEN OF COLOR J . A. Rogers, Vol . Ij also the, KORAN .
330 331
reli g io n. His headquar t ers i s loca te d in Ch i cag o , I l l. 33 .
DIVINE, MOHAMET AND KING : CHAP TER V
34G Ibid .
(TtJith em tJ h as i s on th e Ch a pte r of the
Lif~
of 110 hammed).
35. See s of th e b ir th, life I a nd death of Moses a nd Christ , a ccording to t h e He bre ..! (Jewish) FIVE BOOKS. OF and CHRISTIANS Ho l y Bi b l e (Ne w Testament) .. 36 . Se e Note No' s. 4, 8 , 1 0 -1 2 of t his
J es u ~J MO SE ~;
NOTE S
38 . S e e , A SHORT HISTORY OF T HE
~vO RLD,
1.
Ray p l eaded g ui lt y to Dr . Ki ng 's murd e r i n a Tennesse Court o n Marc h 10 , 1969 C. E . He r e c e ived a II n inety - nine y e ar ll j a i l se n t ence f or h i s cr i me .
2.
A s tor y t h a t met wi th Roman Cath olic Ch urc h e nd or semen t o A p a mp hlet t o t h i s effect \Vas dish:ibu~ to y ou n g p eopl~ f o r them t o l e arn a b out t h i s African-Ame rican of S outh AmerLCa.
J.
Martin Luth er was a Roman Ca tho l i c pr iest t h at f ou g h t the corrup t ion of re l i g ious pr a c t ice s in t h e Ch urc h. He wa s e x communicated in 1520 C.E. follm . . i n g h i s d es troying a Papa l Bu ll submitted to him by J o h a n n Eck durin g t h e ir di sc u s sion wi th Andreas Bodenstein (cal l e d Ka rlstad t ). He was bor n in 1 483 , died in 1546. Son of a mi ner in h is nativ e t o wn of Ei s l e be n, . He became a pr ie st i n 1 50 7 ; a p rofe ssor at ltJillenberg in 1508 i visited Rome i n 1511 b ecause of h is dis pute with the Pope on Christi a n t e ach in gs and Churc h e thics .
1.
The te achings of pr ese nt ChI:'ist i an le aders of r e ligion, v}hic h dates b ack before the ori gi na l "F ath e r s of the Church ll of North Africa. Much of this p remi s e ste ms from the writings of these three Africans, however. Th e ir emphasis is upon this aspect of CHRIS T IAN DOCTR I NES wh i ch a s sured i ts acceptance as !f • • • t h e desire of God. 1I
Chapter~
3 7 . See , LIF e:: OF MOHAMMET, b y Bald ..linj I'/ORLD'S GREAT HEN OF COLi II by J . A. Ro g e r s ; HIS TOR Y OF ISLAM, by Hitti; and HIST ORY OF '\'1 AR ABS, b y Hi tt i . by H.G. '{Jells , p . 18 8.
39. I n e v er y Mo s lem co u n tr y ther e are trans lat ions o f the s e wo r. l He i s the mo st qu o t ed of t he Mos l e m relig i o u s po et s. 40 .
~
See, WORLD' S GR EAT HE N OF COLOR) b y J .A o Ro g ers; THE ARABS , H. KG Hitt i ; MAK ERS OF AR An HI S TORY, b y H.K . Hit t i.
See, ES S AYS ON THE EAST ERN QUES TION , by C . 29 6 , London , 1872.
Pa l g ra ve , pp . 2"
41 . THE ENCYC LOPEDIA OF IS LAM, Vo l . II , p . l , p 4 2 3 . 4 2 . See , ARABIC LI TERAT UR E , by H . A. R . Gi bb , pp. 3 7 7- 3 4 9 , Lon d o n , 1 92 6 .
A " call" i s a n expr e ssion u sed amo n g of the AfricanAmerican Chris tia n cl e r gy . It d e note s that they were fl • • • call ed by Jesus Chri s t t o ser v e His ministry . II They refusPd the idea t h at the i r j o b was a c h oice of th ~ ir own, as any other person makin g a s e l e ct ion o f e mp l oyment or vocation~ See, APOS TLE OF .F'REEDOM, by Re v . Ric h ard Al l en, Washingto n, D.C. ,. 1935 ; also, THE L I.F'E, EXPERIENCE AND GOS PEL LABORS OF RT . REV . RI CHARD ALLEN , P h ilad e l ph i a (n . d . ).
43 . Also , i·,IORLD 'S GR EAT HEN OF COLOR, b y J . A . Ro g e r s . 44 . I bid.
( Chap ter on AI- J ahiz).
4 5 . Ib id o S ee following note also . 4 6. E xc er pt s f r om AI- Ja hiz', KITA B al - SUDAN '·;a a l - BI DAN ( a ~; tr a ns l a t e d into E-nglish by Go VanVolt a n in his TRIA OPPOS( '111 AUCTORE ~9U OTHMAN AI1IH IBN BAHR ALSJAHIZ J Ba sr e ns i, Ley(j, " , 1 903 ) . S e e a lso, SEX AND RACE, by J . A . Roge r s , Vo l. I, p p I 9 6 , 28 4, J . A . Rogers, Ne\-J York , 1 95 1 ; a n d , \vORLD ' S GR):;!\'! ' I ii OF COL OR, pp . 9 0-95 .
r..
The Yoruba p eop l e o f We st Afri ca ar e mos t l y fo und i n Eas t er n '" and Ivestern Ni g eri a . Of t h e r e li g i on s of Africa st ill b ei n g practised in t he Ameri c a s t he Yor u b a s is t he l ar g es t and o l d es t. There is ano th er grou p in Har l em fuat ~ led b y an AfricanAmerican ca l led Nana Ade fu mi .
4 7 . S ee Pr o f ess or H. Do',-l . J e ffreys , ' "The Negro En igma" ( i n: '1'1 11 ~"'E S T AFRICAN R 8VIE~'I, Septemb er, 1 9 5 1 ); and , Don ald Iv e i clill ' l\ HI S TORY OF AFRICA SOUTH OF THE SAHARA.
7.
Richard Al l en founded t h e IIAfrican Me thod i st E p i scop a l Church11 of t he Uni t e d S ta tes of America.
48. se e, THE SUPER I ORITY IN THE: GLORY Of' THE BLACK RACE OVI';H 'I' ll' HHI TE , by AI - J ah i z (as tr ans lated f r o m -the Ar ab t e x t ) .
"la . The Black Mu s lims, by C. Eric Lincoln; also , BLACK NAT IONALISM, by Esium-Odom.
49. See, BLAC K MUSL TMS , b y C e Er i c Linco l n .
'l b . Ah as es, Gulam Boug a ns, Mohammed Rassou1i, Elij ah Muck Muh d ,
( AME)
born October 7, 18 9 7 C . E . Wife - Clara Evans . 50. S ee No te
N o~
46 t h i s Cha pter . n.
33 2
T he las t of th e Ne w York City 1!HEAVENS" is located at Ive s t 1 281.b S tr e et , be twee n Lenox a nd Fifth avenues. Toda y very f e w pe o p l e ar e a wa r e o f th e ir existe nce in the Harlem community ..
333
9.
Fathe r Divine' s f o ll o wer s h ave ref used t o accept his dea t h . The y have main tained h is II • • -. asce n d ency in to the g r e a ter h eave n beyond; bod i l y. II
na t iQnll - as s ug gested by most White histor i ans6 They projec t t hi s o n e - sided fact that li th e Egyptians brought in Negro slaves from Nub ia (Sudan ) ," b u t conveniently for get that Eg yptians and Nu b ians made s l ave s o f each other .
10. GE NESIS, Chap ter 3 , Ve rs es 16-17 .
20 .. pROP HET and PROPHETESS a r e names o~ commonality i,olithin Af rj"':" Ame rican re li g ion s , es p e cial l y in Christian ity and o the r se c ts rela ted the r eto.
11 . Th i s i s a common be li ef and teaching amon g the v ast majori ty of Christians, that IT ~ • • J es us Christ arose f rom the de<;d and asce nded i nto Heaven on Easter Sunday n1orn, ,. . h e re 1{e Slt at the R i ght Hand o f
God the Father Alm ight y.1I
1 2 . Father Div i ne was subjec ted to ma ny civil l aw suits i n New
Yor k State . This bar red him fr om the C i ty, except for Sunday), a nd Ho l id ays, etc. , i n order t o avoid serv i ce of supeona .
1 3. The "RECONS TRUCTION MOVEMENT'I in Judaism was started b y a Eur opean-American Rabb i, Dr. Mord ecai Ka plan, mo re than fort:y years ago . ' This movement did no t g-:-o,: to any l arge n u mber, b ut it lingers on j u st as Father D~v~nels moveme ntG 14. Th e curr ent TALMUD was re-writt en dur in g the 12!1J century. C.~: . b y He brew (Jew is h) scho lars in Europe u nd e r the leaders h~p ~ I Mos es ben-Ma i mon, a l so knovm a s Il MAIMONIDES , II (1135-1?0 6 C.b . ' He is r ated by mo st " We s t er n ll Jew i sh s cho l a rs on Juda~ sm as lTa • • one o f t he al l time g re at sc ho l ars on the Torah . " lS . The Story o f Queen £sther (Hadas ' sah) accord ing to the Hebr('H Scriptures i n the BOOK OF ESTHER.
2L Archbishop Al exander McGuire ,'las appo inted by Mr . Gar vey .. See, PHILOSOPHY AND OPINIONS OF I"WK US GARVEY, (as edited by Amy Jacqu es Garvey) . 22 ~
Thes e pic tur es of the " ETHIOPIAN JESUS CHRIST II a re still ava il ab le a t the AFRICAN NATIONAL MEHORIAL BOOK STORE, ',',1est 1 25~ S t r eet, bett~een Lenox and Seventh Avenues, Harlem , Ne w Yor k City, New Yor k.
23,. Sung i n mos t Chri st i an chur c h es of Protestant sec ts. ? 4v
See, PHILOSOPHY AND OP INIONS OF er III, page 25.
~~CUS
GARVEY, Part I , C ha pt -
.! 5. Ibid, .pp 32 - 33 , "THE UNIVERSAL NEGRO IHPROVEMENT ASS OCIATION and FRIENDS I N THE CAUSE OF APR ICAN REDEMPT ION . 11 .' 6~
Ib id , pp 33 - 34.
.!7" Ib i d, P 33 , Cha pte r I I.
1 6 . Integra ted Black and \vhite s~.tnago gues a r e r are ~:'1 Americ~n Je"lish commun ities o f the Un~ted states of Amer ~c a. A m er ~C . lIl racism h as affec t ed Judaism a s we ll as i t has any ot~er r ~ lioion or r elig i ous institut ion ...Jith in the jurisd ic tl.on o f th~ U.S . A., or u n der U . S . A's inf l ue nc e.
/3 .
1 7. The vas t
majority of the Black J e \"rs i n the United Stat'7s o ·j Americ a are from b ackgrou nd \"I hich dates bac k to the Un~v er :·. al Negr o Impr ovemen t Assoc iat ion (UNIA) f ounded by the l ,?-tr, Mar cus r'1oziah Gar vey {the "Black Hoses/!) i n 191 8 C.E. Th:LS has helped to keep them a separate gro up as much as ','/h i te . J e,oJish Zion is t movemen ts ha ve been separ ate d f rom o the r Wlt I I. Americans.
Ib id , P 22, Chapte r II.
.:9. See , v.JHEn r:; THE T ~vA I N S l-f...ALL t'1EET , by Mary Ga unt, John Hur r ay, London , 192 2, pp. 1 70- 215; THE HISTORY OF J Ar1AICA OR A GSNSRAL SURVEY OF THE ANTlE NT , by Ed',..,ar d Long 1 T. Lm·mdes , London , 1744, VoL I I, pp 338- 350j and, BLACK MOSES, by Edmu nd D. Cronon I The Un i ver si ty of l,J i sco n s in Pr es s , I-1a dis o n, Mil vJaukee J and London, 1968, p 5~ \0 . J ama i c a vias taken from Spai n by Brita i n in t he ye a r 1 565 C.Ec and became pol itically independent in 1965 C.E ~ under indi genous Afric an -Caribbean s (Slacks) .
18 .. Th e condemnat i on \'Jas iss u ed as a means of suppor t for Al bcI t Shank a ' s UNITED FEDERATION OF TEACHERS UNION stru 9,gle ag a I n the expe r i me n ta l complexes at Ocean Hil l Br ownsv ille i n Bt' I lyn, and the Arthur Olonzo Sch omburg I nter m~ d ~ ary . School (I. 2 01 ) gr oup i n Harlem - the ma jor a nd over-r~d ::-ng ~ssue b 7Jtl" ''B lack commun i t.v control in Black and Puerto R~can commun .L\ \, of the City of"New York,!! New York, agai nst"con tinued iVhi\I' control'l\ i n these a re as.
l l . Th e tig ure s on the to t a l member sh i p of ~he UNIA d i f f e r wit h as many peop le who ar e wr i t i ng an Mr ~ Garvey and h i s orgauization . Such fi gu r es r un fro m a l o\~ 5 , 000 , 00 to a h i gh 15,000)000 . One t hing about them i s certain it r an i nto th e millions. See , BLACK MOSES, by E . D. Cronon; a nd, PHI LOSOPHY AND OPINIONS OF MARCUS GARVEY , (ed i ted and compiled by Amy J acques Garvey - Garvey I s second \vif e, and mo ther or h i s b"/O childr en , both sons).
19. It has been custo mary f or year s to refer tol!Egypt and A[ I- H as if Egypt was loc ated a t a r emote place fr om.Afr ica . 'l'hl ll to g ive the impre ssion that Egypt was an e xclus l.ve II Ca uc,J.'-o j "
P . Christopher Columbus (Cr istobal Colombo) misnamed t h e ind i-
3 34
I
IJc nous Amer iccms "I ND IA . "
"INDIANS, I' be cause he th ought Amer ica wa s
335
33. Both t h e UNIA and t;l e Af:::ican Or th o dox Chut:"c~"). V!ere me:lt.ion<', a nd descr ibe d b efore. The chur ch was a u ni t o f the UNIA, y e~ i t o per ated i n r eligi o us mat t er s vl i th a g reat degr e e o f i n d e.pende nce.
36. Th i s song has ma in tained i ts "NEGRO SPI ITUAV ' identity, bu t i t too ha s lost i ts orlg i nal .re s ign a tio n of be i ng we ary o f t l1e slavery Blacks were s ub j ected "1:00 , an d l i ke mo st of the ot h ers i.t became a wailing song of for g iveness i n st ead.
37. Par Chris t ian s this so ng i s l ike the BA'rTLE CR Y OF THE RE PUll
48 . Th e story o f the Afr ica n - American as a non - existent r i":!a.llly a ct in g in a cultur e wh ic!l f a ils to recogn ize hi.m. 4 9. The pr o tes t l i t erature of t he '1 NEGRO" i n t h e major metr op o l i s and the l i fe o f l:\/ri ght h i mse l f ~
so.
S1. Afr i c a n p oe tess b r ou qht to the British colonie s f r o m To a.1 l and
at t he age o f l4~ Se nt t o 2 r ahce b y h ec s l ave o"mer vlho b o r e the namp. 'tJh itley. She became Americ a ' s .( the U.S.A .. ) g reate st poetess at the same t ime Edg ar Allen P o e __las Amer ica ' s gr e at est p o e t.
L IC . I ts mi l i tari stic c haract e r remi n ds one o f the many c ol o n i al i n v as ions by t h e European Chr is ti ans a gainst ·th e. 60called " pag an I-lo s le ms " d ur i ng theiJ; six II CRUSADES. "
38 . Benjamin J . Ta nner was a Bi shop in the AME . He once claimed that this Cur ch was " •• . t he Ecclesiast ical Court House a s WI as th ~ Chur c h . II Se e , UN"ltJRIT'rEN HI STOR Y, by L . J. Co p pin , Ph i I delp h J.. a, 1 92 0, p. 1 2 7; a l s o, AN APOLOGY FOR AFRI CAN r'lETHODl,':1 by Be njamin T. Tanner, Balt imore, 1867 .
S2~
39. Marc us
M~ Ga rvey - 8LACK MOSES - was de ported f rom th e Un i l . States o f Ame rica in t he year 192 7 C.E~ 1 hav ing serv e d two , y e ar s and thr ee mo n ths o f a ja il sentence of fo ur yecrs j al l of which \." as du e to the t r i al and conV iction o n a trumped - UI ' cha r ge o f "MA IL FR AiID.I' S ee , BLACK MOSES , by J .C ro non.
ftJ. E:. B .. DuB oi s - f o r mer ed it or of t he CR ISI S I-1A.GAZI NE o f the NAAC P , a Socia l Anthropo l ogis t, au thor and l ecturer. He led many of the Pan-Afr ic an Co ngr ess/ c onv entions. He li v ed t hr ou gh 1868 - 196 3 (th e year he die d) C.E . He di ed i n Gha n a , \-'les t Afric a , at th e time he "'as e n ga ged i n the comp leti o n o f a mu lt i-vo l u me " ENCYCLOP ED I A Af'R ICANA It f or th e Goverrun e n t of Gh ana , \llhich \lIa s at the same perio d u nd e r t he l eader sh ip o f Pre s id en t Dr . K"', ame Nkr umah - the "F a ther o f Afric an Pan Afr i ca nism. " LuBoi s and Garvey I-iere bi tter e n emies d uri ng t h e 1920's, yet t hey v/ere b oth dedic ate d t o war d s the com p l e te f re e dom of Afr ic a a n d th e African peoples . HO"i €ver ! ea c h had di ffe r ent g oal s a s t o h Ql,oI th is ',"'as t o be a c hi eved.
41. A Geor gi a gir l tur ned pr o !Jhetess. S ee , BLACK C-OD$ OF' THE MI:: I'R OPOLIS, by Arthur H . F aus e t, Chapter II.
42. Se e , THE INCR EDIBLE MESSIAH , by Robert A . Parker; a l s o, H/\H LE t1 ' S RE LI GIOUS ZEALOTS , b y F r ank Ras k y (I n: TOMORROIA1: Vol. 9 , No v embe r, 1949) .
44. .
See, THE I NCREDI BLE MESSIAH, b y Rober t A. Parke r,
pp
58- ~ 1J.
45 . See, HARLEI>1 ' S RELIGIOUS ZEALOTS, by F ra nk Rasky (In: T OMUH.H' V o l ~ 9 , November, 1949) . 46.
S e e, BLACK GOD S OP 'r" HE I>1ETR OPO LIS, by Arthu r HARLEM 'S REL IGIOUS ZEALOTS, by P r a n k Rasky .
47. L ike Fath e r
l-l .
Faucet; ., I
Di vin e , Daddy Gr ace 's f o l lm'ier s b e l i eved h e \.J \ I'GOD , I' a n d his de ath was just a me thod he use d to pro v e I II "ONENESS ':11 TH GOD . II Thnt;'h e i1'> r.eturn i ng i n the s ame body the not to d is tant fu ture . 1i One can v i s i t his Temp l e .:.I t f l' l S. E . corn e r o f i.·Jest 1 2 511l St . , and Sill Avenue, Harlem , N I'\·1 • City, New York.
3 36
Harrie t Tubma n wa s the " UNDER GR OUND RAI LROAD" co nduc t or th a t led hundred s of her fel l o'~! African s ( Blacks ) to f r e edon (re la t ively th at i s ) from So u the rn slavery . There are ma ny books written a bout her li fe and t im e s~ She Vias one of the gre atest her oi ne the Afr :i.. ca n peop les in t he Uni te d Stat e s o f Amer ic a had duri ng t h eir str uggles for i ndependence. Her shr ine a nd memorial is t he home in Vlhi c h she l ived a nd died, in up - S t ate New York .
5 30 Dr .
40. See, HARLEM ' S RELIGI OUS ZEALOTS , by Fr ank Rask y ( in: TOMO R I~ fl Vo l. 9, Novemb e r , 1949) . 'i'h i s mov eme nt is s ti ll a l ive.
43. I bid. See a l s o c o pies o f, THE NE1,'; DAY, pub l i sh ed du r i n g th .. 1 930 ' s . It i s sti ll be i ng p ubli shed by the s uccess ors of ['ath e r Di v in e .
Hu ghes ' SATIRE OF 'THE SOCIAL PR OBLEr1S OF '£HE NEGRO IN ANEH I CA . 'r he humor African - American s deve l o ped for s urviv al.
54 . Mar c us M. Garv ey \lIa S the fo unde r of the African Na t io nalist movemen t the or y i n the Am e ri c as. He vias the fo rer unne r o f all s o - cal l ed I'BLAC K NATIONALIS TS" of today. He was the first pers on to introduce i-.lh a t i s t oday b ei n g c al l ed " TH E LIBERATION FLAG OF BLACK PEOPLES " - the RED, BLAC K AND GRE EN - or as he called it _ 'I THE TRI - COLORS OF APRICA'~ See , BLACK MOSES, by Cronon j and , PHILOSOPHY AND OPINIONS OF HARCUS GARVEY , ( as edited b y Amy Jacques Gar ve y).
:,5 .
'rh e se blo t o wns a re sti ll pred omi n an tly Afr ica n- P uerto Rica n . However I as time es th e r at io o f Blac )c s to White s b ec ome s incr a sing l y evened. These Bl acks ar e the des ce nda n ts o f Af r i cans impor ted in t o t he i s l and when i t waS st i l l ca ll ed II BORINQUE IN " b y t h e ind i ge no us peop l es , l ater o n " PUERTO RICO " (Rich Por t) by th e Sp aniards. It is t o be noted th at Afr icans al so a rriv ed as fr ee men under the t i t l e of !1CONQUISTADOR ES" \.-.lith other Sp a n iar ds, hmlev e r they \
337
b ecam 7 the anc e stors
56. Se e , HARLEM ' S RELIGIOUS ZEALOTS, by RaskYi THE INCREDI BLE HE SS IAH, by R.A . Par k er; and, BLACK GODS OF Trll:; l1ETROPOLIS , by A. H. Pause t, p. 26.
62 . Fr om a Chris ti ;-u,. !,yrm \'Ihi ch is very o fte n s u ng in mo st Afr i c anAmer ican chur ches. 62a As stated in the Christians HOLY BI BLE, acc o rding to Ma rie ,
Ch apter 8 , Vers es 36- 37 .. Je s us Ch ri st s peaking t o h i s dis c iples wh il e ho l d i n g a litt l e c hi l d On his lenee s It is commo n practice for Chri st ian missio narie s to h o ld no n-Christ ian s to re d i c ul e as 1I • • • li ttle child r esn, " in l ight of t h e q uotatio n fro m the statemen t of Jes u s Christ i n their " Sacr ed S criptur e s. It g
63 . Founded by Bingham You ng in 1640 C.E. I t i s fu ndamentall y r a c i st i n i t s be lief a n d ou t look with r espect to Black peop l e being s lave s . I t holds t o the v i e~oJ tha t "GOD," as the y interpre t rel ig ion, uMADE '.rHE NEGORE S TO SERVE THE IrIHITE MAN.'T Young , himse l f, ran fr o m re li gi o us persec ution in Ne\,! Eng land, b u t h e founde d his own sect o f Chr i s ti a nity based upon r ac i a l segre gat i on a n d r e li g io us b i g otry . For years they had ref u sed to have Blacks a man o t heir midst a s o f t.re:ir reli g ion .. They no,,) have " Negroes !!, bu t t h ey are not al l o ',}ed t D become o f ficia l s or mini sters ( leaders or elder s ) . It is on e o f Americ a ' s most se gr egated r el i g ious sects . Many of the Un ited States of Americ a ' S s o-called "l i berals" are of this Christia n sect. inc ludm g one of Pr es i de nt Nixon's Cabinet Me 1T'h ers - Ge orge Romne y , Secretar y of HO USing, etc .
57. See , THE NEGRO CHURCH IN AMER I CA, b y E. Pranklin Fra zier, p . 64 . See, also, BLACK GOD S OF T~E METRO POLIS, by Fauset, Chapter II .. 58. Thi s i s see n in the THIRD BOOK OF HOSES - Lev it ic us, i n whic h t h e b urial of t he dea d and other t hi n gs are r estricted for c ertain handler s wh o must take ritual baths be for e r eturning to t h eir commu nity. 5 9 . Th e Yeme ni te Jews have bee n removed f r om Yemen As ia a n d ro se tt l ed in t h e State of Israe l. Th ey off er t he J most ~ncie n t. c':lstoms and trad i t ion s of Hebrew culture a nd re li gion along w1 th the Falashas of Eth i opia, Eas t Africa . Ne xt to t he Afr1 can Hebrews ( J e ...Js) - th e Palas h as - and t ho se of Coc h i n , I ndl - th e "COCHI N J E ~'1 S" - t h e y are t he bl ackest, or dar kes t Jew in the world . They and the other Jews from Africa and A ~i a find segregation a nd d iscrimi nat i o n th e re becaus e of th e co] ." of their ski n , and their lack of fam iliari ty wi t h things Eur o pean o r Eur o pea n-American. 'th is is p artly due to t h e f ac t t h a t the g o vernment o f Israe l is predo mi na tl y contro llj'f! by Europ ea n a n d European-Amer ica n (t-lhi t e - s k inned) Je~oJS. 60 .. EXTRACTS f rom t he "BLACK 11ANIF ESTO " o f t he National Black )': \ " nom~c Conference as adopted at Detro i t, Michi gan , USA, on ;.'\. Apr11, 1969; and al; p res ented on Su n day~ 11 Hay , 1 969 ~ 61. 'I'h i s is a common e xpression us ua ll y res erved for any gro u p ( oj Bl a cks that p r otest a ga inst the ir be ing i n human ly tre a t ed by t h e Uni ted States of .AJneri ca and gr oups of \'Jh ites Il purpor tifl to be L iberals," and of Co urse those from t he f ar r igh t. Anv Bl ack per so n no t u sing t h e prescribed me thod of voic ins tilt' \ , diss e nt or o ppos i t ion to soctety's va lu es th a t o p~)r ess th C I ~ , as appr oved by th e " Lib era ls, fI find ';h e mselves b ear if'lq tll(o l a be l - IIIRRESPONSIDLE~" 7 !te measure of " RESPONSIBILITY" i::; t h a t .-Ih ich is set f or th f or " NE:GROE;S" as see n thr OUGh t he ,of the NATIONAL URBAN !.8I\GUE and NAT I ONAL ASSOC I ATT.(>N POR "'! IillVANCEf\1tNT OP COLORED PEOPLE (NAI\ ), and o the r such i n teg r a tio nis t o rganiza tions tha t have th e b less ing s o f the " I-/hl Li ber a l s" of the g o v e r ning monies that operate the m t h rounh "responsible Negro leadersh i p .. "
338
6 4" '.rhe S h e ri ff of Selma, Alabama, Hho had h i s d i pu t i es set the ir b lood - hounds ( polic e dog s) o n the non-violent l y nrotestin g African- Ame rica ns a g ai nst th e inhuman treatme nt t hey "Jere re ce i vi n g f r om t h e Un i ted Sta t es of Amer i ca and specif i call y t h e Sta te of Alabama; al l o f \.Jhich deal t with the denial of the ir "HUl1AN RI GHTS" and " CIVIL RIGHTS" und e r the II tINITED STA'l'ES OF M1ERICA 'S Federa l CONSTITUTION. He a l s o had h i s dep u t ie s use electr i c p rodi n g rods which c o wha nd s ge n e r al l y use for s h o cld n g cattle against Black women a nd chi ldren. Bull Connors i n human and r a cist ta ctics wer e con demned in th e ha l ls of the UN"ITED NATI ONS ORGANIZATION and o t h er in te rnatio na l b odies and g over nme n ts thro ughout t h e ent i r e wor ld. (i5.
Bi shop Bartol ome de LasCasas was men t ioned earlier in t h i s vlork as the man mo st re sponsible f o r s tar ting t he infamo us slave trade th a t s aw mill io n s u p on mi llions of Africans u prooted fr om Af rica and forc ed i nto cha ·tte l slavery i:h ro ughout the Amer ic as - the so - ca lled II Ne w Vlorl d ." He was a Roman Cathol ic Bishop on the I s land o f His pan i o la ( today' s San to Domin g o a n d Ha i ti). See, LasC as as~ HISTORIA d e las INDIAS , 1 519; a lso I LI F'E OF BARTOLOHE de LAS CASAS by L ici ad o Mad r id 1 565. I I
I,;, . Caraca l la \;las t he indige n ous Af rican Calack) Emperor of Rome (the son of Emperor Septimus Sever u s - t h e Afr i can \;lho cap tur ed Eng l a nd, where he al s o di ed) lI tJ1a t fep t he Chr ist ians t o t he t h e lion s .. " Th is was a l so c har ged t o his fat h er - Emperor Septi mus Ser ver u s (a l s o i nd i g enous to Afr i ca ) .
339
67. Thousands of Jews were mercile ss ly murdered (exterm ina ted) b y the Nazis in a s egr egated area Hfor Jews only" called t he WARSAW GHETTO,·· I,'/ ar saw, Po land, Eastern Europe .. These helpless victims of Nazi ge nocide were forced to fig ht the Nazis' army without any aid t-I h a t so ever from outside of their walled city . The last o f them were exterminated on over , 19 Apr j, 1 1943, on direct orders of Adolph Hitler. See, MY PEOPLE : THE STORY OF THE J EWS, by Abba 'Tban, p . 4lL
DJ:'CEt1BER lOth of e ac h year as 1I ffi.J}1AN RIGWrS DAY. II Th i s p;ac t i ce i s common today in many natio ns around t he e n tire world.
68 . This statement is common ly used by Americans in boasting of their "patriotism . " It is written in the I1National Anthemll (THE ST~.9?ANGLED BAlmER), which was formerly a poem writ te n by F r a ncis Scott Key, on 13 September, 1814, during the WAR OF 1812. 69. Thi s warni n g was made by Moses to the Jews in the name of YVllh ( God) because o f their b ehavior in reverting back to their " paga n l"a y s .u S ee, FOURTH BOOK OF MOSES --' Numbers , Cha pt e r 111 , Verses 18 -1 9 . 70 . I t ha s b een the pr a ctice f or most European h istori a ns, and E uropean-Ame ricans, to l"Ir ite of IIEGYPT AND AFRICA, II "ETHIOPIA AND AFRI CA, 1I a s i f othe r parts of North and East Africa wer e not connected to t h ese t wo p arts .. T hey seem to f o r g et th a t UII entir e cont inent o r Afric a t akes in t h e Nor t h, South, Ea s t, U. and Centra l area s - all 11 , 000,000 p lu s, squ are mi les . 71. T hes e words are from a famous "NEGRO SPIRITUAL," which waS ill reality a prote st song by the Afr icans that were ensl a v e d i n the Un ited S tates o f America by Europeans a n d European-Ame r i , of Nhom a few were Jews, the overwhelming maj ori ty be in g Chr i st i a ns . Today i t is seen by many only for its reli g iou s overtone and message. See, NEGRO SLAVE SONGS OF AHERICA, b y BOOK OF NEGRO SPIRITUALSj also, SECOND BOOK OF M. Fishe r; NEGRO SPIRITUALS, (both), by James Iveldo n a nd Rosmond Jo h n~; "" 'j 72. F rom the slave song "OLE BLACK JOE, II which car ri ed t h e carie . ture of the IlNEGRO'! as a sloth. See books of Note No . 71 o f t h i s Chapter , above. 7 3 .. Th e "tJNIVERSAL DF.:CLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS, as pub lished by th e Un ited Nations Organization, United Nations Plaza, New YOr k City , Ne~.. York. The conunission on Hum an Ri g ht s relea s" ,1 it s re port in t he year 1948 C .E . This document has been e n d o r sed b y most of the nations of t h e wor ld a s the basic m;l.n l mum ri g hts each h uman being is entit led to solely on the OJ . I of birth . There are no stipulations as to rac e , creed, co lO! • s ex, na t io n a l oriaiE. or physical handicap mentio ned ~upo"i1Wi7f· ~ . a n y of these rights may be abrid g ed by an p er s on or natio '1. T his ",Iork \... as s t arted in Januar y , 1 94 7 C . E ., u nder the Ch .:.d . man s h i p o f ~1rs. Eleanor Rooseve lt - wife of Pr esident Roo :~ " v elt (b.oth of "\-/hom are decea sed), and ...Jas comp l e t e d on 1 0 December, 19 48; at wh ich time i t Nas . adop t ed by the GENf:ll f\J . AS SEI1BLY b y a vote of l8 in f evor , 8 abstentions, a nd no 11 \:·\1 tive votes .. On 3 December, 1 95 0, t he GENERAL ASSeMBLY p a !J ~" d a RESOLUTION requ esting all n at ion s of t h e Wo rd l t o ob s er v ~ 340
34 1
Select Bibliography Th is volume is the only comprehe nsive presentation of t h e BJ~ACK HII,N a s or igin a tor s o f the fundamen t;)! concepts, pr inci ples , and philosophy o f the HAJOR "HESTSRN REL IGIONS" - Judaism , Chris t i anity, and Is l am. Professor ben-Jocha nnan has exceeded his own sc hol a rly Vlork , BLJ\CK I1AN OF ':i.' HE NILE , in t h i s volume, as h e entered t h is area of re l igious myths and taboos, and cites the ir his torica l origins and background wh ic h have been f or so long concealed from t he general pub lic . .: T h ese r eve lations uncover many of the basic misconI ceptions of th e myt h olog y with in Judaism, Chris t ianity, a nd Islam - suc h as the TRUE or 1 9 in of the TEN COM!1AND~~NTS coopted f rom th~ Africans of the Nile Valle ys NE GA'!'IVE CONFE SS I ONS in the COF PIN TEXTS, r a ther than from MOSES , through JEHOVAH, on MOUNT SINAI. Al t h o \Og h pr epared for college le vel courses i n the history of that ,tJhich is misnomered n\'!ESTERN RELIGIONS" (Judaism , Chr i st i anity, and Isle-.m), Profes sor ben-J(')c h annan's documented 11istorica l revelat i ons are recorded in a manner whereby t he avera ge reaaer can compre h end t h ereby pr oviding t h e masses \'Jith inSight into TRUTHS \'Jh i ch "."ere here t ofore obSCure .. CARRY - OVERS of Al:'RICANISl1S into the J u daeo-Chr is t ial'l Islamicmthe nNe"." Horl d , especially the un i ted S tates of America , h ave been bo l d ly cited a nd de tailed, resul t ing in disclOS Ures of many basic fac t s abou t Afri canAmerican reli gious pe rsonalities and their effects u pon r eligious t ho ught \",h i ch ha ve be en ignored and/or suppr es sed for over three - hundred and fifty (350) years. Ol ahdio Kinta-Odalgo Hougan (Pri est) Rep of Hayte, \'J. I. July 1 , 1970 C . E. 6
342
Secular Books Quoted and Otherwise Cited Achebe. Chinua. Things Fall Apart. New York: McDowell. Obolensky, 1959. AJ-Jahiz, Amr ibn Bahr. 'The Book of Animals."vols.I - 7. In The Life and Works ofJahiz. Berkeley; University of California Press, 1969. _~~ . ''Eloquence and Conciseness." lll The Life And Works- ofJahiz. Ber keley: University of California Press, 1969. _ _ _ . 'The Merits of the Turks." In The Life and Works ofJahiz, Berkeley: University of California Press, 1969. _ __ . '1n Praise of Tradesmen and Disparagement of Officialdom." In The Life and Works of Jahiz. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1969. _ _ _ . "The Superiority of Speech to Silence." In The Life and Works of Jahiz. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1969. ._ _ _ . 'The Superiority of the Blacks to the Whites."In The Life and Works of Ja.hiz, Berkeley: University of California Press, 1969. Ali , Ameer. The Life and Teachings of Mohammed. London: Allen and Company, 1891. {\llen, Richard. The Life, Experience, and Gospel Labors of the Right Reverend Richa.rd Allen. Phlladelphia: A.M.K Publishing House, 1887. AUen, William F., Charles P. Ware and LucyM. Garrison. Slaue Songs of the United States. New York: A Simpson and Company, 186? ;:l-Suyuti. History of the Caliphs. Translated by Henry S. Jarrett. Calcutta; Asiatic Society, 1881. Apu leius Madaurensis. The Golden Ass. Translated by William Adlington. London: W. Heinemann, 1915. Ap theker, Herbert. American Negro Slave Revolts. New York: Columbia University Press, 1943, Arnold, Thomas W. The Preaching oflsla~m. London : Constable, 1913. Ashe, Geoffrey. Gandhi. New York: Stein and Day, 1968. Augustine, Aurehus . Against the Academics. Translated by John J . O'Meara. Westm inster , MD: Newman Press, 1950. ___ . The Catholic and Manichaean Ways of Life. Translated by Donald A. Gallagher and !dell. J. Gallagher. Washington, D.C .• The Catholic Univer sity of America Press, 1966.. _ _ . The City of God. Translated by Marcus Dads. vols. 1-2. Edinburgh: T. and T. Clark, 1871. _ _ _ . Confessions. Translated by Edward B. Pusey. New York: Dutton, 1950. _ __ . De Beata Vita. Cologne: Ulrich ZeU, 1470. _ _ _ . Divine Providence and the Problem of Euil, ... St. Augustine's De Ord ine. Translated by Robert P. Russell . New York: Cosmopolitan Science and Art Service Company, 1942. _ _ , Dramatic Poem . .·. n .p. , n.d. _ __ On ChrisiiallDocJrine. Edinburgh: T. and T. Clark, 1802.
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Select Bibliography Order."In The Retractions. Translated by Mary 1. Bogan. Wash ington, D.C.: The Cat.holic U niversity of America Press, 1968. _ _ _ . On the Beautiful and the Fit. n .p .• n.d. _ __ . On the History of Life. n.p., n.d. _ _ _ . The Retractions. Tra nslated by Mary 1. Bogan. Washington, D.C.: The Catholic University of America Press, 1968. _ __ . St. Augustine on Music. Tr anslated by Robert C. Taliaferro . Books 1-6. Annapolis, MD: The st. John's Bookstore, 1939. Balfwil, M. The Life of Mahamet. n.p., n.d. ben~ochannan. Yaser. Black Ma n of the Nile. New York: Alkebu-lan Books, 1970. Blyden, Edward W. Ch ristiartity.islam and the Negro Race. London: W. B. Whittingham and Company, 1888. Breasted, James H. A History of Egypt from th e Earliest Times to the Per~ sian Conquest. New York: C. Scribner's Sons, 1905. Budge, Ernest A. The Book of the Dead. New York: Ben Publishing Company, 1960. _ _ _ . Osiris. vols. 1-2. New Hyde Pa rk: U niversity BooRs, 1961. Burton, Richard F. The Kasidah of Haji Abd" el-Yezdi. London : Privately printed, 1880. . Casas, Bartolome de las. Historia de las i ndia.'1. vols. 1-5. Madrid: Impr. de M. Ginest a, 1875-76. Churchward, Albert. Th e Arcana of Freemasonry. New York: Macoy Publishin g and Mason ic Supply Company, 1915. _ _ _ . The Origin and E uolution of Freemasonry Connected With the Origin and E uolution of the Hu man Race. Londo n: G. Allen and Unwin, 1920. _ _ _ . Origin and E uotution of the Human Race. London: G. Allen and Unwin, 1921. Cicero, Marcus T . ... De Officiis. Translated by Andrew P. Peabody. Boston: Little, Brow n and Company, 1883. Cla vier, A. B iographie Uniuersetle. vol. 8. Paris: n .p., 1844. Collingwood, Robin G. Roman Britain . Oxford: The Cla re ndon Press, 1932. Coppin, Levi J . Unwritten History. Philadelphia: A.M.E. Book Concern, 19 19. Cron an , Edmund D. Black Moses . Madison : Unive rsity of Wisconsin Press, 1969. Cypria n , Saint. The Lapsed. Translated by Maurice Bevenot. Westminster, MD: Newman Press, 1957. _ _ _ . On the Unity of the Catholic Church . London: The Manresa Press, 1924. Darwin, Charles G. The Next M illion Years. London: R H art-Davis, 1952. Davidson, Basil. African Kingdom..'). New York: Time, Inc., 1966. _ __ . T he African Past. Boston: Little, Brown, 1964. . _ _ _ . The African Slaue Trade; Precolonial History, 1450-1850. Boston: Little. Brown, 1961. DeGraft--Johnson, John C. African Glory. London: Watts, 1954. Reprint. Baltimore: Black Classic Press, 1986. Denon, Dominique V. Trauels in Upper and Lower Egypt, During the Campaigns ofOeneralBonaparte. vols. 1-2. London : B. Crosby and Cumpany, 1802. . _
_ _ . IX) n
34 4
_Digby, Kenelm. Of Bodies, and of Man's Soul. Tn Di.ttcouer the Immortality of Reasonable Souls. With Two Discour.'i4'.'f 1 1t~ Powder of Sympathy, and of the Vegetation of Plants. I ,Ollrl Urt' Prinu ·!1 for.1. Williams, 1669. Djodoru s Siculus. Diodorus Siculus. Cambridge, Eng-l aud: n. p., n .d. Du mond, Dwight. L. Antislauery; Th e Crusade for Freedom. in A muica. Ann Arbor: University of Michi gan Press, ) 9(}1, Eba n, Abba S. My People; The Stary of the Jews. New York: 01-111' 111 : 11) Hou se, 1968. Eddy, Mary Baker. Manual of the Mother Church. Boston: 'J'h " hri':1il lfi Science Publishing Society, 1899. _ __ . Science and H ealth; With a Key to the &riptures. vols. 1-2. n ll ~J t.1 1l1. Till' Author, 1883. Erdma n, B. D. The R eligion of Israel. New York: n.p., n.d. -Er skine, Beatrice Steuart. Van ished Cities of Northern Africa. London: Hutchinson and Company, 1927. Essien-Udom, Ess ien U. Black Nationalism. Chicago: U niversity of Chicago Press, 1962. Fauset, Arthur rt: B lack Gods of the Metropolis. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press,I944. Fishberg, Maurice. The Jews: A Study of Race and Enuironment. London: The Walter Scott Publishing Company, Ltd., 1911. Fish er , Mlles M. Negro S laue Songs in the United States. Ith aca: Cornell University Press, 1953. F ranklin , John H. From Slauery To Freedom. New York: Knopf, 1967. F r azier , Edward F. The Negro Church in Amenca. New York: Schocken Books, 1964. Frobenius, Leo. The Voice of Africa. vols. 1- 2. London: Hutchin son and Com pa ny, 1913. Garrucci, Raffaele. La Monete DeLI' Italia Antico Raccolto Generale. Part 2. Roma: Coi Tipi Del Cav. V. Salviucci, 1885. Ga rv ey, M arcus. Philosophy and Opinions of Marcus GaroeY. Edited by Amy J acques-Garvey. vols. 1-2 . New York: The Universal Publishing House, 192;}'-25. Ga unt, Mary E . Wh ere The Twain Meet . London: J . Murray, 1922. ~ Gibb, Hamilton A R. Arabic Lit erature, All i ntroduction. London: O).i'ord Univer sity Press, 1926. Gibb, Hamilton A. R., B. Lewis and J . Schach~ et a1. The Encyclopaedia of Islam. Leiden: E . J . Brill, 1960. Graves, Robe rt a nd Raphael Patai. Hebrew Myths; The Book of Genesis. Ga rde n City: Doubleday, 1964. Groves, Ch a rles P . The Planting of Christianity in Africa. vols. 1-4. Lon. don : Lutterworth Press, 1964. Harnack, Adolf von. The Mission and Expansion of Christianity in the First Three Centu.ries. Translated by J ames Moffatt. vols. 1-2. London: Wi.ll iams and Norgate, 1908. Hea rn, Lafcadio. Th e Life and Letters of Lafcadio Hearn. Edited by Eliz.abeth Bisland Wetmore. vol. 1. Boston: Hough ton, Mifflin a nd Company, 1906. Heliodor.us, of Emesa. An Aethiopian History. Tran slated by Thomas Underdowne. London: D. Nutt, 1895.
or
Select Bibliography Herodotus. Herodotus: The Historie.s. Book 2. Translated by Aubrey de Sellncourl. Baltimore: Penguin Books, 1954. Hertslet, Edward. The Map of Africa By Treaty. vals. 1-3. London: Harrison and Sons, 1909. Hertzberg, Arthur, ed. Judai.<;m . New York: G. Braziller, 1961. Higgins, Godfrey. Anacalypsis. vals. 1- 2. London: Longman, 1836. Hitti, Philip K. History of the Arabs. London: Macmillan and Company, Ltd .• 1937. _ __ . Mahers of Arab History. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1968. Hodgkin, E. C. The Arabs. London: Oxford University Press, 1966. Jahn, Janheinz. Muntu. Translated by Marjorie Grene. New York: Grove Press. 1961Jam es, George G. M. Stolen Legacy. New York: Philosophical Library, 1954. . . Johnson, Aubrey R The Cultie Prophet in Ancient Israel. Cardiff: University of Wales Press Board, 1944 . Johnson, James Weldon and John R Johnson. The Books of American Negro Spirituals. New York: Viking Press, 1940. Kenyatta, Jomo. Facing Mount Kenya. New York: Vintage Books, 1962. The Koran: Commonly called the Alkoran ofl"f.ohammed . Translated by George Sale. New York: American Book Exchange, 1881. Labouret, Henri. Africa Before The Vlhite Man. Translated by Francis Huxley. New YOl·k: Walker, 1963. Langer, William L., ed. An Encyclopedia of World History, Ancient, Medi.eval and Modem . Boston: Houghton Miffiin, 1952. Leibovitch. J. Ancient Egypt. Cairo: L. Baroukh, 1938. Leslau, Wolf. Falasha Anthology. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1951Lincoln, Charles E. The Black Muslims in America. Boston: Beacon Press, 196!. ~? Lull, Raymond. Luti Reports. London: n.p., n.d. , Massey, Gerald. A Book of the Beginnings. vol 2. London: Williams and Norgate, 1881. Meek, Theophile J . Hebrew Origins. New York: Harper and Bro~hers, 1936 . Mendelsohn, Jack God, Allah, and JuJu . New York: Nelson, 1962. Moon, Parker T. Imperialism and World Politics. New York : The Macmil~ Ian Company, 1936. Muir, William . The Life of Mahomet from Original Sources. London: Smith. Elder and Company. 1894. N esfieLd, John C. Brief View of the Caste System o/" the North- Western P rovinces and Oudh. Allahabad: North-\Vestern Provinces and Oudh Government Press, 1885. Nevinson , Henry W. A Modern Slavery. New Yor k: Harper and Brothers, 1906. Ortiz Fernandez, Fernando. La Africania de La Musica Folklorica de Cuba. Rabana: Ministerio de Educacion, Direccion de Cultura, 1950. Palgrave, William G. Essays 0", Eastern Qu~stions. London: Macmillan and Compa ny. 1872.
P arker, RobertA. The Incredible Messiah; The D('i{LCation of Father Div ine . Boston: Little, Brown anci Com ~).f~ ny, 1937. Parrinder, Edward G. African Mythol.ogy. London : Humlyn , 1967. Ploski, Hnrry A. and Roscoe C. Brown, Jr. Th.: N egro Almanac. New York: Bellwether Publishing Complll1Y, 1967. Plutarch. Plutarch's Life of Alexander, the Great. Translated by Thomas North. Boston: Houghton, Mimin and Company, 1900. Ratzel, F-riedrich. The History of Mankind. vols. 1-2. London : Macmillnn and Company. Ltd .• 1896-97. Robertson , Archibald. The 06.g in of Christianity. New York: In ternational Publishers. 1962. Robinson, Theodore H . and Willi am O. Oesterley. A History of Israel. vols. 1-2 . Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1932. Rogers, Joel A. Nature Knows No Co/.or-Line. New York: J. A. Rogers Publications, 1952. _ _ _ . Sex and Race. vol. 1. New York: J . A. Rogers Publications, 1940. _ _ _ . World's Great Men of Color. vol. 1. New York: J . A. Rogers Publications, 1946. Sabine, George H. A History of Polit ical Theory. New York: Holt , Rinehart and Winston, 1961. Schofield, John Noel. The Hi storical Background of the Bible. London: T. Nelson and Sons, Ltd., 1938. Slade, Ruth M. The Belgian Congo. London: Oxford University Press, 1961 . Smith, Grafton E. Huma n Hi-story. New York: W. \V. Norton and Company. Inc .• 1929. Smith, Homer W. Man and Hi.s Gods. London: Cape, 1953. Smith, William R. The Religum of the Semites. New York: Meridian Books. 1956. Soames, Jane. The Cocu;t of Barbary. London: J. Cape, 1938. Sonner son, S. Rape of Africa. n.p. , n.d. Stanley, Henry M. In Darkest Africa. vols. 1- 2. New York: C. Scribner's Sons. 1890. Tanner. Benjamin T. An Apology for African MetJVJdi.sm. Baltimore: n.p., 1867. Tempels, Placide. Bantu Philosophy. Paris: Presence Africaine, 1959. Tertullian, Quin tus S. De Anima" Amsterdam: Holland Publishing Company, 1947. _ _ _ . "Against Hermogenes." In The Writings of Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullian. Translated by P. Holmes . vol. 2. Edinburgh: T. and T. C larke. 1869. Volney, Constantin F. The Ruins; or, A Survey of the Revolutions ofEm~ pires. London: Freethought Publishing Company, 1881 . Reprint. Baltimore: Black Class ic Press, 1991. Wells, Herbert G. A Short History of the World. New York: Penguin Books. 1946. Wiedner. Donald L. A H istory of Africa South of the Sahara. New York: Random House, 1962. Wiltlernissen, D. Stanley in Africa. vols. 1-2. Germa ny: n.p., 1887 . Young, Crawford. Politics in the Congo. Princeton : Princeton University P'r ess. 1965. ;\47
Select Bibliography Religious Books and Documents Quoted and Otherwise Cited Talmud. The Babylonian. Talmud. Translated by Isidore Epstein. vals. 134. London: Sancino Press, 1935-48. Coffin Texts. The Egyptian Coffin Texts. Edited by Adrifian DeBuck and Alan H. Gardiner. vals. 1-7. Chicago: The University ofChlcago Press, 1935--61. 'The Exordium."]n The Holy Koran. London: R. Carlile, 1822. The Holy Bible. Authorized King James Version. New York: Oxford University Press, 1963. The Holy Koran. London: R. Carlile, 1822. ''Hymn of Adoration." In The Egyptian Coffin Texts . Edited by Adriaan OeBuck. vol. 2. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1938. MacDonald, Alexander. The Apostle's Creed. London: K. Paul, Trench, Trubner and Company, Ltd., 1925. McGlinchey. James M. The Teaching of Amen-ern-ope and the Book of Proverbs. Washington, D.C.: The Catholic University of America, 1~9. . ''Negative Confession." In The Book of the Dead. Translated by Ernest A. Budge. New Hyde Park: University Books, 1960. 'The Proverbs." In The Holy Bible. Authorized King James Version. New York: Oxford University Press, 1963. The Torah, The Five Books of Mo.<;es. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society of America, 1963.
Periodicals, Documents, Paintings, etc., Quoted and Otherwise Cited Edwin Smith Surgical Papyrus. The Edwin Smith Surgical Papyrus. Translated by James H . Breasted. vols. 1-2. Chicago: The Univer sity of Chi cago Press, 1930. "EncyclicaL of Pope Clement XIII (1751>-1769)." In Catholic Church. Pope. The Papal Encyclicals in Their Historical Context. Edited by Anne Fremantle. New York: The New American Library, 1963. ''Encyclical of Pope John XXIII (195&-1963)."In Catholic Church. Pope. The Papal Encyclicals in Their Historical Context. Edited by Anne Fremantle. New York: The New American Library, 1963. Ford, Arnold J . The Universal Ethiopian Anthem. New York: n.p., 1919. Galerius.Imperial Edict of May. n.p. , n.d. Jeffreys, M. D. W. 'The Negro Enigma." West African Review, vol. 22, no. 288 (September 1951): 104&-1050. Manifesto of the National Black Economic Conference. Detroit: n .p., April 26, 1969. "Map of Mrica."In Black Man of the Nile. Yosefben~ochannan . New York: Alkebu-Ian Books Associates, 1970. Muhammad Speaks. Chicago: The Nntion of Islam, vol. 4, no. 8 (January 1, 1965)
348
The New Day. Newark, NJ: New Day Publishing Company, voL 1, no. 1 (May 21, 1936). Papyrus Ebers. The Papyrus Ebers. Translated by Bendix EbbelL London: Oxford University Press, 1937. "Protestant Churches Divided. On Their Urban Crisis Programs." The New York Times, (Sunday, May 18, 1969): BO. Rasky , Frank. ''Harlem's Religious Zealots." Tomorrow, vol. 9, no. 3 (November 1949), 11-17. Tell--el-..<\marna tablets. The Tell-el-Amarna tablets. Edited by Samuel A B. Mercer. vols. 1-2. Toronto: Macmillan Company of Canada, 1939. United Nations. General Assembly. UniversaL Declaration of Human Rights. Lake Success: United Nations Dept. of Public Information, 1949. United States. Bureau of the Census. Census of Population: 1920-1960; The Fourteenth-Eighteenth Decennial Census of the United States. Washington, D.C.: U.S . Government Printing Office, 1922-61Veri at. Christ and Barabbas. Antwerp: Roy al Museum of .Antwerp, Belgium, n.d.
Supplementary Bibliography Used, but not quoted or cited in text Adamson, Robert. The Deuelopment of Greek Philosophy. Edited by WilLiam R. Sorley and Robert P. Hardie. London: W. Blackwood and Sons, 1908. al-Maqqari, Ahmad ibn Muhammad. The History of the Mohammedan Dynasties in Spain. vol. 1. London: Printed for the Oriental translation fund of Great Britain and Ireland, 1840. al-Mas udi. Les Prairies D'or. Translated by Barbier de Meynard, Charles A and Abel J. Pavet de Courteille. vol. 7. Paris: l'Imprirnerie ImperiaLe, 1878. .Andrea, Tor. Mohammed: The Man and His Faith. n.p., 1936. Armattoe, Raphael E. The Golden Age of West African Civilization. London berry: The Londonberry Sentinel, 1946. Arnold, Edw ard V. Roman Stoicism. Cambridge, England: The University Press, 1911. Arnold, Thomas W. and Alfred Guillaume, eds. The Legacy of Islam. Oxford: The Clarendon Press, 1931. Augu stine, Aurelius. Basic Writi ngs of Saint Augustine. Edited by Whitney J . Oates. New York: Random House, 1948. _ _ _ . The First Catecheti.callnstruction. Translated by Joseph P. Christopher. Westminster, MD.: The Newman BookslJop, 1946. _ __ . The Greatness of the Soul. Translated by Joseph M. Colleran. Westminster, MD.: Newman Press, 1950. _ __ . The Lord's Sermon on the Mount. Translated by John J. Jepson. Westminster, MD.: Newman Press, 1948. Ayandele, E. A "External Influen ce on African &ciety." In Africa in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries. Edited by Joseph C . .Anene and Godfrey N. Brown. Ioadan: Ibnd an University Pre s~ , 1966. ~ 49
Select Bibliography Bacon, Reginald H . Ben in, the City of Blood. London: Ar nold, 1897. Bailey, Cyril. The Greek Atomists and Epi.curus, A Stu.dy . Oxford: The Clar endon Press, 1928. Barns, Thom as A. An African Eldorado. the Belgian Congo. London: Methuen and Company Ltd., 1926. Beier , Ulli, ed. The Origin of Life and Death: African Creation M,yths. Lo n· don: Heinemann, 1966. Biobaku, Saburi O. Religion in Contemporary African Literature. New York: n.p., 1966. Blackman, Aylward M., et aI. The Psalmists. Edited by David C. Simpson. London : Oxford U niversity Press, 1926. Blyden, Edward W. West Africa Before Europe. London: C. M. Phillips, 1905. Bourke, Vernon J . Augustine's Quest of Wisdom. Milwau kee: The Bruce P ublishin g Company, 1945. Bourne, Henry R. Fox. Ciuilizatton in Congoland: A Story of International Wrongdoing. London: P. S. King and Son, 1903. Breasted, James H . Ancient R ecords of Egypt. vols. 1-5. Chicago: The U niversity of Chicago Press, 1906-1907. Brode, Heinrich. Tippoo Tib, the Story of His Career in Central Africa, Narrated from His Own s. London: E. Arnold,1907. Brooks, Char les H. A H istory and Manual of the Grand United Order of Odd Fellows in America. Philadelph ia : n.p., 1893. Bru ce, Philip A. Th e Plantation Negro As A Freeman. New York: G. P . Putn am's Sons, 1889. Buber , Martin. At the Turning; Th ree Addresses On Judaism . New York: Farrar, Straus and Young, 1952. Buchler , Adolf. Die Tobiaden Und Die Oniaden Im II. Wie n: IsraeI- Theol. Lehranstalt, 1899. Budge, Ernest A. Egypt. New York: H. H olt and Company, 1925. _ _ _ . From Fetish to God in Ancient Egypt. London: Oxford Univ ersity Press, 1934. Burn et, John. Early Greek Philosophy. New York: Meridian Books, 1957. _ _ _ . Greek Philosophy, Tholes to Plato. New York: Macmillan, 1960. Burnet, J ohn, ed. The Works of Plato. In Oxford Classical Texts. vols. 1-5. New York: n.p. , 1888. Bu rridge, William. Destiny A/rica: Cardinal Lavigerie and the Making of the Wh ite Falhers. London: G. Chapman, 1966. Capes, 'Villiam W. Stoicism. London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1880. Caton-Thompson, Gertrude. The Zimbabwe Culture. Oxford: The Claren· don Press, 1931. Chilcote, Ronald H. Portuguese Africa. Englewood Cliffs: P rentice-Hall, 1967. Cook, Stanley A. The Religion of Ancient Palestine in the Light of Ar· chaeology. Lon don : Oxford Un iver sity Press, 1930. Cooley, William D. The Negroland of the A rabs Examined and Explained. London: J . Arrowsmith, 1841. Coul an ge, R. The Re vol ution of the Mass. n .p., n :d. Cowley, Arthur E., ed. Jew ish Docum.ent8 of the Time of Ezra. New York: The Macmillan Compa.ny, 1919.
350
Dallas, RobertC. The History of the Maroo ns. vol:: I- :.! 1"' 111 1" 11 '1' N Longm an and O. Rees, 1803. Danquah, J oseph B. The Akan Doctrine of God. Lon don: J,u llj " 'wtll'l II Press, 1944. _ _ _ . Gold Coast: Man Laws and CustonJ.S and the MillL 1\/moRwa ( '(JI'-llltJ II lion. London: G. Routledge and Sons, Ltd., 1928. Dawson, Christopher H. Th e Making of Europe. New York: Meridinn Books, 1956. Dellagioacon a, V. An African Martyrou,gy . Italy: n .p., 1965. Demos, Raphael. The Philosophy of Plato. New York: C. Scribner's Sons, 1939. Desai, Ram, ed. Christianity in Africa as Seen By Africans. Denver: A. Swallow, 1962. Dittenberger , Wilhelm. Corpus lnscriptionum Gro.ecarum. n.p., n.d. _ _ _ . Corpus lnscriptionum Latinarum. n .p., n.d. _ __ . Corpus Inscriptionum Semiticarum. n .p., n.d. _ _ _ . Orientis Graeci Inscriptiones Selectae. vols. 1-2 . Lipsiae: S. Hirzel, 190305. _ __ . S yUoge Inscriptionum Gro.ecarum . vols. 1-5. Lipsiae: S. Hirzelium, 191524. Dixon, Roland B. Th e Racial History of Man . New York: C. Scribner's Sons, 1923. Dodge, Ralph E. The Unpopular Missionary. Westwood: F. H . Revell Company, 1964. Dodgson, C. T ertullian. Part 1. Oxford: n.p., 1642. Doob, Leonard W. "Psychology." In The African World: A Survey of &>cia! Research . Edited by Robert A. Lystad. New York: Frederick A. Praeger, 1965. Du Bois, William E. B., ed. The Neg ro Church. Atlanta: The Atlanta Un ivers ity Press, 1903. ~_ _ . The World and Africa. New York: International Publishers, 1965. Dupont-Sommer, Andre. Th e Dead Sea S crolls, A Preliminary Survey. Oxford: B lackwell, 1952. Erdman n, J ohann E. A H istory of Ph i.losophy. Tran slated by Williston S. Hough. vol. 1. London: Swan Sonnenschein, 1910. Erm an, Adolf. Die Literatur der Aegypter. Leipzig: J . C. Hinrichs, 1923. Eusebius Pamphili. Ecclesiastical H istory. Translated by Roy J . Deferral'i. vols. 1- 2. New York: Fathers of the Church, 1953-55. Evans-P ritchard, Edward E. Theories of Prim it ive Religion. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1965. Farrington , Benjamin. & ience and Politics in the Ancient World. London: Allen and U nwin, 1965. Fickling, Susan M. Slave Conversion in South Carolina, 1830-1860. M. A Thesis. Columbia, South Carol ina: University of South Carolina, 1924. Finbert, Elian J . Dictu:mnaire des Prouerbe.<:J Du Monde. Paris: R. Laffonl, 1965. Finkelstei n, Louis. T h e J ews; Their H istory, Culture, and Religion. vols. 12. New York: Harper, 1949. Fo al{(!~Tackso n , Fr ederick J . and Kirsopp Lake, eds. The Beginnings of Chri:-;tiaHity. London : Macmillan , ]920-33.
Select Bibliography Fortes, Meyer. Oedipus and Job in West African Religion. Cambridge, England: University Press, 1959. Frazer, James G. The Golden Bough; A Study in Magic and Religion.. vols. 1-13. London : Macmillan, 1911-36. _ _ _ . ages of the Bible Chosen for Their Literary Beauty and Interest . Lon· don: n .p., 1895. Freyre, Gilberta. The Masters and the Slaves: A Study in the Development of Brazilian Civilization. New York: A. A. Knopf, 1946. Card, Richard A., ed. Great Religions of Modem Man: Buddhism. New
York: George Braziller , Inc., 1962. GarTucci, Raffaele. Le Monete DeU'/t alia Antica Ra.ccolta Generale. Part. 2. Roma: Coi Tipi Del Cav. V. Salviucci, 1885. Geddes, Michael. The Church-History 9f Ethiopia. London: Printed for Ri. ChiswelL, 1696. Gibbon, Edward. The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. vols. 1 a nd 4. Dublin: W. Hallhead, 1781. • Gluckman, Max. 'The Logic of Witchcraft.." In The Study of Africa. Edited by Peter J . M. McEwan a nd Rober t B. SutclilTe. London: Th e Camelot, 1965. Greene, Lorenzo J . The Negro in Colonial New England. New York: Atheneum, 1968. Gressman, Sange. Dar Weisbeitsbuch Des Amen-Ern-Ope. Tra nslated by R. Griffith. n .p., 1925. Griffith, R The World s Best Literature . n.p, 1897. Hall, Harry R The Ancient History of the Near East. London: Methuen, 1947. ___ . Great Zimbabwe. n .p., 1905. H arpel', Robert F., ed. The Code of Hammurabi, King of Babylon, about 2250 B.C. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1904. Herskovits, Melville J . The Myth of the Negro Past. New York: Harper and Brothers, 194 1. Hibbert, Eleanor. The Spanish Inquisition. New York: Citadel Press, 1967. Higgins, Godfrey. The Celtic Druids. London: R. Hunter, 1827. Hinde, Sidney L. The Fall of the Congo Arabs. London: Methuen and Company, 1897. Hitti, Phllip K. Arabic Literature. London: n .p., 1926. Homer. The Odyssey of Homer. Translated by Alexander Pope. va!. 2, Book 18. Philadelphia: J . Crissy, 1828. Hooke. Samuel H. Myth arul Ritual. London: Oxford University Press, 1933. Hooper, John. Ad Uxorem. London: n.p., 1550. Horne, Melvill. Letters On M issions. Bristol: Bulgin a nd Rosser , 1794. Huart, Clement 1. Litterature Arabe. Paris: A Coli n, 1902. Huxl ey, Thomas H. Man's Place in Natu re and Other Anthropological Essays. Essay 4. London: Macmillan and Company, 1906. Ibn Khailikan. Biographical Dictionary. Translated by MncGuckin DeSlane. voL 1. Paris: n.p. , 1843. l nge, William R. The Philosophy of Plotinus. vols. 1-2. New York: Longma ns, Green and Company, 1929. Ions, Veronica. Indian Mythology. London: Ham'lyn, 1967. 7
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, l rby, Char les L. an d James Mangles. Travels in Egypt and Nubia, Syria and the Holy Land . London: J . Murray, 1844. . Irenaeu s. Against the Heresies. London: n .p., 1916. Jack, James W. The Dat e of the Exodus in the Light of External. Euidence. Edinburgh : T. and T. Clark, 1925. Jaeger, Werner W. Aristotle; Fundam entals of the History of His Deuelopment. Oxford: The Clarendon Press, 1934. Joh n son, Samuel. The H istory of the YorubaB. London: G. Routledge und Sons, Ltd., 1921. Kaplan, Mordecai M. The Future of the American Jew. New York: Macmillan Company, 1948. 'Kau tsky, Karl. Are the Je ws a Race? New York: International Publishers, 1926. Keane, Augustus H. Man; Past and Present. Cambridge, England: The University Press, 1920. Kelln er, Karl A. Tertullians Ausgewahlte &hrifien. vol. 7, Book 1. Kempten: J. Kosel, 1912. Kidd , Beresford J. A History of the Church to A. D. 461. vols. 1--3. Oxford: Th e Clar endon Press, 1922. Kramers, Johannes H. The Legacy of Islam. New York: n .p., 1931. Latourette, Kenneth S. A History of the Expansion of Christianity . .... 01. 2. London: Eyre and Spottiswoode, 1939. Loisy, Alfr ed F. The Birth of the Christian Religion. Translated by Lawrence P . Jacks. London: G. Allen and Unwin, 1948. Long, Edward. The History of Jamaic a: or, General Survey of the Ancient and Modern State of That Island. vols. 1-3. London: T. Lowndes, 1774. Lopes, Duarte. A R eport of the Kingdom of the Congo. Translated from Itaha n by Philippa Pigafetta; Translated by Abraham Hartwell. London: Iohn Wolfe, 1597. MacMi.ch aeL, Harold A. A History of the Arabs in the Sudan. vols. 1-2. Cambridge, England: The University Press, 1922. ' Ma linowski, Bronislaw. Magic, Science and Religion . Boston: Beacon Press, 1948. Mar goliouth, David S. Yaquet's Dictionary of Learned Men. Lyden: n.p., 1907 . Maurier, Henri. Religion et Developpement; Traditions Africaines et Catecheses. Marne: Esprit et Mission, 1965. Mays, Benj am in E. and J oseph W. Nicholson. The Negro's Church. New York: In stitu te of Social and Religious Research, 1933. Meek, Ch arles K. A Sudanese Kingdcm. London: K. Paul, Trench, Trubner a nd Company, Ltd., 1931. Me ndelssohn , Sidney. The Jews of Africa, Especicdly in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries. New York: E. P. Dutton and Company 1920. ' Meyerowitz . Eva L. R. Man Tra ditions of Origin. London : Faber and F a ber, 1952. . . The Sacred State of the Akan. London: Faber and Faber, 1951. Mich elet, Raymond. African Empire~' and Civilization. Tl'ansl'ltcd by Edword Cu n ard. Manchester; Pu n l;\f Ser"ice, 1945. :Uj :~
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Mitchell, Robert C. and Harold W. Turner . A Comprehensive Bibliography of Modern African Religious Movements. Evanston: Northwestern University Press, 1966. Morel, Edmund D. The Black Man's Burden . New York: B.W. Huebsch, Inc., 1920 . . King Leopold's Rule in Africa. New York: Funk and 'VagnaUs Company, 1905. Mo ses ben Maiman. The Guide for the Perplexed , Tr anslated by Michael Friedlander. London: G. Routledge and Sons, Ltd., 1904. Muh ammad, Elijah. The Supreme Wisdom. vol. 1. Chicago: The University of Islam, 1957. The Negro Pew: Being an Inquiry Concerning the Propliety of Distinctions in the House of God on orColor. Boston: Isaac Knapp, 1837. Nketia, J. H. Kwabena. Art, Ritual and lvfyths in American Negro Studies. Accra: n.p., 1966. Northcott, William C. Christianity in Africa. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1963. Nottingham, EILzabeth K Methodism and the Frontier. New York: Columbia University Press, 1941. Oeh ler, Franz. Quinta Septimu Florentis TertuLlian Quae Supersunt Omnia. 1. Leipzig: n.p ., 1853. Ovington, Mary \V. The Walls Came Tumbling Down . New York: Harcourt, Brace, 1947. Palmer, H. H. Haroun-Al-Rachid. London: n.p., 188l. Parkes, JamesW. The Jew and His Neighbour. Ne w York: R. R. Smith, Inc., 1931. Parrish, Lydia. Slave Songs of the Georgia Sea Islands. New York: Creative Age Press, Inc., 1942. Pascoe Charles F. Two Hundred Years of the S.P.G.: An Historical Ac, count of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts. vols. 1-2. London: Published at the Society's Of-fice, 1901. , P eet, Thomas K Egypt and the OLd Testament. Liverpool: University Press of Liverpool, 1922. Phillips, Ulrich B. American Negro Slauery. New York: D. Appleton and Company, 1929 . . ed. Plantation and Frontier Documents: 1649-1863. vols. 1-2. Cleveland: The H. H. Clark Company, 1909. Plato. The Myths of Plaio. Translated by Sohn A. Stewart. London: Macmillan and Company, Ltd., 1905. ~ PLotinus. The Ennead... Translated by Stephen Mackenna and Bertram S. Page. vols. 1-6. London: The Medici Society, 1917-30. . Select Works of Plot in us . Tran slated by Thomas T ay Lor. London: G. Bell and Sons, 1909. Purchas, Samuel. Purchas, His Pilgrimage; or, Relations of the World. London: Printed by Willia.m Stansby, 1614. Ramos, Arthur. The Negro in BraziL. Translated by Richard Putl:.ee. Washington, D.C.: The Associated Publishers, Inc., 1930. Rattray, Robe rt S . .4shanti Law and Const itution. Oxford: The Clarendon Press, 1929. 304
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Periodicals and Journals '" Beynon, Erdmann D, "The Voodoo Cult Among Negro Migrants in Detroit," The American Journal of &xiology, vol. 43 (July 1937May 1938), 894-907. Daniel, Vattel ~. "Ritu~l an~ Stratification in Chicago Negro Church~," Amencan SoctOl.ogJcal Review, voL 7, no. 3 (June 1942): 352--361. De Meynar d, Barbier. «Ibrahim, Fils de Mehdi/' Journal Asiatique, (M arch-April 1869), 201-342. Fernandez, James W. «PoLitics and Prophecy: African Religious Movements," Practical Anthropology, vol. 12, no. 2 (March-April 1965),71-75. Fitchett, E. Horace. 'The Traditions of the Free Negro in Charleston Sou th Carolina," The Journal of Negro History, voL 25, no. (April 1940): 139-152. Garrett, Romeo B. "African Survivals in American Culture" The Journal of Negro History , vol. 51, no. 4 (October 1966), 239-245. Jernegan. Marcus W. ''Slavery and Conversion in the American Colonies," The American Historical Reuiew, vol. 21, no. 3 (Apl'il1916) 504527. Lovell, Jr., John. 'The Social Implications of the Negro Spiritual/' The Journal of Negro Education, vol. 8, no. 4 (October 1939), 634-643. Makdisi, Nadim. 'lhe Moslems of America," The Christian Century, vol. 76, no. 34 (August 26, 1959): 969-97l. Woodson, Carter G. 'The Negroes of Cincinnati Prior to the Civil War" The Journal of Negro History, vol. 1, no. 1 (January 1916), p~. 122.
2
:157
Index Aaron, 35,50, 150, 156 Abbas, Abdullah ibn, 232, 237 Abel,41 Abraham, xiv, xxiii, 15,50,55, 63-64,142, 147, 156, 157, 163, 166,178, 193,196, 199,233, 235,244,303 Ach ebe, Chinua, 28,29, 30, 115 Adam, 40, 41, 63, 71, 142, 146, 156,269,304 Adeodatus (son of St. Augustine), 92, 99, 113 Afer, Scipio (African as), 125 Afer, Terentiu8, 190 African American Jews, 171-182, 259-266,289290 leaders, 246-297 religion, 288-294 Akhnaten, Pharoah, 151 AI-Jahiz, 229, 231-238 Aleric, Emperor, 95 Alexander (th e Great), 111, 190 Ali, Mohammed, 82 Allah, xiii, 2, 6,15,19,27,39, 49,50,57,60,61-62,65-66, 70, 118, 142, 149,204,205, 206,210,212,215,216-217, 220-222, 227,241,243,253, 286,300, 301 AI'lat, 212, 214, 215, 243 Allen, Rt. Rev. Bishop Richard, 255 Allinus (Governor of Britany), 79 Ambrose, Saint, 93, 97, 98, 99, 103, 129 Amen, lS I , 152 Amma, 37, 38, 47,48 Anthony (the Hermit), 85 Antoniu. , Mnn;us AUTt:!1iu5 COfI I T'l'w dus, 79
Aristotle, 97, 11 1 Asian J ews, 159-10:1 Aten, 151 Athaulf, Emperor, 95 Augustine, Saint, 3, 7, 55, 78--74, 86, 89-102, 105-129, 131,134, 135-136,200,207, 209,210,223,240,247,248250 Aurelius, Emperor Marcus, 79 Ausonius, 97 Ayizan, xvii Bantu philosophy, 16-19 Barca, General Hannibal, 76, 78, 190 Basil, Bishop, 97 Bekr,Abu, 205,213,217,218 Bilal, xxiii, 7, 51,55,196-245, 252 Black Manifesto, 292-296 Blyden, Dr. Edward W., 273 Boethius, 96, 97 Bonifatius, General, 95 Book of the Dead, xiii-xiv, 138-139, 156 Burnt offerings, 35-36, 178 Caesar, Augustus, 80 Cane, 41 Caracalla, Emperor, 87, 88,300 Carmichael, Stokely, 278 Ch arles I, King, 122 Cherry, P rophet F. S., 289 , 290 Chosen people, 144, 154, 181 Chosores II, 211 Christianity African influence on, 78--137 African martyrs, 74-76 • Chrysostom, Bishop John, 97 Chukwu , 27,29 hU Tch of All Na tion, and All
Index
~-------------------------269
People, 268 Cicero, 98, 102,117,119,120, 124 Circu mcision, 61-64, 157, 180 City of God (St. Augustine), 94,98,104-105,1 19-120,123 124, 125 Claudius, 97 Clement, Bishop, 85 Clement VII, Pope, 122 Clodius,79 Commandment Keepers Congregation, 260, 265 Confessions (St. Augustine), 90-91,94, 98,101-109,113, Connors, Bull, 299 Consta ntine, Emperor, 73, 75, 89,95,206,208,215 Creation, 37-49, 138-139 Cyprian, Saint, 55, 73--74, 8687,96,116,11 9,129, 131,134, 136,207,240,247,248-250
Falashas, 174-179,255,260, 263 Felicita, 74, 78, 81 Forman, J ames, 292-296 Fr an klin, Aretha, 51 Gaiser ic, 95 Galerius, Emperor, 74, 89 Gandhi, Mahatma Mohandras Karamchand, vii, 136,245 Garvey, Marcus, 168,246, 271, 272,273--278,281,283--284, 286,288 Gikuyu, 43, 44 Grace, Sweet Daddy, 246, 268, 287,289,296 Greek philosophy, xii, 112 Gregory, Bishop (of Mazianaus), 97 Gregory, Bishop (of Nyasa), 97 Groves, C. P., 74,86
Davis, Sammy, 172, 181 Deity, 42-52 de Las Casa, Righ t Rev. Bp. Bartolome, 14, 122, 249, 299 Demetrius, 84 D iocletian, Emperor, 88, 89 Divine, Father, 246, 255-259, 271,284-287 Djoser, Pharoah, 142, 160 Du Bois, William E . B., 271, 288
Ham, 188, 235 Hawkins, John, 122 Hegira, 213--2 14 Henry, Prince, 121 Heraclitus, Emperor, 210, 211 Herodotus, xii, 146, 303 Herzl, Theodor , 168 Hitler, Adolph, 196 Horenh.b, Pharoah, 146 Horne, Prophetess Mother, 284,287 Hughes, Langston, 288
Eddy, Mary Baker, 53 Efrend, Shah, 218 Eisendrat, Rabbi Maurice N. E., 295 Elissar, Princess (Dido), 76 Ellison , Ralph, 288 Enoch,41 Erskine, Stewart, 74,85,86,91 Esth er, Queen, 109 Eusebius, Bishop, 97 Eve, 40, 41 , 63,71,142,156,
Idol worship, 202- 203 Imhotep, 160 Imperialism , vii Inn;s .. Roy, 278 Isa.c, 50, 63, 147, 163, 178 Ishmael, 233 Islam , African inOuence on,
196-245 . Isrnr:lites, 171-182, ~GO
2fi9-~GU,
Index
~--------------LOllmnn , ~ :m . ~: {k 289-290 Lot, 157 Luther, M arlin, vii , I :U" 2 IH Jackson, Mahalia, 51 - Jacob, 50 , 63, 147, 158, 163, 178 Jahn, J anheinz. xiV-A-vll Mahasim, Abou1, 218 Mahdi, Ibrahim-ai, 217-227 J ames, George G. M., xii, 150 Malco lm X. S ee Shab azz, El Jerome, Saint, 97 Jesus, the Christ, vii, xiii, xxiii, Ha,ii Malik 2,5,6,9, II, 15,25,27,29, Mamoun, Caliph, 219, 220, 22 1,222,223--226 3946,49, 57,60,61-62,63, 65-66, 70, 78,80,83, 92,99, Manetho, 112 102,105,115,119,121-122, Mansour, Caliph, 218, 220 Mao, Chairman, 27 124, 131, 142, 149, 173, 181, 193, 199, 200,213,236,238, Mark, John, 84 244,249,252 ,259,269,271, Martin V, Pope, 121 Marx, Karl, 27 272,273,275,278,286,291, 294,297,299,300,303 Mary <Mother of Jesus), 99, 105,213,238 J ohnnes, Emperor, 95 Johnson, James Weldon, 11 Matthews, Rabbi Wentworth, Jones, Prophet, 268 246, 260-262,265,281, 296 Joseph , 99, 105, 146, 157-159, Maximianus. Emperor, 88 McCullough, Bishop, 287 163,212 Josephine, Empress, :"'V1 Mendelsohn, Minister Jack, 19, 20,2 1,22,25,26 Judaism African influence on, 138-195 Michaelangelo, 54, 236, 273, 291 as a r ace culture, 172, 182, 187Micheaux, Elder Lightfoot S., 189 286 Ka'aba, 149,212,214-215 Miriam, 50, 150 Kara dh, King, 210 Mogai,43, Keny atta, Joma , xiv, 42-43 Mohamet, Prophet, xxiii, 15, Khadija, 242 50,70,118, 197,1 99,201-206, Khufu , Pharoah, 142, 159 210,211-216,218,230-233, 237,238,241,244,252,303 King, Jr., Rev. Dr. Martin Mohammed, E lijah, 82, 210, Luthe r, vii, x.xv, 12, 13, 136, 168, 241,245-251, 272,281, 237,246, 254,271,281,282, 299 296 Monica (Mother of St. August,ine), 91, 93,99, 113, 114 Lactantius, Bishop, 97 Legba, xvii Monotheism, 139-143, 156, 161 Leopold II, King, 196 Moombi,44 Libations, 3--6 Moses, xi, xii, xxiii, 7, 10, 11, Liebman, J., 111 35 , 36,49,50,55,70-71,106, Limbo « Am,mo ni ul da oce), 14 127, 145-147, 149, 150, 151, Lincoln , C. Eric, 252, U>4 152-156, 166, 168, 187, 194, LOfll~, Bllha, G 199,2 12,2 15, 303 :l fi I.
Index'___________________________
Index
Mottalib, Abdel, 232, 237 ~usa, ~ansa, 197 Mwene-Nyaga, 42, 43
165 Ptolemy I, Pharoah, 111
173 Stanley, Henry Morton, 196
Ra , vi, xii, 11, 49, 55, 138, 139, 143, 154, 155, 156, 161,298 Racism American Judaism, 261-262 basis of religions, x non-existent among ancient peoples, 151 religious bigotry, 304-305 Rahbab, Hadzart Bila! ibn. See Bilal Rameses I, Pharoab, 152, 159 Rameses II, Pharoah, 10, 11, 70, 146, 150, 152, 154, 155, 159, 299 Raschid, Haroun-a!, 218-219 Ray, James Earl, 247 Reparations, 300 Retractions (St. Augustine), 100 Robinson, Bishop Ida, 284 Rogers, Joel A., 172,232,233, 234 Rousseau, Jean, 97
Tai-Tsung (Emperor o[China), 215 TaEb, Abu, 232 Teachings of Amen-em-ope, 164-165 Temple, Emmanuel, 295 Temples, Rev. Placide, xiv, 17, 18,19,3&-34 Ten Commandments, xii, f')!)70, 147-148,153-154, !f-;(i, 253,301 Tertullian, 55, 74,75, 78, B'I86,96,116,119,131,1:1:1,1:1·1 207,209,247,246-250 Theodaric, 97 Theodosius II, Emperor, flG, 9H Thotmes III, Pharoah, 139 Tiele, C. P., 140-141 Toure, Sekou 25 Tubman, Harriet, 255, 288 Turne r, Nat, 255
Namphano,74 Nation oflslam, 25&-254, 281282 Negative Confessions, 69-70, 253,301 Negro National Anthem, 11-12 spirituals, 6-12, 168,251, 28&284 Ngai, 42, 43, 49 Nino, Pietro Olanzo, 191 Noah, 173, 182,187,193,235 North African Christian Church, 84-89, 121-124 Nummo, 37,38 Oledamre, xxiii, 5, 6, 13, 15, 27,36,61, 64,66,252,259 Olorum,27 Omar, the Great, 205-207, 217,218,230 On Christian Doctrines (St. Augustine), 98, 105-110, 115, 125-127 Origon, Bishop, 85 Ortiz, Fernand, xviii Osiris, vii, 138, 139, 142, 143 Ouedo, Damballah, 13, 36 Pantaenus, Bishop, 85 Parks, Rosa, 245 Parrinder, Rev. Geoffrey, 59, 62 over, 151, 156-158 Patricius (Father of St. August ine), 91, 114, 121 Pepi I, Pharoah, 150, 153 Perlman, Rabbi, 295 Perpetua, 74, 78-79,81,240 Placidia, Galla Emperor, 95 Plato, 104 Polygamy, 55-57 Proverbs of King Solomon, 164-
---------------------------------Tut-ankh-amen, Pharoah, 151 United House of Prayer for All People, 287 Universal Negro Improvement Association, 272 Vnlentinian, Emperor, 95 Vaughn, Sa:rah, 51 V CRCY. n(mmark, 255 VOdllll1, (j Vhlrll'Y. ( :oIIJlL ( ;lIl1 i:1.nIlI.JlW ,
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Saint-Mery, Moreau de, xvi Sanctified dancing, 15 Sarah, 157 Saul, King, 299 Seth, 41 Severus, Septimus, 75, 79-85, 87 Shabazz, EI Hajj Malik, xxv, 12,210,271,278 Shalaka, Pharaah, 70 Siricius, Saint, 94 Slavery Arabs, 196 Jews, 15f>-157 religion's involvement with, vi.ii St. Augustine, 121-124 Smith, Homer W., 66, 67-68 Smith, Robertson, x Soames, Jane, 90, 124 Solomon, Killg; 57, ] 64, 165,
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