Symbolic Blackness and Ethnic Difference in Early Christian Literature (Paperback)

by Gay Byron (Author) "And Marcellus went to sleep for a short time; and when he awoke he said to Peter, "Peter, apostle of Christ, let us boldly set..." (more)
Key Phrases: womanist biblical interpretation, ethnical strategies, womanist interpreters, New Testament, Ethiopian Moses, Roman Egypt (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

'The best account to date of a formative phase of British economics.' - TLS

The best account to date of a formative phase of British economics. - TLS

'Her study deserves warm commendation for its thoroughness, including the use of Greek and Latin texts, usually also given in English.' - Church Times

'Kadish has an encyclopaedic knowledge of his subject ... a very fine new book.' - THES

'[Byron's] book ... is an original and pioneering piece of scholarship ... [it] is a vital contribution to Black theology, New Testament studies/hermenutics and early Christian history from a Black perspective ... this book will be very valuable to teachers, scholars and researchers.' - Black Theology: An International Journal

'In this short but important book, Gay Byron offers a complex and insightful analysis of ethnic and colour symbolism in early Christianity. This study provides a welcome challenge to scholarship that claims that early Christianity was colour-blind and all-inclusive or that ignores the polemical use of colour-coded terminology altogether.' - Journal of Roman Studies

Her study deserves warm commendation for its thoroughness, including the use of Greek and Latin texts, usually also given in English. - Church Times

Kadish has an encyclopaedic knowledge of his subject ... a very fine new book. - THES

[Byrons] book ... is an original and pioneering piece of scholarship ... [it] is a vital contribution to Black theology, New Testament studies/hermenutics and early Christian history from a Black perspective ... this book will be very valuable to teachers, scholars and researchers. - Black Theology: An International Journal

In this short but important book, Gay Byron offers a complex and insightful analysis of ethnic and colour symbolism in early Christianity. This study provides a welcome challenge to scholarship that claims that early Christianity was colour-blind and all-inclusive or that ignores the polemical use of colour-coded terminology altogether. - Journal of Roman Studies

Product Description
There has been growing interest in recent years in the presence and image of blacks and blackness in classical antiquity. This pioneering and much-needed work is the first to survey and theorize blacks as seen by early Christian writers. Byron creates a solid and original foundation of theoretical arguments as the basis for her discussion of the presence of blacks in Christian antiquity. Her presentation of the critical analysis and sources side by side encourages the reader to engage with the material in a more sophisticated way.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Routledge (June 28, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415243696
• ISBN-13: 978-0415243698
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,387,065 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Scholarly Resource, October 29, 2008

By	C. Davis - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Symbolic Blackness and Ethnic Difference in Early Christian Literature (Hardcover)

Simply put, anyone who may be seeking an alternative critical understanding of early Christian literature apart from the Eurocentric story line is encouraged to read this work by Dr. Byron. Her work is a welcome departure for those who haven't (and perhaps moreso for those who have) been lulled by the false belief that Christianity is wholly the product of white western society. Dr. Byron re-orients our misconceptions about ancient Biblical resources and clearly makes her case using ancient Ethiopic manuscripts that there are indeed many origins of Christianity and many centers of early Christian influence other than Roman. This is a great resource for serious Biblical scholars who wish to have a more profound understanding of indigenous responses to colonialism and World Christianity today.

1 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Did this author do any research?, January 5, 2007

By	snackdaddy (Arizona) - See all my reviews

Again, we are subjected to another "Afrocentric" book that fabricates nonsense after nonsense.
The author does not allow fact and truth to get in his way, as he concocts yet another " everybody in the Bible was black" fairy tale.
Please do your research, and learn a very simple truth : The JEWS in the Bible were JEWISH!!!! Not a difficult concept to grasp, huh?

At this rate, I suppose Julius Ceasar, Ben Franklin, and George Bush will one day "become" Africans !!! Hey, if they do it to Jesus and the disciples, why not?

Thanks for reading.