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45 of 66 people found the following review helpful.
Africa and the Bible falls short
By Jeffrey Carey
Yamauchi book has a bold interesting title "Africans and the Bible" that may at first attract African-Americans or those interested in the topic of Africans in the Bible, after reading some may or may not be shocked. Sadly a large focus of the book is geared more to Africans NOT being in the Bible as to Africans actually in the Bible because of this I believe many people may walk away from this read disappointed;however,followers of Mary Lefkowitz book "Not out of Africa" will surely see this book as good hard objective scholarship. Yamauchi can be praised for highlighting some of the Nubian and Ethiopian Kings like Taharka of Egypt's 25th Dynasty and the Candaces who are mentioned in the Bible, in fact it is a statue of Taharka that is on the cover of his book,but I don't feel Yamauchi goes far enough. Yamauchi is also credited for approaching the Afrocentric debate and at times he sounds as if he trying to present an unbiased point of view when discussing the race of the Egyptians(he includes Martin Bernals Black Athena arguments), but after one looks at the introduction and checks his footnotes you see that Yamauchi sympathizes with the views of the African American classical scholar Frank Snowden when it comes to the race of the Egyptians. Frank Snowden is a conservative African American scholar like Henry Louis Gates of Harvard fame, he believes the Egyptians should not be considered black. Both Snowden and Gates have been rewarded for their beliefs by many white academics and are often quoted by them in books and applauded as the "best" in their field. Incidentally many African Americans see both Snowden and Gates as being "sell-outs" and "pawns in the game." I personally believe the term "Black" is superficial and divides the people of Africa in a way that Europeans are not divided;for example, Swedes and Russians look different but both are considered "white" AngloSaxons and Greeks look different but both are considered "white" strangely there is this double standard when it comes to Africa. West Africans, North Africans,and East africans are arbitarily divided and this subjective double standard wrongfully robs the African people of a shared kinship. The reason for the preceived African "racial" diversity is that genetically Africans are more diverse than any other "race" because they have been living on the planet longer than most "races" and have had more time to develop variety (see the work of Shomarka Keita compared to the Loring Brace study) Africans are polytypical with variable "racial" features found as one travels throughout the continent;however, unlike Yamauchi or Snowden I believe they are all biologically related and at their essence and cultural core they are all African that is not Asian or European. Looking at Africa under this scope would Yamauchi include Ramesses II as an African in the Bible? If Yamauchi wanted to write a book that would not push the envelope and get him academically blacklisted by his peers he wrote the perfect book. If Yamauchi wanted to be original and break the academic mold by asking the tough questions maybe a few of these questions would be on his list.
1.Based on the anthropological finds of the Leakey family and recent research in Mitochondrial DNA and knowledge of natural selection in tropical climates what color does Yamauchi believe Adam and Eve were and why did he leave them out of this work?based on objective archaelogical evidence where would Eden be located and would the answer offend the fragile sensibilities of biblical academics?
2.The Genealogy of Noahs son Ham list four sons Punt, Canaan, Egypt and Kush. Does Yamauchi not find it strange that the Hebrew writers listed Punt(Somalia) Egypt(Misraim) and Kush(Nubia) as brothers now logically what might this kinship apply in a racial sense?
3. Yamauchi says that Simone of Cyrene could not have been black because Cyrene was a Greek colony in North Africa is Yamauchi to have us believe that Cyrene was homogenous I know of not one colony in North America, Africa, Australia, or Asia that was ever homogenous, why couldn't Thomas be black?
4. Yamauchi believes that the Queen of Sheba or Saba could not have been black because her kingdom was in Arabia. Who is to say blacks especially after looking at the proximity, did not live in ancient Arabia? or the Middle East for that matter, in fact records from the Assyrian temples show us the Elamites a Black people who did indeed live in the Middles East. Also there are the black Dravidians or Dasas of the Hindu Vedas from ancient India(Asia) before the Aryan invasions and for a contemporary source there is Prince Bander of Saudi Arabia if Sheba looked like the Prince she would not be black?....Yamauchi's book gives us some basic facts so in that sense it is good but this book could have been way more interesting if it would dare to ask the unpopular questions.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful.A Mixed Bag
By Michael H Lilly Jr
One of the greatest disadvantages that contemporary readers and interpreters of the Jewish and Christian Bible has is that we live at vast removes from the nations and times of the biblical text, which leads to a corresponding impoverishing of our understanding of the text and its meaning. This is especially true of the relation of Palestine to surrounding nations, in particular the continent we know of as Africa. But most readers lack the time, inclination, or patience to wade through dozens, if not hundreds of articles on history, archaeology, and anthropology, not to mention thematic commentaries to acquire the necessary cultural background. One work which strives to help the interested reader is Edwin Yamauchi's "Africa and the Bible", which is an outgrowth of research interests late in his career.
Dr.Yamauchi, who has written a companion volume, "Persia and the Bible" as well as "Archaeology of New Testament Cities in Asia-Minor" and other publications exploring the relationship of the Bible to the lands and people of Antiquity, especially the continent of Africa (he edited a work entitled "Africa and Africans in Antiquity") offers to the general non-specialist, non-scholarly reader a volume of essays that seeks to do three things: 1) explore the archaeological and history behind texts having Africa as a subject (as people or nations), 2) look at exegeses of these passages and 3) trace the ramifications of these exegeses through the centuries. The first two aims he accomplishes quickly. The third aim at times veers off and attempts to take over.
"Africa and the Bible" consists of 8 chapters, an appended book review, a foreword, and a preface which treat of various references to Africans and nations of Africa in the Bible -most notably Egypt and the lands of Kush- along with photographs, maps and other illustrations to enhance the text. This is however, not a unified narrative, but rather a collection of separate articles (some previously published in other venues) that explore themes of the place of Africa in the Bible. Additionally, the concluding chapter and appendix concentrate on a contemporary cultural interpretive paradigm named 'Afrocentrism' that seeks to shake off an Aryan (White or European) dominated understanding of history; and, at the least to restore the dignity of black peoples in the march of history, and at the extreme to replace it with an understanding centered on the achievements of Africa and black peoples especially in regard to biblical civilizations and personage His . critical interactions are mainly with the extreme forms of Afrocentrism where 'enthusiasm outruns knowledge' as Kenneth Kitchen says in the Preface.
The strengths of the book are the care and scholarship displayed in the individual articles, and in the introduction they give the interested reader to the history and environs of Africa of the ancient world in many cases Dr. Yamauchi provides helpful clarification of persons and countries, that provide support for biblical history. Dr. Yamauchi marshals a great deal of evidence from multiple disciplines, archaeology and history, and one of the highlights of the book is his extensive, 44 page bibliography.
I find the two greatest weaknesses to be the aforementioned lack of a coherent unifying narrative, and an apparently singular dialogue and focus on 'Afro-centrism' as the major alternative interpretative lens which throws off the balance and to me appears misplaced in a work that aims to primarily deal with Africa as it was known in biblical times. This is not to say that Afro-centrism is not a worthy subject of study, or that it has no legitimate insights to bring to biblical interpretation. My concern is rather, one and a half chapters and a book review in a volume whose scope is Africa of antiquity and the Bible is not enough space to devote to such an all-embracing subject, nor do I think it was necessarily appropriate to spend as much time as he did on the same subject. The rest of the chapters deal with specific passages, their historical and archaeological contexts and their interpretations. Afro-centrism is too broad a topic for a single topic, being as fulsome as Africa itself, as the foreword itself acknowledges. Other reviews also fault Dr. Yamauchi for spending too much time engaging Afro-Centrism, though interestingly, they are divided as to whether he goes far enough in his criticisms or goes too far.
In the final analysis then, "Africa and the Bible" as an introductory survey to the lands of Africa, is a bit unsystematic, and falls short of being a critical introduction to the lands of Africa and their relation to Scripture (but then again, writing a critical introduction was not Dr. Yamauchi's intention). As a reference work on individual texts and references, it can be an invaluable aid for enriching our knowledge of Africa in biblical times, but it should not be considered a stand alone reference work.
2 of 7 people found the following review helpful.Forensic Buff
By Sharon K. Bush
A lot of settling of AFrica of different people. It is very hard to follow, but I will keep on trying.
Product Description
The "curse of Ham" has been used to legitimize slavery. Both Ethiopians and Arabians claim the queen of Sheba. Could Moses and Jesus have been black?
Edwin Yamauchi explores the historical and archaeological background of biblical texts that refer to Africa and traces the results of past interpretations and misinterpretations. He covers such topics as the curse of Ham's son Canaan, Moses' Cushite wife, Simon the Cyrene, and afrocentric biblical interpretation. Along the way, he dispels myths, interacts with current theories, and provides readers with sound judgments as to what the Bible does and does not say.
Readers interested in the connections between Africa and the Bible will enjoy this insightful book. More then eighty photos, maps, and charts are included.
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #924234 in Books
- Published on: 2006-07-01
- Original language:English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 8.82" h x5.98" w x.75" l,1.09 pounds
- Binding: Paperback
- 304 pages
Features
- ISBN13: 9780801031199
- Condition: New
- Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
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