While studying at Union Theological Seminary my Oxford-educated, Church History professor spoke of the early Black Church fathers and the Coptic Church (one of the oldest churches in the world). I began to research the black presence in the Bible because, as a faith-based community organizer and person of color, I see that the younger generation is hungry for a faith that is grounded in truth, not tradition. What would Roman Christians gain from painting these characters black? What did these early Christians know and accept that seems unbelievable today? The Roman Catacombs show biblical scenes painted by first- and second-century persecuted Christians, and their paintings clearly show people of color. As we celebrate Black History Month and prepare for Lent, how can uncovering the black presence in the Bible aid us in mourning against the sin of racism? One of the effects of racism is the whitewashing of history and sadly this has taken place even in our biblical studies. It appears that our faith has been distorted. A second controversy occurred when a Fox News broadcaster confidently declared that Santa Claus and Jesus were white, yet when people researched original depictions of Saint Nicolas, they found pictures of a dark brown man. In 2013 this controversy played out in the media when viewers of The Bible miniseries were upset that Samson was played by a black man. This statement may sound controversial but archeology, history, and the text prove it to be true. These practices are known as black magic.“Princes shall come out of Egypt Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God.” - Psalm 68:31 The Bible is clear in its condemnation of occult practices such as witchcraft, fortune telling (soothsaying), consulting the dead through mediums (channeling), sorcery, astrology and alike (Deuteronomy 18, Leviticus 19:31, 20, Acts 19:18 - 19 and so on). Natural objects referenced as this coloration include hair, marble, skin, the sky, the sun and the sun and moon together (Matthew 5:36, Leviticus 13:31, Esther 1:6, Job 30:30, 1Kings 18:45, Proverbs 7:9, Revelation 6:12, Joel 2:10). The color black can also represent the deceitful treatment of Job's friends (Job 6:16), God's judgment (Zechariah 6:2, 6) or affliction, calamity, adversity or suffering for one's sins (Lamentations 4:8, Job 3:5, 30:26, Psalm 107:10, 143:3, Isaiah 5:30, 8:22, Joel 2:6, Zephaniah 1:14 - 15, Revelation 16:10).īlack can also signify punishment that is eternal for disobeying God (Matthew 8:12, 22:13, 25:30), a place of temporary restraint for disobedient angels (2Peter 2:4) or Satan, his ways and the power of evil (Acts 26:18, 1Thessalonians 5:5). It can signify the location of the dead (Job 3:5, 10:21 - 22) or where some evil spirits will spend eternity as punishment for their rebellion (Jude 13). It can mean famine in general (Jeremiah 14:1 - 2, Lamentations 5:10), famine because of war (Revelation 6:5), mourning and sorrow (Job 30:28, 30, Jeremiah 8:21, 14:2), or a period of time when no revelation (spiritual light) comes from God (Micah 3:6). Its use in Scripture lends itself to the below meanings. The words translated as this color and its very similar references such as 'dark,' 'darkness,' etc. Appearances of the color blackīlack (blackish, blackness), in the King James Bible, is found 26 times. People sometimes wear dark clothes when they are mourning the death of someone they love. In Western cultures today darkness symbolizes death and mourning. Lucifer became a spiritual version of this physical phenomenon when he took all the light God gave him and turning it into darkness. In the physical universe, a black hole is a celestial object whose massive gravity pulls in all matter, including light, yet itself remains dark.

Bible black 2 pics