The publication of Stony the Road We Trod thirty years ago marked the emergence of a critical mass of Black biblical scholars--as well as a distinct set of hermeneutical concerns. Combining sophisticated exegesis with special sensitivity to issues of race, class, and gender, the authors of this scholarly collection examine the nettling questions of biblical authority, Black and African people in biblical narratives, and the liberating aspects of Scripture. The original volume reshaped and redefined the questions, concerns, and scholarship that determine how the Bible is appropriated by the church, the academy, and the larger society today. To the original eleven essays this expanded edition adds a new introduction by Brian K. Blount and three new chapters by Kimberly D. Russaw, Shively T. J. Smith, and Jennifer T. Kaalund. Not only does Blount's new introduction access the impact of the first edition, but the new contributions extend the implications of Cain Hope Felder's vision for the book.
Cain Hope Felder (1943-2019) served as professor of New Testament language and literature at Howard University's School of Divinity from 1981 until his retirement in 2016. He was the author or editor of several books, including two other Fortress titles: True to Our Native Land: An African American New Testament Commentary (2007) and Race, Racism, and the Biblical Narratives (2002).
Introduction - Cain Hope Felder New Introduction - Brian K. Blount PART I: THE RELEVANCE OF BIBLICAL SCHOLARSHIP AND THE AUTHORITY OF THE BIBLE 1. Interpreting Biblical Scholarship for the Black Church Tradition Thomas Hoyt, Jr. 2. The Hermeneutical Dilemma of the African American Biblical Student Renita J. Weems 3. Reading Her Way through the Struggle: African American Women and the Bible Renita J. Weems PART II: AFRICAN AMERICAN SOURCES FOR ENHANCING BIBLICAL INTERPRETATION 4. The Bible and African Americans: An Outline of an Interpretative History Vincent L. Wimbush 5. "An Ante-bellum Sermon": A Resource for an African American Hermeneutic David T. Shannon PART III: RACE AND ANCIENT BLACK AFRICA IN THE BIBLE 6. Race, Racism, and the Biblical Narratives Cain Hope Felder 7. The Black Presence in the Old Testament Charles B. Copher 8. Beyond Identification: The Use of Africans in Old Testament Poetry and Narratives Randall C. Bailey PART IV: REINTERPRETING BIBLICAL TEXTS 9. Who Was Hagar? John W. Waters 10. The Haustafeln (Household Codes) in African American Biblical Interpretation: "Free Slaves" and " Subordinate Women" Clarice J. Martin 11. An African American Appraisal of the Philemon-Paul-Onesimus Triangle Lloyd A. Lewis PART V: NEW Directions 12. "Undaunted: Reading Miriam for the Sisters They Tried to Erase" Kimberly Russaw 13. "Witnessing Jesus hang: Reading Mary Magdalene's View of Crucifixion through Ida B. Wells' Chronicles of Lynching" Shively T.J. Smith 14. "You Can't See What I Can See: Reading Black Bodies in Galatians" Jennifer Kaalund
