The Africana Bible

My colleague here in Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, Dr. Judy Fentress-Williams, has contributed to the brand new Africana Bible. Congratulations, Judy, on its release!

Here are our dean's comments in his daily blog for today:

Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Sitting on my desk is The Africana Bible: Reading Israel's Scriptures from Africa and the African Diaspora. The General Editor is Hugh R. Page, Jr., and it is a beautiful publication. It is substantial, pioneering, and deeply fascinating. It is lovely to see that our own Dr. Judy Fentress-Williams is responsible for the section on the book of Exodus. She takes as her organizing motif the concept of a 'remix', which works perfectly. This book, Dr. Fentress-Williams explains, is in the business of retelling the story of Israel 'as a means of affirming, preserving, and, at times, redefining her identity.' (p.81) Reading this chapter by Dr. Fentress-Williams gave me an entirely new way of understanding the book of Exodus.

This is scholarship that serves both the academy and the Church. It takes considerable skill and learning to write in a way that is both academically innovative and yet accessible for the lay person in the Church. As a Seminary, we take appropriate pride in the achievements of our Faculty. Do please take a moment out of this day and congratulate Judy on this fabulous and important contribution to this book.

The Very Rev Ian Markham
Dean and President