New book explores how the Bible was liberation for slaves

Enslaved African Americans interpreted the Bible and used it as a source for hope, empowerment, and literacy, according to a new book by Union Presbyterian Seminary Associate Professor of Bible Rodney S. Sadler Jr. and Messiah College Professor of Biblical Studies Emerson B. Powery.

In their book “The Genesis of Liberation: Biblical Interpretation in the Antebellum Narratives of the Enslaved,” Sadler and Powery explore how the Bible became a source of liberation for enslaved African Americans by analyzing its function in pre-Civil War freedom narratives. They show that through their own engagement with the biblical text, enslaved African Americans found a liberating word.

Considering that the Bible was used to justify and perpetuate African American enslavement, the authors ask why would it be given such authority.

“Our goal was both to see the origins of African-American hermeneutics and to consider the way that it continues to shape the way African-Americans read scripture,” said Sadler. “We hope it also serves to give us all insight into the liberative value of our biblical traditions. Indeed, the way these early African-Americans read the text is instructive for us all.”