Black Bible characters is something that is not often talked about. So, a few years ago when we visited the Basilica of St. Lawrence in Asheville, North Carolina I was pleasantly surprised by a display they had of Black characters in the Bible.
We attended Mass service and afterward wandered around reveling in the beauty of this church that was built in 1905. On one of the walls on the main entrance, they had beautiful pictures of Black Bible characters on a bulletin with information on each of the Black characters from the Bible. My mother-in-law really enjoyed looking at them. Especially because there was a time that this was unseen of as a child growing up during the segregated era.
We often see biblical figures portrayed as Whites (or even worse Black Bible characters with Black faces! Think about the really old movies where mostly the characters were White), pictures, books, and sadly, even in children’s Bibles. Except of course, for one of the three wise men who is portrayed as Black. So, it was refreshing to see the church feature them on their bulletin.
The Bible has been White-washed and it’s often difficult for others to see Jesus as a man of color. I want my multicultural, Black and Latino child to know that not everyone in the Bible was White. We have Black Bible characters. At the end of this post, I’ll share a list of Black illustrated children’s Bibles.
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Black Bible Characters – Women
The book of poetry, Song of Solomon, is considered to be a beautiful and deep expression of love and passion. Early in this book, the woman who is the object of this love is identified as Black. Not only is she a beautiful woman but she is committed to her beloved. She is totally devoted to Solomon and loves him with unconditional love.
Song of Solomon 1:5-6King James Version (KJV)
5I am black but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon.
6Look not upon me, because I am black because the sun hath looked upon me: my mother’s children were angry with me; they made me the keeper of the vineyards, but my own vineyard have I not kept.
Zipporah the Cushite of Ethiopian descent was the wife of Moses. Zipporah lived in Midian with her grandfather, Reuel; her father Jethro, and her six sisters. When Moses was in Midian, he saved Zipporah and her sisters from shepherds who tried to steal their water. As a reward, Reuel allowed Moses to marry Zipporah. She bore him a son and named Gershom which means “a resident in a foreign land.”
Black Bible Characters – Men
The wordCushiorKushi(Hebrew: כּוּשִׁי kuši) is generally used in the Hebrew Bible to refer to a dark-skinned person of African descent, equivalent to Greek Αἰθίοψ “Aithíops”.
According to Genesis, Noah had three sons Shem, Ham, and Japeth. The son of Ham, Cush is considered to be the father of the Cushite, the black people of Africa. The Cushites were used by God in significant ways throughout the Old and New Testaments. Cush’s son, Nimrod, “was a mighty hunter before the Lord” (Genesis 10:8). Nimrod was the King of Babel and the center of his kingdom was Babylon. He also built cities, one of which was Nineveh.
King Tiharkah reigned from 690 B.C. to 664 B.C. was a black African king from Sudan and the third sovereign. He was one of the most famous ‘black Pharaohs’ who ruled the 25th Dynasty of Egypt (II Kings 19:9).
Zephaniah was a Cushite of Ethiopian descent and a prophet in Israel. Though he is known as one of the minor prophets, his prophetic ministry was in no way minor. He prophesied during the time of Judah, a time of great trouble in Israel. His dominant subject was that of the “day of the LORD.” This was not about the final days of the earth but about the day of judgment in the lives of the people of Judah, who were ignoring God’s will.
Simon, a probable convert to Judaism, was from Cyrene, the center of Greek learning and culture. He is best known for carrying the cross of Christ. He was in Jerusalem for the Passover and was simply a “passer-by” when Jesus was making the long, difficult climb to Calvary. The Roman soldiers pulled Simon out of the crowd and compelled him to carry Jesus’ cross.
For further reading on this topic, specifically on Black Bible characters, I suggest reading The Black Presence in the Bible: Uncovering the Hidden Ones where the author shares that “Studying the black presence in the Bible can open the door to discussions about racial justice and dispel the myth that the Bible is the “white man’s book.”
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Here’s the list of illustrated Black Bible characters children’s books:
Laugh and Grow Bible for Kids: The Gospel in 52 Five-Minute Bible Stories
Children of God Storybook Bible
The Tiny Truths Illustrated Bible
Children of Color Storybook Bible
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