Michelangelo and the Curse of Ham: From a Typology of Jew-Hatred to a Genealogy of Racism
Abstract
M ichelangelo’s Nakedness of Noah signaled a turning point in a myth, foundational for nearly half a millennium in the Euro-American construction of race and ethnicity, the myth of Noah and his Sons. With this image, the theology of Noah as a first Christ contracted and the anthropology of Noah as a second Adam expanded. With this image, the story of Noah and his Sons started to shift from a vehicle for Jew-hatred to a vehicle for Black-hatred. It was only after this image was painted and its implications diffused that the Curse of Ham, the most widespread justification for the enslavement of Africans, dominated biblical exegesis. However the role of Michelangelo in this transformation, please note, is not causative, but rather indicative. These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
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The most important biblical justification for race slavery was the myth of Ham's Curse.
“By far, however, the most important biblical justification for race slavery was the protean myth of Ham's Curse (Braude 1997(Braude , 2005;;Goldenberg 2003Goldenberg , 2017)).”
From Slavery, the Hebrew Bible and the Development of Racial Theories in the Nineteenth Century (2021) · cites this paper as Braude 2005
The Hamitic Hypothesis has been fungible, shifting form to incorporate various descendants of Ham depending on social context and object of vilification.
“From another perspective, Benjamin Braude (2005) demonstrates that the Hamitic Hypothesis has been amazingly fungible, shifting its form to incorporate various”
From Slavery, the Hebrew Bible and the Development of Racial Theories in the Nineteenth Century (2021) · cites this paper as Braude 2005
In the nineteenth century, the myth of Ham acquired its most notorious manifestation in antebellum America, where Ham was depicted as Black rather than Jew.
“However, this would change dramatically in the nineteenth century: the myth of Ham would acquire”
From Slavery, the Hebrew Bible and the Development of Racial Theories in the Nineteenth Century (2021) · cites this paper as Braude 2005
In the medieval period, the image of the Jew was most frequently associated with Ham.
“According to Braude, it was the image of the Jew that was most frequently associated with the benighted son of Ham in the medieval period.”
From Slavery, the Hebrew Bible and the Development of Racial Theories in the Nineteenth Century (2021) · cites this paper as Braude 2005
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Slavery, the Hebrew Bible and the Development of Racial Theories in the Nineteenth Century
Burrell, K. (2021) · Religions · doi:10.3390/rel12090742 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
- Authors
- Braude, B.
- Corresponding author
- Braude, Benjamin
- Venue
- Writing Race Across the Atlantic World
- Publisher
- Palgrave Macmillan US
- Published
- 2005
- Pages
- 79-92
- OpenAlex
- W2506554675
- Cited by
- 4
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2021: 2 · 2020: 1
- FWCI
- 0.00
- Type
- book chapter
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Palgrave Macmillan US eBooks (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Religious studies › Biblical Studies and Interpretation
- Social Sciences › Political Science and International Relations › Religion, Theology, History, Judaism, Christianity
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Theological Perspectives and Practices
- Keywords
- Michelangelo, curse of Ham, biblical exegesis, racism, typology
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