Israel's Poetry of Resistance: Africana Perspectives on Early Hebrew Verse
Author(s): Hugh Page Jr. (Author)
Publisher: Fortress Press
Publication Date: 1 Aug. 2013
Language: English
Print length: 120 pages
ISBN-10: 0800663349
ISBN-13: 9780800663346
Book Description
Noting that Israel’s earliest responses to earth-shaking changes were cast in the powerfully expressive language of poetry, Hugh R. Page Jr. argues that the careful collection and preservation of these traditionsnow found in every part of the Hebrew Biblewas an act of resistance, a communal no to the forces of despair and a yes to the creative power of the Spirit.Further, Page argues, the power of these poems to craft and shape a future for a people who had suffered acute displacement and marginalization offers a rich spiritual repertoire for Africana peoples today, and for all who find themselves perennially outside the social or political mainstream. Here Page offers fresh translations and brief commentary on the Bible’s fifteen earliest poems, and explores the power and relevance of these poems, and the ancient mythic themes behind them, for contemporary life at the margins.
Editorial Reviews
Review
Not only did I learn much from reading Israel’s Poetry of Resistance, I genuinely enjoyed engaging it, playing with it, riffing with it and on it. It is a fun and provocative read. Hugh Page displays daring interpretive play and the willingness to mix it up with different discursive worlds not usually in conversation. With this book Page has clearly positioned himself among the most creative contemporary scholars of the Bible. –Vincent L. Wimbush, Claremont Graduate University
In this insightful and powerfully charged book, Hugh Page lays bare the richness and relevance that the most ancient poems in the Bible hold for the Africana community especially, but for all who care about the marginalized in society. His breadth as solid scholar, sensitive poet, and pastoral theologian enables him to mine the treasures embedded in the ancient scriptural texts, to empathize with the social situation and plight of the displaced and marginalized Israelites, and to articulate the biblical message of prayerful resistance to those outside the social and political mainstream today. This book will be a rich resource for biblical scholars interested in Israel s ancient poetry, for modern people experiencing marginalization, and for pastors who minister to this portion of God s people. –Eugene Ulrich, University of Notre Dame
In Israel s Poetry of Resistance, Hugh Page illuminates an Africana trajectory of Israelite poetry, reading its language in concert with African diasporic people who turn to the Bible to inspire their own acts of resistance. Page s translations are fresh, critically nuanced, inspiring, evocative and above all poetic. His subtle wordplay evokes deep resonances between the text and the layers of Africana culture he samples. Page s work powerfully conjures a living, breathing text, offering a glimpse of a life in neighborhoods unfamiliar to previous docents of ancient Israelite poetry. This volume is a must for anyone interested in Biblical Hebrew poetry, its translation and interpretation. –WilGafney, Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia
About the Author
“Hugh R. Page, Jr. is Professor of Theology and Africana Studies at the University of Notre Dame, where he also serves as Vice President for Institutional Transformation and as Advisor to the President. An Episcopal priest, Page holds a bachelor’s in history from Hampton University, two master’s degrees from The General Theological Seminary in New York, a doctorate in ministry from the Graduate Theological Foundation, and master’s and doctoral degrees in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations from Harvard University. “
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