On Such Texts Comment is Unnecessary: Biblical Interpretation in the Trial of Denmark Vesey
On July 2, 1822, Denmark Vesey was hanged in Charleston, South Carolina for allegedly plotting an insurrection involving enslaved persons. During his trial, several witnesses testified about Vesey’s interpretations of biblical texts. When sentencing Vesey to death, Lionel H. Kennedy accused Vesey of...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Oxford University Press
[2017]
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| In: |
Journal of the American Academy of Religion
Year: 2017, Volume: 85, Issue: 4, Pages: 1032-1049 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Vesey, Denmark 1767-1822
/ Bible
/ Interpretation of
/ Kennedy, Lionel Henry 1787-1847
/ Charleston, SC
/ Slave revolt
/ Geschichte 1822
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| IxTheo Classification: | CG Christianity and Politics KBQ North America TJ Modern history ZC Politics in general |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (Verlag) Volltext (doi) |
| Summary: | On July 2, 1822, Denmark Vesey was hanged in Charleston, South Carolina for allegedly plotting an insurrection involving enslaved persons. During his trial, several witnesses testified about Vesey’s interpretations of biblical texts. When sentencing Vesey to death, Lionel H. Kennedy accused Vesey of “attempting to pervert the sacred words of God into a sanction for crimes of the blackest hue.” As many scholars have noted, Vesey and Kennedy choose different texts to cite in support of their respective positions. Yet this article argues that Vesey and Kennedy’s uses of biblical material go deeper than simply countering one set of proof texts with another. They differ on how to apply biblical texts to then current events in Charleston. Ultimately, this difference informs their selection of biblical texts and the strategies they use to interpret them. |
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| ISSN: | 1477-4585 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: American Academy of Religion, Journal of the American Academy of Religion
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1093/jaarel/lfw094 |