Select Parts of the Holy Bible for the use of the Negro Slaves in the British West-India Islands
Slave bible | |
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Full name | Select Parts of the Holy Bible for the use of the Negro Slaves in the British West-India Islands |
Complete Bible published | 1807 |
Derived from | King James Version 1611 |
Translation type | Formal equivalence |
Copyright | Public domain |
The creation of heaven and earth. Of man in the image of god. The appointment of food. In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
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The slave bible is an edition of the Bible specifically made for educating slaves. Its full title was: Select Parts of the Holy Bible for the use of the Negro Slaves in the British West-India Islands.[1] It was produced in England in the early 19th century for use in the British West Indies (the part of the British Empire in the Caribbean). Such bibles had all "references to freedom and escape from slavery" excised, while passages encouraging obedience and submission were emphasized.[2]
British missionaries used it in the education and conversion of the enslaved population. The editors included only 10 percent of the Old Testament and half of the New Testament. Among the excluded passages are Galatians 3:28: "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus", which was thought to possibly incite rebellion.[3] Passages like Ephesians 6:5, "Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ," were retained.[3] The Museum of the Bible, during a 2018 exhibition called "The Slave Bible: Let the Story Be Told", exhibited an example from 1807. This bible was one of three copies of this version, and is owned by Fisk University. It was printed by Law and Gilbert of London, for the Society for the Conversion of Negro Slaves.[4]
References
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- ^ Little, Becky. "Why Bibles Given to Slaves Omitted Most of the Old Testament". History. A&E Television Networks, LLC. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
- ^ Draper, Robert (December 2018). "The Bible Hunters". National Geographic: 40–75.
- ^ a b Martin, Michel (December 9, 2018). "Slave Bible From The 1800s Omitted Key Passages That Could Incite Rebellion". NPR. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
- ^ Medders, Brandy (December 3, 2018). "Fisk University Partners with the Museum of the Bible and the Smithsonian for Slave Bible Exhibition". Fisk University. Retrieved December 14, 2018.