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The Bible
Itself a Library
By
Ernest Cushing Richardson
Librarian of Princeton University
The Bible is itself a library. During the Middle
Ages it was commonly called, first "The Divine
Library" and then "The Library" (Bibliotheca) in
the same exclusive sense that it is now known as "The
Book" (Biblia as Latin singular). Even the word Bible
itself is historically "Library" rather then
"Book" for it was originally the neuter Biblia
"The Books," although now made by violence into a
Latin feminine singular, and "the books," i.e., books
collectively, is a natural and common name for library.
The Bible itself speaks of itself now as "The
Books" (Dan. 9:2) or "The Writings" (Scriptures)
(Matt. 21, 42; Jo. 5, 39, etc.) now as the sacred or holy books
or writings (Ro. 1, 2; 2 Tim. 3, 15), but always in the
plural and equivalent to a specific collection of books or a
library, the singular "scripture" or "book"
being used only of specific quotations or books. The use of
bibliotheca for Bible grew perhaps from the fact that books in
many rolls were kept together in a box--the
"bookcase," capsa or (biblio)theke. the
"Pentateuch" is a five-roll book-box. the sacred
book-chest or the book-chest became naturally applied to that
containing the Biblical books.
The evolution of the name Bible seems to have been (1) the
books (Dan. 9: 2)= simple library, (2) the sacred books (1 Macc.
12: 9; Rom. 1: 2; 2 Tim. 3: 19), (3) the Books (Scriptures) par
excellence (Matt. 21: 42, etc.), (4) the Books (Biblia) par
excellence (2 Es. Clem 14: 2) (5) the Book (Bible).
The Bible is also a library by nature as well as by name in
that it is an organized collection of books rather than a single
work. Originally the Bible as a whole, like the Old Testament
before it, was a collection of concrete separate books at a
certain spot in space and time. These books themselves, in some
instances (Psalms, Proverbs, Pentateuch), were in turn
made a unit by their arrangement and naming as a whole. At this
point, where it was a collection of real books, the Bible was
still a library, although when copied as a whole it became a
book which like other similar collections is also properly,
though in a derived sense, called a library (Library of American
Literature, Altfranzosisch Bibliothek).
This fact that the Bible is itself a library is increasingly
mentioned of late, especially in Old Testament studies (Kent.
beginnings p. 1, "The Old Testament is a library."
Delitzsch. Babel and Bible, p. 4, "the Old Testament, that
small library of books of the most multifarious kind"). Its
profound bearing on the theory of the composition and
inspiration of the Bible has given the fact new significance and
makes an understanding of the nature of a library one of the
best tools for the interpretation of the Bible in the face of
modern problems. . . .
Source: Ernest Cushing Richardson, Biblical
Libraries: A Sketch of Library History from 3400 B.C. to A.D.
150. Princeton University Press, 1914
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Sister Citizen: Shame, Stereotypes, and Black Women in
America
By Melissa V.
Harris-Perry
According to the
author, this society has historically exerted
considerable pressure on black females to fit into one
of a handful of stereotypes, primarily, the Mammy, the
Matriarch or the Jezebel. The selfless
Mammy’s behavior is marked by a slavish devotion to
white folks’ domestic concerns, often at the expense of
those of her own family’s needs. By contrast, the
relatively-hedonistic Jezebel is a sexually-insatiable
temptress. And the Matriarch is generally thought of as
an emasculating figure who denigrates black men, ala the
characters Sapphire and Aunt Esther on the television
shows Amos and Andy and Sanford and Son, respectively.
Professor Perry
points out how the propagation of these harmful myths
have served the mainstream culture well. For instance,
the Mammy suggests that it is almost second nature for
black females to feel a maternal instinct towards
Caucasian babies.
As for the source
of the Jezebel, black women had no control over their
own bodies during slavery given that they were being
auctioned off and bred to maximize profits. Nonetheless,
it was in the interest of plantation owners to propagate
the lie that sisters were sluts inclined to mate
indiscriminately.
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Sex at the Margins
Migration, Labour Markets and the Rescue Industry
By Laura María Agustín
This book explodes several myths: that selling sex is completely different from any other kind of work, that migrants who sell sex are passive victims and that the multitude of people out to save them are without self-interest. Laura Agustín makes a passionate case against these stereotypes, arguing that the label 'trafficked' does not accurately describe migrants' lives and that the 'rescue industry' serves to disempower them. Based on extensive research amongst both migrants who sell sex and social helpers, Sex at the Margins provides a radically different analysis. Frequently, says Agustin, migrants make rational choices to travel and work in the sex industry, and although they are treated like a marginalised group they form part of the dynamic global economy. Both powerful and controversial, this book is essential reading for all those who want to understand the increasingly important relationship between sex markets, migration and the desire for social justice. "Sex at the Margins rips apart distinctions between migrants, service work and sexual labour and reveals the utter complexity of the contemporary sex industry. This book is set to be a trailblazer in the study of sexuality."—Lisa Adkins, University of London |
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The White Masters of the
World
From
The World and Africa, 1965
By W. E. B. Du Bois
W. E. B. Du Bois’
Arraignment and Indictment of White Civilization
(Fletcher)
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Ancient African Nations
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Negro Digest /
Black World
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Enjoy!
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The Death of Emmett Till by Bob Dylan
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The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll
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Only a Pawn in Their Game
Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson Thanks America for
Slavery /
George Jackson /
Hurricane Carter
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The Journal of Negro History issues at Project Gutenberg
The
Haitian Declaration of Independence 1804
/
January 1, 1804 -- The Founding of
Haiti
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