Symbolic Blackness and Ethnic Difference in Early Christian Literature

There has been growing contemporary interest in the presence and image of blacks and blackness in classical antiquity. However, this work surveys and theorizes the black as seen by early Christian writers. Byron creates a foundation of theoretical arguments as the basis for her discussion of the presence of blacks in Christian antiquity. Her presentation of the critical analysis and sources side-by-side encourages the reader to engage with the material in a more sophisticated way. This study should appeal to a wide range of disciplines, including biblical studies, classical studies, African-American studies, gender and cultural studies.

'The best account to date of a formative phase of British economics.' - TLS'Kadish has an encyclopaedic knowledge of his subject ... a very fine new book.' - THES'Her study deserves warm commendation for its thoroughness, including the use of Greek and Latin texts, usually also given in English.' - Church Times'[Byron's] book ... is an original and pioneering piece of scholarship ... [it] is a vital contribution to Black theology, New Testament studies/hermenutics and early Christian history from a Black perspective ... this book will be very valuable to teachers, scholars and researchers.' - Black Theology: An International Journal'In this short but important book, Gay Byron offers a complex and insightful analysis of ethnic and colour symbolism in early Christianity. This study provides a welcome challenge to scholarship that claims that early Christianity was colour-blind and all-inclusive or that ignores the polemical use of colour-coded terminology altogether.' - Journal of Roman Studies

Gay L. Byron