No Rebellion?! The Meek Shall Inherit the Earth: Christianity, Colonialism, Slavery and Revolutions

Part One: Moses, Blackness and the Meaning of Meek

Recently (and in the not-so-distant past) I have had various conversations with professors and graduate students on the role of religion, specifically Christianity, in Africa and her descendants. There is the role of religious syncretism (the mixing West African religions and Christianity) as a method of spiritual, mental, and physical survival (if you are from the South, you know what happens at a “Home Goin’”). There is the role of the Black Church as a sanctuary and “safe place” for meeting and organizing during much of the Civil Rights Era. The more controversial side (the dark side of “Christians”) discusses how Christianity sanctioned colonialism in Africa and around the world. How it warranted the discrimination of Blacks grounded in religious enlightenment theory via the “Hamitic Curse” Myth. But a recent conversation, for some reason, really got me to thinking. The person(s) stated: “Isn’t God opposed to rebellion? He said ‘the meek shall inherit the earth’ and ‘turn the other cheek’? Doesn’t ‘meek’ mean ‘timid’? Sounds like God is in favor of slavery.” Hmm…So I began my study.


During the Civil Rights Era (and arguably throughout the Black Liberation Movement in general) pastors have been on opposing sides regarding how to deal with injustices in their communities. Some kept their distance from marches, sit-ins, boycotts, and other “radical” activities claiming that by sitting idly by, God will change the world before their very eyes. But, then we have our Shuttlesworths, MLKs and now Rev. Jeremiah Wrights and Rev. Lawrence Adams (and I acknowledge that the latter list cannot be easily grouped together). So I asked myself “what does ‘meek’ really mean? Was Christianity used as an accurate bible-based method of discrimination? Was there anyone in the bible whose plight compared to Blacks?” This is the beginning of a multi-part series.

“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5, NIV)

“…part of the problem with the concept of meekness is that it is grossly misunderstood. Let me put it this way. I’m sure you have all seen a rodeo where you have the cowboy, the bronco buster, trying to sit on a wild horse for 10 seconds. It’s one of the more popular events in a rodeo. Why? Well, because of the power, the brute force and the danger of the horse. A bucking bronco seems very powerful doesn’t it? But then, compare that horse with the mounts used in the Olympics for the 3-day endurance event. There a horse has to have the strength, not just to throw a rider in less than 10 seconds, but to carry a rider over rough ground for kilometer after kilometre for 3 days straight. If you think about it the power of these endurance horses has to be far greater than that of the bucking bronco at the rodeo. The difference between the two horses is that one has been tamed. One has learned to have a saddle on it, and allow a rider to sit on it. One has learned to respond to the bit in its mouth and been trained so it’s strong enough to survive the rigours of a 3-day event….A horse that is tamed and trained has not lost its strength, rather its power is enhanced and channelled in a usable direction. It has not become weak, but its strength is controlled.”

Much of the original text in the Bible was written in either Hebrew or Greek. Given that Jesus had disciples that were not Jewish and people like Paul traveled to Rome on missions, much of the New Testament was originally written in Greek. It’s a bit upsetting that the English language is still in its infancy stage and is often incapable of properly translating ancient dialects. Therefore if we want a better understanding of the text, we should go to the original words. The Greek word prautes is often translated as "gentleness" or “meekness." Galatians 5:23 says “gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” Or it is stated as two different virtues entirely. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 10:1 “By the meekness and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you—I, Paul, who am ‘timid’ when face to face with you, but ‘bold’ when away!” But in the original Greek text, they are not conflated: Meekness (prautes) and gentleness (epieikeia).

“Prautes describes a condition of mind and heart—an internal attitude—whereas gentleness (mildness combined with tenderness) refers to actions—an external behavior.” Therefore prautes is how you think and epieikeia is the manner in which you carry out those thoughts. English does not have a direct translation for either, therefore "meekness" is as close as it gets. The problem with “meekness” is its stigma.

Meekness is defined as
“humbly patient or docile, as under provocation from others; overly submissive or compliant; spiritless; tame. “

With synonyms like
“pliant”
“yielding”
“unassuming”
“pacific”
“calm”
“soft”
In a nut shell…a coward. However, the way meekness manifests itself in the Bible doesn’t seem to follow this definition.

Aristotle, great philosopher… not necessarily a Christian, defined prautes as
a. "the ability to bear reproaches and slights with
moderation, and not to embark on revenge quickly, and not
to be easily provoked to anger, but to be free from
bitterness and contentiousness, having tranquillity and
stability in the spirit." (On Virtues And Vices)
b. This does not imply that there is never a place for anger
in the gentle man
c. Indeed, the man who displays "prautes" is angry "on the
right grounds, and against the right persons, and in the
right manner, and at the right moment, and for the right
length of time." (Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics)
d. "he will err on the side of forgiveness rather than on the
side of anger" (Barclay)

http://www.ccel.org/contrib//exec_outlines/fs/fs_16.htm

Paul and others used “prautes” for a reason. The Greeks and others at this time knew what he meant.

Also meekness has been substituted for the Hebrew word “anvah”. The next closest thing we have in English is “humility.”

The people who are said to be the meekest are Moses and Jesus.

Numbers 12:3 in the King James Version it says
“Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.”

Numbers 12:3 in the New International Version it says
“Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.”

Remembering that meekness means “controlled strength”, we can see that Moses was a “work in progress.” Not only did Moses, a Hebrew, have a temper, but he was also a fighter for justice and although he was adopted by the upper class Egyptians, ( he was a Prince!) he never forgot who he was and where he came from. That doesn’t mean he wasn’t met with opposition by the very people he was trying to liberate:

Exodus 2:11-13
One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people were and watched them at their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. 12 Glancing this way and that and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. 13 The next day he went out and saw two Hebrews fighting. He asked the one in the wrong, "Why are you hitting your fellow Hebrew?" 14 The man said, "Who made you ruler and judge over us?...”

I’m sure Moses was like “Fa real?! We enslaved and WE ON THE SAME TEAM!... my brotha…”

Moses experienced ridicule about everything from his work to liberate his people to his wife, a black woman…

Numbers 12:1
Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife, for he had married a Cushite.

Cushites are people from the empire of Cush or Ethiopia. I guess he couldn’t really help it. He was living among Egyptians and other Africans well over 40 years.

There isn’t a reason in the bible why Miriam (his sister) objected to his marriage. Interracial (or maybe “interethnic” in this case) dating? Probably wanted him to stay with “his kind.” Sound familiar? Sigh. I digress…

And he experienced ridicule regarding his leadership…God had to come straighten them.

Numbers 11:4-9
At once the LORD said to Moses, Aaron and Miriam, "Come out to the Tent of Meeting, all three of you." So the three of them came out. 5 Then the LORD came down in a pillar of cloud; he stood at the entrance to the Tent and summoned Aaron and Miriam. When both of them stepped forward, 6 he said, "Listen to my words:
"When a prophet of the LORD is among you,
I reveal myself to him in visions,
I speak to him in dreams.
7 But this is not true of my servant Moses;
he is faithful in all my house.
8 With him I speak face to face,
clearly and not in riddles;
he sees the form of the LORD.
Why then were you not afraid
to speak against my servant Moses?"
9 The anger of the LORD burned against them, and he left them.

Moses was unique and had a unique communication with God (He is the meekest). He didn’t tell the world of unique status and make a show of it. He was meek. He trusted God to defend him when necessary. He believed his power was under God’s control not his. But that doesn’t mean Moses sat idly by. Meek means not to argue but it doesn’t mean to not fight for justice.

Exodus 3:7
The LORD said, "I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. 8 So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 9 And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. 10 So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt."

God was talking to Moses. It was Moses’ task to free the Hebrews. Something he knew he needed to do already but got the “ok” from God.

Side Note: The “home of the Canaanites” was, appropriately called, Canaan. (Also where Ham, Noah’s son, was expelled to. That discussion and the “Hamitic Curse” shall be reserved for another post). Thus, the constant reference to Canaan either by Martin Luther King, Jr. or in reference to him (i.e. Taylor Branch’s “At Canaan's Edge”). The “land of milk and honey” is the promise land (where Canaan was). Also referred to by MLK and many other participants in the Civil Rights Movement:

In the words of King, “

Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't matter with me now. Because I've been to the mountaintop. And I don't mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land. And I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.

MLK seems to be aligning himself with Moses especially with his “mountain” reference.

Exodus 19:23-24
23 Moses said to the LORD, "The people cannot come up Mount Sinai, because you yourself warned us, 'Put limits around the mountain and set it apart as holy.' " 24 The LORD replied, "Go down and bring Aaron up with you. But the priests and the people must not force their way through to come up to the LORD, or he will break out against them."

King is saying he has a privileged position because he has “ been to the mountaintop…And He's allowed [him] to go up to the mountain. And [he has] looked over. And [has] seen the promised land. [He] may not get there with [them]...” Mount Sinai (or Mount Horeb) is still viewed as one of the most sacred places in Israel. This is where Moses received the Ten Commandments, Moses saw God in the burning bush, and where God made the covenant with Israel. King claims to be privileged not only because he claims he has seen what others cannot, or have not, but he also has done one of two other things: foreshadowed his death or compared the long fight for justice to that of freed Hebrews in the wilderness. Now, we know MLK was no perfect man, but, come on, Moses, who God said was the meekest man in the bible did kill someone…I’m just sayin’.

Due to the Hebrews not following directions, they stayed in the wilderness for so long Moses died before he could see the fruit of his labor…A story very similar to Martin Luther King, Jr.

Deuteronomy 34:1-4
1 Then Moses climbed Mount Nebo from the plains of Moab to the top of Pisgah, across from Jericho. There the LORD showed him the whole land—from Gilead to Dan, 2 all of Naphtali, the territory of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the western sea, 3 the Negev and the whole region from the Valley of Jericho, the City of Palms, as far as Zoar. 4 Then the LORD said to him, "This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob when I said, 'I will give it to your descendants.' I have let you see it with your eyes, but you will not cross over into it." 5 And Moses the servant of the LORD died there in Moab, as the LORD had said.

But, but , but…before Moses died he said this:

Exodus 14:13-14
Moses answered the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. 14 The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still."

Now this can be confusing for some if we don’t read the whole story or know how God works throughout the story (or the rest of the bible). The Lord said “be still.” But that simply means wait for the next command… then act.

Exodus 13:17
When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, "If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt." 18 So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea. The Israelites went up out of Egypt armed for battle.

So, as we know the story goes (thank you Charlton Heston…well not really), Moses battles the Pharaoh, parts the Red Sea, and they cross into the Desert of Shur (somewhere around present day Syria, Jordan and Saudia Arabia). But the people are free from slavery and what do they do? Complain.

Exodus 14:10-12
As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the LORD. 11 They said to Moses, "Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? 12 Didn't we say to you in Egypt, 'Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians'? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!"

Exodus 16:3 The Israelites said to them, "If only we had died by the LORD's hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death."

You mean, yall aint wanna be free?! Ima give them a pass and say there were scared because the Pharaoh and his army were on their tales and they were between a rock and a hard place (well more like Egyptians with very sharp swords in very fast chariots and the Red Sea).

Exodus 32:19
19 When Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, his anger burned and he threw the tablets out of his hands, breaking them to pieces at the foot of the mountain.

Exodus 32:20
20 And he took the calf they had made and burned it in the fire; then he ground it to powder, scattered it on the water and made the Israelites drink it.


(Side Note: The calf is an idol they were worshiping and Moses was angry because they knew that God led them out of slavery… i.e. the whole parting of the Rea Sea gave it away, and Moses was angry that they weren’t worshiping God. Which is why they ran around the wilderness all that time.)

Temper, Temper Moses! Tsk tsk tsk. Guess people have always been…well, people. I might have left them and went about my business.

Psalm 25:9 (New International Version)
9 He guides the humble in what is right
and teaches them his way.

Now going back to our “passive” vs “not-so-passive” Civil Rights preachers….So, hmm… the right way?

Isaiah 11:4 (New International Version)
4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.

Isaiah 11:4 (King James Version)
4But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth: with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.

Ok, ok. So one would argue that all preachers are working towards (or believe they already are) righteous (meaning acting in a morally correct manner and by divine declaration, i.e. doing what God said). So, if you limited to the English definition, you may be led to believe that to be meek means to be poor and timid and this is the way to be righteous. AND if you do it right (righteousness that is) all you have to is speak and the wicked will be slayed (or smited… smote… who doesn’t love Old English).
In the Bible, meekness is primarily emphasized as submissiveness toward God (rather than toward men).

Romans 13:1-6
1Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 3For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. 4For he is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. 5Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience. 6This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, who give their full time to governing. 7Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.

Hmm… am I really supposed to be cool with…lets say the Dixiecrats or Bull O’Connor?
This is a tricky one. And after further research, it has been a “tricky one” for some time now.

“Are there times when we should not submit to the government? We should never allow government to force us to disobey God. Jesus and his apostles never disobeyed the government for personal reasons; when they disobeyed, it was in order to follow their higher loyalty to God. Their disobedience was not cheap: they were threatened, beaten, thrown in jail, tortured, and executed for their convictions. Like them, if we are compelled to disobey; we must be ready to accept the consequences.”

Sound familiar?
Martin Luther King Jr.
Malcolm X
Medgar Evers
Nat Turner
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi…

“Christians understand Romans 13 in different ways. All Christians agree that we are to live at peace with the state as long as the state allows us to live by our religious convictions. For hundreds of years, however, there have been at least three different interpretations of how we are to to do this:

1. Some Christians believe that the state is so corrupt that Christians should have little to do with it as possible. Although they should be good citizens as long as they can do so without compromising their beliefs, they should not work for the government, vote in elections, or serve in the military.”

Ah ha! This must have been the perspective of “passive” preachers. But that isn’t what Moses or Jesus did (Jesus’ rebelliousness is for another time).

2. “Others believe that God has given the state authority in certain areas and the church authority in others. Christians can be loyal to both and can work for either. They should not, however, confuse the two. In this view, church and state are concerned with two totally different spheres –the spiritual and the physical –and thus complement each other but not work together.” (i.e. separation of church and state in US law).

3. “Still others believe that Christians have the responsibility to make the state better.” That’s where our not-so-passive preachers come in. “They can do this politically…” (i.e. Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, (FDP); The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters (BSCP), Voting Rights Act of 1965 etc) “by electing Christians or other highly-principles leaders. They can also do this morally, by serving as an influence for good in society. In this view, church and state ideally work together for the good of all.”

So what are ways to follow God's will to be meek and gentle and follow the laws of the land, while changing the laws of the law and… hopefully not dying in the process (the latter being rare as we have seen in our concise and notable list of individuals).

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (better known as just “Gandhi”) was trained lawyer in Britain and a nonviolent advocate who claimed to have followed two principles: satyagraha and Ahima. Ahima, or nonviolence is “a comprehensive principle. We are helpless mortals caught in the conflagration of himsa.” To counter the notion of passivity in nonviolent resistance, he used the ideal of satyagraha, in which truth and love are considered the sources of forceful resistance to violence (himsa). “No internal force was stronger than Gandhi’s satyagraha in the decolonizing of his country.”

The Greek word epieikeia it often translated as “clemency,” “kindness” , “courtesy” and “gentleness” among others. (Hmm, truth and love?)

Acts 24:4 KJV
Notwithstanding, that I be not further tedious unto thee,I pray thee that thou wouldest hear us of thy clemency a few words.

Acts 24:4 NKJV
Nevertheless, not to be tedious to you any further, I beg you to hear, by your courtesy, a few words from us.

Acts 24:4 New International Version
4But in order not to weary you further, I would request that you be kind enough to hear us briefly.

“The Greek word (epieikçs) which we translate as moderation is one of the most untranslatable of all Greek words. It occurs five times in the Epistles and its noun, (epieikeia), gentleness, graciousness (in Acts 24:4, 2 Corinthians 10:1) twice.”

“In 1 Timothy 3:3 it's translated as ‘lenient"; in Titus 3:2 "conciliatory", in James 3:17 "forbearing"; and in 1 Peter 2:18, "reasonableness’”

“The apostle Paul is saying to his Phillippian friends: "Let your moderation, patient mind, softness, magnanimity, gentleness, graciousness, forbearing spirit be known to all. The Lord is at hand. Put differently, "Let all the world know that you will meet a person half-way.’”

I found this passage:

This reminds me of a story about a cobra that goes to a saint and says, "Please give me a rule of life so that I can be more spiritual and saintly like you. People love you but are totally terrified of me. When they see me, if they have a chance, they kill me at once."

The Saint says, "Well, first of all, don't bite people anymore."

So, the cobra goes back down the mountain happy that the saint has accepted him as a student, and he sits by the village path all day long, thinking over the saint's advice.
But after a couple of days, people begin to notice him, and since he's sitting so still and looks so happy, the people get curious. After a few more days, unafraid of the cobra by now, some of the children have started poking him with sticks and teasing him, throwing pebbles at him, kicking dirt on his head. A few cruel adults too, toss garbage on him and kick him when they walk by him. After about a week, the saint walks down the village path and sees the poor cobra sitting there all bruised and bloody and full of mud. The saint says, "My God, what's happened to you?" The cobra replies, "I was just following your instructions, master; I don't bite people anymore." Realising all that had happened, the saint looks down lovingly at the cobra and says, "But I didn't tell you not to hiss!"

Instead of words like “clemency,” “kindness” , “courtesy” and “gentleness” were used, Greeks
used the word gracious-magnanimity in New Testament. This word had a great record in Greek ethical writing. The meaning behind it is: “it expresses that ‘gracious magnanimity or moderation"’which recognizes the impossibility that cleaves to formal law. Is the word that recognizes that there are occasions when a "legal" right can become a "moral" wrong.

In the Archbishop of York’s Presidential address on July 10, 2006, he said this:
Aristotle discussed gracious-magnanimity (epieikeia) in the Nicomachean Ethics.
He says that gracious-magnanimity (epieikeia) is that which is just and sometimes that which is better than justice.
(Eth. Nic V 10.6).

He says that gracious-magnanimity (epieikeia) is that which corrects the law when the law is deficient because of its generality. He compares the person who is graciously magnanimous (epieikes) with the person who is immoderate (akribodikaios).

The person who is immoderate (akribodikaios) is the person who stands up for the last title of their legal rights; but the person who is graciously magnanimous (epieikes) knows that there are times when a thing may be legally completely justified and yet morally completely wrong. The person who is forbearing (epieikes) knows when to relax the law under the compulsion of a force that is higher and greater than law. They know the time when to stand on their rights would unquestionably be legal, and would just as unquestionably be completely unchristian.

The Greeks themselves explained this word gracious-magnanimity (epieikes) as "justice and something better than justice". They said that gracious-magnanimity (epieikeia) ought to come in when strict justice became unjust because of its generality. There may be individual instances where a perfectly just law becomes unjust or where justice isn't the same thing as equity.

In “Universal Justice and Epieikeia in Aristotle” (2008) Anne Hewitt argues:
“As laws are written in 'universal terms' they offer inadequate guidance for those difficult cases that do not fall neatly under one general rule or another. While Aristotle is clear that written laws are essential to secure justice in a political community, he is quick to recognize that alone they are insufficient to achieve this aim. Bridging the gap between legal principle and concrete situation is Aristotle's concept of epieikeia: that virtue which 'corrects' the law where it falls short. Through an acute attentiveness to relevant mitigating factors, epieikeia allows the judge to discern what -- beyond rigid application the law -- a just decision entails. However, though triggered by and tied to particular circumstances, epieikeia does not sanction egregious deviation from established law. This is because it serves the ends of 'universal', or 'natural' justice (itself derived from the fixed nature of man) and so is guided, and therefore constrained by its fixed and unchanging principles. [There are] normative repercussions of incorporating epieikeia into legal decisions, specifically how it might work to transform justice into a virtue which promotes mercy, kindness, and forgiveness.”

Epieikeia or epieikes has a direct connection to Gandhi and King’s used on nonviolence AND Huey Newton and other Black Panther Party members’ tactics such as the use on unloaded guns during patrols (hissing like the cobra were they?)

Deuteronomy 16:18-20
18 Appoint judges and officials for each of your tribes in every town the LORD your God is giving you, and they shall judge the people fairly. 19 Do not pervert justice or show partiality. Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous. 20 Follow justice and justice alone, so that you may live and possess the land the LORD your God is giving you.

Moses became angry at the sin of God's people. He told them they sinned, and he called for disciplinary action. Yet he was the meekest man on earth! This is the act of a meek man.

The meek will suffer but Moses and Jesus didn’t suffer by simply sitting around, they suffered while enforcing justice. Freeing slaves, condemning the elite etc. All of the people mention here were not necessarily Christian, however, a Christian might argue that these are universal principle that can be applicable to anyone. Its interesting to see how it is limited. Surely the meek shall inherit the earth because they are always working to change the state to make it a better place for all. We WANT them to inherit the earth. Please…soon.

Next installment will either focus on JESUS THE REBEL!!! Or THE CURSE OF HAM! THE REASON BLACK FOLKS COULDN’T GO TO SCHOOL AND SUCH THINGS. Titles may change…hmm…thanks for reading! See ya next time.