A postcolonial African American re-reading of Colossians : identity, reception, and interpretation under the gaze of empire / Annie Tinsley, Shaw University Divinity School
General Introduction -- PART I: THE PEOPLE OF COLOSSAE -- 1. Contemporaries of Laodicea and Hierapolis -- 2. Generations of belief in Mysteries and Mythological Cults -- 3. Jews -- 4. Subjects of Greco-Roman Empire -- PART II: IDENTITY ₆ PEOPLE OF AFRICA -- 5. African Traditional Religion -- PART III: IDENTITY -- ENSLAVED AFRICANS IN NORTH AMERICA -- 6. Identity through the Language of Enslavers -- 7. Identity through the Language of Enslaved -- PART IV: TOWARDS A RE-READING OF COLOSSIANS -- 8. The Epistle to the Colossians -- 9. Colossians One -- 10. Colossians Two -- 11. Colossians Three -- 12. Colossians Four -- General Conclusions
Summary
"A Postcolonial African American Re-reading of Colossians: Identity, Reception, and Interpretation Under the Gaze of Empire" examines the identities of two seemingly unrelated groups of people; the initial recipients of the letter and the enslaved African in the North American Diaspora. Both groups, although unrelated, share a common element. They are both considered erroneous in their interpretations of the gospel. They are labeled and summarily silenced. This work gives both a voice and determines from their identities their response to the gospel. Despite the lack of harsh labels given to the initial readers of Colossians by modern commentators, the author of the letter was guilty of error in that the letter lacked deference to their former beliefs and culture
