The Negro in Sacred History, or, Ham and His Immediate Descendants

By Joseph Elias Hayne

"One of the pioneer workers of the African M.E. Church." -Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Jan. 16, 1911

Dr. Joseph Elias Haynes (1848-1911), was a former slave, colored leader, preacher, physician, author, and close student of ethnology.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bookcrop
• Release date: Jul 12, 2023
• ISBN: 9781088190708

Book preview

The Negro in

Sacred History,

or, Ham and His Immediate

Descendants

Joseph Elias Hayne

Originally Published:

1905

Contents

PREFACE.

I. HOW TO STUDY THE PRESENT LITTLE WORK WITH SUCCESS AND UNDERSTANDING.

II. Ham and his immediate descendants.

III. CUSH AND THE CUSHITES.

IV. SEBA, THE FIRST SON OF CUSH.

V. HAVILAIT, CUSH'S SECOND SON.

VI. SABTAH, THE THIRD SON OF CUSH.

VII. RAAMAH, THE FOURTH SON OF CUSH.

VIII. SABTECHA, THE FIFTH SON OF CUSH.

IX. NIMROD, THE SIXTH AND LAST SON OF CUSH.

PREFACE.

This volume that we have tried to prepare aims at the summum bonum of the Negro race. Though born in the midst of prejudice, but not by any means conceived therein, it is not at all likely that it will attempt to teach that which in no sense is any part of its constitution.

While it is not like the Grecian arts, rocked in the cradle of the Graces, yet it is certainly taught by love to speak. The truths that it contains are but the gems that a persistent, honest and feeble intellectual miner has collected and brought to the surface for an impartial investigation. I cannot for the lack of intellectual powers and a liberal education weave this story in such language as that which has given freshness and symmetrical beauty to the narration of the Corinthian maid; yet, in sympathy and great fervor, it is wrought for the best advantage of the Negro race. It will be readily perceived that this little work as yet, at least, is but a simple and feeble attempt at a compendium of The Negro in Sacred History, or Ham and His Immediate Descendants.

The first stage in all work of this character is that of preparation, the second is that of establishment, and the third is that of refinement. It must be remembered that it required a thousand years to bring to perfection the art of sculpture, such as that produced by Phidias and Praxiteles.

It is not the lack of materials that causes the historical poverty of this volume, but it is the want of time, space and ability. However, like the classic, historic Helen, who caused many hard fought battles, I work as it were this narrative on common tapestry, knowing that the time is not far distant when the Herodotus of the Negro race will not only amplify, but will bring it to a state of perfection.

Polygnotus had his emulation excited by the perfect art of Zeuxis and the superior skill of Parrhasius, but your humble servant finds his emulation in the sacred historian, Moses, and his laconic record of those whom I discuss in this book. Though I cannot with my pen depict the characters in this volume like Timanthes, the Cynthian, who with pencil delineated the sacrifice of Iphigenia, in his portray of the sorrow of the priest, the regret of Ulysses, and the sympathy of Menelaus; and as though for the lack of descriptive power to give the proper expression of feelings to the father, he threw a veil over his face.

I am confident of one thing, while I have omitted much that might have been said, yet I have said enough to awaken that kind of investigation that will bring the Negro to the front in a new field, where he will be studied, better understood, and more highly appreciated by his brother in white.

If Terpander, the musician, could appease a violent sedition by music; if Solon, by singing an elegy of his own composition, and thereby excite his countrymen, the Athenians, to the renewal and termination of a war with Salamis, in which Artemisia, Xerxes' own ally, a woman of great fortitude, distinguished herself by fighting like a man, while the men fought like women; will not this little volume help to inspire the Negro race in their march after higher civilization ? If this much should be accomplished by my feeble efforts, I will have been greatly rewarded. Being satisfied with the honesty of my desire and the purity of my purpose, I launch the little volume on the bosom of the sea of criticism, and implore for it nothing more and nothing less than an equal chance in the literary field.

Our closing remarks are directed at all unjust criticisms, and we quote the same from Voltaire's table-talk: Several of the principal wits of France (among others, the Prince of Vondome, the Chevalier de Bouillon, the Abbe de Ruffi, who had more understanding than his father, and several companions of Beauchaumont, Chapelle, and Ninon de l'Enclos), supping together, were speaking all in their power against LaMotte Houdart. The fables of that author had just been published, and were treated by the company with the utmost contempt. They asserted that he was wholly unable to approach the most indifferent fables of La Fontaine. I then mentioned an edition of La Fontaine, lately published, and talked of several new fables added from the papers of Madame de Bouillon, one of which I pretended to recite. According, they were all in transports, and exclaimed: How different from the style of LaMotte! What precision! What elegance! Every word proves it to be La Fontaine's! I had been laughing at them. The fable was really LaMotte's."

There are some critics whose criticisms are very much like that referred to above, based on nothing but raw prejudice. If all the critics of this character would only keep in mind this excerpt from Samuel Parr's table-talk—No man can be a good critic who is not well read in human nature, authors would have better judges and more sympathizers, and, as a matter of course, would suffer less anxiety.

It is said that Goldsmith did everything happily, and surely it is with much happiness that we submit our efforts to the public for an impartial investigation of the truths found herein. Every one wishes to have Truth on his side: but it is not every one that sincerely wishes to be on the side of Truth and why not? For Who ever knew Truth put to the worse in a free and open encounter?

THE AUTHOR.

13 Morris Street, December 16, 1887, Charleston, S.C.

I. HOW TO STUDY THE PRESENT LITTLE WORK WITH SUCCESS AND UNDERSTANDING.

The language of Moses, the greatest sacred historian that ever lived, when speaking of Ham and his immediate descendants, runs thus:

These are the sons of Ham, after their families, after their tongues, in their lands, in their nations, Gen. x, 20. The learned Mr. Mede, in his very grave reflections on this important passage, says, that this great division of the earth we are speaking of was performed orderly, and was not a confused and irregular dispersion, wherein every one went whither he listed, and seated himself where he liked best. An orderly sorting is plainly denoted by those expressions used in the fore-cited text, viz: after their families, after their tongues, in their lands, in their nations.

The best methods or rules by which the study of the above text might be rendered simple and more easily comprehended by the most limited scholars of the age, are those submitted to the public by Doctor Wells, in his very excellent Biblical Geography of the Old and New Testament. Vol. I, Oxford, edition, 1812, part 1st, Chapter III., Sec. 1st, page 53.

There are ten of them, which we now proceed to quote:

First. When the Scripture does expressly assign any portion or tract of the earth to any branch of Noah's posterity in general, or to any nation or family in particular; we must rest assured, that the respective branch, nation or family, settled itself there; at least, to the main or bulk of it.

Secondly. We must seek these original plantations within a reasonable compass of the earth, and not all the world over. For when this division was made, which was in the days of Peleg, the number of mankind was small. For, says Mr. Mede, besides women and children, their number in all, could not be above seven thousand, as may be gathered out of Gen. x. So that it is not likely, that they took the whole world into the first division or plantation.

Thirdly. Those nations, whose families are named by Moses, are chiefly to be sought for in places neighboring to Judea—for, therefore, chiefly did Moses name their families, because they were such as the Jews would have to deal with, and that chiefly on account of their neighborhood.

Fourthly. Where we find the nation, there also we must look for the families of that nation—because the families were ranged in their nations; and, therefore,

Fifthly. For the same reason, where we find any one of the families, there we must look for the rest, and for the whole nation. These five rules aforementioned we may take, says Mr. Mede, for sure grounds and use them as a land compass in our present discovery; but to them may be added five more of less weight than the