Black as Evil

[Venkatraman Iyer]

David Salmon wrote:
<<<
However, the contrast between light and darkness is not racial nor
immutably associated with particular peoples or regions.  I am not
aware of any reference that equates dark skin with evil. Rather, the
contrast is between righteousness and evil, which applies as behavior
and beliefs would warrant.

(To justify holding Africans as slaves, American slaveholders used
to rely on Genesis 9:25-27, in which Noah cursed Canaan, his
grandson, to be slaves of his son Shem, because Ham, Canaan's father,
had seen  Noah's nakedness. Canaan and his descendants, however, were
not black nor located in Africa.)

The RV references seem much more racially focused, although it may
be that the darker indigenous peoples were initially regarded as
evil because of practices that the composers of the RV found
morally abhorrent.
>>>

The ancient Hebrews might not have had much prejudice on black.
The Song of Songs suggest a date after exile. Although it is
attributed to Solomon, this could just be a usual literary device
common in the ancient East including India. The first portions of
the Song of Songs must have incorporated lyrics much more ancient
in time.

Song of Songs (NIV)
-------------------
  Dark am I, yet lovely,
       O daughters of Jerusalem,
       dark like the tents of Kedar,
       like the tent curtains of Solomon.  (1:5)
  Do not stare at me because I am dark,
  because I am darkened by the sun.
  [...]                                     (1:6)


Does the light versus darkness dualism begin in O.T
when the authors were in Babylon? I found a reference
that might address this question:
Birgit Langer, Gott als "licht" in Israel und Mesopotamien :
eine studie  zu Jes. 60, 1-3, 19
Klosterneuburg : Österreichisches Katholisches Bibelwerk, 1989.

Jeremiah (~ 645-582 B.C). lived in Babylon for a good part of
his life. He uses a lot of light against darkness theme. He writes
that skin color is given by God, the context and adjoining lines
seem to indicate the prejudice:

  Can the Ethiopian[a] change his skin
    or the leopard its spots?            Jer 13:23 (NIV)

  [a]: Cushite.

Black, white or pitting them against, is not found in Jeremiah.

Regards,
V. Iyer

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