Reverend Richard A. Morrisey (born 1858) was a first-rate African American biblical scholar-a valedictorian of Livingston College and a Doctor of Divinity, president of the Greeneville College, and the pastor of a number of churches in the American South and in Pennsylvania.
In 1915, Morrisey published "Bible History of the Negro," with the hope of inspiring a greater desire to read the Bible" which he describes as giving "the Negro a place among the foremost races of the world, in wealth, in education, in honor and in religion-a history to which every member of the race may point with great pride and profound gratitude to Almighty God today; for the best way to judge the future of any people is by the past."
Morrisey's book of unusual interest importance brings together brings together all the references to the black race in the Bible, covering:
• HAM,
• BATHSHEBA, THE QUEEN OF SHEBA,
• THE WIDOW OF ZAREPHATH,
• "WISE MEN FROM THE EAST,"
• GENEALOGY OF CHRIST,
• ONE OF THE TWELVE DISCIPLES,
• SIMON THE CYRENIAN,
• MEMBERS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH,
• NIMROD FOUNDER OF THE BABYLONIAN EMPIRE,
• MELCHIZEDEK,
• HAGAR AND ISHMAEL,
• RAHAB,
• WORKMEN OF THE TEMPLE OF SOLOMON,
• PHILIP AND THE ETHIOPIAN,
• CANDACE, QUEEN OF ETHIOPIA.
In debunking Noah's curse of Ham as a justification for slavery, Morrisey writes that Noah "no doubt was angry at the time and spoke as one in such a temper in those times naturally would speak. Again, God had already blessed the descendants of Ham before Noah made his attempt to curse them; and God had placed his blessings upon them and had not withdrawn it: Noah had no power to revoke whatever God had done, however great his desire to pronounce a curse."
This book called "Bible History of the Negro Race" is indeed of unusual interest and importance. It may be rightly termed a brief history of some of the world's most illustrious men and women.
