The highly researched work is the result of a lifelong study by Dr. Leodies Tucker, a now-retired Baptist pastor from Mississippi.
Says the author, “The book was not written to stir up controversy. Rather, it lays out the facts regarding the ethnic heritage of men and women we read about in God’s Word.”
The work pulls back the curtain on one of the best kept secrets of the church. Dr. Tucker not only reveals how our thinking on this topic has been shaped, but how this information holds the keys to dealing with anti-Semitism, racism, and sexism.
It comes as a surprise to many to find blacks in the lineage of Jesus. For example the author details how Rahab (a black Canaanite) was married to Salmon. Their son Boaz married Ruth and became the father of Obed, the grandfather of Jesse, and the great-grandfather of David. Thus, a Negro harlot became part of the lineage of King David out of which the Messiah would one day be born (Matthew 1:5-6).
The book dispels several myths, including the “Hamitic hypothesis” which has been used to justify slavery. Mizraim and Cush, the sons of Ham, were said to be the progenitors of the people of Egypt and Ethiopia respectively.
Says Dr. Tucker, “Over the centuries there has been a false impression that blacks are ‘less than’ by the mere color of the skin, which is contradictory to their presence in the Bible and the fact that God ‘has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on the face of the earth’ (Acts 17:26).”
After graduating from Alcorn State University, the author earned Masters degrees from both Atlanta University (Biology) and Southern University (Chemistry). His Master of Arts in Religion (MAR) and Master of Divinity (MDiv) are from Memphis Theological Seminary and he earned his Doctor of Ministry (DMin) from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky. Dr. Tucker is pastor emeritus of New Zion Missionary Baptist Church, Plantersville, Mississippi.
The book is being lauded by lay people, academics, and the clergy. Dr. John H. Anderson, an official of the National Baptist Convention says it is “A must read for serious Bible scholars.”
“The Ethnicity of Jesus” ISBN 978-1-939779-40-3 is published by LifeBridge Books.
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