African American Bible Study

Africa - Home of the Blacks

Africa is a continent stretching for some 12 million square miles, comprising 22 % of the world’s landmass and 16% of the world’s population. "It is a land of amazing contrast; arid desert, dense tropical forest, swamps and floating islands. It has vast stretches of savanna land, meadow lands, mountain ranges, great rivers, lakes as large as seas, elephant grass and even snow near the Equator, on the peak of mount Kilimanjaro."1 It was called by the Greeks "Ethiopia," which means ‘Home of the Blacks,’ and by the Arabs, "Billad of Sudan."

On the continent of Africa the oldest remains of civilization were found along with the evidence that these people knew not the meaning of failure. It is clear that whenever adversities came and powerful armies were introduced, unlike any other nation on earth the Africans showed a remarkable ability to pick up the pieces of their lives, and start another great kingdom in some other location. When Egypt fell, Nubia then Meroe became the center of black power. Then there was Ethiopia or Axum center of Christianity, this nation was called the "Land of the Gods"— here Christian churches flourished in magnificence and beauty. In the Empire of Ghana the Africans were traders with the world while Songhi specialized in scholarship. In Songhi it was reported that men made more money selling books than gold. It was in Songhi that the famous University of Timbuktu was organized with the greatest library in the world where men came from Greece, Europe, Arabia, Spain and Palestine to study at the feet of the great African scholars. If there is any continent that deserved attention, surely it is this great continent of Africa. Let us therefore examine some of the things the Bible has to say about this continent and its people.