In Search of Zion

«Princes shall come forth out of Egypt, Ethiopia shall stretch forth her hands unto God.» (Ps. 68:31). This book is essentially a study of the religio-theological roots of Africentrism. It looks at the process of the creation of a «symbolic universe» at work in the African American messianic reinterpretation of the Judaeo-Christian tradition. This is set in the context of an examination of the situation of alienation of the African American community in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, as well as the forerunners, such as E.W. Blyden and Bishop Henry McNeal Turner, who provide the background for Marcus Garvey and Garveyism. By examining how the African American exegetical tradition interpreted Psalm 68:31, it traces the development of movements and currents of thought - in particular, three religious movements: the African Orthodox Church/African Greek Orthodox Church, the Ethiopian Hebrews, and Rastafari - which took as their underlying theme Ethiopia/Africa, perceived as Zion, the Promised Land.