On Such Texts Comment is Unnecessary: Biblical Interpretation in the Trial of Denmark Vesey

On July 2, 1822, Denmark Vesey was hanged in Charleston, South Carolina for allegedly plotting an insurrection involving enslaved persons. During his trial, several witnesses testified about Vesey’s interpretations of biblical texts. When sentencing Vesey to death, Lionel H. Kennedy accused Vesey of...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of the American Academy of Religion 2017-12, Vol.85 (4), p.1032-1049
Main Author: Schipper, Jeremy
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:On July 2, 1822, Denmark Vesey was hanged in Charleston, South Carolina for allegedly plotting an insurrection involving enslaved persons. During his trial, several witnesses testified about Vesey’s interpretations of biblical texts. When sentencing Vesey to death, Lionel H. Kennedy accused Vesey of “attempting to pervert the sacred words of God into a sanction for crimes of the blackest hue.” As many scholars have noted, Vesey and Kennedy choose different texts to cite in support of their respective positions. Yet this article argues that Vesey and Kennedy’s uses of biblical material go deeper than simply countering one set of proof texts with another. They differ on how to apply biblical texts to then current events in Charleston. Ultimately, this difference informs their selection of biblical texts and the strategies they use to interpret them.
ISSN:0002-7189
1477-4585
DOI:10.1093/jaarel/lfw094