The Drunkenness of Noah by Giovanni Bellini, depicting Ham (center) laughing at his father, while Shem and Japheth cover him.

The 'Curse of Ham (more properly called the curse of Canaan) refers to the curse that Ham's father Noah placed upon Ham's son Canaan, after Ham "saw his father's nakedness" because of drunkenness in Noah's tent. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Giovanni Bellini painted his first female nude when he was about 85 years old. ... Ham (חָם, Standard Hebrew , Tiberian Hebrew , , Geez Kam), according to the Genealogies of Genesis, was a son of Noah and the father of Cush, Mizraim, Phut, and Canaan. ... Noahs Ark, Französischer Meister (The French Master), Magyar Szépművészeti Múzeum, Budapest. ... For other uses, see Canaan (disambiguation). ...

Some Biblical scholars see the "curse of Ham" story as an early Hebrew rationalization for Israel's conquest and enslavement of the Canaanites, who were presumed to descend from Canaan. For other uses, see Canaan (disambiguation). ...

The "curse of Ham" has been used by some members of Abrahamic religions to justify racism and the enslavement of people of African ancestry, who were thought to be descendants of Ham (often called Hamites), either through Canaan or his older brothers. This racist theory was common during the 18th-20th centuries, but has been largely abandoned even by the most conservative theologians since the mid-20th century. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Racism is a belief or concept that inherent differences between people (such as those upon which the concept of race is based) determine cultural or individual achievement, and may involve the idea that ones own race is superior. ... Slave redirects here. ... World map showing location of Africa A satellite composite image of Africa Africa is the worlds second_largest continent in both area and population, after Asia. ... Hamitic is an obsolete ethno-linguistic classification of some ethnic groups within the Afroasiatic (previously termed Semito-Hamitic) language family. ... For other uses, see Canaan (disambiguation). ... (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999...

The curse of Ham in the Hebrew Bible

The source of the "curse of Ham" theology comes from Book of Genesis 9:20-27, which deals with the story of Noah's family, soon after the flood: Genesis (Greek: Γένεσις, having the meanings of birth, creation, cause, beginning, source and origin) is the first book of the Torah (five books of Moses) and hence the first book of the Tanakh, part of the Hebrew Bible; it is also the first book of the Christian Old Testament. ... Noahs Ark, Französischer Meister (The French Master), Magyar Szépművészeti Múzeum, Budapest. ... The Deluge by Gustave Doré. The story of a Great Flood sent by a deity or deities to destroy civilization as an act of divine retribution is a widespread theme in Greek and many other cultural myths. ...

20 And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard: 21 And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent. 22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without. 23 And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father's nakedness. 24 And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him. 25 And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren. 26 And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant. 27 God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.

Nowhere is Ham cursed for his actions, instead the curse falls only upon his youngest son Canaan; hence the very phrase "Curse of Ham" is actually a misnomer. The phrase "expose father's nakedness" is used several times elsewhere in the Pentateuch as a euphemism for having sexual relations with one's mother. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Look up Pentateuch in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Euphemism is the substitution of an agreeable or inoffensive expression for one that may offend or suggest something unpleasant to the listener; or in the case of doublespeak, to make it less troublesome for the speaker. ...

Leviticus 20:11 Leviticus is the third book of the Hebrew Bible, also the third book in the Torah (five books of Moses). ...

If a man has sexual intercourse with his father’s wife, he has exposed his father’s nakedness.

Leviticus 18:7-8 Leviticus is the third book of the Hebrew Bible, also the third book in the Torah (five books of Moses). ...

You must not expose your father’s nakedness by having sexual intercourse with your mother. She is your mother; you must not have intercourse with her. 8 You must not have sexual intercourse with your father’s wife; she is your father’s nakedness.

This could explain the severity of the curse, a severity which seems unwarranted for merely observing Noah unclothed.

Interpretations of the curse of Ham

Modern interpretations

Some believe that the curse of Ham is an early Hebrew rationalization for Israel's conquest and enslavement of the Canaanites, who were presumed to descend from Canaan.

A possible explanation for pronouncing the curse on Ham's youngest instead of his eldest son, as might be more traditionally expected, or directly at Ham himself is that the story is implying Canaan was the incestuous offspring of Ham and his mother, although this requires interpretating Noah's cursing Canaan by name as occurring later. To see Canaan as more than just cursed but also a product of matriarchial incest would exacerbate his and the Canaanites' contemptible status. Incest is sexual activity between two persons related by close kinship. ...

Interpretations based on race

Early Jewish interpretations

Whatever the claims and counterclaims of various racial doctrines, the biblical passage, Book of Genesis 9:20-27, which deals with the "curse of Ham" and Noah's family makes no reference to skin color or race. The word "Ham" in Hebrew moreover means "hot" or "multitude", and is thus not necessarily a racial reference.^[1] The word "Cush" by contrast means "black" and direct references are made to Cushite and/or Ethiopian individuals in the Biblical narrative, such as the wife of Moses, Zerah the Ethiopian army commander (2 Chronicles 14:9-15) and Tirhakah, Cushite Pharoah of Egypt (2 Kings 19:9; Isaiah 37:9). Whatever the ethnic origins or skin colors of the Cushites, no curse is pronounced on either Ham, or Cush. The curse of servitude pronounced is on Caanan, one of Ham's sons. This is not a racial but geographic referent. Genesis (Greek: Γένεσις, having the meanings of birth, creation, cause, beginning, source and origin) is the first book of the Torah (five books of Moses) and hence the first book of the Tanakh, part of the Hebrew Bible; it is also the first book of the Christian Old Testament. ... Noahs Ark, Französischer Meister (The French Master), Magyar Szépművészeti Múzeum, Budapest. ...

And he said, Cursed be Canaan; Let him be a bondman of bondmen to his brethren. And he said, Blessed be Jehovah, the God of Shem, And let Canaan be his bondman. Let God enlarge Japheth, and let him dwell in the tents of Shem, And let Canaan be his bondman.

The Caanites, typically associated with the region of the Levant (Palestine, Lebanon, etc) were later subjugated by the Hebrews when they left bondage in Egypt according to the Biblical narrative. In this sense, the "curse" is rather a prediction - they became "servants of servants," under the hegemony of the ex-slaves from Egypt. Ham's other sons include the Mizraim (sometimes associated with Egypt), Cush (sometimes associated with Assyria, the Sudan, Yemen or Ethiopia) and Phut (sometimes associated with Somalia (East Africa) or alternatively Libya or the land of Punt.(Redford, Donald B. Egypt, Canaan, and Israel in Ancient Times.)^[2]. Cush (כּוּשׁ Black, Standard Hebrew Kuš, Tiberian Hebrew Kûš) was the eldest son of Ham, brother of Canaan and the father of Nimrod, mentioned in the table of nations in the Book of Genesis (x. ... The Land of Punt, which the Ancient Egyptians called Ta Netjeru, meaning Land of the Gods, was a fabled and exotic site in eastern Africa, which carried on extensive trade with Ancient Egypt, China and Arabia. ...

As for the alleged inferiority of the Hamitic descendants made by various claimants, it is directly contradicted by the Biblical narrative. Indeed that narrative shows the descendants of Ham constructing or maintaining a variety of sophiscated cultures - ranging from the kingships of Egypt (Book of Exodus), to the empire building of Nimrod of Cush (Genesis 10: 6-11) to the commercial activity and well developed agriculture and urbanization of the Caananites (Book of Joshua) ^[3]. The Biblical narrative as to Noah's son's after the deluge does not appear to have anything to do specifically with race. The classical Negroid, Caucasoid or Mongoloid categories are not mentioned or defined, nor do such groups as Australoids or Oceanic peoples appear. Indeed one of the three "races" alleged - Shem, details the descendants of certain Semitic speaking peoples, a lingusitic, not a racial reference. In short, the Bible makes no definition of blacks, nor does it assign them to any racial hierarchies.^[4] This article is about the second book in the Torah. ... The Book of Joshua is the sixth book in both the Hebrew Tanakh and the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. ... In linguistics and ethnology, Semitic (from the Biblical Shem, Hebrew: שם, translated as name, Arabic: سام) was first used to refer to a language family of largely Middle Eastern origin, now called the Semitic languages. ...

The actual writings of Moses assign no racial characteristics or rankings to Ham, nor do they pronounce a curse on Ham, or blacks. Indeed Moses married a Cushite, one of the reputed descendants of Ham, according to the Biblical narrative (Book of Numbers, Chapter 12). Despite this, a number of early Jewish writers have interpreted the Biblical narrative of Ham in what is deemed to be a racial way. Early Jewish scholars used the Genesis passage, and the idea that the Hamitic people were to be a "servant of servants", to rationalize the Israelite subjugation of Cush's younger brother, Canaan. These scholars, working around the 6th century AD, introduced the idea that Ham was marked by dark skin. From the Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 108b: "Our Rabbis taught: Three copulated in the ark, and they were all punished — the dog, the raven, and Ham. The dog was doomed to be tied, the raven expectorates [his seed into his mate's mouth]. and Ham was smitten in his skin."{Talmud Bavli, Sanhedrin 108b} This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Hamitic is an obsolete ethno-linguistic classification of some ethnic groups within the Afroasiatic (previously termed Semito-Hamitic) language family. ... “The Twelve Tribes” redirects here. ...

Early Islamic interpretations

There is no mention of the 'Curse of Ham' in the Quran. The Prophet Noah was a prophet of Allah and consequently is not expected to be drunk with wine, nor curse at his son/grandson. Muslim scholars do not ever differentiate between people of various colors as the Quran states that all men are equal irrespective of race, skin color or ethnicity.

Early European interpretations

In the middle ages, European scholars of the Bible picked up on the Jewish Talmud idea of viewing the "sons of Ham" or Hamites as cursed, possibly "blackened" by their sins. Though early arguments to this effect were sporadic, they became increasingly common during the slave trade of the 18th and 19th Centuries. ^[5] The justification of slavery itself through the sins of Ham was well suited to the ideological interests of the elite; with the emergence of the slave trade, its racialized version justified the exploitation of a ready supply of African labour. This interpretation of Scripture was never adopted by the African Coptic Churches. World map showing the location of Europe. ... Hamitic is an obsolete ethno-linguistic classification of some ethnic groups within the Afroasiatic (previously termed Semito-Hamitic) language family. ... Christ - Coptic Art Coptic Orthodox Christianity is the indigenous form of Christianity that, according to tradition, the apostle Mark established in Egypt in the middle of the 1st century AD (approximately AD 60). ...

The curse of Ham in Mormonism

Main article: Blacks and Mormonism

In Mormonism, the racial interpretation of the curse of Ham has taken a circuitous route. There was never an "introduction" of the doctrine into Mormonism by the movement's founder Joseph Smith, Jr., because he took the doctrine for granted, like most other white Christian Americans of his era. While Joseph Smith, Jr. was probably taught the curse of Ham doctrine much earlier, the first recorded indication of his acceptance of the doctrine is found in a parenthetical reference as early as 1831. (Manuscript History 19 June 1831). From 1830-1833, the Latter Day Saint movement had no policy whatever regarding race. ... Book of Mormon, see Latter Day Saint movement. ... The Latter Day Saint movement (a subset of Restorationism) is a group of religious denominations and adherents who follow at least some of the teachings and revelations of Joseph Smith, Jr. ... Joseph Smith, Jr. ... Christianity percentage by country, purple is highest, orange is lowest Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Wycliffe Tyndale · Luther · Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch... Leopold I 1831 (MDCCCXXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... is the 170th day of the year (171st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Leopold I 1831 (MDCCCXXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ...

In Latter Day Saint scripture, there is no unambiguous endorsement of the idea that the dark skin of any modern people is related to the curse of Ham, although the Book of Abraham, like the Bible, can be read that way. 2 Nephi 2:19-25 in the Book of Mormon speaks of God cursing two sons of Lehi, Laman and Lemuel, with dark skin due to rebellion against their prophetic father and attempts to destroy their younger brothers (Nephi, Sam, Jacob, Joseph). Alma 3:6-12, also in the Book of Mormon, expands the list of those cursed to include "the sons of Ishmael, and Ishmaelitish women", who were fellow travelers with Lehi's family and participants in Laman and Lemuel's rebellion. These passages state that this was done so that their descendants would not mix with the descendants of the other four brothers, so that their "incorrect traditions" would not be perpetuated; as it would bring about their destruction. Today, all the major Latter Day Saint denominations teach that all humans are children of God and thus equal in his eyes. However, this doctrine is still an element of Mormon fundamentalism, which constitutes a very small break-off from the faith. The term Latter Day Saint most commonly refers to (but is not limited to) members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints which, its members believe, was founded under the direction of Jesus Christ by the prophet Joseph Smith, Jr. ... The Book of Abraham is a text published as part of the Pearl of Great Price, one of the four canonical scriptures of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. ... This Gutenberg Bible is displayed by the United States Library. ... The Book of Mormon[1] is one of the sacred texts of the Latter Day Saint movement, regarded by Latter Day Saints as divinely revealed, and named after the prophet–historian Mormon who, according to the text, compiled most of the book. ... The Book of Mormon[1] is one of the sacred texts of the Latter Day Saint movement, regarded by Latter Day Saints as divinely revealed, and named after the prophet–historian Mormon who, according to the text, compiled most of the book. ... The term Latter Day Saint most commonly refers to (but is not limited to) members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints which, its members believe, was founded under the direction of Jesus Christ by the prophet Joseph Smith, Jr. ... Information in this article or section has not been verified against sources and may not be reliable. ...

The curse of Ham in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Main article: Blacks and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

After the death of Joseph Smith, Jr., Brigham Young, the church's second president, was a vocal advocate of the doctrine that people of African ancestry were under the curse of Ham, and that this curse was a rationalization for slavery and societal bans on interracial marriage. They also stated that the day would come when this curse would be made null and void through the saving powers of Jesus Christ. (Simonsen, Reed, "If Ye Are Prepared", pp. 243-266). Image File history File links Unbalanced_scales. ... From the end of the nineteenth century until 1978, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints did not allow black men to be ordained to the priesthood or to enter its temples to perform ceremonies such as the Endowment or sealing that the church believes are necessary for... Joseph Smith, Jr. ... See also, Brigham Young University Brigham Young (June 1, 1801 – August 29, 1877) was a leader in the Latter Day Saint movement. ... In the Latter Day Saint movement, the President of the Church is generally considered to be the highest office of the church. ... Slave redirects here. ... Othello and Desdemona from William Shakespeares Othello, a play concerning a biracial couple. ...

In addition, based on his interpretation of the Book of Abraham, Young also believed that as a result of this curse, modern people of African descent were banned from receiving the Mormon priesthood but they were allowed to join the church. He believed this curse remained in people with even a single black ancestor. The Book of Abraham is a text published as part of the Pearl of Great Price, one of the four canonical scriptures of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. ... In Mormonism, priesthood is considered to be the power and authority to act in the name of God, including the performance of sacred rites and ordinances, and the performance of miracles. ...

Other church scholars had taught that Ham, the father of Canaan,^[6] was cursed for taking Noah's Temple garment (Genesis 9:22) without authorization and using them to re-create some temple rites, also without authorization^{[citation needed]}. Because of this, Ham and his posterity were cursed from holding the priesthood and from participating in temple rituals (much like some of Aaron's descendants and Saul who lost the kingship of Israel for his posterity for performing unauthorized sacrifices - see 1 Samuel 15-16). As the sacred text states that Ham's descendants settled in Egypt after the flood, Mormon apologists often use this as an argument in favour of the similarity between some Egyptian rituals and some Mormon temple rites. In some denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement, the temple garment (or the Garment of the Holy Priesthood, or informally, the garment or garments) is a set of sacred underclothing worn by adult adherents who have taken part in a ritual ceremony known as washing and anointing ordinance, usually...

In 1978, after decades of criticism inside and outside the church, the church announced a revelation officially renouncing its policy of excluding blacks from the priesthood. The official pronouncement read: "Aware of the promises made by the prophets and presidents of the Church who have preceded us that at some time, in God's eternal plan, all of our brethren who are worthy may receive the priesthood, and witnessing the faithfulness of those from whom the priesthood has been withheld, we have pleaded long and earnestly in behalf of these, our faithful brethren... supplicating the Lord for divine guidance. He has heard our prayers, and by revelation has confirmed that the long-promised day has come... Accordingly, all worthy male members of the Church may be ordained to the priesthood without regard for race or color." ("Official Declaration 2, Doctrine and Covenants of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 30 Sept 1978). Year 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar). ... Revelation This article is about prophecy. ...

Every President of the Church from Joseph Smith to David O. McKay stated that the day would come when full priesthood membership would be given to all men. It was the Mormon belief that Noah's curse meant simply that Canaan's children would receive the priesthood last, after all other races has first been given a chance to receive it. Brigham Young stated:

"When all the rest of the children [of man] have received their blessings in the Holy Priesthood, then that curse will be removed from the seed of Canaan, and they will then come up and possess the Priesthood, and receive all the blessings... [They] are just as much the children of our Father and God as we are... " (Simonsen, Reed, "If Ye Are Prepared", pp. 263-264).

The change in doctrine was further explained by Apostle Bruce R McConkie, who stated: "Forget everything that I have said, or what President Brigham Young or President George Q. Cannon or whomsoever has said in days past that is contrary to the present revelation. We spoke with a limited understanding and without the light and knowledge that now has come into the world." ("All Are Alike Unto God", pp. 1-2).

In 1998, there was a report in the Los Angeles Times that the church leadership was considering an official repudiation of the curse of Ham and related curse of Cain doctrines, to mark the 20th anniversary of the 1978 revelation. (Larry B. Stammer, "Mormons May Disavow Old View on Blacks", L.A. Times, May 18, 1998, p. A1). This, however, was quickly denied by the LDS spokesman Don LeFevre. (ABC News report, May 18, 1998). The Times later suggested that the publicity generated by its article may have caused the church to put an official disavowal on hold. (Stammer, "Mormon Plan to Disavow Racist Teachings Jeopardized by Publicity", L.A. Times, May 24, 1998). Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... This just IN !!!:paris hiltons new dog. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Year 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar). ...

The curse of Ham in Nuwaubian mythology

The Nuwaubians, under Dwight York, reversed the usual racist interpretation of the curse of Ham. In their teaching, the curse was leprosy which in its extreme form whitened the skins of the Canaanites: Nuwaubian doctrine is given in hundreds of books, or scrolls, written by Dwight York Nuwaubianism is a term being used here to describe the various doctrines and practices of Dwight York and his followers, which go by many names including Nuwaubu, overstanding, and factology. ... This article or section needs copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone and/or spelling. ...

"And he said, cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren."
At this point Ham became terrified, and this affected his nervous system, which sent messages to his brain and affected his pineal gland, which produces the melanin. Stress and fear can cause many complications in the way a person's body may respond....
There is a saying that goes, "I was scared pale."
Ham was stressed at this moment in his life. He was what you would call a manic depressive. It is a known fact that stress can cause skin defects, because what affects your nerves can affect your skin. If a regular person could scare you "pale," just imagine what could happen if the unknown was made known to you. This is exactly what happened when the Aluhum stepped in, it scared Ham pale. But this didn't happen to him physically, it affected his genes and it came out in his fourth son, Libana, Canaan. ^[7]
The paleman is a Hamite through Ham’s fourth son, Libana (Canaan) whose descendants inherited his curse of leprosy...^[8]

References

• David M. Goldenberg (2003). The Curse of Ham: Race and Slavery in Early Judaism, Christianity, and Islam (Jews, Christians, and Muslims from the Ancient to the Modern World). Princeton Univ. Press. ISBN 0-691-11465-X. 
• Stephen R. Haynes (2002). Noah's Curse: The Biblical Justification of American Slavery. Oxford Univ. Press. ISBN 0-19-514279-9. 

Notes

See also

• Ham, son of Noah
• Hamitic
• Sons of Noah
• Curse and mark of Cain

Ham (חָם, Standard Hebrew , Tiberian Hebrew , , Geez Kam), according to the Genealogies of Genesis, was a son of Noah and the father of Cush, Mizraim, Phut, and Canaan. ... Hamitic is an obsolete ethno-linguistic classification of some ethnic groups within the Afroasiatic (previously termed Semito-Hamitic) language family. ... The neutrality and factual accuracy of this article are disputed. ... In Christianity and Judaism, the curse of Cain and the mark of Cain refer to the Biblical passages in the Book of Genesis chapter 4, where God declared that Cain, the firstborn of Adam and Eve, was cursed, and placed a mark upon him to warn others that killing Cain...

External links

• Messenger and Advocate
• Sermon on separate heavens and race relations in Mississippi
• Jasher 7 An account of the theft of the garment by Ham is found in Jasher 7:24-29.
• Black people cursed in the Bible