This thesis analyzes the message contained in selected Negro Spirituals (songs composed by enslaved Africans during the antebellum period of American history) within the context of Jurgen Moltmann’s concept of the theology of hope. Moltmann, Professor Emeritus of Systematic Theology at the University of Tubingen in Germany, places hope within the framework of Christian eschatology (the doctrine of last things). This context embraces the idea not only of the object hoped for but also the hope inspired by it and in doing so gives hope a dynamic paradigm because it looks seriously at the possibilities contained in our present reality; it establishes a hope for the future that begins in the present. This is the point of connection between Moltmann’s theology and the message found in such Spirituals as “Oh Freedom”, “Go, Down Moses”, “Steal Away” and many others. The words of the Negro Spirituals evidence the same realized eschatology of Moltmann’s theology of hope.
","abstract_html":"<p>This thesis analyzes the message contained in selected Negro Spirituals (songs composed by enslaved Africans during the antebellum period of American history) within the context of Jurgen Moltmann’s concept of the theology of hope. Moltmann, Professor Emeritus of Systematic Theology at the University of Tubingen in Germany, places hope within the framework of Christian eschatology (the doctrine of last things). This context embraces the idea not only of the object hoped for but also the hope inspired by it and in doing so gives hope a dynamic paradigm because it looks seriously at the possibilities contained in our present reality; it establishes a hope for the future that begins in the present. This is the point of connection between Moltmann’s theology and the message found in such Spirituals as “Oh Freedom”, “Go, Down Moses”, “Steal Away” and many others. The words of the Negro Spirituals evidence the same realized eschatology of Moltmann’s theology of hope.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Matthews, Carolyn E."],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Arts","degree_level":"Master's Thesis","degree_discipline":"Humanities","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Harlan Stelmach, PhD","Craig Singleton, MA"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2010,"date_issued":"2010-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2010-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:05:59Z","subjects":["Humanities","Arts and Humanities"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://scholar.dominican.edu/humanities-print-theses/276","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Harlan Stelmach, PhD","Craig Singleton, MA"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Matthews, Carolyn E."]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Humanities"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Master's Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Humanities","Arts and Humanities"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://scholar.dominican.edu/humanities-print-theses/276"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["This thesis analyzes the message contained in selected Negro Spirituals (songs composed by enslaved Africans during the antebellum period of American history) within the context of Jurgen Moltmann’s concept of the theology of hope. Moltmann, Professor Emeritus of Systematic Theology at the University of Tubingen in Germany, places hope within the framework of Christian eschatology (the doctrine of last things). This context embraces the idea not only of the object hoped for but also the hope inspired by it and in doing so gives hope a dynamic paradigm because it looks seriously at the possibilities contained in our present reality; it establishes a hope for the future that begins in the present. This is the point of connection between Moltmann’s theology and the message found in such Spirituals as “Oh Freedom”, “Go, Down Moses”, “Steal Away” and many others. The words of the Negro Spirituals evidence the same realized eschatology of Moltmann’s theology of hope.
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