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Dominican University of California

An Analysis of the Message of the Negro Spriituals Withing the Conext of Jurgen Moltmann's Theology of Hope

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

<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>

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
Master of Arts
Level thesis:degree_level
Master's Thesis
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
Humanities
Year
2010

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Matthews, Carolyn E.
Contributors dc:contributor
  • Harlan Stelmach, PhD
  • Craig Singleton, MA

Subjects

dc:subject × 2

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:scholar.dominican.edu:humanities-print-theses-1275

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
Dominican University of California
Base URL
scholar.dominican.edu/do/oai/
Last updated
2026-07-24
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Matthews, Carolyn E.. An Analysis of the Message of the Negro Spriituals Withing the Conext of Jurgen Moltmann's Theology of Hope. Master's Thesis thesis, 2010. https://scholar.dominican.edu/humanities-print-theses/276