Master of Divinity (M.Div.)

Hebrew Bible
Howard University School of Divinity
1974

Master of Arts (M.A.)

Semitic Languages and Literature (Major in Northwest Semitic Languages)
The Catholic University of America
1977

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D)

Semitic Languages and Literature (Major in Northwest Semitic Languages)
The Catholic University of America
1986

Master of Business Administration (M.B.A)

Finance
Howard University School of Business
2013

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)

Religion
Duke University
1971

Africa and the Bible

Women in the Bible

Proverbs

Hebrew Language II

The second semester of a course designed to introduce students to the basics of Classical/Biblical Hebrew. In this semester students use Logos Bible Software to read the stories of Ruth and Jonah and the beginning chapters of Genesis, consolidating their knowledge of vocabulary and grammar and learning a little about Hebrew syntax. They pronounce the material, becoming more fluent in pronunciation, as well as becoming better at comprehending the written text.

Hollywood Hermeneutics: Reel Religion

In this online course students watch two films each week and read chapters from a textbook on Film and Religion, as well as reviews, both academic and popular, on the films of the week. They take quizzes on their readings, participate in Discussion Board chats, and discuss the films and material through Zoom video-conference software at lunchtime once a week. There is a research paper dealing with some aspect of film and religion of the student's choice.

Africa and the Bible

In this online course, students are introduced to the positive role of Kushites in the Hebrew Bible. They read the works of former Howard University School of Divinity faculty such as Cain Hope Felder, who was a pioneer in the field of the African perspective in NT studies, and Dr. Gene Rice, who similarly pioneered an understanding of Black presence and influence in Hebrew Bible/Old Testament. Students also read the writings of several alumni of the school such as Rodney Sadler who now teaches at Union Seminary in Charlotte as well as former faculty members who now serve elsewhere such as Renita Weems and Nyasha Junior. They focus on Black women such as Hagar and the Queen of Sheba, considering her from several angles. They spend several weeks on the events of 701 BCE when Sennacherib almost destroyed Jerusalem but failed, probably due to the approach of a Kushite army led by Tirhakah, who later became Pharoah in the 25th Egyptian (Kushite) dynasty, an event of great importance, but not well known. The students discuss the material on a discussion board and in weekly virtual sessions and write a research paper on a topic of their choosing.

Association of Catholic Publishers - Book of the Year, 2019

Proverbs by Alice Ogden Bellis (published by Liturgical Press)

Judges commented that this book adds “significant diversity to the market of biblical commentaries” and is “a huge undertaking, taking the next step in writing that updates all of the earlier work on biblical research from a feminist point of view.” They noted that the volume was greatly enhanced by extra features on topics like “Translation Matters” and “Excursus."

Association of Catholic Publishers - Commentary of the Year, 2019

Proverbs by Alice Ogden Bellis (published by Liturgical Press)

I Am Burnt But Beautiful

I Am Burnt But Beautiful: Translating Song 1:5a, JBL 140, 2021, 91-111.

The translation of Song 1:5a as “I am black and beautiful” in NRSV  racializes a passage that is not about race or ethnicity. It is the translator’s version of cheap grace. While the battle against racist language is ongoing, this verse is not the right battleground. Positive images of Africans fill the Hebrew Bible /Tanakh/Old Testament, but misleading illustrations, translations, maps, and commentaries obscure them. Rather than misconstruing the plain meaning of Song 1:5a, we should highlight the vital role of Africans in the Bible and expose the cover-up in much past scholarship that minimizes it. The Shulamite is ethnically no different from her Jerusalemite sisters. This verse is more about class distinctions than ethnic or racial ones. A contextual rendering for Song 1:5a is better: “I am burnt but beautiful.” It conveys the speaker’s meaning and is even euphonic. It does not give the false impression that this verse is about race or ethnicity. It maintains the speaker’s defiance in the face of her brothers’ attempts to control her behavior. She is no wimp. She is a strong young woman, demanding that the daughters of Jerusalem do as she bids them and implicitly that her brothers and the broader community allow her to lead her own life. Her brothers have forced her temporarily to do work considered lower class due to the sun’s harmful effects. Nevertheless, nobody will dictate the terms of beauty, class, or honor and shame to her. She is burnt, but she is beautiful. 

Proverbs in Recent Research

Proverbs in Recent Research

This article briefly surveys major commentaries and monographs, as well as significant articles, on the book of Proverbs. The broader genre of wisdom literature, of which Proverbs is a key component, has been undergoing intense scrutiny. The question was whether there is a wisdom genre at all and if so how should it be defined. 2011–2020 was a period of intense research during which a paradigm shift was in progress. Other issues include structure and rhetorical features, divine retribution, and theology more broadly, moral self-development, pedagogy, corporal punishment, and economic and social justice. Non-western and indigenous readings and research from a gender-sensitive perspective have continued to be significant.

Jerusalem's Survival, Sennacherib's Departure, and the Kushite Role in 701 BCE

Jerusalem's Survival, Sennacherib's Departure, and the Kushite Role in 701 BCE: An Examination of Henry Aubin's Rescue of Jerusalem

The volume focuses on Henry Aubin's thesis in The Rescue of Jerusalem: The Alliance between Hebrews and Africans in 701 BC (2002) that an army of Egypt's Kushite Dynasty (also known as the Twenty-fifth Dynasty) was influential in saving Jerusalem from capture by Assyrian forces. Eight scholars from a range of disciplines—biblical studies, Assyriology, Egyptology, and Nubiology—assess the thesis and explore related ideas. 

Africa and the Bible: Corrective Lenses--Critical Essays

Africa and the Bible: Corrective Lenses--Critical Essays

Africa and the Bible is a collection of essays about the African influence on and presence in the Old Testament, written over Gene Rice’s more than fifty years of scholarly service at Howard University School of Divinity. They focus on characters with African heritage such as Ebed-melech and Jehudi in Jeremiah, and the prophet Zephaniah himself, as well as dealing with texts that have been misinterpreted to the detriment of African-Americans such as the story of the curse of Canaan, in which Ham and all his dark-skinned descendants are the ones viewed as cursed. One article provides evidence that the original worshippers of YHWH may have been from the land of Kush! One of Rice’s earliest articles deals with the story of Joseph and relates it to Jim Crow; Rice finds in the story a model for racial reconciliation that is still relevant today. Rice’s son, the book is a treasure-trove of carefully researched, thought-provoking articles, and a perfect supplement to be used alongside a Hebrew Bible textbook.

Helpmates, Harlots, and Heroes

Helpmates, Harlots, and Heroes: Women’s Stories in the Hebrew Bible

This best-selling book, now revised and updated, shares the work of many feminist biblical scholars who have examined women's stories for several years. These stories are powerful accounts of women in the Old Testament--stories that have profoundly affected how women understand themselves as well as men's perception of them. Here, Alice Bellis shares the research of feminist biblical scholarship during a quarter of a century, which renders a vast amount of refreshing, exciting, sometimes disturbing material.

Wisdom Commentary: Proverbs

Wisdom Commentary: Proverbs

In this volume, Alice Ogden Bellis considers the book of Proverbs as a structural whole, the sages having designed it in such a way as to make positive statements about women and to undercut the negative ones. By grouping Proverbs together around common issues, the reader is called to consider the perennial moral questions of wealth and poverty, diligence and laziness, and integrity and corruption, as well as the relationship among these values. The result is much more complex and has greater depth than the random list of bromides that most of Proverbs is often thought to be. This volume opens up a multi-dimensional spiritual puzzle.