Book Reviewed: The Black Madonna and Christ: What The Da Vinci Code Did Not Say by Gert Muller

Jesus, the son of Mary of Nazareth (the Black Virgin) The term Black Madonna or Black Virgin refers to statues and paintings of Mary as Black female in Western Christendom. The Black Madonna can be found in many Catholic and Orthodox countries of Europe. The figure of Virgin Mary is loaded with preconceptions. She is usually depicted as the perfect, obedient, and highly esteemed woman. This book posits that Mary of Nazareth has an African ancestry. The paintings are icons of Byzantine Christianity, some of which were produced in 13th or 14th century Italy, the Middle East, Caucasus, or Ethiopia. Statues are often made of wood but occasionally made of stone and painted. They fall into two main groups: free-standing upright figures or seated figures on a throne. There are about 400–500 Black Madonna figurines in Europe and at least 180 in France. Some are in museums, but most are in churches or shrines and are revered by believers. Some shrines are associated with miracles that bring substantial number of pilgrims. The class of Black Madonna from the earlier medieval world of Byzantium are dark brown and have an appearance of an African female. This was based on the physical appearance of many of the Byzantine ruling class who were of Syrian, or Aboriginal Anatolians. Both areas had Black populations. There is nothing symbolic about the color because it is not only given to the Madonna and Christ but also the elite persons in the picture. They were intended to represent the original population of the early Christian era in ancient Israel. This was later reproduced in Orthodox Eastern Europe. This is a small book of 75 pages and contains numerous images (black & white) of Black Madonna. The author describes the images and briefly touches on the historical connection. He doesn’t offer a good discussion of how Mary of Nazareth depicted as an African female became so adorable in Christian orthodoxy. The Song of Solomon, ‘I am Black, and I am beautiful’ addressed to Queen of Sheba describes the love between a man and a woman. It has figuratively been interpreted as an allegory for God’s love of humanity. In other words, the union of the human soul with God. Such a passion is widely used in Hinduism, for example the infinite of love of Radha (female deity) to Lord Krishna represents an unconditional love for the Creator. Queen Sheba, an African female is described in I Kings 10:1–13 and also in II Chronicles 9:1– 12. Various Midrash (Rabbinic commentaries on Hebrew Scriptures) provide an extensive account of Queen of Sheba.