Morehouse

SHEPHERDSTOWN — This Saturday at 1 p.m., Shepherdstown resident Chris Morehouse will be giving a talk and book signing at Four Seasons Books for his first book, “Legacy: Wisdom of African Traditions and the Bible.”

When completing his master’s degree in public and international affairs at the University of Pittsburgh, Morehouse concentrated specifically on economic and social development in Africa. That early interest in African cultures led him to continue researching on African traditions. Then, the Shepherdstown Presbyterian Church deacon began to notice some striking similarities between African proverbs and Bible verses, which led him to conduct first-person research and write “Legacy: Wisdom of African Traditions and the Bible.”

“I found at least seven versions of the Golden Rule in African proverbs, so I just kept going. There were about 300 proverbs [I found] that aligned with or resonated with Bible verses,” Morehouse said of his book. “The Bible, of course, offers a wealth of wisdom on its own, but so do each of these other traditions. The use of paradox and metaphor and simile in African proverbs is just strikingly beautiful!

“I looked around and found that there were no books on this topic, so I thought, ‘I guess I’ll do it,'” he said.

Morehouse chose to self publish his passion project, rather than search for a publisher, as that choice would give him more creative freedom.

“I self published and there are pros and cons to that, but it’s been a blessing every step of the way. I enlisted African collaborators to validate it,” Morehouse said.

His collaborators were from countries throughout Africa, representing a wide demographic span, ranging from rural to royal connections.

They helped him determine the origins and legitimacy of proverbs; the context proverbs were used in, such as teaching implements for children; and the issues with language or cultural barriers that might limit the understanding of various proverbs.

“Almost all of the African countries, in one way or another, have a proverb from their cultures in this book, from Guinea to Mali to Kenya to Tanzania to Madagascar to Nigeria to Ethiopia,” Morehouse said. “Each one is this separate and independent treasury of wisdom! This [book] is a compound of multiple traditions, and just glimpses of them.”

Throughout the book, the selected proverbs have been paired with their similar verses and organized under 46 broad themes, with reflections on each theme. Themes include being welcoming to strangers, loving one’s enemies and revenge.

“From the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo comes a proverb that says, ‘To seek revenge is often to sacrifice oneself.’ Think about that! Dedicating your life to seek revenge on another person, you’re going to get hurt. You’re going to have to sacrifice a lot of things you care about. The counterpoint to that is the verse, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord,'” Morehouse said, noting that the proverb gives a fresh take on Romans 12:19. “Sometimes verses get dulled with repetition. But then, when you see another tradition representing their concepts in a different light, you realize, ‘Oh! That is what that’s about!'”

“Legacy: Wisdom of African Traditions and the Bible” is available for purchase online and at Four Seasons Books.