Vengeance is Mine, Thus Said the Lord: A Historical and Theological Analysis of Violence and Marginalized Culture

The notion that Jesus was a nonviolent leader must be critically reexamined in a theological context.  A lack of written evidence of Jesus perpetrating violent acts does not mean he lacked violent intent. In fact, in his trial and his conviction for being the King of the Jews implies violent intent but, however, was unsuccessful with the insurrection. Similarly, Denmark Vesey, an insurgent against slavery in the United States, led a failed attempt insurrection and was tried and sentenced to death for his intent of violence. Using Denmark’s story as the methodology, this paper argues that Jesus attempted to instigate a violent insurrection, but did not succeed, resulting in his death for “treasonous” acts against his oppressor. If, according to Black Theology, God is on the side of the oppressed and Jesus’s liberation from Roman oppression could have involved violence, should a liberation theology support freedom through violence?