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The Second Moses: the Messianic Tradition in James Hampton's

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The Second Moses: the Messianic Tradition in James Hampton's The Second Moses: The Messianic Tradition in James Hampton’s Throne of the Third Heaven Wendy Eller Kagey In December 1964, the doors of a slum warehouse at 1133 1909 in Elloree, South Carolina.2 Little is known of his child- Seventh Street NW, Washington, D.C., were opened to reveal hood or early education, except that he was one of four chil- the glittering vision of The Throne of the Third Heaven of the dren of James Hampton, Sr., an African-American Baptist min- Nations Millennium General Assembly (Figure 1), created by ister and gospel singer.3 Although it is not certain if Hampton James Hampton (Figure 2), a religious recluse who claimed regularly attended church services as a boy in Elloree, his God had visited him regularly. Prior to its discovery, people father’s participation does, in fact, speak for such an involve- curious enough to ask Hampton what lay behind those doors ment. Furthermore, the inside back cover of Hampton’s Bible were told that this “is the secret part of my life.”1 When this found in the precincts of The Throne reads: “Instruct a child secret later became public, The Throne was acknowledged as in the way he should go, and when he grows old he will not one of the most extraordinary religious visionary pieces in twen- leave it.” tieth century American art. The poor living conditions in South Carolina forced Hamp- The discovery of The Throne created many iconographic ton to move to Washington, D.C. in 1928. On arriving there, he problems for scholars. Hampton had few friends and never began to frequent the Mt. Airy Baptist Church (North Capital married. Pertinent records and documents concerning and L Streets) where he encountered the Reverend A.J. Tyler, Hampton’s early life and upbringing were lost in a fire in St. one of the most influential African-American ministers in the Louis and family members were reluctant to talk to anyone. Washington, D.C. area.4 Tyler preached regularly in the church Thus, much of the information had to come from The Throne from 1906 until his death in 1936, so that Hampton would seem itself. In various publications, Lynda Roscoe Hartigan has dis- to have been considerably influenced by his “fervent sermons.”5 cussed Hampton’s role as a visionary artist, his fundamental Probably affected by the hardship of the Great Depression in Baptist background, his interpretation of the millennium, grace, 1929, Hampton became more and more contemplative, becom- the second coming, and his close affinities to St. John (author ing a visionary. He had his first vision in 1931, at the age of of the Book of Revelation). In his book Flash of the Spirit, Dr. twenty two and only three years after his arrival in D.C. He was Robert Farris Thompson draws attention to Hampton’s reliance drafted into the army in 1942 and sent to Guam where his re- on Kongo-American methods of grave decorations such as the sponsibilities included minor carpentry and maintenance of wrapping of jars and discarded furniture with gold and silver airstrips.6 The first parts of The Throne would seem to have foil. Stephen Jay Gould, on the other hand, links The Throne’s been made around this time; for a stand in the assemblage has design and arrangement to the traditional biblical concept of a label that reads: “Made in Guam, April 14, 1945.” Because time and its meaning for human history. This paper will con- this piece is relatively small and could easily be disassembled, centrate on how The Throne conforms with and deviates from it may have been transported to Washington, D.C., although the conventional interpretation of the Book of Revelation. there is no evidence to substantiate that it was made in Guam.7 James Hampton’s telling faith may well have resulted from After being honorably discharged in 1945 and awarded a his religious upbringing and life experiences. He was born in bronze star, Hampton returned to Washington, D.C. In 1946, 1 Lynda Roscoe Hartigan, “‘The Throne of the Third Heaven of the Na- 4 Although it does not appear that Hampton officially belonged to Tyler’s tions Millennium General Assembly’” (Montgomery, Ala.: Montgom- congregation, he did live in the church’s neighborhood and Tyler was a ery Museum of Fine Arts, 1977) 6. widely known minister in the Washington, D.C. African-American com- munity. 2 As an intern at the National Museum of American Art in the 1970s, Michael Quigley points out that it was not a law in South Carolina to 5 James Dickinson of Washington, D.C., personal interview with author, record births until 1915. Therefore, there is no record of James Hamp- 21 September 1993. According to Mr. Dickinson, Reverend Tyler could ton in Elloree, South Carolina. As Lynda Roscoe Hartigan asserts in her raise anyone’s “Christian fervor.” essays on The Throne, Hampton was inconsistent with his birth date on a number of his job applications, but this date appears most frequently, 6 Hartigan 7. and is the one accepted by such scholars. 7 The measurement of this stand is 21 1/2 inches (wing span) x 12 inches 3 Hartigan 6. x 17 1/2 inches. THE SECOND MOSES: THE MESSIANIC TRADITION IN JAMES HAMPTON’S THRONE OF THE THIRD HEAVEN a year after his return from war, he resumed life as a civilian motifs appear throughout The Throne, including trinity sym- and was hired by the General Services Administration as a bols, drawings, and diagrams set into a monstrance. Freestand- janitor.8 In 1950 he rented the garage space where the major- ing large angel or bird images are often placed at the top of ity of The Throne was discovered fourteen years later in 1964.9 stands arranged throughout the work. Hampton obviously conceived of himself as a messenger In view of these parallels, some scholars associate The of God. The Throne is a reflection of his divine service and his Throne with traditional Christian fundamentalism, a movement belief in a millennium, as well as other biblical passages. Con- that swept through the United States in the early part of this structed principally of old furniture and a variety of objects century, calling for a literal interpretation of the Bible.13 How- covered in gold and silver foil and purple craft paper, The ever, by claiming to have received physical visitations from Throne celebrates, forewarns, and instructs the viewer about God, Hampton has not followed the literal meaning of John the second coming of Christ. In addition to the construction 1:16 and Exodus 33:20, among others, where it is stated that no of The Throne, the artist also created accessories such as man has or will see God and live to profess it.14 Furthermore, crowns, decorative panels, leg holders, and wall plaques. As by adding to the word of God in his manuscripts entitled “Book part of his piece, he wrote a series of notes in a personal script of the Seven Dispensations” (Figure 5), “Second Set of Com- that has not yet been deciphered. mandments,” and “Millennial Laws for Peace on Earth,” Hamp- Hampton’s knowledge of the Book of Revelation and Chris- ton has deviated from traditional and literal interpretations of tian doctrine is subtle yet sophisticated. The title, arrangement, passages such as Revelation 22:18 and Deuteronomy 4:2, among and components of his work give evidence to the scope of his others, that warn against adding to or omitting from the word remarkable comprehension of one of the most complex, con- of God.15 These deviations seem to reflect not only Hampton’s troversial, and least understood books of Scripture. The Book personal visions but also Christian theology as reinterpreted of Revelation tells of the second coming of Christ and the Last by the Black Church in an attempt to provide solace for Afri- Judgement where God appears enthroned and surrounded by can-Americans in their struggle for freedom and civil rights. angels. The “Third Heaven” in Hampton’s title refers to the During slavery, the Black Church compared the circum- biblical abode of God. As described in Genesis, Matthew, and stances of slavery and racial discrimination with the enslaved II Corinthians, the “Third Heaven” is of God; the Heaven of Hebrew nation in Egypt as recorded in the Book of Exodus. Heavens. The term “Nations Millennium,” also part of African-Americans saw themselves, like their biblical counter- Hampton’s title, suggests the day of judgement for all nations, parts, as an oppressed people, denied their rightful place in the which will be called together at a “General Assembly.”10 history of civilization.16 This perspective continued into the early The Book of Revelation also refers to pre-Messianic proph- parts of the twentieth century, despite the abolition of slavery, esies and unfulfilled predictions, and these ideas are symboli- surviving in various forms today, and has been used to cope cally reflected in the composition of The Throne.11 Such dis- with the realities of racial discrimination and other injustices. tinctions between pre- and post-Christian era can be seen in the As James Evans, Jr. puts it: labels in the left (Figure 3) referring to Christ, the New Testa- Both the call of Moses (Exodus 3:1-17) and ment, and grace, and those on the right (Figure 4) side referring the missiological declaration of Jesus (Luke to Moses, the Old Testament, and the law.12 Similarly, the wall 4:16-30), the scriptural touchstones of Afri- plaques on the left bear the name of the apostles, and those on can-American Christianity, reflect the inher- the right, the names of the prophets.
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