University of Nigeria Research Publications

Aut

hor

ABBAH, Ruth Laruba

PG/PH.D/99/22505

Title

Africa in Gods Plan: New Testament Perspective of

African Identity in Christianity

Facu

lty

Social Sciences

Dep

artm

ent

Religion

Dat

e

2001

Sign

atur

e

AFRICA IN GOD'S PLAN: NEW TESTAMENT PERSPECTIVE OF

AFRICAN I D E N T I T Y I N C H R I S T I A N I T Y

ABBAH, RUTH LARUBA PG/Ph.D/96/22505

DEPARTMENT OF RELIGION, UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA,

NSUKKA.

SEPTEMBER, 200 1.

CERTIFICATION

ABBAH, Ruth Laruba, a postgraduate student in the

Department of Religion with Registration Number

PQPh.D196/22505, has carried out the prescribed corrections

in her Bh. D. thesis satisfactorily.

. , , . b*. L:.*-. . -.,.;, Head of Depammt.

&I:+ +! : k. Internal Examiner

DEDICATION

I'o llic l~lc\\c.tl nic~iiorics ol 'n~y bcl~vcd f'all~cr

t:ltlcv (Ihha) Okolo Okpac~lii and

My Ihtlicr In-law Elder (Baha) Abbah Okpelte,

wliose ('lirist-likc livcs inlluenccd mine.

I o 111y ~~iollicr (Mallla) A I ~ I I ~ L I ~ L I O l t ~ l o who

lctl 11ic lo know Jesus as my pcrsonal

I 01~1 awl C:iviour and whose knowledge

and use or the 13ihle ni~rturcd my

total personhood as well as

My ~not l~cr In-law (lye) 1:i-(jo Abbah

who lovcs me and prays f i ~ me.

1'0 all Aliican Chrislians wlio keep widening

tlic Iiorimi of ('liristianity

'1'0 all C'lirislians outsidc Africa wlio

acknowledge the Al'rican identity in Chrislianity.

ACKNOWLEGEMENTS

I give God all llic glory fix I lis faithfulness in fulfilling the revelation of Africa

1 1 1 (;otl's I'lan, wllid~ I lc gavc to 111c il l ;I tlrcani ol'11ic night on 21"/22"" Novc~nbcr

1'389. 1 thank l lim lilr I lis t l i ~ iilc prolcclion and pro\,ision. With profoi~nd gratitude, 1

aclmwledge tlic role o f mv Yupcrvisor, Rcv. I'rofccsor N. Onwu i n his advice and

guidance. I liiglily apprccialc tlic good rclationsliip with tlie I lead of Department, Rev.

1 1 . 1h. A.N.O. I:l\wuniSc a~icl all the academic nicmbcrs ol' staff for their

c~~couragcmcnt a d good wisllcs. I t l l a~~k Mr. (;.C. Oboclii ancl the other clcrical

~~icmhcrs of tlic I)cl~arlmcnl of licligion liw their good wishes. Furtlierniore, I thank

t l ~ c mcnibcrs of ~ h c (;~ndualc Stuclt~n1s' I;cllowsliip (GSI-) of tlie Ilniversity, for their

intcrccssions.

My study would not have been possible without the love and support of my

liusba~id (Da-di) IJldcr Dr. David A. Abbah. 'I'herel'ore, I deeply appreciate him and

pray God's blessings upon I I ~ I I I . I also t I i ~ ~ i l \ Iiini LJI resources, rcading and correcting

111y nla~iuscripts. r\l,lny tIia~ll , ,- 10 1 ) 1 j ' c . I i i l c l r ~ c ~ n , nicws. ncpllcws, cousins :uid ~ \n rds at

Iwmc and abroad for llicir a l l - ~vlr~nd s11ppor1s.

A lo1 of thanks to my typists - Mcssrs I>aniel Ainoko and James Ichado, for

tlicir conipclcncc in lixing neatly the puzzles in my manuscripts and for tlicir expertise

in slotting in more inl'or~nation a lot ol'tinies. I thank Mr. Isaac A. Ogohi for the type-

selling and particularly, N a u n ~ ~ O~iionoji to1 her conlpctcncc in lia~~dling this uork. A

nill lion thanks to n l j bsolhc~, ',Ir. I)lisu C!i,,~i, D ~ p l r ; Registrar, Kogi Stale Collcge of

1:ducalion and my brotlicr i l l Ian, ("F3r0llic1~'') 131.. Ihraliim Omalc, Dean, Facutty of

Ma~i:igemcnt Scicwcs and l l c ~ ~ d . I)rp;lrltiicn1 or Pl~ldic Ad~iiinistration, Kogi Stale

University, A~iyigba, l'or tlicir indefatigable efforts in proof-reading and correcting this

work. Many thanks lo lily nephew Ainolw 1':dime and Mr. I<eubcn Mepa Ade.jo

"young scholars" who assislcd me in the semi-linal proof-reading.

I appreciate niy belovcd I'atlier of tlie blessed nicmory for nieeling much of my

"sc Ilool" ~iccd at tllc co~ i i~nc~ ic~c~~ icn l 01 ' the ~)r-ogln~iiri~c l)clbrc his Iio~nc call lwo nio~~tlis

lalcr (June 30, 1997). 'llianks (o lily mother and motlier ill-law for their prayers, my

Sislcrs Mrs. IMier ("Y:ila") Adaji and Mrs. Mary Omale, brolherslsisters in-law for

their prayers and underslanding on occasions that I could not play prominent roles as

I ougl~l lo, due lo 111y study. I a111 gralclill lo all the people ol'<;od and all [lie Clcrgymcn

and women who stood in die gap on my behalf.

Special h n k s to my brother ("Daba") and wife Elder and Mrs Daniel U.

Okolo, my Uncle and w i k Arch & Mrs. G.Y. Aduku, Mr. & Mrs Drisu Okai, Revd.

I'rol'. & Mrs. Yusuf A. Ohaje, Chaplain, Presidential Villa, Abuja, my sister Mrs.

IJjlller Anaja, "l:negbaniM Ibraliim Odeltina and my son Dr. Sunday Abbah l i~r tlicir

i~~licluc and liniely financial supporls. Special tlianks to [lie last, for effecting final

corrcctio~ls and arrangemenls 01' tliis work and to my "father" Elder D. U . Okolo for

nialting [lie c c ~ ~ ~ l ~ ~ l c r scl availal)lc. 'l'l~:inl~s lo 111~. ncplicw AII:!~;~ Odcltina li)r setting

up tlie set and printing orlt the \\nl-k. I ? r v rmiqr~e concerns, 1 give special thanks to my

predecessor Mama I'enninah Gabriel (Mama k n i ) and my successor Mrs. Serali

Omoya, Presidents, Women I~ellowsliip, Qua lboe Church of Nigeria, Ankpa and

Owclc respeclivcly.

[:or making this study possible, 1 am also very much indebted to the

management of tile Kogi State College ul Educalion, Anhpa, lo1 grrrnti~lg ~ i ic tlie study

Icave. 'l'lianlts lo all llic stafl' r :~cml~c~s for tllcil praycl.5, e~icourngenicnts and good

\visIics. Special rlianlts lo Mrs I : . Ah~h:~l<ar h r malting conditions conducive Ibr the

typist. 'I'lianks lo tlie fo'oilowing colleagues, Messrs U. Akagwu, C. Onialle, N. Idaluba,

.I. Oclieje and 111.. S. t;-jima as well as my niece Elizabeth Edime for their donations of

duplicating papers at the initial stage.

I'rofountl tlianlts to l'rofessor Ogbu Kalu for his contributions to this study. I

tliank him too for crcaling a privilege for me to personally meet will1 Professor

Alldrew Walls of the University of IZclinburgh, Centre of Studies in Christianity in a

Non-Western World i n April, 1999 and whose comments, advice and books have been

intlispe~isable in this study. 1 owe Professor Walls many thanks.

I'o the ~i~anagemcnl and ~xxson~icl of the following 'I'licological l~islitulio~is, 1

am greatly indebted for being so wonderfully helpful: In the '17heological College of

Northern Nigeria (I'CNN), I3ukuru - Jos, Plateau State, were, Rev. Dr. Sid Garland my

11ie11lor wliosc contributions spurrcd me in thc study and who, Tor my sake got most

currcnt rcsourcc n~alcrials from Fast ATrica to aid Lhc study, tlic Rcgistr-ar, 1,ibrarian

a~id tlic lbllowing stirdc~~ty I'aslors J o ~ d i Obajc and Joshua Odcli 01' the Qua Iboc

C'hurcli of Nigeria as well as my student - Iiostesses i l l tlie hostel by names, Rev. Mrs.

Illarc Ogbonna, lilder Mrs. Nene Amogu, Victoria Okike (a young lady who took me

as a mother), Charity who gave me thick dresscs to combat tlic cold and Mrs. Ebere

Onia~i all ol'tllc I'lcsbylcrian cllurcll.

In tlic Nigcria 13aplist 'T'licological Seminary (ND'I'S), Ogbomosho, Oyo State,

were the President and wifc Rev. I'rof & Mrs. Y.A. Obaje who hosted and entertained

mc the various times I was there, wlio also took care of my hospital bills when I

bccanic indisposctl and for wliosc sake I was ildn~iUcd to usc the post Graduate I<arrcl

where I ell-joyed my study lnost and wanted to "make a booth and remain there".

Special thanks to the I,ibsnrian, Mrs. Atlctutu for I3cing specially good at tracing out

resources for niy IISC. 'l'hanks to a ~L~ldent librarian hy name \,ondon Ohwoniglio from

1)clta State wlio was always willing to assist any lime I nccdcd him.

Ikgardi~lg the lJnited Missionary Church of Aliica 'I'heological College (My

Alma Mates), Ilorin, Kwara State, I remain very grateful to my Greek teacher Miss

I,ois I-uller wlio hosted and entertained me the various times I was there and made

available a good number of'relevant Grcelc literature. 1 am grateful to the I'rovost, Rev.

I l r . M. Akanglx (my Iiusband's fortiier course mate) wlio personally came to tlie

library to help 11ic look for relcvant materials besidc~ his personal ones. 'I'hanks to the

librarians too for their assistance. Many regards to the president of tlie Mission and his

wifc, Rev. Dr. & Mrs I'etcr Isliola for their moral supports.

'1'0 my home Cliurcll Institution, 1 lack words to cxprcss my gratitude to tlie

I'rincipal, Peter Acl~imugu Collegc of 'I'lieology, Ankpa, Rev. Israel Y. Altoh for

acco~n~nodating me for a couple of months during the compilation of my research

findings. 'I'hanlts to the librarians for being willing to assist mc evcti at odd times. I

1 x 1 ~ God's blcssings o ~ i the staff and thcir Iamilics for sending me food/snacltsNi-uits

as if l had told them when and what I needed.

vii

' I hanks Io [lie I lead, l)epasl~ncnt of Religion, Ik l ta State Ilnivcrsily, Abraka,

Sor allowing rlie lo photocopy a mosl recent relevant material I nccdcd as basic

I ~ X I ~ ~ I I N I I ~ ~ I I ~ ~ C I ; I I ~ I I C l i ~ (lie \t11(1y. ~ I ' I I I } , t l i : ~ ~ i I ~ ~ ' , 10 the rollo\\ing h d l ~ s c n : Mr. &.

4 l i d i 1 o r f S i l l I3 l'.. I;rctfcricl*: IP: Io~cpli inc (my 13.'I'li. male)

'I'orilsemotse, (iospcl I3anlicrs an(l I<Itfcr, and MI*?. Dnmudi Sani. all of' Warri for their

prayers and hospitality whilc 1 was in Ik l ta Slate.

I:inally, as llic author of llic epistle to the I lcbrcws (1 1 :32) puts it, "'l'ime Sails

Inc Io mention.. ." everyolie who was co~iccrned about my progress i n this matler, but

nc; tllc same aullio~ ~ S S L I ~ C S , I do too. ~ht, "God i~ 1101 u~?just to liwgct your work and

labour of l o w 11 hicli yo t~ h a w 4 w w n toward 1 lis name.. ." (I leb.6: 10, NKJV).

'I'licrcliwc, may llic I o ~ d l~lcss yo" lix 1 1 1 ~ love !/or1 have Iiad Tor nic i n any way.

Abovc dl, having worked and obtained Lhis academic recognition, my goal is,

"that 1 may know Christ and the power of His rcsurrcction and the fellowship of I lis

sul'fcsings, being conSormcd to 1-lis dealh, i f by any means, I may attain to the

rcsurrcclion l'roni the tlcatl" (I'liil. 3: 10, I I). A~itl lhcn obtain my I,ordls procl:unation,

" . . . \+ell donc, good and l'aihli~l s ~ r v a ~ l t ; . . . linlcs illlo llic joy 01'your Imd" (Matt.25:

23). AMEN.

viii

PREFACE

'I'liere is a general notion that Christianity is a whiteman religion arid thereby it

is a t.cccnt arrival on tlie African soil. Therefore, the study focuses on AlLica in God's

pla~l as depictcd in tlic Ncw 'I'estament perspective of Ali-ican idenlily in Cliristianity

right frotn its incept ion.

111 cliaptr~~' orir., tlic c,lrrrly c.iiitiiirir.\ llic N u \ \ I'c~lii~iicnl I'ct upcclivc ol' Aliica~i

lde~itity i n Christianity. I t i u done with a number of cross rcfcrences to tlie Old

'I'cslnnwit bcing tlic hasic background literature and due to the peculiarity of the inter-

relationsliip of both testaments. It is affirmed that from the creation accounts

((kt1.2: 10- 13) to csclintological issues (Kcv. 1 1 :8), Aliica and Aliicans arc idctitificd in

God's plan and tlie biblical account is ~vitliout prcjl~dice against tlic AIiicans.

The prohlc~ii is tliat peoplc who have niiwnderstood Cliristianity have also

misinformed others that Christianity is a White-man's religion. 'T'lierefore, due to the

White-man's coloni~ation and exploitation of Africans, he is rc-jected along with his

so-called religion. Ucsidcs, ccrtain non-AlYican literature writers who dislike Afticans

makc conscious clli)rts to dc-emphasi~e issucs on Afiica and Africans in tlic New

'I'cstamcnt. Isla~iiic invasion into Ali-ica hy tlic A~ahs i~scs every sign and nicans to

islaniize the co~itincnt. 'I'licrchrc. itnlcss a study like this is done sucli efforts will

succccd.

'I'lie pi~rposc is to indicate the positio~l of Africa in biblical narralives, to

articulate the indispcnsability of Af3rica and Africans in Israel's history, to evaluate the

significance of Africa and Africans in the expansion of Christianity during the gospel

a~ ld apostolic cras and to rcflcct on tlic impact oT tlic carly Post-Ncw Testament

Aliican C'hrislianc on the C'lir~rcli t Iniverc:ll. 'I'liis ~ r d y is significant because Africa is

dcscribed by 13otlnl~ (11.d) as "tlie gun of the world arid Nigeria being the trigger".

Cliristianity is significantly acknowledged from stickers to open air crusades, from

cliiltltcn cvarigclisni 11iinisrt.y to adult soul wititling and li.oni Iiousc I'cllowsliips to

catlicdrals and Frotn early African Christians to the prescnt, they have rnadc indelible

inipacts on the Church universal.

'I'lie scopc covcrs boll1 thc Saharan and Sub-Saharan Africa and the 1 lamitic

dcsctndants (Al'rica a n d Canaan). I<cg:iltling tlic ~ ~ ~ ~ t h o d o l o g y , cxcgesis of relevant

I>il>lical i~i,juctio~~s \vcrc cotidrtctcd as \vcll nr, c\tcgc(ical rinalysic of rclatccl cxisting

data.

Chapter two li~cuscs on I,itc~.aturc rcview. It notes that beside non-African

\witcrs, thcrc is a good nurl~bcr of literature l'rom African scholarship background that

has acltnowlcdgcd ar~d identilied the New 1 cstamcnl I'crspectivc ol' Al'rican Idenlily in

('hristianity. 'I licy :~lso denote Ali ican ~cl:~tionsliip \ \ ill1 tllc Old 'I'cstament world. It

is indicated that fro111 lmth tcctn~iicnt~ t o tlic prrwnt pxeration o f African Clirislians,

significant inputs liavc bccn m d e so ni~~cl i that Africans can make a claim on

C'lirist ia~iity as all A li-ican rcligio~~.

In Chaplcr 'l'hrec, the Old I'cstarncnt significance of Africa and the African

jwsitio~i is investigated; that at dillkrent tinics, Africa and Ali.icans partly or wholly

related, have been labelcd wit11 various names. So~llc of such names are used in the

hihlical pcrspeclivc: Ilam, C'ush, 13Iiopia, Egypt, Misraini, I 'L I~ , I,ibya, Cyrene,

Abyssinia, Canaan. I<aliab, 13arhnrinns. ctc. 'I'lic three empires that posilively

i~~lluenced godliness and Christianity in Africa, were Persia, Greece and Rome. Persia

\vIiose provinces cxtendcd to I3liiopia gave a decree to worship God, Alexander the

(;reat with Grcclc as lingua franca, influenced the Septuagint (Greek 0'1' translation) i n

Af~ica and the Christian Church was born in the Roman Empire in which she lived her

first live hundred years.

'I he study in cliaptc~ four d ~ a w atlcntion tu distinctive inslrulnental roles of

Afiica and Ali-icans in tlie go~pel and apo.;tolic ern? I t conccrlis tlic Africa11 Iclcntity

in the life o r Jesus Christ regarding ilis gc~icalogy, f l iphl to I'gypt, and African tlcscent

among the disciples and comlixt from an African en route tlis crucit?xion. In the

poclamation of tlie gospel during the apostolic era, Africans are also identified as

l i av i~~g played prominent roles. These are seen in the Pentecost experience,

I:recd~nan's synagogue, thc Patriarchal Reviews, Jerusalem Pilgrimage, the first

sqslenlatic evangelism of Christianity, Conlniission and ordination of missionaries into

the Gcnlile world, African zeal lor the Lord, Jewish-Africans as New 'lestament

authors, a mistaken idenlily of Sl. Paul, God's word on a sail by an African ship,

f'ai~l's relalionship with Al'ricu~l Mission, all aposlle to Aliica and Africa in

Ixhalology.

Chapter five idcrllifies Africans i l l [lie New Testalnetit worldview in two major

areas. Firstly, Africms are viewed as a sub-set of Gentiles in the circumcision issue,

i l l lllc family life, in llie 1 l e rcakr lile and i n poli~icol/social affinity. Secondly, effects

of Af'rican Clirislians in rllc earl^, post New 'l'csta~i~ent era are projected as having

indelible inipacts on h e C I ~ I I S C I I ilnivcrwl.

Chapters siu and scven li:~vc lo d o with the srininiary and conclusion i n general

respectively, whereby, lhc study regarding African Identity in Christianity has

c.slal,lislicd that ('I~rislianity is an Ali-ica~l rcligion hccause il was i n Ali.ica I~c l i~rc tlic

White-man's advent and il has continued to grow after the abolition of the White-

~nan 's colonizalion ol' Afikx. C'l~risliunily did not enter Af'rica by invasion but by

integration. Ils expansion in Afi-ica and conteniporary African missionaries in other

parls of lllc worltl, two t l louca~~l ycars al'lcr Cl~risl, dcnolcs l l~e Africaness of'

Christianity.

ABSTRACT

'I'he crux o r the issue that gave rise to this study is thc gcncral view of those

who have misundcrstood Christinnily and llicrcby misinformed others that Christianily

is the Wliitc-man's rcligion and thereby, a recent arrival on thc African continent. It

is, therefore, attackcd kom various angles for various reasons. 'I'he study has

cstablishcd from the Old 'l'cslament accounts, as the basic background literature, that

Gotl's relationship with the African land and people was fro111 n~illennia bcforc the

birth of Christ and thcy arc objcclivcly porlraycd i n thc biblical accounts without a

prc.judice. 'l'hc Africans who wcrc God-fcarers of lhc Old Testament becamc

('liristia~is of' llic New 'I'cstanicnt. C'onsitlcrillg tlic finding lion1 tlic Ncw 'l'cstan~cnt

I '~~.spcct iv~ 01' Al'ric;in ldcntily ill Clirislianily: Ali'ica and Aliicans arc identified as

playing yromincnl roles li'oni tlic gcncnlogics of .lcsus in Saint Maltlie\v's Gospel lo

cschalology in thc book o f Revclntion. All along, they hnvc developed interweavingly

both liturgy and ctlucation and lhrougli thc church and inllucncctl both lhc Church

Ilnivcrsal and tlic society.

1:roln the life and Ministry of Jesus in the gospels through the apostolic era and

to Ihc conlcmporary generation, Ilis Sollowership as wcll as the fellowship of I-lis

l'ollo\vers have continucd to wax strong and largc in Africa. It is strongly argued that

fieom Nativity lo Golgotha, accounts through the Pentecost events to the early

missionary explosion of the Christian faith into the Gentile world, Africa was

constantly mentioned. During the early post-New Testament era, Africa also produced

well equipped theologians, Church Fathers and scholars who defended both thc

Catholic and I'rutestanl doctrines, as well as thc Christian faith and practice at very

high costs whcn martyrdom was the lest of authentic Christianity. At that early age,

the bible was translated into two African languages, bcing the then first of its kind in

tllc world. Even now, records show that Africa has the higl~cst number of Christians

and Bible translations. 130th the early and contemporary African theologians have

madc indcliblc impacts on thc universal Church. Dcspite the Islamic invasion on North

xi i

Afi-ica, it is established that t\\w thousand ycass af'ter the child Jesus had taken refuge

in Egypt, Ilis religion Iias d~ l i~ i i t c ly ( i ) u l l c l a Iio~ilc on tlic ATrican continent. It is

objectively ohscnwl tliat tlic slinpc and poqirion ol'tlic Univcrsal Church Tor centuries

to come will largely dcpcnd on what happens in the Al'rican Church.

... X l l l

TAIZI.,E OF CONTENTS

'I'itlc Page ...

Approval Pagc ...

IJedication ...

Acknowledge~~ienls

I'rc face ...

Abstract ...

'I'ablc ol'Conlcnts

Abbreviations ...

CHAPTEH ONE: GISNElIAL IN'1'1~OI)UC'l'ION

1 .O Introduction ... ... ... ... ...

I . I Background of the Study ... ... ... ...

1.2 Statement of the I'rohlem ... ... .., ..,

... ... . a . 1.3 I'urpose of [he study ...

... ... 1.4 Scope of the Study ... ...

1.5 Methodology of the Strldy ... .., .,.

... I .6 Significance of the Slidy ...... ...

... 1.7 Limitation ofthe Study ... ...

Page

I

. . I I

... I l l

iv

viii

xi

... X l l l

xxi i i

xiv

'I'nblc of Contents C o ~ t . CIIAl'TER TWO: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

... ... ... ... ... 2.1 lr~troductior~ ...

... ... ... ... ... 2.2 Rcvicws ...

... ... 2.2.1 Africa's Relationship with the Bible ...

... ... ... 2.2.2 Africa's Impact on Christianity ...

... ... ... 2.2.3 Western lmpact on Chrislianily ...

... ... ... ... 2.2.4 Contemporary Situation

CHAPTER 'TI-IIIEE: OLD TlCS'I'AMENT ACCOUNTS

OF AFRICA AND AFRICANS

3.1 Inlroduclio~l ...

... 3.2 Names ...

... 3.2.1 Gongwandan

... 3.2.2 Akebu - I. an

... 3.2.3 Wawal ...

3.2.4 Put or Plli~l or 1)11111

... 3.2.5 I . ibya. 1.11clims

3.2.6Cyreiic ... ...

3.2.7 Cush ... ...

... 3.2.8 Ethiopia ...

3.2.9 Nubia ... ...

3.2.10 Egypl ...

3.2.1 1 Miz~ailn ...

Table of Contcnts Cont . 3.2.12 Canaan ...

3 -2.13 Berbersll3arbarians

3.2. I4 l k h b ... ...

3.2.15 Thc Land oT Ham

3.2.16 'I'imbuklu ...

3.2.17 Ildcn ... ...

3.2.18 Molher of Mankind

3 . 2.19 ATrica (ATricanus)

3.2.20 The Dark Conlincnl

3.2.21 "A 'Third World"

3.3 ('an Any (bod 'I'liing C O ~ C 0111 oT Africa?

3.4 111 Crcaiion Accounls ... ... ...

3.5 I n lhc 'I'able of Nations ... ... ...

3.6 In the Old 'I'estamcnt Development ...

3.7 I lighlighls on ATrican Functions in thc Old Teslamcnt ...

3.8 In lhc Inlcrl~.slamcnt I'criod ... ... ... . . .

CtIAI'TER FOUR: AFRICA AND AFRICANS

IN TI-IE NEW TESTAMENT

4.1 Introdilciion ... ... ... ... ... ... 100

4.2 Africa and Akicans i n thc Gospel Era ... ... . . . 100

4.2.1 Africans in . lcsus' Gcncaology, Ma11.1.3-6 ... ... 101

xvi

'I'a blc of Corhcnts Con t.

4.2.2 Visit Of'l'hc Wisc Mcn, Malt. 2: 1 - 1 2.. . . . . . . .

4.2.3 Africa lor Asylum, Matl.2: 13-1 5,19-23 ... . . .

4.2.4 An Ali.icun I>csconl: A 1)isciplc ol'.lcs~~s,

Mall. 10:4; Mk. 3:18; 1,k. 6:15; Acls 1.13 .,.

4.2.5. All African Desccnl: A Woman of I7aitli.

Matt 15:21-38. . . . . . . . . , . . . . . .

4.2.6. Afiican Kolc En-routc lhc ('rucifiuion

of Jesus, hlatl. 27:32; Mh. 15.2 1; Lk.23:26

cf. Rom. 16: 13 ... . . . . . . ... . ..

4.3 Afi-ica and Africans in lhc Apostolic 13ra ... . . .

4.3.1 African i l l tllc I'cnlccosl I:xpcricncc, Acls 2: 1 - 1 1

4.3.2 Al'rican, Regarding thc 1;reedmen's

Synagogue, Acts 6:9 ... . . . . . . . . .

4.3.3 Africa and Africans i n the I'atriarchnl Reviews

4.3.3.1. By Skplicn, Acts 7: 1-36 ... . . . . , .

4.3.3.2. By I'aul, Acts 13: 17-52 . . . . . , ...

4.3.3.3.By Anonymily, I-leb. 8:9; 1 1 :24-27 ... ...

4.3.3.3.1 .I Icbrcws 8:') ... ... ... . . . . . .

4.3.3.3.2. t lebrews 1 I :24-27 ... ... ... , . .

4.3.4 African on lhc Jerusalem Pilgrimage,

(lhc Elhiopian eunuch) Acts 8:26-40 ... . . .

xvii

'L'a hlc of Contents Cod.

4.3.5 Ali-icans in lhc Firsl Systcmalic

ljvangelizalion, Acts 1 1 : 19-26 ... ... . . .

4.3.6 ATrican Role in the Colnlnission and

Ordination oSMissionnries into thc

Gcntile World, Acts 13: 1-3 CT. Rom. l6:2 1 . . .

4.3.7 Apollos: A Zealous Ic.wish Arrican, Ads 18:24-28

4.3.8 Jewish Aliicans: Aull~ors o1 thc Ncw

Testament (cl: Acts 18:24-28) ... . . . ...

4.3.8.1 Apollos . . . . . . . . . ,. . . . .

4.3.8.2 Sl. blarlc .,. ,.. . . . . , . . . .

4.3.9 A Mistakcn African Itlcnlity of Apostle Paul,

Acls 2 1 :38 ... . , . . . . . . . . . .

4.3.10. God's Word on Sail by an African Ship,

Acts 27:6.28. cT Rom. 16: 13,2 1 . . .

4.3.1 1 I'aul's Relationship with African

Mission. cT. R a n 15: 19,20 ,., . . .

4.3.12 St. Mark: An Apostlc to Africa ...

4.4 Aliicn in I:sc.llatology, Rcv. 1 1 :8 ... . . .

... ... ... ... ... 5.1 Introduction

... ... 5.7 Afi icnns :IS n ~~n iq t~c - s r l of Cr~ntilrs

... 5.2.1 Africans i n thc Circumcision Issuc ...

5.2.2 Arrican 1:aniily L i k as Related to the Jews ...

... 5.2.3 Africans and thc Jews In the I lcrcnfter . . .

5.2.4. African-Jcwish I'olitical and Social Affinity ...

5.3.Effects of Some African Christians In the Early Post

... New l'estamcnt Era In Brief

... 5.3.1 Clcme~il or Alexandria ...

... 5.3.2 'Tcrtullian, Ilishop o r Carlhase

... 5.3.3 Cypriali. 13ishop of Cartlltlgc

... 5.3.4 Origin of Alexandria ...

5.3.5 Athanasius. Bishop of Alcxandria

... 5.3.6 Donatus. Rishop of Carlhnye

. . . 5.3.7 Cyril, l'nlri;~rch of Alcxar~~lr-in

... 5.3.8 Augustine of llippo ...

... 5.3.9 The I-loly Great Martyr Menas

xix

'l':~blc of Contents Cont.

CHA1"I'EK SIX: SIGNIFICANCE OF AFKlCA

AND AFRICANS IN 'I'liE NEW TESTAMENT

PERSPEC'TIVIC: A SUMMARY

6. I I~~tsoduction ... ... . . . . ,. . . . . . .

6.2 Signilicancc of Africa11 lclcnlily in the Old and

Inler-'I'eslan~enI I'erspeclivcs . . . . . . . . . . . .

6.3 Significancc of African ldcnlily In the New

Testament Pcrspcctive . . . ... ... ...

6.4 Signilicancc ol' Ali-icnn Idcnlity In the Early

I'osl Nc~v 'l'cstanicnl Pcsspecti~ c . . . ,. .

6.5. Significancc of African Identity in the Conlcmporary View 223

CHAI'TEII SEVEN:

CONCLUSION . . . ... ... . . . . . . .. . 227

REFERENCES . . . . . . . . . . . , . . . . .. 233

AI'PENDIX A - List of Tables . . . . . . . . . ... 257

'I'al~lc I , Perccniogc o r A hican I ,and Mass ... . . . . . . 286

'I'ablc 2, 170ur R ivcr I-Ieads kom thc G:irtlcn oT Fdcn . . . .. . 286

'I'able 3, Iialil's Ilcscenclants .. . ... ... . . . ... 286

'I'i~blc 4, ATricaItllc 1;ertile ('rcsccnt ... . . a . . . . . . 286

Table of Contents Cont . ... ... ... Table 5 . Gcncalogy of Jesus ...

... ... ... Table 6. RcSugc for Jesus ...

'I'ahle 7. Aliican Dcsccnl Among Jesus Disciples ...

'I'ablc 8. Comfort for Jesus En-route Crucifixion ...

... ... ... l'ablc 9. Pcnlccosl Itxpcsicnce

... ... 'Tablc 1 Oa. Dispute with Stephen ...

... . . . . . a Table 1 Ob. 'l'he Scven Deacons

... 'I'able 1 1. Africa in I'atrinrchal Reviews . . .

... 'I'ablc 12. Alikan on tllc .I crus.~lcm I'ilgsimagc

?'able 13. Africans in thc First Systcmntic Evangelism

'I'able 14. I'rophcls and 'I'eachcrs in thc Early Apostolic

Church to Ordain and Commission Missionaries ...

... ... 'I'able 1 5 . Jewish Africans ... ...

... 'I'ablc 16. Jewish African N . 'I'. Authors ...

... Table 17. St . Paul: A Mistaken African Identity

... ... ... 'l'nblc 18. African Ship ...

'I'ahle 19 . I'anl's I<clationship with Aliican Mission ...

... ... 'I'able 20. First Apostle in ASrica ...

... 'l'ablc 2 1. Alivica Nalivity oS Mark and Apollos

... ... 'I'able 22. Africa in Eschatology ...

... 'fa\de 23. ATrica . \hrlicqt Ribk 'Translations ...

xxi

Table of Contents Cont. Page

'l'able 24, Bible 'I'ranslations, 2000 ... . . . . . . ... 291

'I'ablc 25, A Cross View of Moses, Stephen, J'aul,

Apollvs and Mark . . . . . . . , . ... ... ... 291

'I'able 26, Percentage of Cluistianity, 2000 . . . . . . ... 292

APPENDIX 13 - Maps, Charts and Letters.. . . . .

Figs. 1 and 2 expunged ... . . . . . . . . . ...

Fig. 3- Map, the Fcrtile Crescent ... . . ,

,, 4 - Map, Ancicnl Ncar Last IkSore Exodus

,. 5 - Some Biblical Arcas ... . . . ...

, . 6 - Dcscerldanls of J Jam ... ... . . .

,, 7 - Ted Bergman's Letter, April 1999 . . .

, , 8 - Old Testament 'l'ime Line ... . . .

,* 9 - The Nations of Genesis Ten . . . . . .

3 J 10a- Bible Translations in African

Imguages ('Ted Bergman; May 2000)

,. 101)- A (;enctic Rclalior~ship . . . . . .

, , I 1 a- Nigcria Bible 'I'ranslation 'I'rust

Director's Letter, September I 999. . . .

3 , 1 1 b- Number of Nigeria Bible

'J'ranslations, 1997 . . . . . . ...

'I'ablc of Contcnts Cont. I'ngc

) , I 1 c- Nigeria Rilde Translations, N.T. ... . . . 305

., 12a- Scriptures in Nigerian

Languages (complete Uiblc) 2000 . . . ... 306

7 7 12b- New 'I'eslamenl 'l'ranslalions . . . ... 307

>. 12c- Old Testament 'I'ranslalions

and 13ible Revisions In Progress ... . . . . . . 308

3 > 12d- New l'eslament 'Translations

In progress and I'rojects Starting ... . . . 309

7 7 12e- ('onlad and Mobilization in I'rogress and

Abbreviations ... . . . ... ... . . , . , . 310.

xxiii

ABBREVIATIONS

Acts, The Acts of the Apostle

A Anno Domini (in the year of our Lord)

AIDS, Acquired Immune Deiiciency Syndrome

AICJV, Authorixd King James Version (same as KJV)

Amp,. 'I'hc Amplilicd Uiblc

Aplm~d,. Appcntlix

ASV, 'The American Standard Version

Ihs , The New Tcstamcnt in Basic English

B . Def'orc Christ

i3.C.E. Defore [lie Coming Em

13cck., The Ne\v 'Tcstamcnl in thc Imguage

ofl 'oday (By Williani Bcck).

C., About (time)

I . , In thc Coming Era

c . , Cross reference

Ch., Chaptcr

Col.. Colossians. the cpislle to thc

Chr., Chronicles, the book of the

Ed., Editor I Edited1 Edition

e.g , example given

1 Ephesians, thc epistle to the

ctc., Et cetcra

I . Exodus, 111c book 01'

xxiv

FC'I'., 1:ederal Capital 'I'crritory

1 . . and following verses / pages

Fig., Figure

(;en., (;cncsis, tllc book 01'

Gspd , The New Testament: An American

'I 'rm~slntio~~ (by Iklgar .I. (ioodspccd).

I I&., I-lebrcws. thc epistle to the

FIIV., I-Iuman Imn~uno-deficiency Virus

Ibid., Ibidem, in the samc place (author/page)

Ibid:, 73 same author as above, but diflcrent page

i.e., that is

Is., Isaiah. thc book or

Jcr. , .Icrcmiah. thc book of

Kg.. Kings, the book o f

KJV,. King Janics Versio~l (same as AKJV)

I . , Leviticus, the book of

I . , Luke, the gospel according to

l,td., . 1,imited

IXX., 'Thc Septuagint (Grcck tra~~slation o f the Old Testament by seventy

scholars).

Macc., Maccnbcans, the book o r (in the Apocrypha)

Matt., Mathcw, the gospel according to

Mic., Micah, thc book o f

Mol:, l'hc Ncw 'l'cstan~cnt A: A Ncw 'I'ranslalion

XXV

(by James Mofht).

MI., Mount/Mountain

Nah., Nahum. 1hc book of

n.d,, no clalc

N.I:., Norlh l'asl

NIII\., Ncw 131iglish I3iblc, Ncw 'I'cslamcnl.

Neh., Nehcmiali, the book of

NIV., New lntcrnationnl Version

Kingdom Nortliern Kingtloni.

NKJV, New Killg Janics \'usion.

No., Number

Nos., Numbers

N . Ncw 'I'csta~ncnt

Num., Numbers. the book of

N.W., Norlh \\'cst

O.T., Old Testament,

i . , The New 'l'estament in Modern

English (by .J.I3. Philips).

l i i , l'Iiilippi;~ris, the cpistle lo the

Philm.,Philemon, the episllc to

I'rov., Provcrbs

I s , I'salml Psalms

Rev., Revelation. the book o r

Ilom., I<omans, tlic episllc to thc

I ) C 1 I 1) .., :.. . I C',.... 1 ..... 1 1 ) .... -: .-

xxvi

Sam., Saiiiucl, thc book of

S. kingdom, southern Kingdom

Song. Songs of Solotnon

St., Sail11

'KN ' r3 'lwentieth Century New Testanlent

, .. 1 1111, 'l'imothy, the epistle lo

US., IJnitcd Stales

V.. Verse

V.O.A., Voice Of America

Vs., Vcrscs

Viz., Namely

Wey., 'I'lic Ncw 'l'eslament in Modern Speech (by Richard Francis Weymouth).

Wms. The New 'I'estan~enl Translation in the Language of the people

(by C h a ~ h 13. William)

Zeph. Zcphaniali, thc book of.

C ! a i d

CIIAPTER ONE

GENERAL INTRODUCTION

1.0 Inti-odrrction:

Gocl in 1 Iis nmterplnn, lincl I {is salvitic plan for Africa and the Africans as the

Negroid racc. I'rojcctions o f this plan arc rcflectcd in biblical in.junctions as well as in

ccclcsiastical Iiistory, tlicrcby malting Christianity in Afimica of a global significance.

13111 many wlio niisunderstood Christianity, have also misinformed others that

('liristianity is a While-man's rcligion. Adherents of other religions as well as some

igilorant ('llrisliiins wlio :~litagonistically carry ovcr aggrcssion on wcstcrri colorlization

and exploitation assert same too.

Along tho line, 1 lilclcsbrandt (I990:ix) affirnis that one \vould not nccd to talk

to mnny pcoplc today beforc one finds n common belief that Christianity is a rather

rccc~lt arrival o n ~ l i c African soil. This is duc to tlic fad tliat local c l~~~rc l ics around

individuals arc less th:in a century old. But he cautions that one should not allow

o~lcscll's~rcli a limited scsearch lcad to a wrong conclusion. tle portrays the church in

Al'rica as a mighty tree with limbs and branches rooted and grounded in Jesus Christ

for \vhosc sokc many Al'rican Christians had suff'crcd persecutions, but yct rcniaincd

firm iri tlicis faith during thc lissl live centurics.

'I'lic rescalcli topic could bc elaborated as lbllows: Africa is the land of the

Negroid r a w , pop~llarly k~lo\\ 11 as tlic la~icl of tlic I?!:iclc pcoplc though in ~cality has a

rainhow of ski11 c~\Iours. I<c.gr~litig its ci7c. hlcl!c~nry (1093) remarks tliat it is the

sccond largest ccwli~ic~it 011 ( w t h oc;crlp~~ing o n r lifih of ils Inntl area of 10.?17,000

scl.km. I t is alnvwt clividccl info ecl~~:il linlvcs hv thc crli~ntcrr exccpt for the bulge

by tlic wcst !!in! riiakcc: tlic wenter part lic in the norlli. It is hound on the north by the

Mcditcrra~lcnri sea, o n tlic \vest hy the Allantic ocean, 011 tlic cast by Lhc Ixcd Sca and

Indian Occiin and o n tlic South by the Confluence of the Indian and Atlantic Oceans.

IJwechue (Ic)97:7), inlbrnis that "Africa accounts for about a quarter of the land area

of' tlie \vorld. I lowcver, tlic generally acceptcd area

abovc which is 20% oftlie carth land mass (Table I).

is 1/51 as held by McHenry (ibid)

111 (;(XI'S plan, accorclirig to tlic i~~i iquc pilrposc of the Sup~*cmc lking, Creator

and Rulcr of tlic IJniversc. By the New Testament Perspective is meant, a view of

l i~ch i n tlic gc~icral titlc to the later portion of' the Biblc. Ncvcrthclcss duc to thc

uniqucncss of the Bible, tlic two tcstamcnts arc so interrelated that tlicir rclative facts

arc clra\\/n from onc to anotlicr in rel'erencc.

AfYican idcntity is the signilicance of the input of tlie people and land of thc

black raw regarding the issucs addressed while Christianity denotes the religion based

on the life and teaching of Jesus Christ. According to Encyclopaedia Americana

(1 906:647). i t w a s ilistitutcd in I';~I~stillc i n thc pcrson uncl work of Jcsus Christ and thc

fellowship of his immediatc followers. Subseqwntly this faith was widely adopted in

niany ~iations a~itl it is now profcsscd by about 217 ol'tlie \vorld's population and about

half oftlie African3 according to the niost recent findings. ('Sable 24).

1.1 Uackground of the Study

It is sig~iificd fiom Gellesis to I<evelatio~i of the integration of Africa and

Ali-icans in tlic Uiblc, e.g. in chapter two of tlic lirst books ol'bolh the Old and New

'I'cstaments (Genesis and Matthew) respectively, God had already begun to efrcct His

plans for Africa. 1 Ie allows the river fro111 Edcn to partly occupy Africa and I Ie allows

)losea's 1,roplicc!l (1 I : ] ) lo be r~lfillcd i n Africa through Jesus taking reruge in Egypt

as stalcd bclow:

A rivcr wnlcring the gardcn flowcd lixm I'clcn, and l'roni tlierc it dividcd; i l I d Ibur licndsfrc-ams. 'I'lic namc

oftlie first is Pishon, it winds tll~.ough tlic cntirc land 01'1 lavillali, \\hx tlierc is gold (The gold of thal land is good: aromatic resin and onyx are

alw there). The name of the secorid is Gillon; it winds through tlie entire land of Cush (Genesis 2: 10- 13).

Ilavillali is ill ~ l ic cast o f Egypt \vliilc Cush nicalis I3liiopia as related ill cliapter 3

(3.2.7 & 8; 3.2.lWtI I). To this cnd I-lcnry (1069:6) i n his commentary prqjects the

[I-11th o r the accounl i ~ l i c l on tlic othcr hand, his ~iiisconccptio~i regarding the spread of

thc gospel:

So \ \c miy say oftlic ASricans atid thc Intlia~is. 'I'hcy Iiavc gold, but cvc liavc the gospel; the pold or thcir land is good, but the richcs ol'ours arc inlinetly bctter.

'1'0 him, God gavc gold to the Afiicans but not the gospel. l lis expression had no

empathy so if i t cvcrc lcft withill the Whitc man's powcr, tlierc might not be any good

omell li)r tlic Al'ricans. I lo\vcvCr, his viccv si~pports the I;de~~ic issim ilbove that

Aliica is divinely hlcsscd with gold, hut [hat notwitlistanding, God in I-lis sovereignty

a~lti salvilic plans has riiade Aliicans to boast of both tlic gold and tlic gospel.

In the sccond biblical injunctions, integration of Africa into salvation history is

portrayccl as tile Saviour linds assyluln in Africa with a rcTcrcncc to Isracl as a nation

having found same ~ i i ~ ~ c l i earlicr (cf.1 los. 1 1 : I):

Alid having bccn warncd in a drcam not to go back to I-lerod, they returned to thcir country by another roulc. When they had gone, an angel appeared to Joscph ill a dream: "Get up", he said "takc the child and I lis niotlicr and cscape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you for I Icrod is going lo scarch for tlic child to kill him". So Iic got 1117, tool< thc child and his motllcr during the night and left for Egypt, wherc hc stayed until the death of 1 lerod.. and so was fillfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: "Out of Egypt I callcd My son" (Matthew 2; 12- 15).

'l'liercfore, evcr bclorc the advcnt of the White man in the continent of Ai'sica, there

had been historical interactions of Christianity with Africa i n the Saviour taking a

selilgc i n it.

Besides, Ihto (1976), declares that it tales less than two months to walk 1i.m

I:gypt to Palestine without crossing a sea. It is deduced that it was thc route Joseph's

brolllcrs uscd to I~uy Sood Srom ];gyp[ during Ihc Iaminc. I3ut for thc children of lsracl

. \vhcn tlicy wcrc Icaving llgypl, God took Iliem Ihroug11 thc sea routc so that they could

When I'liaroah let tlie people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Pli i l isline country, though that was

shorter. 170r ( i d said, "I I' thcy facc war, they might change their mind and rcturn to Egypt". So Gocl Icd the pcoplc arou~id by the dcscrt road to\varcls the I h l Sca (Exodus 13: 17,18)

111 the evaluation, i t was bcst tlic I m c l Icd thcm out with a strong arm (Ex.G:6)

alicl throi~gh the S C ~ roi~tc, i l ' not, thcy would liavc returned due to their longing for

I<gyptian clclicacics si~cli as fish, cucr~~nbers, melons, Icelts, onions and garlic

(NLIIII. I I : IS),

Accoscling to Isiclici (1995:17), the story of the fight to Egypt has never

ccasctl to glow i n [lie Coptic imagination. 111 [lie word of the Coptic Liturgy, it is said:

Be glad and rcjoicc, 0 Egypt, and her sons and all her border, for llierc ha111 come to thee Ihc I,ord of man.

Shc goes o n to acknowledge the fact that modcsn African Christians cherish the same

tradition that when Jesus was persecuted by tlie White Herod, Cod sent him to Africa.

Abasika (1993) also has a sinlilar opinion of Africans having naturally a Iruc spirit of

('liristianity wliicli is Iicritngc and liospitnlity. ' I ' l i i< apart, thcrc arc also cultural and

social similasitics I,etwecn Africa and Palestine. For illstance, North Africa is part of'

llic Mediterranean world wlierc the growth of Christianity emerged.

(1007), sings a si111ilar lilusgy ol'tllc Savior in Al'rica as li)llows:

LVIKT .)cws ci~riic I Ic calm clo\vn Itom llcavc11 Jcsus came 0 1 le came do\w from heavcn When t le landcd I le lanclcd il l Israel I3ul tlicrc was troi~blc God scrlt 1 lim dow11 to Al'sica Wc I I I L I S ~ p r i i i ~ ~ 1 Ii111

In the A lyican way Aiyc yc ye yc! Aiye c c aiyc O! (2x) Aiyc c c Aiyc 0 lyo ho My I,ord, \vc ji~st \van1 to I'saisc your Name.

Some pcoplc say out o f ignorance 'I'liat Jcsus came from England, I'd likc to kll evcrybocly That Jesus is no1 Tro~ii America 'Cos I Iiavc rcncl it And Iiave seen it And ~iow I know that God Scnl I linl Do\w to A l'sica. I Ic is lily God and I Ic is my Imrd.

Kalu (1996:34) asserts the naturc of idenlity of Christianily ill ATrica by saying:

. .. li-om tlic Nativity lo Golgotha accourils lllrO~lgl1 tht: I ' C I I ~ ~ C O S ~ cvcrit

to thc early missionary explosion or the Christian faith into tllc Gcnlilc world. Africa was constantly n~eniioncd.

the New Tcsti~nicnl scriplures, I n llic s a m vein Otabil (1992:xii)in his forewold

by 1,eonard I.,ovett asserts;

I:or too long racially biascd leachings on llic rolc of L3laclts liavc bccn obscured by lhropean and Euro-Amcrican biblical scholars. 'They have cithcr omitted or treated lightly those areas that ~nention a I3lack presence in the scripture.

Adamo (1998:2) in his introduction, identifies that whilc some havc dcnicd

lhal Africa arid Al'ricans havc any influcncc, ollicrs dcny llicir lolal prcsencc a1 all i n

the Dible. Others who accept the presence of Africans in the Bible deny or diminish

[heir inlluencc and \vortli. In his attempt lo identify several atle~iipts to de-Africanise

[lie Uiblc, lie (ibicl) quotes:

1. Spencer who in his commentary on Genesis calls the identitilhtion of Kush with Africa a mistaken idc~itity.

2. George and Clan who argue that I<i~sh should be located in Mesopolamia inslead 01' Ali-ica.

3. Aalders and Francisco who dcny the possibility of African location of Kush.

'I'hroughoul ccclcsiastical Iiistory, there has been the probleni of false teaching and

it takcs its co~trsc loo in Clirislianily i n Africa, that Christianily is not an African's

lieligion. Ngcwa, Shaw & 'I'icnou, (1998:274), therefore confirni:

In Africa today, there are both false teachers. false apostles and I'roplicts. 'I'llcsc arc represcnlcd in di I'l'ercnl denominational Churclies, independent movements and secls througliout thc continent. sonie African theologians and Church l,eaders do not totally accept the Wrilten scripture as the basis for one's faith and practice in life.

S rd i people have ~nisundcrstood Christianity and rnisinfor~ned others that Cliristia~iily

is a White-man's religion. 'I'hcrefore Chsistianily is termed a European or Wl lilt

man's religio~~. 'I'liis forccs Africans lo go in search of their own religion and it is

i~i.jurious lo ('l~rislianily. 111 ntltlilion, Otahil (1 902: 10) rightly obscrvcs:

I{cbca~~sc' of'll~c role o~.g:~riizccl rclip,ion Iii~s pli~ycci in tlie domination oStlic black race, there is tlic cry i n many quartcrs for us to go back to our ancestral religions and tolnlly reject the Bible. That is not the way out!

'I'licrc is the wavc of' syncretisni in tlic ovcr-cmpliasis of African Theology

when cultural norliis arc exalrcd over spiritual absolules. From generation to

generation, llie prcrogalive bclongs to Jesus as llie only Saviour while llic Bible

remains llic conip:~ss.

Salvation is found in no one else, fils tl~crc is no o t l ~ ~ namc undcr 1ic:n~cn givcn among mcn hy which wc must bc saved (Acts 4: 12).

'l'lierc is also a common belief t11at C:hrislianity is rather a recent arrival on llie

A Srican soil.

'llie issuc- of slavery and slave trade cannol be over looked i n the disci~ssion of

Clirislianity in Africa in that it is a phenomenon that has influenced the whole course

of Africa, the Africans and the Black Diaspola 'Towards this Kinotti (1997:145)

I'uropean slave traders gave a 'rriins-Atlantic trip lo our Sorel'allicrs and mothers of the Blacks against tlicir wills and coerced them inlo toiling away on sugar, tobacco and cotlon planli~rions or cslalcs lhrougli- 0111 tlie north, soi~th and central Americas and the Caribbeans. I n lhis case, L L I ~ O P C Iias co~itribi~tcd largcly to thc undcr-develop~iienl ol' Africa Whilc Africa llirougli the enslavcmcnt of Iicr pcoplc at liomc and abroatl, IIUS contributed to tlic ovcr-devclopnicnt of 1:uropc.

L31ropc has so much nialtrcatcd tlic Aliicans that they lalnentecl like the

cIii~~.actcr in Soligs 01' Soloti1011 ( I :6) :

Do not starc at nic l>ccai~sc 1 an1 dark because I am darkened by the sun. niy molhcr's sons were angry with nit

and made me take care of their vine- ynsds; my O\WI vineyard, I have neglected.

13iiur (1908:S) ~tjoirts thal llic suburn bridc that licrc spcaks is t l~c church ol' Aliica.

'I'lirougli tlie centuries A l i h had to cxpcricncc lu\~clcssncss horn llic Wliitc man who

dcvastaled hcr vineyards and forced hcr to work in tlie vineyards of others in abject

slavery.

An Af'ricari by riamc Simon ofCyrcnc witncsscd thc crircifixion. In fact Iic was C

niadc to carry tlie cross of Jesus. I n Matthew 27:32 "...they compelled ( , j J a 9 u a \ 3 lo carry the Chss.

) i I n Mark 15:2 1 , "...they R m e ( ~ y v ~ U O l i u - L C ( ) him

/ to carsy tlic Cross.

/ In Jake 23:2G ". . .tlicy, siezing ( ~ ~ L . , \ ~ $ L L ~ v o ( )

Simon I'm11 Cyrcne .... and put tlie Cross

O n him and riiatlc him carry i t Ixliind

.lesus (Marshall, ( 1 958).

Why was lie siczcd and compellcd'? According to l<YKl<OI'IS (1942:360),

mcans "lbrced labour", Q I ( ~ & ~ O means "Commandeer",

7 ' 1 1 ~ 1 ~ wcre many Jews arid other Gcntilcs at the scene but why it was an

Ali.ican Ilia1 Iiiitl lo play s ~ ~ c l i a role, 11ialics tlic issuc a casc.

I<ecallillg such a case Ntliamburi (1995) obscrves that Africa has probably

sufl'cretl Inorc from cnloninlisni and lii~lnan exploitalion than any otlier continent.

From Ihc days of slave trade where hunian cargoes were traded for colnmodities,

Aliican pcoplc liavc been oppressed in many other ways. For cxample, there was a

"White only" restaurant ill n Kcnyan town with tlic inscription, "African and dogs arc

not welconie". Such an abject ridicule and hu~niliation dwindled tlie reception of

Chsislianily ill Africa to a ccrlain extcnt. 'l'liercforc, pcople rejcct Chrislianity on Llie

basis lhal il is a Whitc man's rcligioll and tliils bccausc tlic Whitc man is bad,

('llrislianity loo is had.

111 rcaclion lo sin~ilar cascs in a wider rcalni, (World Lncycloal~acclia,

1082:250b) rcporls:

On augi~sl 28, 19G3, Marlin Lulher King, .Ir. joincd with o~licrs in the historic inter-racial Inass riiarcli ol'1~1o1.c t l l i r t l

200,000 persons to Washington DC from the nionumcnt ofthe Lincoln Mcmosial \vhese he powcrfi~IIy spoke lo thc Americans as follows: "We hold these 11111lls lo hc self'cvitlcnt that all men are creatcd equal"

On anotliCr occnsio~~ ol' si~cli ('l'llc Nc\v I'llcyclopacclia I3rita1iicca. Vol.lO,

1980:473) lic hopcfully cxp~.csscd:

. . . M J I I C I I tlic YCNS have rolled past.. . mcn, women \vi l l know and children will bc faught that \vc have a liner civilisa- lion - becausc lliese humble children ol'(;od \verc \viIling lo sufl'cr 1i)r righleousness sake.

Since h i s hopc ic ycl lo hc altaincd, il remains a maLLer of concern. A refleclion on

such experiences has made some Africans to throw away bolh [he baby and h e bath

wales, (rejecling both the white man and his disguised Chrislian religion per se).

Early Christianity actually flourislied and was wcll rooled in North Africa, but

the Arabs wcre able to overcome it due lo shouldcr rubs in theology among the early

('llurcll I:atllcrs. Along \ \ i l l 1 tI1;1l tllc Arabs also i~nposccl tllc Arabic la~iguagc will1

I 0 1 I I S I l ~ c ~ c l y nni l~i l i l ing I A o i i n l I g i a g c s . If

Clisistianity must continue lo flourish in other parls of Africa as it is in the dusk of the

twentieth century mid to he more i n the dawn of the twenty first, Christians must unite

despite divcrsity in doctrines and denominations. Thus Onah (1993:98) bemoans, "It

is ullfortunatc lhal thc Clli~rcli in this pcriod losl ils position in a scrious compelition

\vitl i Islam in [lie sevcntli cenlury. The Cliurch was not uniled and was not also

scrvi~ig as a witncss. 'Shis was a tragic event for the early African CIILI~CII". For

cxaniplc, lsichei (1995:42) says:

' I I K proplicl Moliani~ncd clicd in 632. Seven years laler, an Arab forcc invaclcd 13gypt and its succcss was greatly aided by thc collaborations of scvcral liiglily placed men, ~ioIillJly Cyrils. tlic 'Mclkik' I'atriarcli of Alcxandria, Byzantine governor, \vho surrcndcrrd hotli the fi)rlrcss ol' IJabylon and Alexandria and lhc Coplic 'cl~~l\c' S : I I ~ I I I ~ \ I ~ \die I ia~ld~d owr tlic 1;gyplian flcel.

Islam neither giccs up nor cvangcliscs. Invasion has bccn thcir major procedure to

cause apostasy. I t has succcc.dcd in Nor111 Afi-ica. \villi West A k a in thc inlerim and

invasion \vavcs lo otllcr parls 01' tlic conlincnt. Isla111 has been an opcn rival lo

Chrislianily whilc Aliican 'I'radi~ional Religion wanes for both. While ~raditionalists

have gods and gotldcsscs like in Ur, Abraham's home lown, but with evangelisalion, it

gods.

Teinou (lOY2:24) points out that 1101 c~cr)~tliing in African Traditional Religion

is bad tlior~gli, brll nccds :I rc-clircclion orland rcshnping in order that the traditionalist

nay grasp lllc suprcme God and trust lhrough the correct channel. Olabil (ibid:14)

responds by saying:

Uecausc [lie missionaries did not understand us, tlicy assunicd that cvcrytliing about 11s was cvil and clemonised.. . . Our names.. . our songs & nlusic Sorrns and eve11 clotliirig were scen as cvil.. . illstcad o r inlroducing us lo the new naturc in Christ, wc were int~.oduced to a new CLIIIUI'C from Europc!

Onc may ;IS well take note of tlie trcnds of status 01' people in the Nigerian

govcrnmcnt 2nd considcr thcir religions and portfolios. CAN publication, (April,

1998) indicates that prestigious portfolios arc I'or Muslilns.

A significant collaboration of Islam against Christianity is observed in the

National Library, Jos whcre tlie 1-ioly bible and Cliurch I-Iistory arc not included on the

captioned noticc but the "lloly Quran" is. Neither are there many books on the

Cliristian Religion, nor a copy of the bible on tlic shelf. Whcreas, books on other

religions are. I t is a subtle war and a glaring sign of imminc~rt Islamic in~position on

Nigerian Christians. 'I'licrcl'orc, Cliristians sliould address such an issue in evcry scctor

of life they are Sound.

Consitlcring tlic history ol'slavc tradc and slavery in East Africa. lllc Arabs had

clone most havoc to Al'sica. According to Worcestcr (n.d;75). I,ivingstonc groans and

expresses, "in sober seriousness that the slave trade of East Africa by the Arabs does

not admit exaggcrations. To overdraw its evils is a simple impossibility". Yet, despite

this memory, the Islamic scligion brought to Africa by tlicm through wars and invasion

docs 1101 reccivc attacks. 13111 llic story ol'llic Wcslcrn Whitc man is on llic contrary in

tlial he is attaclicd dcspitc tlic establishment of institutions of modcrn era after the

abolition ol'botli slavc tradc and colonisation.

Many ASrica~i Christians do not apprcciate the White man's influences in

Christianity clue to thc liarslincss that accompanied colonialism. I lowcvcr, tlic history

ol' Christianity in Africa cannot be complete without tlic "White man". Baur

(1998: 18), points out what thc white man failed to understad at the time was how

niuch the African had to sulTer from this Europcan invasion that place thc whole

continent into a position of infcriorily.

Anothcr problem is [lie f x t thal dcspite tlic Bible hwing been translated into

many African Ianrzuages, many African Christians are not well able to speak, read, or

preach in their mother tongues. There is the inclination to do so in English, French

and L,atin evcn though thc westerners and castcrners have gone with thcir powers and

nulhorities. What a predicament on Al'rica now and the future!

'I'lic church in Africa is at tlic Crossroads. As the third ~i~illcnnium approaches,

tlic Cliurcli ouglrt to clc~nonstrak hcr maturity tliougli ATrica is riddled with many

painful situations such as krniinc, poli(ical instabilily, povcrty, ctlinicism and cconomic

sabotage (Ngewa. Shaw and 'I'icnou (1998:146). I n citing Shorter, Mugambi

( l997:46), acclaims that

C'hristians all over the \vorld are called

Even though there arc ltcy issucs on lhc 13ible relating to Africa and lhc

nor thc role 01' Ci~non or j ~ c n c i l l llic c~sirci l i~ioli account. Vnugllau (I 967) in his

lraslalion lo "lllc synngogllc of tlic I:rcctl Ylavc~" (Acl.69) oniils rcrcrcncc lo Cylmc

i111d Alexandria. 'I'hereforc conscioi~s efforts are on to de-emphasize Africa and

Africans in lhc BibleIClirisliani~y. Unless a study like this is done, such eflorts will

'I'lircc scrious problcms arc poinlctl out by l3aur (I 998: 18) tlcspilc tlic Sact that

(.lllrislianily is \,\dl cslablislwd in Aliica as lbllows:

I . Iiilillralion of sccillarisr~i cvidcnl i l l tlic irrban ccnlrcs.

2. Disunity nnmil; tlic Clii.i..tian dct~ominalions that has bccn inherited

scc~iiinglv unending process of frngnien~alion continues. This is

riiost manircsted in inciigcnous independent chnrclies.

3. ll~cultirralion caused by attraction from such churches on the

cclucatcd populace. Though many Christians fccl at home with thc

I;uropcans traditional Christianity, they pcrccivc the nced Sor decpcr

iricamalion of lheir faith in the Al'rican personality.

1.3 I'orpose of the Study

'T'hc gospcl according lo Saint Malthew commencc by usl~ering in tl,c

gcncalogy /birlIi 01' Jcsus Cllrisl and Saviour oS~narlkind as wcll as hrowing light 011

the li~lfil lmcnt ol' the prophccy regardi~lg I l i m in Al'rica, by rcmarkin~,

"out oi' Egypl I callccl my Son" (Malt.2: 15b). I r clearly depicts the African identity i n

Ch-istianity". 'I'licrcforc, on the issuc of llie Ncw l'cstamcnt I'crspcclivc o f African

Idcnrity in Cl~risti:~~iily accoscling to God's plan, tlic ~ L I ~ P O S C i ~ :

- lo iclcnlify the posilioll of Africa in tlic biblical narr:ilives.

- to articr~lnte tlic inclislmisability of Africa and Africans in Israel's history

- to indicalc llic relalionsliip and valuc ofllic biblc in African Christianity.

- to cvaluatc tlic iclcntily of Aiiica and Africans as rcgarcls to tlic propagation

of C'liristianity in h e gospel in thc gospcl and apostolic eras.

- to highligli~ on tlic sigliifica~ice of early post New Testament Al'rican

theologians and biblical scholars regarding Ali-ican idcntity in Christial~ity

and rllcscby establish tliar Clirislianily is an Al'rican scligion.

- lo ohscsvc rlic contemporary srarus of Clirislianily in Ali-ica as a clue into

tlic 2 1 " century and lhc third niillenniulii.

1.4 Scopc of thc slody

In a rescascli like rhis that has to do with Afsica in God's plan, biblical

injunctions wcre i~scd as follows:

1. hi~ji~nctions regarding zionic birth of Africa.

2. Aliica and ASricans in the Old Tcstamcnt i n brief.

3. Africa and Aliicans i n [lie New 'l'estanient in detail.

Political eras that inlluenced Christianity in ALi-ica were considered: such as the

I'crsian, Gscck and Roman cmpircs tlial rcigncd cli~ring tlic intcr testament and Ncw

l'cslalncnt periods.

Africa in biblical world is paramount in which maps of bible lands as related are uscd.

Ali-ica as the "Dark" continent and in "the Light" of the Gospel, missions arid

ins~itutions were considesed.

'llic scope included contributions of Africans i n early ecclesiastical history and

development of tlic Clii~rcli ill Africa.

Tlie slate and cxtcnt of Christianity il l Ali.ica now and Silturc i n glimpse were

obscrvccl as regards to itnily i n tlivcrsiry, solitlarity, niissionary etitlcavours and the

I~opc in black inIcgr:lIion all over lo Ilic wcwltl, Ihal i.;. llic black tliasporil.

'I'lic nia~jor cv~ncc~ilriilio~i i n llic scope oflliis tlicsis arc on Africa and Africans

in biblical irijunc~ioris with morc hcus on Ilic Nc\v 'l'cstamcnt account while the rest

arc mostly i n highlights.

1.5 R/Ictllotlolofy of (Ilc St11tly

Lkcgctical atialysis or rclatcd existing data were used.

Excgcscs on tlic relevant biblical illjunctions were conductcd, 'Thc New

I cxla~llcnl \vah Ihc li)cus ol'llic ~.cw;~rcll mi t l tlic Oltl ' I 'c~la~lic~il was ill ~.cl'crclicc clue to

tlic uniclue intcrrclalionship of both tcstamcnts.

'I'he New Intcrnational Vcssion of tlic bible was used for all quotations except

orlicnvisc statcd.

I<elcrcnces wcrc madc to a couplc of expatriate missionarics and a home

111 issio~iary.

I .6 Sig~lificalicc of the Stlrcly

I n spilc of the Iiict that Al'rica has becn advcl-scly affectcd by world politics

ancl cconomic repression and has not yet arrived, in Christian Missions the hope of the

Africans kecp rising through clii~rcli planting and growth. 'This hope is to spur his

guicration inlo both evangclisation and cdilicalion of Africa atid beyond. According

lo llic 1.cnowncc1 I:vangclist Rcililiard lh i~ i l t c , "Al'rica is lhc g111i 01' llic world and

Nigeria is the trigger". .lohnskmc (1993:422) ackno\vlcdgcs, "Nigcria is thc key State

Nigcria is thc black power onc out of cvery six Africans is a Nigcrian 'I'he world's fourth democracy, 1982 'I'lie eigtli largest oil producer, 'I'lic third forcign supplicr 01'

Critde oil to the IJnited Statcs after Mexico and Saudi Arabia.

Nigeria is popularly I<nown us ('GianL of Africa". Bcsides, Nigeria National Policy on

13clucation (1998), adds lo her qualily of insln~clion at all levcls by inculcating nioral

and spiritual principlc i n intcr-personal and Iiunian relalions. Such values are biblical.

Kuti (11.d) in his nii~sic riglilly posils Africa by singing:

Clicclc you1 world map and sec; Africa is in tlic ccnlre of Lhc world.. . Africans arc all ovcr the world.

A Nigerian rcscarchcr is therefore urgcd to writc on tlic issue of African id en ti^!, in

Chrislianity in which Afiicans have played unique roles.

Muslala (1976) niadc [lie political statemenl below in Addis Ababa regarding

Afsican coniplaccncy, wliicli ccjuld bc significant in tlic issue of Christianity in Ali.ica

loo. Africans are Clisistiatis upon the uridersanding arid conl'ession of their l'aith in

.Icsus and not by Iiarassmcllt of wcstern missionarics. Christianily Iias colnc of ;lgc in

I Ic remarl<s: AFRICA I IAS COME 01: AGE

Aliica is no longcr under the orbit of any extra- continct1 tal power;

'I'hc Torruncs ol' Africa arc ours to makc or mar. Too long liavc wc bcen kicked around, I:os loo long liavc we bcen treatcd liltc adolescents Who canno1 discern llicis inkrest atid act accordingly. ];or loo lotlg has it bccri presunicd Ilia1 tlic Aliicans nccd

o~11sidc ((cxpcr~s" lo lcll him who arc his friends and who ase his elicmics.

The lime tias comc when wc should maltc it clear that wc can decide for ourselves; that we know our inlercsts and how to protcct ~licm. We arc capablc o f solving African problems Without presumptuous lessons in idcological dangcrs, wliicli morc often than not, liavc p s o b l c ~ ~ a1 hand.

Afiican scholar, Edwascl Blyden, over one hundred years ago, prophesiscd that

Al'rica was "llie spisilual rcservoir of h e world". (Baur 1998: 18). Adeyetilo (1 9%':32)

Acliimi~gi~ (1 968) a Nigerian studcnt in the Bible Collcgc of Wales, Sivansca,

liad prophesiscd 11iat bcforc the next tlircc decades from then, Africans wcrc going to

be missionarics ill Iksopc, Ilastcrn and Wcstcrn world. Media show cvidcnccs of such

~iiissionarics already. Eni~nanuel I-loliness Church, Liverpool is pastored by Naptali T.

Chondol, a Nigerian (Newsletter April, 1998). He also infornis that there is a Decper

I , i l i : Bible Church tlicrc. I'he Cliurchcs pastrorcd by I3laclts arc attclidcd by both

Hlnclts and Whitcs.

The carly African Christian fathers had dcvcloped forms of worship, Church

organisation and hyninody in Africa which have influenced the Universal Church

I l i r ~ ~ ~ g l i o i ~ t lllc Ccnlurics.

Altl~ougli tllc inklition of' tllc Arab lslaniic Jihad ol' tlic scvcntli ccntury was to

annihilate Cliristimity in Africa, i t has been so rooted that it is sustaincd against all

odds.

'I'hougli Christianity in Africa, despite its duration, still has a growing fosce that needs

to bc Iwncssctl lo ~nilturi~y, howcvcr, lllc gospel hr~s cnrichcd human valucs i n Afric.a.

'l'hc final communiqud of the conference of thc 'I'hird World Theologians held in

Accra (Ntliamburi 1995:G) dcclarcs thc significa~icc:

I t is our belicf that God's demand ol'lllc churchcs in Africa is tliat Ihcy not only oppose any form ol' oppression and sul'fering, but also scvcre any alliances, direct or indirect with the forces of oppression.. .

sucli oppression is found not only in culture but also in political and economic s~uc tu~ .c s and tllc domi~iil~lt niass media, African theology must also be liberation theology.

Chipencia (Waruta 1995:29) affirms that "God has already acted in our

continent, firstly by freeing us from colonizatioli and now by liberating us from

itleological dividc". God's action in history tcachcs us that every crisis leads to new -. and ficsh beginnings. Ihc crisis wc Iiavc at the ~noment, tlic crisis of idcntity must bc

considered as a I~lcssing in disguise, i t provides oppostunity for the Clii~rcli to OC of

assistance. Regarcilcss of liic geographical positions, ellinic configuralions and clii~sch

al'lilialions prevailing in our rcspectivc counlrics wc niiisl aSfinii oncness in Christ.

Cllrislia~ti[y i n Allica is vcsy signilicalil in Ilia1 cxpscssions 01' il are clcarly

visiblc and auclildc Ihr A fiicans do not hick hohind any crirrain lo cxprcss it:

I:roni stickcrs to hanncrs; 17roiii pcrson to person evangelism lo open air crusades; 1:rom orlllodox lo Pcnlccoslal ch~~rcllcs; I:som ~iiissio~lary lo indigcno~is cliurchcs; 1:1.0111 11111s11roo111 c.I111rcl1c'; 10 c;~lIllYl~~;lI~; 1;roni the nativc language lo tongues; From music of socccr cheers lo rhc chrrrch choir e.g

Nigerians sang "Me's a miracle working God); in Allanla Georgia, U.S. in I996 Olypic Ganics;

I:som dscams to visions; From tlic aged 10 [lie youllis ancl children; I:rorn lhc tl:lrl<csl Africans lo the faircst I:irsl 1,ady and lhc Albinos;. Froni llie slioslcst to [lie lallest Africans; I:som llic poosesl lo tlic riclicsl Africans.

'I'hcrefore a rcsearcli on [his issue is significantly necessary in order to leave a legacy

lor the African Clirislians in tlic third niillenniun~ after Christ. One could naively

bclicve ll~at Egypt is an Islamic country, but it is obvious, Christianity tlicre is

;dvnncing oncc Inosc. 'I llc Nalional 'I'clcvisiorl aulliorily (N'I'A), I:nugu (I~cccnibcr

16. I998), held a progsanlmc oli llic Ncw Life C'osrcsponclcnce Scliool, one in Ibadan,

anothcr in Katiipala, Uganda and tlic o ~ i c in E g y t revcals that even though it is an

lsla~iiic country, it has hundreds of churches and in particular, Assemblies of God as a

dcnoniination lias 140 churchcs.

'I'lic Iilliiopia~i c~~nucl i look Christianity beyond North Ali'ica and according lo

Garland (I998), Al'ricans brought Chrislianily Lo the Africans such as Samuel Adjai

Crowtlier (on sccord in Church history; such as Ajayi (1969), lepers in Afazirali Look

the gospel to Gaza in Borno, [lie lbibios Lo thc lgalas in Kogi, Gabricl Onuche Lo

Agenebode in LAO and h c Yorubas lo llic Plalcau, but tlicir storics arc ncitlicr told nor

wrillcn. I-lc concluded by saying , "Africans are now subjects of mission and no

longcr (hjects of missions". For this reason it must take African Christians to promote

Christianity in A l'rira.

I t is ~~olcwo~t l ly I I I ~ L Aliici\~l ~llissio~~arics I~nvc bcctl going lo rural and 1lrbi111

areas for evarigclisalion tlirougli C:liurclies and ministries such Evangelical Missio~iary

Society (EMS) of Sudan Intcrior Mission (SIM) / l~vangelical Church of West Al'rica

(ICWA), the CAI'IIO Minislrics, llic Nigcria Evangelical Missionary Association

(NEMA) and olliers. Some are sent into liintherlancls of die country, rcgion and

continents for the samc purpose. lleyond tliesc, there are many who have gone outsidc

Alisica as niissionaries lo 13razi1, Europe, Americas and Asia.

This is to spur olher Al'rican Christians, Chrislian bodies and biblical scholars

lo riialtc ~)rogrcsxivc co~ikil~ulions l o Chlislia~iily i n Alika Iliwugli lllcologicr~l

tlcbalcs, doctrines and cvmgclisahn. Ali-ican ~I ic~logy cannot afford lo igno~r. the

nible since thc lhcnic of libera~ion which is basic to African theology runs throuyli the

I3iblc. As long as African tlicology is Chrislian llieology, llic bible will continuc lo

rcn~ain tlic primary sourcc li)r Ali-ican theology.

'I~lie conlerencc of African theologians held in Accra, Ghana (December, 1977)

plcdges an allcgialicc lo [lie important role h e biblc plays as a source for Ali-ican

tlicology \vhich in its final communiqu6s thc conference unequivocally slated:

'I'lie Bible is lhc basic source of African tlicology, because it is the primary witness, because of God's revelation in .Jesus Christ. No llieology can retain its Christian idctllity apart liom tlic scriplurc.

l'aliani (1 977:'l'rack 5 ) sings a song lo spur [lie African Chrislians to apprcciale

with the \,vords:

Arise ant1 shine Children of Ali-ica what was hid from all eyes 1 las bccn rcvcalcd to you 'I'lie ~nyslery of [lie Godlicad

'I'lic ~~crli.ct I7lood sacri ficc 'I'lic most powerful Spirit I 3cliilitl Ilic \vorcls of our ('ovctmnt 'I'liis clay we Ilavc li)uncl our inlicritancc. With the tribe oSJudali.

Accortli~ig to Cliipcnda, by the ycar 2000, i t is estimated Africa will be 48%

Christians and 41% Musli~ns, with both rcligio~is cxpalidilig at the espcnsc of the

Iradiiional bcliclk ( Wntxta 1005: 10). 13ut since tlic purpose oStlic (ireat commission is

100%, Christianity is to cxp:ltid by tlic tcvcnty first ccntury at the cxpcnse of both

scligions.

Waruta (Ibid I I I) says i t is a waste of time and encrgy to keep complaining

ahout tllc colonialists. 'I'lic would ~iot col~ipcrisatc, but ~xtlicr, i l ' they hail anotlicr

chancc, thcy would still colonisc. 'I'lierelorc, Al'rican thcology 01' libcsation sliould bc

IcSt to slecp wliilc we dcvclop the tlicology of reconstruction which will devclvp us to

stand on our I'cct. Indigenoils ch~~rclics have constructed and reconstructed; tlicrefore,

tlicy arc very 1n~c.11 O H thc i~ fcct. Ali'icans iilc \vcll rccogniscd i n Christianity,

Cliristialiity is vcry rclevanl lo Al'ricans as related to languages. Olonade

I olicn Sccl tliat when the towcr 01' I3abc.l cru~iil~lctl otic o f its linlcls l'cll over the geographical entity called Nigeria.

Accortlilig to Itliologuc (1996), Africa has 2,058 languages and Nigcria 470,

having tlic liiglicst number in Aliica (Fig.8a & IOa).

'l'lic rcscarclics tlicli co~~iposcs a poclii on tlic co~itiriclit will1 all tlic varictics ill

God's cxccuted pl;ins, Africa is A I<ai~~how:

A rainbow of'liuliian lkaturcs (di fl'crcn t sliapcs) A rainbo\v of hunlan skin (darkest to the fairest) A rainbow ofliuma~l liciglils (sliortcst Congo Pygmies to 'l'lic l:~llcsl (811 4 i n ) i n llic (;i~i~icss llt)t)li 0 1 ' rccords) Ciabricl 01' hlozatiibicluc who d i d .Im 1000;

all I:gyptian, 7 '/z St. tall, (1 Chr. 1 1 :23). A rainbow of human statures (most slendcr to most hdty). A rainbow 01' financial status (fro111 tlic poorcst to lhc riclicsl).

A rainbow 01' rcptiles (Srom thc biggest but non-vcnom pythom to thc snlallest I N I I 111ost poi[,iot~wl\ \*ipcr)

/\ r:ii~il~o\v ofhirds (lio~ii llic slrongest ciiglc ill lliglil lo Ihc Iiciivi~~l lul.Iicy). /\ ~ ; ~ i ~ i l ) o \ \ 0 1 111:1111111:11~ ( 1 1 0 1 1 1 [Iic I ) ~ g , c h L cI~1)Iii11it Lo IIic ~ ~ i i ; ~ I I c ~ t r;11). A rainbow ol'physical geography (l'rorn tlic lowcst vallcy to thc highcst

nioun~ain I<ill~narij~uo fioni tllc sl~allowest lake to longest river Nile). A raitibcnv ~f 'plantc (Tor s l l ~ l v , r0wl and mr lication). A rainbow oC imperialism (under the .Jews, I'crsia, Grcek and Rome, 63 1 BC to

03A.11.). (yo~111g lbi~l.2 IS). A rainbow ol'I<cligiol~sity (lion1 rllc most clctlicatcd pagan lo the ~iiout

Chrrstlikc cliristian). A rainbow (~Tvegctation (thiclccst junglc to barcst descrt). A rainbow of Ilo\vers (Solon~o~i not arrayed like them), for perfitme and beauty A sainbo\v ul'coloni~ation (I:sc~icll, English, Portuguese, German, Spanish, Arabic).

A rninbo\v 01' Ilia\pot.a (A Sricans arc intcgratcd in all lllc co~ili~icnts).

A m ~ ~ l t i rai~llmv ofc l~u~~cl i alliliations (Orthodox, Coptic, Missionary, i~~tligcnous, indcpcndcnt, charismalic, Pcntccostal and tlicir rcnc\\lals).

A llllllli I . ~ I ~ I ~ ~ o c \ ; 0f'cth110 lillgllstic pcop~cs (011~ M ' O I ~ ~ C ~ S

if thc Bahcl Iliaspora took rcfugc in Aliica and has almost onc third of tlic \vosld languages 2,058

6,809 I t should bc signilicantly noted that dl non-Christians arc a point o r concern in

tlie cl'lbrts to C:llristianisc Afiica, tliercl'ore Christians' attention 1 1 1 ~ ~ 1 be drawn to tlie

Sac1 that since tlic clii~rcli i n Al'rica niitst take cvangclisni seriously, it must

co~nmunicatc tlic gospcl i n metaphors that can be u~~dcrstootl by Africans. 'I'hc

Afi-ican church nccds to rcalize licr divinc rolc ill evangclising and civilizing tlie

Africans' in\wlvcment in Clwistian proglr~i i~i~cs ol' thc aposlolic agc is indeed

signilicant: A Cyrcnian na~nctl Simon the S:itlicr of Alexander and Rufi~s, carried tlie

cross of Jesus al the Cri~cifixion (Matthew 27:32; Mark l5:2 1 ; Lultc 23:26

African believers in God were present at the feast of 1)entecost and thercby

\vittlcssccl thc outpour oTtl1c 1 loly spirit (Acts 2:8-10).

An I3hiopial1 eunuch had bclicvcd God, Iiad bcen to worship God i n Jerusalem

and at that early :~gc, \bas nlrcatly able to scad ~ l i c scriptures (Acts 8:26). Kalu

(lbitl:45) acknowlctlgcs that "llis rcatli~ig a~itl pilgrimage habits depict both a

respectable literacy and Christian prcsence in Africa wen at that early tinie".

Africans prcachcd Jesus to the flcllcnists in Anti& and a great number

bclicvctl. . . .. And thc disciples werc lirst called Christians in Antioch (Act I I : 19-26).

Ali-icans were anlong Christians who prayed, Sasted and laid hands oli Saul and

Barnabas in ushering tlicm into missionary journcys of the gospel of Jesus Christ (Acts

13: 1-3).

An Alcxantlrian Christian vigorously refi~tetl thc Jews publicly showing 1'roni

the scriptures that . Ics~~s is the Christ. I lc spoltc Imldly i n the synagogue (Act 18:24-

25).

'I'he Bible affirms that "'I'hc Word became llesh and lived for a while among

LIS ... Yct to all who rcceivctl I lim, Mc gave right to bcconie children of God" (John

1 : 12- 14). I laving ohscrvccl i ~ ~ l p i ~ ~ t s ol' Christianity amolig contemporary Africans, in

his discussion 011 the Incarnatiori oS Christianity in Independent Al'rica, Uaur

( l99S:428) rcsount lc: . . I wo lhous:~nd years nrtcr Ihc diild Scsus lintl takcn r e f~~gc in Egypt his rcligion has dcllnitcly found :I home in the African continent. This is thc indisputable fact that comes out as wc rcvicw Ilic 35 years of Christian history in Independent Al'rica.

'Illis is co11tr;il-y lo wlial obscrvcrs Iiatl prcsun~ccl, that Cl~ristianity cillllc with

colonialism and M T N I I ~ go with colonialis~n or at least sufl'cr a serious sctback. But

Africans havc adhercd to Christianity for its rcligious valucs. They instinctively feel

that it corresponds to their own deep-rooted religiosity, and have remained faithful to

thcir ow11 Christian conviction. 'I'hcir nu~iiber has tripled, their newly built cliurclies

arc 1'111I; thcir influence in public life is growing and in the Universal c11~1rcIi thcy have

wort a position that can no more be overlooltcd. TIicse observations made by Uaur

(Ibid) are cosscct and constructive.

In rc-cvalualing L~gyplians who \vcrc lirsl to rcccivc l l~c Cllsislian l'ailli,

;~ccording to I3aur (Ibid:5 IS), it is i~iiprcssing that tlicy Iiad (1) ~l-anslatctl thc bible into

Lwo vcsnnct~lar 1,inguagcs as early as 300 A.D (?) dcvclopcd llic Copric 1,irllrgy; (3)

il l \ c111ciI ~iiori,i~ I i(*iwi \\ Ilich i \ , I r c l i !> io~~< i(lr:~liwi lli:~t appl i~~s lilcrally bv leaving

cvcrything a d li)llo\ving Christ. 'I'llcsc vc~~lurcs did not allow annihil;ltio~l of'

C'hristianity dcspite Islamic invasions. Christianily was already an African herilagc Ibr

gcncrations then. 'I'licrcl'ore, modern Ali-ican Clirislians niust stand their grounds.

Al'rican Nnlional Iniliatives (1993) has the Womcn Track too whicli gives tlic

~ict~\osk 01' WOIIICII 'S sole in ~ ~ a ~ i g c l i s i ~ t i ~ ~ l . 1::111t (1907) ~ C I ~ I I O W I C ~ ~ C S tlial woliicn

olicn indicak greater inlcrest and dcvolion lo the work of the church than the mcn. In

tlicis fin:iricial contribulions, they do not take the second place. Womcn play

signilicatil solcs in Afi.ican Cl~rislianily. Youths are dynamic and llie aged arc

~~s:iycsfirl. 'l'licsr~lhrc, t'liristianily slinll maltc continued psogscss in [lie 21" cenlusy.

'I'o climax il,l:all< (ibid) says that 1 loly politicians in the third millennium could change

Af'sicn inlo pat-ntlisc that anccslors would wish lo return and all would bc happy lo livc

I 11.

An Aliican Chsislian was a wilncs to thc integration 01' llic wntcr baplisrn with

thc I loly spirit baptism (Acts 19: 1 - 12).

1.7 Limitation of thc Study

'I'lic lilliil,~tion ol' tlic :,luJy on llic ?!c'\: l'csta~iicnt l'csy~ccli\lc o f African

ldcntity in Chri:.tianity hingcs on Ihc I;i[-I< oS covcrage in the cxisting litcrali~re. Apart

li-om arliclcs \vriltcn on ccrtairi aspects, no cxplicit work has bcen donc on Africa and

Al'ricans i n the Ne\v 'fcslamcnt yct. Therel'ore, there is no basic litcrature on it.

Aficr the early Alikan Clirislians, there wcrc no African Christians wlio

pragmatically defe~idcd the l'aith against any odd until about lhc third cp r t e r of the

t\vcntictli ccntury. 'I'his has made a lot ol'literature vis-i-vis Africa and Af'sicans in the

Ne\v l'eslamcnt to bc more eurocc~itric in approach.

Aliican Christian scholars have not piclcctl LIP the challcngc to study in depth

the Old 'I'cstamcnl Ilcb~.c\v ~ I ' / ~ I I I ~ Ihc New 'I'cslamcnl Greek in ordcr lo givc

cxcgclicnl analyscc lixm Ihc A l i h n background. All ll~csc linvc nl'fcclcd lhc sti~dy to

some exlcnl

('!lristianity. Such works that havc becn do~ic by both Al'ricans and non Ali-icans arc

oi'Cllristi:!riil\~ PO mi~cli so th:it tlicy bore pcrsccutions and yet remained firm in tlicir

Iailli. ' I ' l q had also known thc scriptures w1iic.h stabilized tlicir hith.

I<alu ( I000:30) irl rccogtiitio~i ol' Lllcis unrnovcd couragc, rcliinrlts:

In thc tliiclc pcrsccution under I I I I I ~ C ~ W Septiliii~s SCVCIIIS il11d as a ~ilarlt of an itlcrcdible ri~ith,

Clcmcnt of Alexardrin ( 1 50 - 250 All) ~mxlidctl tlial tllc i~.o~i-brontc rcli- gion ol'lllc Grcek \vas inferior to the silvcr of the Jews and thc gold ol'tllc 'hrislia~i. 'I'hat goldcri agc tlwncd unclcr Constantine alicr Clenlcnt had died.

(21 tllc salric tinic, forms of worship, Church orgallisation and the hymnocly

\?,crc dcvclopcd by the c;isly Fatlicrs in Afi-ica wliicli have influenced the Cliurcli

tll~~oughout thc rcrituries. 'llicrcli)rc, Uaur ( I 998: 17) asscrts:

Christianity in Arrica is not ri

sccclit Iinppcni~~g, 11or is i t a by-product of colonialisni -- its rools go back to the very time or tlic apostles.

I Ic goes on ; ixlltress it with tlic fact that Christianity had bcen Ilourislli~ig on the

~ ~ o ~ l l i c s ~ i sliorc ( '. llic continent fix six Ilundrcd years bcf'ore Islam was born. At tlic

snliic li~lic, I~y!~p! and Nor~Ii Africa with tlicir great theologians such as Athanasiu:;,

Auystinc, ctc bccame pillars ol' tlic universal cli~ircli. l'liis has also been fiirthcr

alleslctl Lo, liw example, in tllc early century, when tl~crc was a ~~eferencc to Cyprian

L3ishop of' ('artllngc o n a Biblical issuc, which McCairi ( l996:9 1) statcs:

A qtlcstion \\,as r'aiscrl ill tlic ~nitltllc of [he third ccl~tury about whctlwr or not baptist11 by sprinkling was a valid Ibrm of' baptism. A clii~rch 1:nthcr by nalne Cypriaii was askctl Tor his opinion on Ll~c Innktcr. I Ic

~~inintailicd that i t was not thc amount of \\taker that was ~tscd that ~nadc baptism meaningful, but the sincerity ol'the hear[. I le says, "Whence it appears sprinkling also of watcr prevails equally with the washing of salvi~tion. .. .. and th:it where the faith ol'the givcr and the rccei\/cr is soulid, all Lhings Iiold and may be

consulnmakd nntl perf'ectcd by the majxty 01' God and ~ h c ruth of fairli". 'I'liis opinion prcvailctl nntl sprinkling \\w noi scrioi~\ly challcngcd agni~i hy lI1c nlainlinc ('hr'istinnily.

13csitlcs, Africans thclnselvcs played roles in the evangelisation of ASrica.

Nthalnburi (ibid) attcsts to this when 11c retnarks:

I t is gratii'ying to know that the cvangclists \vho really carried the gospel across Africa, particularly along the Western coast were nearly always the Africans themselves.

I n this present age, the issue has so ripplctl that African missicm~ries

and cvangclists have gone bcyo~id Africa Lo parts of Alncricas, Ihtrope and Asia to

2.2 lievicw of R c h tcd Li tcra tore

'I'hc~c is quite a considerable body o f literature available on the sub.ject of

Cl~ristianity in Aliica. Initially, tl~csc wcrc written by tlic Whitcs, but much

Iatcr, by tlic Arricans especially since the intlcpcndcncc or Africa11 nations.

Ali,icalis arc gcncrally consciously or/and ir~~co~isciously ~.cligious. 'I'hcrcforc,

1Icli)rc [lie introduction oftlic Cliristian religion into any part or Africa, tlic scnse and recognition ofthe Supreme Ijcing, (;ocI. S i~ l l \ \~~I l 01. Almi Ib011i l 1 ~ 1 d

long been established ill Africa and anlong the Africans.

I Ic (Ibid) clai~iis that Jesus was black and oS the African race too wliilc according to

Waruta ( 109.3), 13isliop Sc~icloro conimcnts on Llie issue by allirrning Lliat, to sonic

races. Ilicir p.oblc~ii is, i l ' tlicrc is ;i god ;it ~111, \vIicr~;is, to the AlYica~is, tlic problcm is,

il'one God is enough. Afiicans had many gods liltc i n tlic land of Ur, Abraham's honic

t ~ w 1 1 but wlicn C'llristianity camc it was a matter of Lhe God of glory appearing (Acts

7:1,2) and tl~cy \,vcrc able to grasp it easily. Kinoti (1997) indicates that the link

bclwccn Ali-ica and the Bible goes back hundreds of years beforc the birth of Christ.

Fro111 biblical records, it is i~nderstood that Africans had long been integratcd anlong

(iod's pcople as Psalm 87 describes the Zionic birth of Africa (vs. 1-6). 'fhosc who

wcrc God Scaring bccanie the Christians. fallc (1 997:57) declares:

tlic God-liming pcoplc 01' North A fiica were Iirst to rcceive thc Christian faith. 1 laving received the faith, articulated it in their daily life, they applied it in spite o f pcrscculion. 'I'lle God-fearing people were Old Testa- men1 belicvers. When tlic message of CIvist's coming i n fulfillment of Prophecy was proclaimcd Lo thcm they acccptcd Christ as Llie Messiah. Since they were already familiar with tlic

Old l'cslnliicnt nicssage, the scvclalion of Jesus Christ was not anothcr rcligio~i, but thc conlplction or' tlic rcligio~l to \vliich thcy had adhcred.

Africans had alreildy begun to practice tlie biblical messagc by their consciousness of

(iocl. Mos~ ol' tllc social, cultt~sal, political and I-cligious institlltions elaborated i l l t l~c

llihlc wcrc in cxistcnce, and so~nctimes in a nii~ch richer manner. In this case, the

biblc assists i n comparing those rcligious systclns with biblical ones.

Ixcgarcling thc New 'l'cstalncnt, Kinoti (1997) declares it rcachcd Africa during

tlic lirsl ccnttiry o f lllc C'lirislian era wliilc the Old 'feslamcnt was carlicr. Fronl

Alcsantlsia alld ('artliagc, tlic Llihlc sprcad to tlic Ethiopian and Nubian kingdoms.

l'hc Ethiopian Iknilch was rcading the scripture horn Isaiah at that early age of

Cllsistianity (Act X:28-40). l'roni the 15Ih century, portions of thc bible could be found

along thc castern and wcstcni coasts of Ali-ica, the kingdoms of Congo and

Mozariibiquc, Angola and iri tlic irlla~itls.

In tliscussing Christialiity i\S Aii'ica's religion, Bedialco (1995) acclainis how

Christianity in Atiican life is a gcnuine answer to ASrican religiousness. Accordingly,

lie advocates that pcoplc should avoid spcalting of Christianity as an African religion,

but rathcr, as an African's religion. It is not thc hislorical cil-cumslances that havc

niaclc Clisistialiily an uliavoidable factor in Alikan lifc, but thc ASrican experience of

thc Chrisriall Ihith can be sew to be Tully cohcrcnt with the religious quests in ATrican

life.

'I'liis lcuds to the acknowlcdgnic~lt of tlic Iilct that ASricalis are not strangers to

thc Bible and ncithcr are they strangers in biblical accounts. In rcfcrcncc to tlic

nccourits iri tlie Acts ol'thc Apostles, Glasswell (197654) says:

... aspects of the story in Acts and the prcsent day situation of tlic Church in Africa is to enable African students to have a truc rapport \villi thc biblical account a s well as to rnakc legitimate points

or inlerprctalion of tlic biblc in an AliSican context.

I~cgartling Ilic I>uilding of Afiican thcology, O'ilonovan (I 99G) proposcs that if

i I S I I O L I I C I really bc Ali-ica~i and at thc samc time truly biblical, what the bible says or1

tlic st~lbjcct slioi~ltl Iw ~wo~lci lcd. I t slio~~lcl cliangc. lives and tlicrclbrc ~iitrsl bo iippliccl

to daily life as Ihc Irulli of rhc s~~hjcc t is cxprcssctl clearly in a way that is related to

A liican cul tul~.

In order to cdifL tlic church, Umoren (1974) uses I'hilippians 4:8 to encourage

ASrican Christians to pursue what is noble, good, pure, uplifting and edifying in thc

culture and relaill such. In cultural revival, we sliould be disccrning, separating the

\vIical fioni Ilic cll;~I'l'. liinoli (1000) also p ropo~~n i l~ Illat (:hrisIians arc an intcgrnl par1

AS iVl~gi11~1bi (1097) discusses the issue of culture and llie gospel in the

clianging Africa, lie aclvocatcs that the only way to change culturc is to challenge i t

wilh Ihc gospcl ~vliicI1 is Ilic "Good News" co~ning from God for cvcrync.

I~cgardlcss of changcs taking place, we subscribe to the tlicology of the God who is

always present in the World and calls us to work with him to transform situatiolis.

Africans ncccl to consider and reco~isidcr their valucs along this line.

Bcdiako ( 1 W 5 : 6 0 ) givcs tlic signilicance of I'cntecost to bc:

More than answering to tlic chaos of Babel. Its tleepcr signilicancc is rll:lt God spcalts ro nicn and \vonien - always i n vernacular. It is such that all ol' us hear.. . in o r~r own languages.. . the wonders ol'Gocl. Cliristianity, i~nlike Islani, rcicv.ts Ilic notion o fa sncrccl language for ils scriptures. The C l i l istian faith is inlinikly translatable.

2.2.2. African ltnpacl on Cl~ris l i ;~ni ly

L3iaclc (1987:368-371) agrces that traditions associate tlic cnicrgcncc of

C'liristianity in C)wn:rica and the cvangclisation of l'gypt with tlic apostle John Mark,

a native .Icw of Cysclic, wlio alicr laying tlic foundation of tlie cliurcli i n Egypt,

rclusncd lo t'yrc~lc to cvangclisc. '1.0 tliis day (tic Coptic I'alrinrch carrics tlic livc

\vcstc~~i to\vlis in his title as a province ol'tlic Scc 01' Mark. I::rllt (1007:20) mentions

tllal 1:usekius accepts the klarlc trnditiolis. l'liis also is supported by Livingstone

(1 977: 130).

L,iltc sevcrnl writers as well as biblical accounts, Abasilta (1993) ascertains that

horn time i~iinicniorial, most 01' tlic cvcnts, cpisotlcs and historical ~iiovcmcnts of thc

grcatcr tlebrc\v/lsraclites liavc centered on Africa and particularly Egypt and Dabylon.

Whatever our understanding of Afsica is, \vc must always scmember that Egypt

belongs to Ali,ica ant1 it is owncd by llic 131aclt race and it is the csadle of civilization.

In tlic biblical inju~lctioli ol'Gcncsis 15:28, God rriadc a covenant with Abrani: , . I o Itour dcsccndnnts 1 givc tliis

land, f'roni tlic rivcr ol' Egypt to

llic g m t rivcr, tlic Ih~plil.atcs.

Wlic~cvcr Alm~l l \\/elit Iic cv;is 1 ) l c~cd I)y (iotl, so was I'gypt hlcssctl ant1 lilccwisc

Ali-icri \\{as blcsscd too. A map ol"'~ilic Fertile Cresccnl givcs a clear i~idication

(l:ig.3).

In Egypt there was a rapid dcvclopmcnt oS monasticism. Yanney (1997)

accounts tliat Allianasius co~isidcrcd monasticisni as a revival movement to bc

nurtured. I-lis relationship with it was close. His writings were studied by the

Ib$,yptian ~iio~iks. I-le in turn, was inllucnced by Antlio~iy, particularly in tlic

rcli,r~ilation or Origcn's tloctrinc of salvation. Wlicn Allianasius expcricnccd liis series

ol 'c~i lcs at tlic. Ii:i~icls ol'tlic c~i~peror, it w;is the ~iiolilis WOO gave him the succorrr.

111 liis paper, I<cligious pluralis~ii in Africa, Kiogora (Waruta, 1995:84-85)

corn~iicnts tliat among tlie two missionary religions of Africa, Christianity has the

longest liistosy. It cntcred Al'rica in tlic lirst century A D and had bccn in Lgypt and

IJthiopia Sor such a long time tliat it acquired the status of a traditional religion.

13gyptians belicved in lifc aster death so, the Christian idea of a Saviour who

concluereti death took hold oi' their ~iiinci and tlic Church tllerc grew quickly. For this

rcason, dcspitc tlic Islamic invasion to annihilate Christianity, it could not bc

complctcly uprooted bccausc it was wcll rooted, wliilc tlie Ethiopian church c\lcn

became tlic statc ('hurcli.

For cclltul.ic\, ('l~sistia~lity sptcad pcacclirlly i n North Al'rica, but dllc to cl'li'cls

01' pcrsccirtions, 13aur (1098:17) ohservcs, "tlic subscqucnt history of Christian

Ixescnce in ASrica, is hs many centuries like a trickling stream [ I l ~ o ~ g h thc dcscrt. Yet

(;otl's provitlcncc ncvcr let it dry aiitl in our days il has bccon~c a grcal flood wokr ilig

tllc wllolc contiricrll".

l'hougli Iic ack~iowlctlgcs [lie fact lhal the li)undatioli of most of thc Afsicnti

chuscl~es took placc bcl\vecn 1800s and I9G0, tlic age of rnodcrn infrastructi~se which

greatly facililatcd cvangelisaliun, Garland (1998) however, lcstifics that cvangelisation

ill Al'sica \\/as done by the blacks rnllicr than the wliitcs. I le supposts will1 the lid Ihal

i l l West Africa Ilic lirst Cliurcli was cstablishcd by cniancipated slavcs. 'I'licy

inaugurated the motlcrn era of Clirislianily in Aliica. 111 many placcs, indced, it was

rcpalriatcd or libcratcd slavcs who laid the foundation stories of' tlie prcsent ASsican

C'llulch.

Thcir selllcments fi)slncd tlie basis liom which concertcd efforts were madc to

bring h e good news of salvation of Christ to the rialive coniniunities and into thc vcry

I~carl oS the conlinenl. In liis discussion on llieology made in Africa, Nthamburi

(1 995) highlights on Al'sican indigenous churclics which sprang up bctwecn thc late

10''' and 20'" ccnturics as a reaction against colonizalion. Such churches havc cluly

gained grounds and niornentum in Africa too.

During llic period of slavcry, a libcratcd slave took Chrislianity to Anierica.

According to 13ald\vin, ( n d : 30-33) Satrii~el Mosris (AfEican Princc) suffcrcd slavcry

witliin liis own Ititli. I3111 his hope was raised and his deliverance was got through

divinc intervcntion, I-Ie went to America \vIiese sevcral received Cllrist and in turn,

caliic to Africa as missionaries alter his death. I lc was known as "Angel in Ebolly"

atid "Diamontl in tlie Makillg".

In the same vein, Mugambi and Mcgesa (1998) enibracc the writing of

Nllinlnburi (lbid.43-56) on the Ecclesiology of Afiican Independent Churches,

~m'lsaying their gcncsis to havc been traccd to llle atlvcnt of European colonization of

Africa. As colonization swcpt ATrica, Clirislianity gained momentum and niore

indcpcndent clii~rclies were cstablishcd. l 'he last I?Sty ycars have wilnesscd a lot of

~iiusl~rooniing and Cathcdra~ing oS tlic cliurchcs. In othcr worcls, Clirislianity ub-inilio

and currcnlly Iias continually surged high against all odds.

2.2.3. Wcslcra 1nir)act OH Christianity

Roles oS ASsicnns Srom biblical and Christian history are highly noteworthy

13ul i t was howcvcr, with thc 19"' century Missionary Movcrnent that the Bible spread

all ovcr the tropical ATI-ica, especially by the evangelicals and before thc end of lhc

19"' ccnlury, tlic I3ible had becn translated into scveral ASrican languages. In hct, it

was alniosl in all cascs, tlic first 1 ileralurc i n lhc local communilics.

Cliristia~iily \vm lirst to introtlucc lilcriicy i l l ~iiotlicr to~iguc in Aliica. 13111

according lo FaSunwa (1999) it was during his tcnurc as Miliistcr of' Education 1990-

1993 that he was able to tnrikc Nigcrians lilcrale and numcrate in al lcasl one language,

bc i l I laus:i, Igbo, Yoruba, Nupc.. . i l l liiglicr institutions.

As Nll ian~l~~l~*i (1 905: I I ) consitlcss roles oi' Al'ricans and Wcslcrn niissionarics,

lic concludes:

lhal the Church in Africa, apart liun the anciciil churchcs of 1:thiopia and I'gypl, comes o ~ t of missionary enler- priscs in Europe and North America. Although Africans lhemscl\w have played key roles in the plaiting of'

lhc Churcli in lhe conlinenl. I t is Illerefore asscrled ha t repalrialed slavcs must liavc conlacted Clirislianity from

somc godly slaw mastcrs in I lu~qx and Amcricn which cnablcd them to cstablisli

such in Aliica. Abovc that, sorne must have becn Chrislians f'rom their own homcs

psior to salvery..

Coilsidering tlic historical co~itcst I3aur, (Ibid 1998:234) elaborates that "ll~e

origin of the Modern Missionary Movement is traced to exploratory interest of' Prince

1 Icnsy the Navigator of Portugal in lhc 15"' Century". As he navigated lo opcn Afiica

to comniercc, tlic I'opc cncouragcd him to spread tlic Catholic faith along so he went

with priests lbr the purpose. In any case, in the cowsc of time, Portuguese

involvcment in slavc tradc stagnatccl the growtli of Christianity in the pcriod.

I locvcver, lhal riolc\~iIlisla~icling, pcoplc like Abraham Lincoln in Atncrica, Will:~i~n

Wilbcslhrcc i r ~ Iluropc, I>avitl I,ivi~igsto~ic in Al'rica al~cl thcir supporters vigolx~~r~~ly

slid titdcssly agitnrcd Sor thc abolition of slavery and slavc tradc until it was done.

'I'lie long advcrse etl'ects oT slavery 2nd slavc tlacle makes Adcycrno *1997:2)

'I'l~e cxpcric~icc of lhc slave tradc and inl'amous colonization in Aiiica created iclcntity crisis and lef a nark ol'infcriority versus superiority complcx bctwccn the blacks and \,vhitcs. 111iSorlunatcly, thc Church who knew the tr~itli of tlic common origiii ol' all humanity did vcry little, il'any, to correct the spirit of' racism. Instcad, in some cases, tlic Ch~~rcl i c~icouragccl it as in Lhe case 01' apnrllicitl in South Al'rica.

I lo\vcver, the Uiblc i~idicatcs ~iiil~i's zionic origin by declaring "From one man he

ntadc cvcry nation ol'nicn that tlicy sl~o~tlcl inhabit tlic ~ lho lc earth; and he detcrniii~cs

Ilic Iimcs sct for them and the cxact placcs whcrc they should live" (Acts 17:26).

111 aclino\vlcclgcnicn~ oT Lhc grcal rolcs in tlic abolition of slavc trade, Co~v;lsk

(1983) remarks that William WilbcrTorce livcd in a brutal agc and i n his strugglc. hc

s o ~ g h t to convincc many rational decent men and women that tlicir country did not

dcscrvc to be called civilized while it encouraged and peniiitted slave trade.

I*:vcry!liing Iic 1ici11.d and slutlictl conviticctl him thal lllcrc \Vils a lilting s~h jcc l li)r a

('llrislinn poliliciun n r d lie ~ L I ~ S L I C ~ lliis C O L I ~ S C ill Llic ~~arlia~iicnl.

13lydcn loo, bcing a Sair critic, according to Ilcdiako (Ibid: 1995), ackl~ocvlc~~l~cs

tlynamic Negro cllanipions sucli as M'ilberforcc, I3mtons and many otlicrs for ~l!c.ir

I'hilanthropic spil-if. I lis ultimatc vie\v i q that thc ncl\~crse attitudes ofthe White s l io~~ld

not bc stamped o n lic. mind of the youtIiT~~I Aliican.

Ilistorically, rolcs of Africans as well as Europea~is in Christianity arc

interwoven ant1 inlcrrelated. 'T'he spread of Christianity to ATrica is known from the

10 the vcry bcginning of Christianity ilscll' \\rhcn Aliicans playcd a prominent role in

Ihc lik and cspa~lsioll (?I' the c:irly Clii~rch. Ali.icalls \vcrc among Ihc cvangclisls \vho

prwdied lo Genlilcs and llicy rel~ctilcd i n Anlioch. 'I'licy wcsc in llic synagoguc when l

bclirvcrs wclc lirst called "C'I1risti:ins" ()(f CflT L 6~ VOQ5) Acts 1 1 : 19-26.

In a~ioll~cr inslance, (iross ( 1994) clcclascs lhal lhc Iirsl cvangclical

niissionnrics arrived i n igala (a liinlerlancl of' Nigcria) in 1919, but i t was scvcn long

hard ycars bcSorc thc lirst Igala becamc a Cllristian. 1:rom that slna11 bcginning have

schools, l\vo special schools. priniary and sccondary scllools and many ollier auxiliary

~liillis[rics. Sllc (ibid: I) says, '"l'liis is bccausc the missionarics dicl not work alonc.

Rathcr, many Iiillili~l Nigcrian tncn and womcn also havc been seaching others. 'I'lic

work will conlinuc if we all obcy thc Lord's com~iiand"

l'hc 13lack Diaspora havc cslablishcd Chrislian Ihirli, Kinoti (ibid) cxpresscs

Llial llic oltlcsl illslilulion in lllc Ii~iglisll-spcnlii~lg Aliicall 1)iaspora is IIOI the Illnlily

per sc, b11I lhc 13l;ick Cliurcli will1 its lap roo1 lirlnly ancllorcd in [lie soil lor over 300

ycars despile scparalions that slaw o\\mcrs had c:ulscd Sor 111crn \vliicli nlade tlic~n lose

[llcir cullural I'ealurcs and cllinic idenlily.

According lo Worceslcr (Ibid:98), in ATrica was Ilavid 1,ivingslone a European

cvliosc obscrvalion ofllic Aliican sprang lio~ii his objeclive and righteous judgment:

Nolliing brings lhc ASricans lo place tli~rough confidence in L',uropcans, but a long course of \wlI doirlg.. .. (;ootlncss ( IS unscl li41- ncss i~iipresscs thcir minds morc than any kind ofsltill or power.

1 Ic was an cxplorcdniissionary and a man whose cliaractcr shines out pre-emincnlly

great and all who had I w w n him belicvecl that lie was a Christ-like man. An instancc

ol' such posilivc rellcclions could bc seen in tllosc in slavcry who lookcd beyond

slavery lo sec ~licir l'rccdom in Jcsus. 'I'llose who \\torkcd closely with Europeans did

so bccause sucll \\,llitc peoplc wcsc good ill eslabli~hing lhc CIILI~LII, scliool~ and health

clinics. 'I'liougli I,ivingslonc as a pcrsoli had a grc;~L disappoinl~ncnL in liis cspcdition

at a point, hc slill had a consolalion from his missionary achicvcmcnts and Biblc

tralislntions (ibid:H I ) :

A grcat \vork lias bccli dotic illso in transloling 1l1c bibli: inlo di l'l; : cnt dialcc~s; and o n thc sitc ol'thc old slave nia~ kcls of Zanzibar, o t ~ c one 01' tlic vilcsl sporis 011 ~;1r1l i , ~ I I c I . ( ' now slancls a tine church.

No wonder, liis namc is initnorlalized in Africa.

2.2.4 Contcml)orary situation

Calliolicis~n Iias t. [ccliicd Llic S;ILI ~ ~ t i c r i ~ ( I , ( ' 0 ) . 'I'liercSwc, Darrcl (1070) lias

it h : ~ t tlic p I i cno~n~-~ i~~ l ~iunieric:~l rlrrgc of t h r f i ~ i l l i in Africa could Incan lliat African

primarily non-weslcrn reliqion.

Krali Cliarlcs (Falk, 1997: 15), in liis foreword ackriowledgcs tlie remarkability

ol'tlic slory ol' Chrislianily ill Aliica by giving Barrel's slalislics:

At thc lurll of tlic celllury was a nicre 3% ol'tlic population, by thrcc quartcrs of [lie cenlury, il was over 30% and could possibly reach 50% by the year 2000. hy that timc, Africa may well havc bccoliic in tlic main, a Christian

conlincnl and tlie home of one of Llic Iiirgcst Clirislians in Llie world.

l lay (n.d.23) in support of Kralt, comments that; '"l'oday Islam and Cliristianily

conipctc Sor Llic firs1 place as Aliica number one religion ancl lhal a research predicts

Christianity will bc tlic nujority rcligion by the cnd o f thc cenlury". Table 26 ccrlilics

'I'liis is li~rllicr agrccd lo by Dediako (1995) wlio ilidicales Ilia1 Clirislianily

c.cnLa. lias shifted in the modern world from the Northcrn continent to the south with

Africa playing a significant role iri the resurgcncc ol' the Saith. Bcdiako (lbid:128)

nolcs that while cconomic gap bctweeri tlie rich Norrli and tlic poor South widens, thc

Christian Soulli has generally continued to registcr gro\vth, wliilc those of the faith in

Wcslcrn Europe, havc dccli~ied.

Walls ( 1 070: ! 80- I SO) t l ~ . : i \ \ ) ~ ill1 implic;~lion by suggesting that \\hat liappcns

01' llic Chrislians in the intcrim. 11' this bccomcs tlic casc, according to tlic lindings,

A l-ricans slial l bc important Ilag-bcarcrs of Christianity ol' the twcnty first century and

Llic third mil lcnliiu~n. Even thougll A li-icu is margiiial izcd i l l world aTFniss, she shall bc

procpesorls Ali-im. bclicvi~y God \\lould (lo for Afi-ican Christians as Hc has done for

tlic .lcws by givinfz then1 hopc and an cxpccted end (Jeremiah 29:7,1 1). I<inoti (lbid)

also draws Al'rican's attention to tlie fact that Africa was riot the first to suffer severe

crisis. Moreover, in atlclilion, thc hopc is a niattcr of sunshinc after sains and /or cvcry

cluuti having a silvcr linitig.

Though the cliurcli in Lurope had vicwcd at a timc that thc o~dcals o r the

Aliicans wcrc God's ordained way to cnsure t l~c supply 01' liec labour, Mugamhi

( 1 907) now encourages Africans to replacc the n i ~ ~ l l i ofdcspcratc pcoplc with the myth

of peoplc fiill of hnpc.

Accordin!. to Andcrson (I 980:34) the tri~lli is that:

No Iiuman c o ~ ~ r t can pronounce a salc vcrdicl on Ihc valuc and mauling ol' I I I : I I~ 'S l i I? ~ Y Y I I I V - llic rv:tI ! I ~ I oflnari takcs place in tlie inncr rcccsscs of mind and soul wlicre thc court has no competence.

Ali-ica's past 2nd ruturc are matters of Africa drawn from the miry clay and her feet sct

0 1 1 Ilic 1.0cli lo \l;y. I lo\\/cvcr, tlic pnratlosical situation ill wl~icli tllc Clirstian cullurc

linds itself ill Aliica, is according to Nthamburi (1995), as a result of uncritical

assimilation of western culture in the name of Christianity. Apart from culturc

ahltcratioii, a 11101.e serious issue \vas raised in an alarm as Chipenda (Waruta, 1995:3)

I I O ~ C S thc L I S ~ W I ~ O I ~ ~ ~ C ~ I ~ g1.0~tl1 O S tlic CIILII.CII in Aliic:~, lie S O L I I I ~ S II 110tc OSCOIICCIII:

Wllcthcr i l l tllc li~turc the Cl~urcli in cvcsy country will be the body of thc I<iscn Christ or a club ol' i~ltcrcstcd patrons.

111 his statislics ol'0.0 ~nillio~i Clisislia~ls in 1980 and 393.9 million by l l~c ycar 2000 of

cliur.cllcs comprising catcgvrics of all people fou~ld in thc socicty, he thcrcforc

suggcsls a successful programme in the church to meet Ilicir total need.

Currcnt changcs in Aliica and in the world have affected the lives oS church

nicmbcrs. 'I'ticreforc, trcnds of songs and sermons should rcflcct such changes. 'Tlierc

is also the necd to rc-csaminc thc currcnt borro\vctI social and religious culture and

apprccialc what God has given African pcople.

Christians and pastors should dcvelop tlic use of motlier tonguc in

cvangclisalion ralhcr than Sorcign tongues 10 climinatc youths' attraction lo Sorcign

cvangclists and hatrcd li)r the local cliurcl~. Onc of tlie ways is as 1:ullcr (1995:37)

upholds:

I'rcacliers may be able lo itlcnlif'y a silualion in their people's lives \vhicli is analogous to a situation which a biblical text was addressed i n its day. 'I'lic task then is to rcarltlrcss.. . h c mcssage to the present congregation. Of course prw(:llcrs nccd to hc circulnspcct in pl.cilclling.

Christ's conccrn lor thc togctlicrncss 01' Christians n~akcs 1 l im pray for tllcir

ollcliess (John 17:22). Aliican church should scek ways o r unification instead of

disintcgration. Christianity sliould cut across cnthicism, kith and kin. Gustave and

Nicolc (Mugambi, 1997:168-206-) acquaint Aliical~s with Cl~ristian Councils of the

I\vcnty lirst ccntury as a niovcnlcnt toward ul~ity co1iimit1cd lo God's mission.

Unity docs not nlcall unif\)rmity. Yet unity il l tlivcrsit~, and ullily in solidarity

ltccp tlie C I I L I ~ C I I in oncncss and in slrcnglli. According to N~lialnburi (ibid) it is

csri~iialed that Ali.ica has over 9,000 denominalions and llicse are increasing at ~ h c rate

of 5% evcry ycar. I t is ncccssary thcn lo note that tlic church can no longer afford lo

cntlangcr llic church's image by rubbing shoulders. Many denominations are coming

out ol'llicir shells now.

I n llic cas1cl.n Al'ricn, there is o rcgio~iul association, according Lo CVarula

(1003), coniprisirig Kcnyn, llga~itlu, 'I'a~i/:rnia, I'tliiopia, Sudan and %nnil~ia that riiect

cvcry year for tlic pas1 tlircc dccatles for ~licological rcflcclions i n an ccu~ncnical

sctl~ng and li)r [lie ~)urpusc o S enhancing Christian lire and witness in the Al i i ca~~

co~ilcxt. Sonic other ccurncnical vcnlurcs il l ASsica arc:

I . 'T'lie All A Srica Conkrence or Cliusches (AAC'C) was innuguraled in 1963.

2. As.;ocialio~i 01' I Ivangclicals ol' A li.ic:~ awl h4;iclagnscar (AI.AM) cslahlislictl i l l

1966.

3. Orgaliisalio~i 01' African Indepcndcnt Churclics (OAIC) inaugurated in Cairo,

l<gypl in 1078 with its I leadquartcrs in Nairobi, I<c~iya.

4 . ( ' o~ i l>~c~ ice 0 1 . A1'1icm llieologic~~l I n \ l i l ~ ~ t i o ~ ~ s (('A'l'l) lii~s l~cco~iic llic 111iii11

coortlinalit~g body 01' llicological Insli~u~ioris in Al'rica and Matlagascar. I t

cmbraccs l?olIi thc I'rolcsln~il arid I<otii:ir~ ('alliolic Instilulions as nicn~bcrs.

'I'lierc arc ollicr regional and nalional bodies too. For cxamplc, in Nigeria,

tlicrc asc:

I. Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN)

2. Pcnlccoslal Fcl lotvsliip 01' Nigeria (P1:N)

3. Nigeria I..\imgclical Missio11;~ry /\ssociiilio~~ (NLMA).

4. Ililcrcc.,.;c~~*, l i w Nigcsia, clc. ; i l l sucli I>o~lics utiil'y llic (:liitrcli ;ltid keep tlic

Churcli's lixus on lhc I,osd Jcslrs who is rlle Autlior and [lie Finisher ol'thc

Sail11 ofall tvlio bclicvc in I lini.

Associalions and Councils are cstablislied for difl'crcnt pusposcs, but they all are for

~ l i c progress ol' the cliurch. Member cliurchcs do not have to agrec on all doclrinal

issucs, but yet, hcy tiavc a colnnion ~iiissio~i that wlic~i unbelievers conspire,

c.liruislia~is slioultl co~iibinc. 0 1 1 giving an opliniislic asscss~iic~il 01' ~l i c cliurcli in

Aliaica, Cliipcntl:~ (\\/iiri~ta, ihid 100.5: 10) ~ons i t l c r~~ lllc gl.o\vtli ol' Christianity lo bc an

cstraordinary pl~cnorncnon of our tin~cs.

Alkican Nalional Inilialives (1993) cliallcngcs Ahican Chrislians regarding

~nobilising and resourcing Ihcm in tlic AD 2000 and 13eyond in tlic great task of [lie

grcal conimission of which if they had bccn aclive, lhc wholc continent would llavc

bccli saluralccl by t'lirislianily al his stage. 'I'hc 111) 2000 and 13cyond Movcnicnl has

t\vo major lliri~sls lo mobilizc tlic ch~~rcli globally and nationally which will efl'cctivcly

Inovc tlic C:IILII~CII rowards llic fulfillnicnl ofthc Grcal Co~nmission. , . I lic rcsponsc of h e Nigerian church (March, 1998) indicates that many

national leadcrs (including Nigeria) are dcvcloping their own A D 2000 counlry

stralcgics. 'I'lic A l l 2000 pcr sc docs 1101 Iiavc ally csclialological signilicancc as somc

Christians may vicw, but Iiowcvcr, it is ;I uniquc niilcslonc i n ~Iic ycar o f o ~ t r 1,ord and

a ~ransilion lime inlo a ncw ccnlury and a new niillcnnium.

The primary focus of the vision is the resistant bell betwccn 10'and 40°Nortli

ol' thc cqualor \vliich a1.q Wcsl Africa, Norlh Africa, Ihsl Asia, Soi~llicrn Spain, Japan

atid Northern I'hilippincs and arc rel'ered lo as the 10140 window.

Nigcria AD 2000 Movcmcnl, of llic Joshua Project people's prolile, (October ,

7 ) has already made rcsearclies on thirly cthno-lingi~istic peoples lor

cvangclisation. 'I'licsc pcoplcs arc i n respcctivc catc!p-ics as follows:

CJILI~CII planting l c m present Church planling team not adequate Nccd CIiu1-cli plnnl ilig learn.

Alkicnli missionnries arc highly necdcd Sor the task.

'I'licsc scrvc as all cyc-opcncr to tlic ta:,l< ol' lhc Great Comniission i l l Nigcria and

Aliica, now and I.!llure. I n aplwci;ltioi~, I:all; (1997) cxalts t l~c cmcrgcncc of the

Clii~rcli i n llic Aliiran sclting as n f'nscinnting story. God is working a miraclc of grace

in tlic lives 01' nir~ltitudcs in Aliica. 'Thc chu~~cli is rapidly being establislicd. The

corning of Clirislianily into Aliica has meaning and purposc wilhin God's sovereign

'fhc biblic.:~l accoulll ha t intcgralccl Ali-ica i~lld Africans, is a banquct table, il is

n o t a snack tray. 11 is Lhc issuc of .lesus' admonilion to llis disciples, "I am returning

to M y 1;nlhcr ; ~ n d your I:atlicr, to lily God and your God" (.lohn 20: 17b). 111 spilc ol'all

tlicsc, tlicrc arc yct ccrlain Al'ricans who are ignorant of tlic !'act that Africans have

b c w part and parccl ol'CI~ristianily uh-iriilio.

OLD TESTAM lCNrT ACCOUNIS REGARDING AFRICA AND AFRICANS

3.1 Introduction: 'I'liis cliaplcr-is concerned with the significance of Africa and Africans in the

serve as solid backgrounds for tlic necessary inli)rriiation. Regarding the nanies used to

clesigliatc Africa, soliic arc fi~miliar while othcrs arc not. Some othcrs arc synonymns

ol'cach other, but since thcy arc rlscd in tliffercnt passages and differently by various

vcwions n ~ i t l a~lllioss,llic study Icccps tlicm scparnlc for clcarcr comprchcnsion of

Aliicun nanlcs liw Llic wholc as well as i n parts. Other parts to tlic signilicance relate

to \\lllut can comc out of Africa; creation accounts; nations' table; Old Testament

tlcvclop~ncnt and the Ilitcrtcstanicnl pcriod. I--low and what significance they project

asc cstablislied along.

3.2 Nalllcs

No portion rccords Llic word "Africa" or "Africans" in the biblical accounts.

f lo\vcver, in both llic Old and Nc\v l'cstarnents. rcfcscnces are madc to cither the land

or tllc pcople as Aclcycmo (l997:3), has similarly rcmarltecl:

Just as you will never l i d the word . . "Tri~iity" i:; t l~c Oil-!c, so ;! i 51, it11 tlic word "ASrica" . 'I'he cxpanse of land that we call Ali-ica today and the pcoplc wc c:~ll Africans ~tcctl to hc known and called by tlifl'crent names.

For sc~eral niillcllia, I I L I ~ ~ L L ~ L O C C I I ~ ~ ~ L ~ommoncrs, scllolars, lii.itorians,

archaclogists and anthropologists have given scric:; of nanies in rcferencc to cither the

Ncgroid racc or to porliolis of tlic-ir land or lo thcir. land in cntircty. It is realized, for

illstance, that witliili sonic gcncsations of tlic ninctccnlh and twcnticth centuries,

/\li.icans in tlic t1i:ispol.a 1i:ivc cxpcsienced such references and nick-names. They have

bee11 referred lo ns "Niggcrs", "Negroes", "Black Americans", "Afro-Amcricans" and

cilrrcntly "Al'rican- Amcl-icans". I lowcvcr, these nick-namcs dcpict a picturcsquc in

that the rcal idcntily oSAli.icnns i.; hciny realircd, actuali7cd and advanced \vitli each

latlcr name being nlorc rcfinccl thm thc liwmcr.

On the otlicr hand, thc lintling has rcvcaled that in spite of tlic techtiological

aclvalicemc~it, many in tlic Caucasian race are yet ignorant ol'tlie cstcnt of thc African

continent and so, lor instance, one asks a Gmbian of lhc wclfarc of a parlicular

ICcnynn as il ' Al'rica was a slatc or h \ v n or \,ili,igc. No wonder, Adcycnio (Ibid)

Af'rica and I I C I ]Y'Ol>lc, yct tllc I ; f f l , - 111*1( is klio\! rl i s i~lnr.curntc. :inrl ~li';lnrt(.(l in [lie

colo~ii~:rtioti ol'Ali.ic;~ Ilavc tliitiiii~ctl 1l1c tligllily nncl psychology ol'licr pcoplc i t1 that

the cxpcriencc crcatcd identity crisis of inl'criority versus superiority conlpiexcs

between tlic 13lxks and non-13lacks.

On the colilrary, Iio\vcver, I~eltlcr (1 99 1 ) c~liphatically allirms thc l'act that the

13iblicnl world is \\. ithout prcjudicc ilgaill:;~ the r i f~ ic;uis. hlasscy ( 188 1 5 0 0 ) tl~ougli an

Luropean scholar4~ip anti intcllcc'lrd ~iiotic of' discourse during the 1800s. I-le

clcclares uneqi~ivocally that:

llic origin o f civilization . . .has tiow to be sought Sor i l l Africa, the birtliplacc ortlic black race, tlic land of t l~e oldest known huriian types, and of those which preceded and most nearly the human.. . Aethopia and Egypt procluccd tlic carlicst civilization in t l~c \vorld and it was indigenous. So far as the records of language and ~iiythology call oflkr us guidancc, tlicrc is nothing beyond Egypt and 1:tIiiopia but Aliica.

Scalcs (1997) recognizes Chapoilion the French scliolar and "Father" of

f:,gyptology who i~itroduccd to the world n systcni o r deciphering Egyptian

liicroglypliics. I Ic (ibitl) acIc~io\vlcdgcs the rolc that Ali-icans playcd. 1.k describes an

cli~i~iis ~lccils iio classilicalioii li)r Ilc was a n Al'i.ic~i11 1)ccausc ol'llic tloslt coniplcxion.

Thc third had a tan complexion with a pointed beard wearing a clolh of various

coloi~rs. Africans are a sailibow of I'caturcs as wcll as fi11ct.y.

According Lo Scales (Ibid), in thc scvcntccnlli ccnlury tlic nolion was widc

spread among Lhropcans Ilia1 Africans were bill oric stcp abovc apcs and hercfore,

wcrc not woslhy of considernlion as humans in thc recounting ol' history. But i l l the

actunl sensc, Nilc vallcy civilizalions, parlicularly that oS I<hamit, had developed at a

much earlier period than those of European nations. Even before the nineteen111

ccn111l.y~ I~urol)ca~i scholars wcrc illitcrate in llic il~icic~it I<l~rrn~iltia~~ piclurc wililig

klio\vn as hieroglyphics. In tlic same vein, Shaw (1 984:2O) pro-jects that, "The earliest

wri,ing in "Picture Signs" was invcntcd by the Egyptians. 14)r instance, @ (the

sun) stands lor the "day". Clarltc (1990: 157) adds that, "Many A1Licans in Anlcrica

tliscovcrcd Illat Al'ricil and Iicr pcoplc had history oltlcr than tlic history of their

01)1)1 CSSO~S".

Abasika (1993:45) dclincs an African in terms of a black race whether hdshe

livcbc: in the contincnl or Africa or in h c Diasporn. An African is thc descendant of

I l i i ~ i i . 'I'hc \vo~d "Aliican" in this conlcnt mcans a I3laclt person ol'thc Allican origin

becnusc of his blood lineage, which all along the linc from generations and ages are

black of I lam's tlcsccndants. By "Black people" we mean onc who is not a direct

dcsccndant of' Japhcth and other Caucasius saccs, no matter how light coniplexion

h c / s l ~ might bc.

I n Abasika's (Ibid:46) introduction of the "Black Iiace"/Go~igwanalan, he

refcrs our ~ncmorics back to the very ancient times and civilizations which slretclies

out liom Babylon i n the cast to l'imbulttu in thc wcst. Presently, this geographical

area in thc cast is called Iraq, in the region now known as the Middle Easl, lo

'I'imbuklu i n the central region now known as Wesl Ali.ica. According lo May (1 98 1)

obscrvntions from the map of lhc Ancicnt Ncar I k l Bcfore thc 1':xodus (lig.4) and as

s i~p~~or l cd Iy MOI~I~IIO~ISC (1 958) conlirms the fact that what is now Middle Enst was a

par1 of AIi-ica callcd, '"I'lic 1Iorn of Aiiica". Aliica at that time was Itnou'n as

(;wigwanalan. 'I'lic hiblic:~l scl'c~~cnccs ol' Genesis 15: 17- I0 a~icl Isaiah 1 I : I 1 cot~lir.ni

lhc strctch oftlic land:

. . . '1'0 your dcscc~idants I give tlic land li-om the river of Egypt to the grcat rivcr, llic Ihpliratcs.. .

In that day thc Lord wil rcacli out I lis hand a second timc lo rcclaini the rcmnanl that is lcft of his pcoplc from.. . I ,owcr Egypt, lio~il Oppcr l:gyl~l, Sro~il CLISII, I ' I ~ O I ~ I l ~ l i i ~ i i ...

3.2.2. Altcbo-lull (1-Icbrav) though unfamiliar accordi~ig lo Adcycmo (1997), it is tlic

oldcsl and rnosl i~idigc~ioi~s ~ i a~ i i c for Africa. I t originates from [lie I-lcbrews.

3.2.3. Wawal is an Egyptian tcrm drawn Srom Iigyptian hicroglypliic inscriptions.

Adaino (lO98:C)) tleclares lhat:

Sincc Ali-icans thc~nselvcs (tlic Egyptians) werc the first to put into wiling and Icave 11s with llic record of llicir cxpcric~icc with the ollicr Afi-ican pcoplc ol'anliquity, llic 13gyplian liieroglypliic inscriplions arc tlic bcst sources for Lhc c sa~ i~ i~ i a l i o~ i ol' the ler~ii.

Di~dgc (1998:146) delincs "Uwuat" in his hicroglypliic dictionary lo mean fire, flamc,

;I nmlsuring linc, cord ol' palm fibre or a part of a Iicxl and "Uauniu", to mcan a tribc

or pcoplc as quolcd by Adnmo (Ibid). (lie Lerm camc to be uscd Lo rcfer to a kibc

ini~iicdiatcly soi~tli of 1;gypt. Adamo (Ibid) agrecs thal thcrc arc scveral rcfcrcriccs to

Wawat which thc Egyptians call i\l;ldjy which cnlrld bc lranslatctl "policc". I le (ibid)

ack~iowlcdges llic Sac1 Lhat scliolars gcner:illy bclicvc that [lie Wanlatans arc Africans.

'I'lic linding associates the motion with a scction of lgbo tribe in one of tlic

1:astcrn slates o f Nigeria k n o \ ~ ~ i as [lie "Wan/as". Bolh namcs (Uwual and

3.2.4 I'ut or l'bet or I'unt is lirst seen in thc hiklical passagc in Gcn. 1 0 5 as the lhird

I)clicvcs that hc was one ol'tlic sons 01'1 h l i i and a grandson of Noah and al'firnis:

'I'hc land I'ut's descendants lived was Al'rica 'I'l~is nation is menlioncd in tlie bible in conncclion with Egypt anti 1 itl~iopia (Cush). Some scholars identify this with Punt, an arca on the eastern shore ol' Africa (possibly Sonialiland). . .olhcr sclioliirs helicvc Put rcfcrs to ccrtain Libyan tribes west of' Egypt. Mcn f'roni h r t 311~1 ! tlbim (1 i l y ) wcw i~sccl as mcrccnary soldiers by thc king of 'l'yrc (Ibck. 27: 10; 1~/.~1,.38:5). I ? ! I I most Uiblc rclercnccs picturc thcm as allics with Egypt (Jcr.46:9; Ezelc.30:5; Ncl13:9).

1)ouglas (1988: 1307) accepts I'ut also as the third son of IIam (lig.6) and that lic and

his clcsccndants arc known to be warriors alongsidc Lubim, Egyptians and Elhiopians

and as l'gyptian allies. I Ic (ibitl) aSfirnis too that:

I'ut is certailily African, but its location is disputed. Claiming that Lubim (Libyans) and Pul are distinct in Nahum 3:9, some wish to cqualc Pi11 with East Sudan or East Ilgypt.

'I'c~ilicy (I 969:700) supplics tlie fact tliat thc I lcbrcw Put and tlie Greek l'houd

as the third son of I-ialii is in accordance with the above aulliors. I-le clainis that as a

nation, it is identilied with Libya. I-lc also accepts the fact that Put has been talccn

(Nu11.3:')) \vliilc .Icrcmiali (.lcr. 46:')) idcnfilics i ( as Iwing atlcp( in thc use ol'llic shicld.

According to I-li~stings (Ed. 1906), Put except in I Chr. 1 :8 and Nehemiah 3:9, is ' P

a name of an African nation. In the Septuagint it is called $0 0.0 (Phouth). In Gen.

10% and I Chr. 1 :8, lie is tlie third son of Ham while in the prophets, warriors from 1'111

arc principally associated with armies fiom Egypt and auxiliarics. Jer.46:9 records

that Cush and Put hal~cllc the shicld and [lie Ludim handle and bend the bow and they

ol'tl~c auxiliaries co~n~iicncing with Cush and I'ut.

nation from biblical passages, the best intcrprctation of the lmnc which is now being

generally ~iiorc ant1 more acccptcd, is llic idcnlification with the coitntry Punt or ratlicr

Pcul of the I<gyptiati inscriptions. From thc claim ol' Ada1110 (1998: 15):

Gclierally speaking, Egyplologisls agrcc lo the propcr transliteration of the word I'ilnt.. . I t is PunL in mosl Egyptological books, and gcncral agrccnicnt has bccn reached by most scliolass that il rcfcrs Lo lhc Ali.ican coi~st S O L I ~ I I 01' 1:gypt.

As notccl by Adariio (Ibid) Psolcssor Gasloti hhspcro agsecs that "I'ilnl" lics bclwccn

tlic Nilc vallcy and thc Rcd sea and is vcry rich in "Ivory, ebony, gold, mctals, gunis

and s\vcct-sniclling 1.csins.. . I lc gocs filrtlicr to cmpliasize that I ' i~n t was llic original

I~o~i ic of thc Egyptian ancestors and that it was thc place Troni wlicre tlic Egyptial~s got

Llicir ~~lincrals, \vood, inccrise and CVCII their hicroglypliic writings.

Rcf'crring to I'feil'fcr, Vos and liea (1983) too, l'liul/Put is tlic third son of tlam

and L ~ ~ t l i c r ol' Chsh, Mizrainl and Canaan (Gcn. l0:G). 'I'hcy assert that Joseplius

idcntilics tlicir country as 1,ibya. Jeremiah (46:9) describes thc men o r Put as skilrul

\villi llic shicld wllilc EzcIticI (30:5) pretlicls lllcis fall as an ally ol' Lgypl lo

Ncbuchadnczzar. 'llicse authors acccpt that I'ut is ccrtainly Ali-ica and that

1:gyptologists havc cquatccl i t with Somaliland of tlic Egyptian tcxls. 13ul that in

l):i~.ir~s i111cl Xcrscs i~~scriplio~is, i\ I'ulay:i11 is lislccl \villi Cl:~rii~lis and l3liiopians as a

jxovincc oftlie I'ersian Iinipiit (Cf, l~stlicr 8:9).

3.2.5. Libya; Luhims

According lo Young (11.d) Lubini is llic Grccli naliic for lllc region \vest 01'

Iigyp along thc African coast and it is the samc as I'ut and that lhc I-lebrew namc is

I'hul. 'Thc inhabitants of Libya or I,ubi~iis arc supposed to have sprung frolii I'liilt, the

son of I lam allel tlicy arc bow~iicti. 'I'licrc is no wondcr why Nimrod was a mighty

11i11llcr (Gcn. 10:8,5)) bcing a dcsccndnnl ol' the progcnilos Ilam. Young (Ibid) lraces

authors (Ibid) nscribc this LO Epicurius, Arislotle, I'liilo and Joscphi~s as inscribctl by

I lien Douglas (1 080: 15)) rescuing Lo casly knowlcdgc and nonicnclaturc, asserts:

'I'hc Gscclts clesignalcd the continent I,ibya, buL ils cxlent and sclation lo Asia is doubll'i~l. Howcvcs, by the

5'" ccnlury L3.C., I lcroclotus is already convinced of its bcing almost surrounded by sca and cilcs an dlcged circumnavigation by a t'hocnician crew in the scrvicc of l'liasoah Neco. A Punic documcnL, cvidc~illy a \ far as Sicsra I ,colic lxlbrc 1800 D.C.

Young (Ibid. 2 18) describes it as :I city in Cyrcnaicn, Noslli Afiica:

I L was llic chicl'ol'lhc live ci~ics called I'cntapol itan. 'I'lic projcc~ing posLion lo [lie Cyrenaica of classical writers; though on ~ h c African coast, C y m e was a Greek cily, in which Jews sctlled in largc numbcrs. Undcr thc Ronians it was conncclcd with Crclc. 'I'llc Grcck Colonization began in 63 1 13.C.

'I'hc author is Eusoccntric i n his description and thcrcfore, bias. I lowcvcr, he

asccrlnins Cyserie in ASrica. 'l'hc seal issuc is ha1 Cyrenc is an AlYican city and no

1,oclcycr (lbid:27 I) bcillg more spccilic, says, " it is a city on l l~c north coasl 01'

ATrica ~ou~ltlccl by Dorian Grccks about G30 L3.C. Cyrcnc was lnlcr llic capital of the

Itoman province of Cyrenaica (Ancient and modcrn Libya). 'The city was renowncd as

an inlellcctual c c ~ ~ t c r . . . Altlioi~gli Cyrcnc was not mentioned in the Old Tcslamcnl, it

was an important cily in Ncw 'l'cstamenl timcs. 'Though il was a populous cily, due lo

scvcral tlisastro~~s attacks cro\\/tictl by l l~c Arabs' dcsl~.uction ol'llic city in 642 A.I)., il

has bccomc a \vaskland.

According to Ilavis (1956) Cgrcne cvas an imporla111 Grcek colonial city in

north Aliaica, hcautiliilly situi~tctl 011 a tnblclnntl Inany huntlrctl I i x t above sea lcvcl ant1

I'c\v milcs 1.1.oni t l~c A/lcdilcrrancun sen. 1,ockycr (lbid:271) approximalcs spccilicaly

by recording, "About I60 Itilonic~crs (I 00 r-nilcs) . . . ~icarly 6 10 meters (2,000 feet)

above thc sea Icvcl". 11 conslilutecl one of fivc Greek cities callcd Penlapolis siti~alcd

in I,ihya Cyrcnaica, now 'l'ripoli, 1i)unded abwl 632 B.C.

3.2.7 C~lsli

Young (11.~1: 2 10) clclincs Gush cc131ack". I lc idcnlilics Cush lo be l l ~ c oldcsl

so11 ol' Ham and that tlic uamc "CLISII" was 01' grcat anliquily. I t is applied il l thc

1Icbl.c~ original tcxt lo thc people that sprang li-om Cusll; but in thc common vcrsion i t

is llxnslalcd 'L1711iiopia". 1'0 1ii1n too, it is also used lo dcnole the land in which

dcsccndanls o1'Cush dwell, Ethiopia or Abyssillinn as now callcd:

In illat day thc Lord will reach out I lis hand n sccontl time to rcclaini tllc rc~~inanl lhal is Icfl of his peoplc Srom . . . 1,ower Egypt, from llpper Egypt, from Cush , from Elam ... (ha. I I : I I).

I n Sob's discourse ol' Wisdom (c11.28), he conlirrns (v.19) that "lhe topaz of Cush

possibly tlic oldcsl son oS I lam and grandson oSNoah (Gen. 10:6-8). They takc him as

fallicr of scvcl-al sons or nations, including Nimrod as well as descendants of Kelurah

wilk of Abraham after Sarah's death Gen.25: 1-6) according to Otabil (ibid:34).

Regarding the people ;lnd land of' Cush, tlrcy stress that it is not constanlly translaled

I<lhiopia in King Jamcs Version (KJV) of the IJible and lliat designation Ethiopia is

misleading, l i~r i t clocs not rcScr to tlic nlodcr~i state of l<tliiopia or Abyssinia.

f lowcvcr. hcy arc silcnl on [lie location ofthis Iilntl. lliougli tlicy agrcc it is Africa.

O n lhc oll~cr' liarid, Ihvis (Ibitl) agrccillg lo llic lilcl of Cusli being o ~ c o l ' t l ~

sons of' 1 lam, also asscrls that Cusli rel'crs to his descendants collectively. 'I'licy

constitute livc principal pcoplcs, Sllcba, I lavilla, Sabtah, Raamali and Sabtecah (tig.6)

as \vcll as Nimrod ((kn.10:6-8). '1'0 him, tllcsc liatioris arc locatcd in ccntral and

soutlicl~r Arabia csccpt Sol. Scba which is probably to bc souglit on thc ncigl~bouring

A 1i.i can coast.

Sccoritlly, Ilavis (Ibicl) rcfcrs to Cusli to be tlic land \~licre Cushitcs dwelt Sor

cvcry pcriod. 111 most or a11 passagcs it dcsignatcs Ethiopia. I le defines Cushi or

('ushilc Lo mean a n "I:ll~iopial~". 'I'liougli lic has sitcd Cusliitc nations outside Aliica, a

lkcl hc has cstnblished is that Shcba whosc Quccn visited king Solomon (I Kg 10: 1 - 13)

ri111cll later was Black and of Ali.ican origin. 'I'liis is supported by Abasilta (Ibid).l'lic

autliols' lirnitcd I<~io\vlcdgc as wcll as tlicir bias-mindedncss have influcnccd their

:rarlslnissioll ol' irilbr~~ia[iorl on Af'rican issucs by locating tlicm to soutlicm Arabia. In

spitc o f it, since C'ush is tllc land \vlicrc Cusliitcs havc dwelt lor evcry period, it stands

h a t Alyicans (as now called) are still rightfully possessing the land of Cush thcir

progenitor. Sirlcc Africans i n tlic diaspora wacc tlicir roots back to Africa, ~liosc in the

continent slioirltl I,c riiorc proird oI'posscssing it.

I

3.2.8 lithiolh ( A L c 0 . i ~ ~ )

Pkii'fcr (1983) says 1 h t l lcbrcw rendcrs it Kush mcaning "Sunburnt" "burn1

I':~cc" and i l is I~o~w\ \x t l l'ron~ Ilgypliar~ lal~guagc in rnost ol' its Old Tcstamcnt

occurrences. I t is locatcd soutli of Egypt and tlicrcl'orc, its frcqucnt braclteting with

Ilgypt. Popular clyriiology dclincs tlic Grcck dcsignation Aitliiopia as thc "Land of

scorclicd 1:aces". Yourig (11.d. 303) rcnders i t / f i t ? c ~ ~ ( ~ i t l l o p ) wliicli in its widest

scnse refercs to Modcnl Nubia, Sennar, Korclofan and Northern Abyssinia, but in its

limited sensc, orily tlic Kingdom oSMorae.

Similarly Davis (Ibid) dclines Grcck Aitliopia to mcan "Sunburnt" I)ossibly, a

substitute for the I'gyptiar~ 13huash. It is a country callcd in tlic Ilebrc\v language

(:ush, \\4iich is continually n~cntioncd in connection with Egypt and sometimes with

I ibya or the 1,ibyans. Davis (Ibid) agrccs that it ~iiust certainly Iiavc bccli in Easlcrn

A i ~ i t l o i ~ l s o i ~ t l c ~ i i t o I t I Ie :ISSUIIICS tlic rivers 01' I<tIiiopia

(Is. 18: 1; Zcp11.3: 10) arc possibly the bluc and While Nilc: ". . . along will1 thc rivers of

C'usli" (Is. 18: l b). "1;rom beyond thc rivcrs ol' Cush my worshippers, my scattcrcd

~xop lc will bring ~i ic olli'rillgs". (%cph.3: 10). 'I'licy arc colourccl mcn and probably

131ack. Thcy engage in rncrcnntilc transactions in foreign lands (ls.45: 14; 2 Chr. 12:3)

a11d consequelitly bccamc wealthy.

Acknowledgcmcnt is accorcled the fact that ATrican peoples are known Tor tlicir

skin colour. I'rophct Jcrcmiah regarding it, rlletorically inquires, "Can the Ethiopian

cl ia~gc his ski11 01. lllc Ixoparcl his spots'! ..." (Jcr.13:23). I I is not intcntlctl to abase

the race but to csprcss its uniclucncss. I t is n matter of narrative description and

Ilicrcl'orc slioultl hc positively acccptcd and apprcci:ltcd.

ECl~iul)i;~ns/Ci~sliitcs arc cursed by Prophers Isaiah and Zephaniah (Is. 18: 1 ;

20: 1-6; Zeph.2: 12). In spitc ol' tliosc curses, the Taithfulness of God Iiad ~nadc the

I'salmist predict their blcssings:;

I lnvoys \ \ / i l l come liom Egypt; C'wili will submit hcrscl f to God (I'sal~li 68:3 I )

'I'hc Ncw King Ja~iies Vcrsion renders it thus:

Envoys will come out of Egypt; I<tliiopia \? r i l l quickly stretch out her lia~ids to God.

Davis (Ibid) ~ C C C ~ I S t l ~ t this I'rophccy obtailied its li~lfillmctit in the conversion of the

1-;tliiopian cunucli (Acls 8:26-40). 111 addition, its colitinual Tullillmcnt is in the

co~itinual convc~~siolis of Ali.icaris nl incl.cnsilig ralcs. 13csides. ATricnn Christians arc

stretching 0111 tlicir hands to God (Ps.A8:31) Tor deliverance from ordeals of every

llatioll soi~tli of' Egypt. I lc ngrccs Illat it is so~iictimcs called Nubia or Cusli. It was

kriown Tor its rivers, thc Blue Nile and Whitc Nilc. 'fhc carly genealogies of the biblc

iclcntilj, I lam as the Tntlicr or Ct~sli (1:tliiopia) as wcll as Mizrailii (Egypt) and that the

L\vo 11:11iolls \ \xw closely ~xlalccl i l r lllcir Ilis1orics i ~ l l t l ill ~iiost cascs nlc~itio~ictl logclhcr

ycars, married an Ethiopian woman among lhc Israelites (Num.l2:I).Accorcii1ig to

tllc cnrlicsl l ht~opcan who c:lliic to Aliica culled llic lllack people Iltliiopians which becamc the Ethiopian I<ingtlolii (Abyssi~iian Empirc)and \vas [lie 111li11g powcr \vhosc doninin eslcndcd

to India and S. Aiiica. 'l'hc south Atlantic Columbus was referred to as l~ l l i iopi~i Occa11.

l,ocliycr (lbid:358) indicates tliat the 13tliiopians were known for the following

2. tallness atid smoothness of skin (Is. 18:2)

4. attainment oi' tlicir grealcst strength

during the timc of I lczckiah (700 UC.) (lig.8) up to the point tliat an

Etliiopinn dynasty l~tlctl Egypt for sixty years.

I<oclncy (lbi(l:42) ~*ccogniscs that tlic art of Egypt, tlic Sudan and I3liiopia wel-c known

lo Llic rest of thc world at that carly date. Similarly, God declares through Prophet

Amos ( 0 : 7 ) :

Arc tiol you Israclilcs Llic samc LO me as the Cusliites? I>id I not bring Israel up froni 1:gypt, . . .

God is very mudl coticcr~ictl ahout Africans as I lc is with Israel and tlicrcfore, liecps

Llwm on t l~c samc lcvcl as I lis pcoplcs k ing ~ncmbcrs of the snmc Com~iion\vcaltli

(IJph.2: 12,13).

3.2.9 Nubia 13aur (1998) agrecs \villi Ihc biblical name for I < i 1 ~ 1 1 "'l'he south" to mean

Nuhix I lcrlcc tlic Swahili al~d \vhich tllc Septuagint rc~lders, l3liiopia. Oiltsidcrs call

it Abyssinia. But the counlry sticks lo Ethiopia Sor its Icgcndary origin. t le (lbid) says

"Il \vas at a t i m rel'csrecl to as "AFRICA" nlcaning south of thc Sahara".

3.2. I0 Egypt

Accorclilig to l3aucr, William and (iingrinch (l979:2 I), they arlicdatc t!i:rt i t is

inscribed by thc LXX, I!,picurios, Aristotlc, 1)Iiilo ;lod Joscphus that ) \ Y U I T ' ~ C ~ ~ ; In, f i - l b ' ,

statids Ihr I.',gyptia~i; subslilutccl only as a nalional name "the Ilgyptinn". Shaw

(n.tl.: 12) allirlns Ihc age long Ali.ican civilization as lie rclcrs that thc civilizalion ol'

I'gypt goes I~ack n very long way in time. I Icrodatus was sl~own a list of tlircc Iiundrccl

:~rd 111irty lii~lgs \vho I ~ c l sciglml bcl'ure t l~e year 2,500 l.).C, anel present day I

:ircl~acologisls digging in tllc Ni lc clelta have Sound traces ol' j)simitivc civilization of 1

six t h o u s a ~ ~ l years ago or ~iiorc.

Egyptian history dividcd into thirty ruling families called dynasties, a114 lhcsc

I. 'I'llc Old Kingdom, 2600 - 2280 I3.C 2. 'l'hc Middlc Kingdom, 2 100 - 1800 B.C 3. 'l'hc Ncw Kingdom, 1500 - 1000 I3.C.

According to lhcm (i bid), at this vcry carly stage Egyptian civilization rose to

great heighls. 'I'hc arts wcre cncouragcd, buildirlgs wesc erected which arc \\~r~~dcrTul

cvcn by today's sta~dards. Abasilyn (ibid: 1 12) upholding thc same opinion 1" ' i t ! ls out

Ihal:

In I'gypl the ingcnuily 01 ' tllc arts

and cral'l ol' the architectural dcsigns of

the Ground Pyramids.. . wcrc all designed arid built by black mcll

In suppost ol' all the fhcts abovc, one could cslablish thal among tlic seven cvondcrs of

h c ancicnl \vorltl, o ~ ~ l y the (ircnt Pyramids 01' I'gypt arc sustained t i l l this

knowlcdgc \Viis nalncd Mcncs. Although his dalc is unccl-lain, it is probably about

thrw tlioi~sa~i~l years before lhc birth of Christ.

In agreement with them (Ibid). I'feifScr, Vos and Rca (1983) acccpt the namc

llgypt to liovc hccn dorivcd lion1 the Greck A ' ~ $ u ~ s ~ ~ and the idcbrew namc for i t

being Mizraini (fig.5). It is o k n taken as a dual rorni signifying lhc "lwo lands" o f

Llppcr :and I,o\vcr Iigypl. According to them (Ibid) loo, anollicr name for its

geographical designation is "the Black 1,and" which contrasts with the dark alluvial

soil ol' thc Nilc Valley and lllc reddish soil of ~ l i c sun-ounding dcscrt. l'hey ~nainlnin

tl~at llgypl proper is l iniitcd to N .I:. A liica and its doniinnnl gcograpliical fcaluses of

!lie Nile and its ancicnt Empire cxtencled to tlic sixth Calaract, (I:ig.5), Palestine, Syria

lo N.1:. as Ii~r as lo [lie 13~1plirates.'l'liis is supported by Isaiah's propliccy

In that day tlicrc \vill be a highway froni Egypt to Assyria. .. tlic Egyplians and Assy rian will ~ m d i i p togctlicr.. . l'he Lord Alniiglily

will blcss tlicni. 'I'his indicates that tlic relationship of Africa and the Middle East has been for both the

past and the liiture. 1,ockycr ( 1986:23) discovers that:

'I'hc Egyptians callcd their country "lhc t\vo lancls" - rcfcrring to lippcr n ~ d 1,owcr I':gypt or I<cniyl "llic Llli~clt I ,and" \\41icl1 clisting~~islw(l Ll~c Ikrlilc Nilc valley lyom the rcd clcscrt sand.

I Ic (Illid) describcs il as llic country ill lhc norllicast corner of Aii-icn that cxlcnds lixm

lllc Mcdilerrancan sea on thc north of the first cataract or Waterfall on the Nile River

in thc south \villi a distalicc of about 880 Itilomctcrs (540 niilcs; lig.5). In discussing

lllc climax of he age of I'liaroalis, Showker ( 1 984:77) rcniarks:

Ihnscs, who has bccn callcd thc king ol'ltings, ruled thc most spcctacular

mcll ill I~istory. I Ic c~ltc~.cd into ~liplon~;~tic ncgolia~ions \\/it11 the I lillitcs, wilh whom 11c signccl \vlial is probably h c carlicst recordccl lrcaly i l l Iiislory.

' ' l ' t~ lc~~ly , tllc gcncral whom Alcxandcr Icli to govern ligypt, cstablisllcd n nc\v ilynusly that ruled IEgypl, lor over two ccnturics. Clcopatra, the scventh I'toleniaic queen to have this Ilanlc and the most I jn~ous cli~cen of ancient times, \vns thc last o n thc line \vhilc Alcsandria bccanic thc capital L ! 1no5t i~nportant ccnter of1 Icllcnism".

IXcviscd Slandarcl Version (RSV) of the bible in I chr.l:8, mentioning I-lam's

sons, ~ u d c r s 1licn1 a s Cusli, Iigypl, I'ul and C'unaun. Whcrc;~s, King Ja~ncs Vcrsion

(li.lV) ancl lhc New Intcrnational Vcrsion (NIV) rcndcr them, "Cush, Mizraini, Put i111cl

(';ln;~i~n". llnilr (1008) in his cliscussion on Coptic Christianity as thc proper 1:gyplian

chu~.cl~, dcfincs 111c \vorcl "Coptic" as t l~c Arabic spelling of ligypt. Abasilia (1903)

asscrls h a t \vIialcvcr anybody's view is ~ q p ~ d i n g I:gypl, [he summum bonus 01' it is

Illat Egypt is in Aliica and Egyptians are Africans.

Pcarson CYL Gochring (1986) admit in llieir forward Illat no religion exists in a

V~CLILII I I . A 111i1j0r concern of l l ~ c "Roots of Egypliun Christianity" is to situalc thc

clcvclopmcnt and carly history of Christianily in Egypt firmly i n its geographical,

social, cultur;~l anel religious setting. Douglas (lWO:3 1) conlirm that Egypt was an

active mani~facti~ring city o f papyrus (the material for writing of the scriptures) . I t

was XI inlellcct~~nl and lilerary ccnter. I t was lime that [he Grecli Old 'I'cstamenl, the

!;cptu;~gint ar~cl Apocrypl~a \verc produced. I1 was also the 11om of voluminous

l'l~ilo's scholarship i l l biblical and philosophic dala. 13aucr, William and Gingrich

(Ibitl) confirm Illat some scIiol;~rs havc had evidcncc of n~ultiplicity of gods. 'I'hcrc are

also high ethical concepts o r life after death. Indeed the concept of pe l s and life

hcrcar~cr boll1 so \~nd very African. The nionothci~lic bclicf is cxprcsscd lhrougli local

gocls \vhilc on llic othcr hand, [he concept o f life aftcr dcath has made il easier for

ASrica~ls lo accept Sesus Cl~rist ol' tlic resurrection and tllrougli him slick lo the

I'curson a~icl Gochring (lbid) al'lirni ha1 Egypl appears i n llic Bible from

gcncsis lo lZc\ocl:~(ion and that tlic majority o r tllc rcfcrcnccs arc of a historic and

pupliclic nuturc and arc Sound mostly in Llie Old Tcslamenl. They assert [hat tlic

closcst rclalionships o r Egypt and (lie I3iblc arc found in Gcncsis and Exodus duc to

.loscpli's narralivcs and ~l ic I.:socli~s cpisotlc. I1 is ~iolcd thal as carly us prior lhc call 01 '

Ahraham, Lgypt has been so wcll cstablislicd that could rclicS Abraham in thc time oT

i i ~ c I u ~ i c l i I s ( I 2 1 I ) . 111 supporling llic Igyplian alluvial soil,

Mosl visilors lo 1;g)pl arc tli\li~lclly awarc oftlie exceptional nature oftlic climate and Lopograpliy along the Nilc . . . 'l'hcy find I'gypl a Innrl cssc~itially rainlcss, conlincd closely lo tllc bank ol'lhe Nilc river. 'I'l~ey 1ind thc sharpest possiblc cu~ltrast bctwccn ri\ cr- sidc meadow and highland dcserl.. . marked by a definite margin . . . It is possible lo stand \villi onc foot on the I ' r u i t f i~ l alluvial soil a d anollicr fool on llic liklcss c!cwrt Sancls (I:ig.5).

Yct it is a blessed granary that have rclievetl many nations. Sl~owlter (lbid) refers to

l!!gypl as "thc food bnsltcl " of the Empire. Apart liom Egyplian lopography, her

Chris~ian rcligiousncss is described by Maccoull ( 1986:46) in the historical source to

conlim carly Clwixtianily in 15gypl (Aliica) as Iic (ibicl) presenls from Llic Coptic

scrilsti~cis quotcd a1 c\/cry li11.11: thc storics of Judas Iscariot and of Danicl and Susana are I~eld up as cxaniplcs; Llic tone is Ilia1 Fmiliar to speakcrs of English who wcre Iornicd on the autliorizcd Version of [he Bible and l l~c book of Common prayer.

Indeed all Coptic legal activity was slrongly coloirred with Iliblical language. A Coptic docilmcnt- ;I will. wlc, Icasc or test of similar type followed a scl~cma, all tlic clcmcnls or'\\41icli can be scen to incorporate explicitly Chrislian wording.

13esides, to idcntifj, agc-long education in Aliica, Fafunwa (1 %9:2) p o i ~ ~ r . . out

AI-hmlw I Inivcrsi!y in ('air(), l'gypt is pcsl~aps tlic olclcst IJnivcrsity ill thc world. I t ccIcl)~'i~l~tl its U I I C I I ~ u L I s : I I \ L I I I ~ anniversary in 1969.

I'arlicr on. tlic discovery of papyri an carlicst \wiling niaterial and embalmment of tlic

dellti werc cxlicst iwcntccl in Egypt. I lcs acliicvcmcnts notwithstanding, I(gyp1,

iicco~ding lo Scales (1 997) has cxpcricnccd li)scign invasions for ovcr thrcc thousand

)WI.S by tlic I lyksos (1 700 IK.:l:),ll~c lonians and Carian (630 IKI:), tlic I'crsians iuid

(;rcclts (525 IKI1), thc Ro~iiuns (50 DCE) and tlie Avabs (700 CE). Showker (Ibid: 120

cYL 48) dcscsibcs thc religious state of Egypt as follows:

1;soni Lllc tinic of thc Arab C U I I ( I U C S ~ ill 64 1 Cairo bccaine a stro~igliold o r Isla~n. Ap~~so~imalcIy 85 pcrcent Of thc population arc Sunni (Or~hordox) Moslems, Christains rnaltc up an esliniated 14 pcrccnt. Most belong to the Coptic Cliusch, the monophysitic b~.ancll of Christianity which split I ian tlic general CIii1rc11 i\t thc council 01' Clialcedon in AD 45 1 . o~licrs belong to tlic various sccls of Europcan and IXastcrn C'l1ul.chcs.

I Ic (lbid:53) also tcstilies t11aL Egypt has the lo\vcst crime rates in the world.

3.2.1 1. Nlin-ai111

Locltycr (ibid) says h a t i n Ilie Biblc, the word for Egypt is Mizraim, whi:-11 is

tlle name ol'onc of the sons of Ham who foundcd tlie country (Gcn. 10:G; I Chr. 1 :8).

1 3 ~ 1 1 Ihvis (1950) sitilply ~ C ~ ~ I I C S il as lllc du;d lbmi 01' Lgypl sctllcd by h c

clcsccndants of I lam. I'feiffer, Vos and Rca (1983) admit that tlic form or derivation is

unccrlain b ~ t i t is a common biblical dcsignalion for Egypl. I lowever, they Ilavc also

acccplctl various usages of the uwrd as one of the sons of I lam in the 'l'ablc of Nations

(I'ig.0). ' l ' l~c scviscd Shndard Vcssion (KSV) calls il Lgypt.

In a praise of Izgyplian wondcrs, Shaw (Ibid: 18) explains that:

Egyptian wrliling and painting wcrc prescrvcd lhousands ot' years bccai~sc of Egypt's dry climate. 'I'licy invcntcd "paper" from llic papyrus planl. 'l'liey invcntcd inks and painls ot'various colours. Ulnck Sroni soo~.Yellow and red f-om linely ground rock. Bluc and grccn liom coppcr. 'I'he colours were m ixcd with weak gum and somclinics wi lli cgg-wliilc.

I Ic (Ihid) gocs Turther lo cxpalialcs that 1;gyplians arc wondcrfi~l in arls

nlid scicnccs. 'I'hcy wcrc skilled in writing, drawing, building and painting. 'I'hcy

\ \we loo, i n ~lrnll~cnialics and gconiclry. Astronomy was a scicllcc undcrslootl by llic

n101.c Icarricd of I I I C Lgyplians from the earlicsl limcs. 'I'licy Ivcre sltillcd professional

physicians and si11.gco11s. Contrary lo wrong inlbrnintion rcccivctl by non Aii.icans

rcgarcling A l'rican coul~lrics, Casson ( 1 078: 14) having discovcrcd li-om lravclcrs, s;~!~s:

'I'ravclless Sroni abroad who rcaclicd [lie vallcy of llic Nile long after its civilization had passed Zenith, saw the Egyptians as myslesious and i~nt'alliornablc.

111 Gcn. 10: 13, & 14, Egypt (Mizraim) is named as thc lillhcr ot'"1lic

I,usilcs, Annmilcs, Lchanilcs, Naplilunites, I'alliri~sitcs, Caphlorites". His sons arc

associalcd with the T'liilistincs while lic along \villi his brothcrs arc associated t t ith

Norllicastern Al'rica. I t is noled from thc biblical fact that even the I'liilislines and the

I'l~ilistinc rclatctl Iiavc thcir origin in Ali.ica too.

3.2.12 Canaan

It is noteworthy lo study Canaan for the Sac1 that he is one of the sons of I lam

and Ali-ica bcing t l~c land of I lam (Fig.G) rnaltcs it necessary to depict rclalionc Iiips

bcl\vccn Ilam and Cana;rn, cspccially in tlic iswc oS tlic "Cursc" vis-a-avi~ ils

iritcrprelations against A fi-ica and Africans.

According lo I'reil'rer, Vos and Rca (1053), Canaan stands for thc

lidlowing:

-. A pcrso~r,ii narw i11)pli~d lo llic yo~~ igc" son o f l la111 (Gcn.9: 18). - Can:lanilc i s a lribal nanic liv pcoplc t l in l dcsccndcd from Iiini. - A geographical term cvhicli at one Lime rercrrcd Lo Llic land along ~11c

Mcdilc.v:lncan scn l iom riiorlcr~~ q y i - 1 to Gaza. \,ut mwtly, in Old '1 csla~ncnt limes Wcst of Jordan.

- At abouL 1750 13.C. llic C~l~iau~iitcs b~ul \c rcla~ionships with Egyplians and clcvcloped tlicis o\vn cultwe and a r k

'I'hc authors (Ibid) lio~vcvcr, ncaily n\wicl Ilic issw ol'lhe Ci~rse.

'1'1i0~1gIi Davis (19.56) does not direclly mention tlic I3amitc Cursc, hc claims

that [Ire tlcsccndanls ol' I-lam who occupy lhc l a d of' Canaan lakc tlicir namc fro111 ilia1

C O L I I I ~ ~ Y . 1 ' 1 1 ~ C ~ C S C C I ~ ~ U I ~ ~ S ~iinde tlic c o ~ ~ ~ i t r y , and so, the country's Iialnc was Jerivcd

li.0111 Ca~la:ui l l~c progcnilor 01' lhc Canaanites. I-lis sons and I lam's grandsons were

Wllcn I ln~n saw tlic na1;cdncss ol'liis Ii~llicr and did 1101 covcr him, his IhLhcr

C'anaan llie li)urlli son ol' 1 lam (Cicn.925).

Otahil (ibid:37, 38) obscrvilig li.0111 the 13ihlc dcpicts the I'ollowing information

Amwing as i t may ucem, the I3iblc ~ ta tcs that l l i ~ ~ ~ g l i I la111 was llic culpril, I I C was nevcs cursed but . :o~nrhw I l i < I ' o ~ l ~ - l l ) \on <':lrww \\ Ilo wa.: 1101 tlic accuscd was cursed. The question then is, why was not I lam c~trscd? 'I'he answer is straight and siniple. I lam had alrcady bcen blessed by tlic Almighty God in Gcncsis chapter 9 vcrse I , and Noah knew he could no1 ~~nclo thal blcssing will1 Iiis curse so he made Canaan tlic scapegoat Tor his htlier's sins. It IIIUSI bc noted that Cush the first born of Ham was never curscd. Mizraim the sccond son \VDS IICVCI- ci~rscd. Plii~l the lliird son was nevcr cursed. Only Canaan tlic Sourth son was cursed by Noah. It is further cnliglltcning to notc Lhal thc namc Cush also means Ethiopia.

I lc was thc fathcr of thc black races of the world; arid hc was ~ ~ c v c r cursed. Fullslop!

I larn tllc Iathcr 01' Alkica was licvcr curscd arld lhcrcfore, no African should alludc a

cursc a curse on tlicmselvcs unlcss one has a pcrsonal problem that descrves a curse

Ssom God . As rcgards to I-lam pcr sc, Kalu (2001) in his oral conlribution, clcarly

points out thiit I lam could riot bc cr~rscd by liis filtlicr bccausc God had already blessed

Noall himsclf' arid liis tlirce sons (i.c. including 1 lam) in Ge11.9: I and no one can curse

wliom God has blcssctl (cl'. Num.23: 18). 'I'lierefore Noah could only transfcr thc curse

upon Canaan tlic Sourtli son in I lam's lincagc. I lowcver, cvcn in the Old 'l'eslanienl, a

curse docs not go bcyond the li)urth gcncration. God, in giving thc Dccalog!lc

(I'x.20:S) dccliircs:

. . . fi)r I, the 1,ortl your God, a111 n jcnlous God, punishing tlic childrer~ for tlic sin of the I'athers to llic lliirtl and l 'o~~rl l~ gcncs;llio~~ oi'tllosc who liatc mc.

'I his llicalis a long tirnc to tliosc who hatc God, but for those who lovc Him, it is short

livccl lor thc sake of confession a d Sorgivcness. But it is observed that good life is for

1liousands of' tliosc who lovc God (Ex. 20:G) bccnuse this has to do with Afsica, the i l l

~xonounccmcnI is strcssctl c v c ~ to tllc present gcncrations by thc western world and

sonlctirncs acclai~ncd by Africans thcnisclves tliat they are cursed.

Accordirlg to liattai (1990:344) projecting myth from tlic Old Testament and

Others say tliat I-lam unma~ilied Noah who, awaking Ssom his drunlten slccp ant1 ulitlcrsl:lr~tling what had bccn done to l~i~ii , cried: ' L N ~ w I cannot begel Lhc fourth son whose children I would have ordcrccl to serve you and your bro1licrs! 'I'hercfore, it must bc Canaan, your fourth born \vliom tlicy cnslavc. And sirice you liavc disabled riic fioni doing ugly things

i l l tlic darltncss ol'niglil, C;~naan's cliildrcn sliall Ix born ugly and black! I\/lo~.ccn~cr, hecause you twislcd your I ~ ~ ; l t l ;~~.ou~itl lo scc lily ~~al~ctlncss, yoilr grandchildren's I~air sliall be lwistcd into Itinks, and tlicir eycs red: again bccause your lips jested at my mislhrtune, they sIia11 SWCII: and bccause you ncglcctccl my nultcclncss, t1it.y h a l l go naked, and tlicir male mcnhcrs shall be shamefi~lly clongatcd". Men of'tliis race arc called Ncgrocs: tlicir Ibrcfatlicr Canaan commar~dcd them lo love thcli arid fornication, lo bc bandcd logctlicr i l l I~alscd ol'llicir ~naslcrs a ~ ~ c l ncvcr to lcll tlic tri~tli.

Ab,~sika (Ibid: I IS) positively projccts that Canaan who was cursed has bccomc ,1,,:

controllcs ol'a nation will1 Israel scvcrally rcl'crrcd to as tlic land of Canaan i n ' ' - 2

13iblc. And i t is ol~sc~.vctl 1lin1 cvcn in this motlcrn timcs, when any co~ilincntril i s s~ l~ . i q

ric:l:~!ive, i t is I~lacltcned and projcctcd against Al'ricans, but when i t is positive, i l i~

wliilcncd and lhc glory givcn lo Ihc wcslcrn world. For inslancc in lhc casc of' 1 IIV

(thc clcaclly AIDC virus) \\hich thc VOA has daily on the programme of "Afi-ica

'I'oniglit", always broadcasts that AIDS kills nlorc pcoplc in Aliica than anywhesc clsc

in the world. Now, an African (Nigerian) named Dr. Jeremiah Abalaka has discovered

l l~c cusc f'or llic I IIV, but thcy have ncglcctcd that in lhcir progranimc. Wlicreas i l i ~ c

cvas a wliilc ~i-~an, tlicy \voi~ld Iiavc acknowlcdged him all ovcr llic world already.

Mo~covcs Al'sican\ have no acccss lu the while nian's statistics o n I IIV/AIl)S palicl;~ >.

131) Jcn ( 1 97 1 : 150- I6 I) allacl4ng a similar myth as the abovc rcacls:

'I'lic African now coming lorward h-ougli cducalion and cullure cannot havc i~nlimilcd respect [or all tlic qualilics of lhc Europcan races, a pcoplc willioul a compassion I'or lalting away the countries of olhcrs and dignifying robbery as

co~~qucst, and whose syslelnalic cri~clty lias heen sl~owti Ihr q c s in chaining, buying and selling olhcr races. 'I'hc illlcl l igcnl Negro Sccls thal lllc part of llic oppressors, lllal lhc p:11.1 ol'tlic man-scllls~-s and man-slcalcrs is I'ar more contcnipliblc than lllc pal 1 or llic man alolc~l or sold.

All Iring said and done I?)! tlic while against the black, Walls (lOO8: 13) gives the rnosl

positive reaction and conclusion:

Any theology thal Lakcs principalilics and powers seriously must also take seriously wl~nt llic New 'I'cstamcnl says ol'llicrii: ha t tlicy have bccn dcfca~ctl by Christ's death atid rcsurrcction, tlicy arc dmgged behind the triumphal cliariot ol' the claoss.

'l'lic I3iblc (Gal. 3: 13) conlirms "Clirisl redecmed us from thc cursc of the law by

I)ccoming a cur-sc 161. us, Ibr il is wriltcn: "Cursed is cvcryonc who is hanged OH a

h.cc".On thc lllcsc grountls, il is iniplorcd tl~at lllc 13lacks slioi~ld I - C S O L I I ~ ~ a n echo with

I3lytlcn (1 878: 1 12)."IZelal<e your 1:anic:.

3.2. 1 3. Dc~-l)crs/ I h r l ) n r i ; ~ ~ ~ s

Kalu (1999) in an oral dialogue said h n l Arabs were the ones thal began to call

Africans "Bcrbcrs".l~arIicr on in LIle biblical i~ijunclions, "Barbarian" according Lo

NCW Ikcycloapcdic rcfcrencc ct l ihn ol' [he I loly iliblc, means "rude" and it refers Lo

~wirliitivc pcoplc alitl uni~ilclligiblc language: (Act 28:2,4; 1 Cor. 14: I I) while I lolnby

(1095) Dclincs i t :IS "uncivilizcd and r~licullurccl pmon". According to Collins Gem

(1 908) i t stands for " a ~iicnikcr ol' a primilivc or ~rncivilizcd pcoplc". 'So co~ifirm the

assertion, Green ant1 Mcl<niglit (1 9923 13) say that aftcr Alexander the Great had

clcslroycd llic old Persian empire, lic founded cities such as Alexandria in Egypt and

opcncd up new ~vays li)r [lie Grcek and " Barbarians" to live logctlier. This means

they rcfcr to the Africans as "13arbariansn. Scales (1997) also concludcs that Africa

;wtl Africans were words that bccamc synonymous with I3arbarism.

3.2. 14 12:111;11)

By rclklcncc in tlic Ncw Icing James Version (NKJV; 1982) Raliab is translated

1 will nialtc mcntion of 12ahab (I'gypt) and I3nbylon to thosc \vho I\~iow nic; behold I'hilistian and 'fyrc with INiiopia. 'This one \Vils boni t1icl.c. and of Zion it \vill bc said, "This onc and that one wcrc borli in Iics; and tlic Most I-ligh I liniselfshall establish licr". 'I'llc Lord will record \vhen he rcgistcrs the peoplc: "'l'liis OIIC was born tlwe".

Aliica (rcprcscnted by Raliab and Ethiopia) depict licr zionic birth. Indeed it is

rcaliscd that sincc I<aliab the harlot (.Ios11.2: I ;lIcb. I l:3 I) can bc mentioned among the

I:~itlllirl, thcrc is 110 wondcr why 12ahabians (Aliicans) arc peoplc ol'Zion.

3.2.15 'I'llc I m ~ d of Ham (liarnit; Khanlit)

l'hc word "1-laniit" is dcrivcd from l lam (Fig.6). Young (n.d) defincs its

I lcbrcw ecluivr~lcncc "Swarthy" to mean dark colourcd and that the Egyptian word

"ke~ii", means I Inlii. As an adicctivc, i t tileans "black" and "warm". I Ic exprcsscs tliat

I Ian1 was the only son of Noah after whom a country was named (the land of I lam).

1 Ic (ibid) also clclincs 1 lam to mcnn "~nultitudc"

'I'llc New I:ncyclopacdic edition of the Iioly 13iblc by Gulze (n..d) defines J lam

"hot" and poin~s out also that it is the poctical name in 1's. 1 O5:23, 27: 1 OG:22;

'l'hcn Israel entcrcd Egypt; Jacob lived as an alicn in the land of 1 lam .... 'l'hey pcrfornied his miraculous signs aniong them, his wonders in tlic land of I lam. Miracles in the land of llani and awesome deeds by tlic Red Sca.

'I'hcir encounters in Aliican and by the Red Sea arc so historical tliat they cannot be

erased. With reference to Scalcs (1997:48), prevailing popular perceptions serve as

ncldcd motivation for Africans to identify with Klialnit and Kush. Africans maintain

tl~at they arc dcsccnda~its 01' I 1;1111, li.oni \ V I I O S C seed tlicy bclicvcd tlic Ethiopians and

thc Egyptians l i d also comc; their anccstry could also bc traccd to the classical

ci\~~li/ : i l ion~ ol' Ll~c Nile Valley (I:ig. 5). 11 is ~Iicscfosc, cstal)lisllctl Ihat t l~c so~ls of'

I Ialn , bascd on Gt.n. 10:6 atid using tl~cir cqi~ivc~lcril names arc Ethiopia, Ilgypt. I h y a

m l r-'anaa~l. I li.: 61.~1 lhsce qon? I x b i l i ( l Ali.i(.:t~~ n:lfions and tlic youngest, an African

~ici!~l~lmi~s.

I'ro~n scscaschcs contluctctl by 1)iop (1 087: 2 16-2 19) and Dclany (1 9'9 1 :82-89)

Lhcy arc ablc to lint1 pasallcls between the ancicnt Nilc Valley cultures and tlic

Nigerian brlsccl Yoruba pcoplc. Intcr on, sonic sclwlars analysc this parallels and

c\plorc tlic possibilities SOS I<linmitinn and Kushirc culti~ral ties to the prcsent day

Nigx-sir111 chnic gsoups. Scales (iljicl:!14-45)cl;1ims that by using biblical sousccs,

ancicnt witncsscs atid com!xwntivc pliilosopllicnl sciercnccs, Blydcn (Ibid) argues

convincingly for an Ali.ican I h ~ n i t . Ilclany (1991 :60-68) cmphasizcs tlic lac1 that thc

Negro rncc compsiscs tlic \vliolc nalivc populalion antl ruling pcoplc ol' Upper and

I o\vcr scgion 01' lllc Nilc, I<lhiopin ;11111 I~gyp1-c~~cpt ~ I I O S C \ v h C;IIIIC by li)rcigll

irlvasion.

Abasika (Ibid) tdtcs our nicmorics to tlic very ancicnt tiriies and civilizations

which slrclclies out l'roni 13abylon in lhc East lo Timbulttu in tlic Wcst \vIiich is no\v

known as Wcst Aliica. 'I'lic strclch of the land was known as "tlic 1.lorll of Africa".

3.2.17 Eden

Adcycmo ( 1007:45) calls Afi-ica "l.:dcn" antl locales it in Central Africa. I-lis

season for cstablishing tlic lac1 is due to his claim that Al'rica is thc sicliest conli~~ent of

tllc \\~orld i l l ~~iincrals, plants, animals and pcoplcs.

Abasilta (1 993: 16) also, giving a widcr scopc says:

lkt\vccn 13abylo1i and 'I'inibultti~ tlic :~licicnt civilizalion Ilourislicd. I t \\/as also \villiin this rcgion that God established tlic Garden ofbdcn, wliicli in thc origi~ial

'I'llcsc is no contincrit or nation i n the world without a seprcscntalion from Aliica. That represenation is defined in tcrnis of li~uiians, animals or things.

Mcl ICIII-y (ibicl: 132) agsccs that hunian bcings arc gencsally tlio~~glit to liavc originated

li-om Al'rica. 'I'his Ihct is in agreement with the abovc authors. Mckinley,

(Ibid: 120- 122) cslablislics that Aliica is tlic world zoo.

Supports are given to their vicws sincc Al'rica Iias bcen a blessing to otlicr parts

!j\ll)j>o[t is also based 011 liogcrs ( 1 961) Al'rica's Gift to America, admits that many

natural rcsourccs i n otlicr parts ol'thc world originatcd in Ali-ica.

hllasscy (ibii1:SW) calls i t [he land of the oldcst known Iiunian typcs. Above all tliesc,

relationship as sccn in Gcn. 13: 10:

1 s t looltcd up and saw that tllc whole plain oS.inrdan was wcll watcrcd, like the ynrdcn oS Lden, lilw the land of Egypt, toward %o:ll.. ('I'his is bcli~rc thc 1,cvcl dcsl~o!~cd Socloni and Goniora).

h/lcl<inlcy (Ibid) accepts too, thc fact that the idea that Africa is the "World Zoo" is

i~idclibly impsesscd on the gcncral mind.

In rcrcrcncc to thc crcation account, Otabil (ibid:40) pointes out that:

'I'hc land of 1 lavilali was a Cusliitc land located close to wliesc the original Garden ol'1:dcn was ancl also i t was a land abounding with mi~cli gold. Surprisingly, the second river hcad nicntioned in thc Garden oTEdcn also is connected to a land b~longilig to Cushites. And the namc of the sccond river is Giho~l, tlic same is it that co~nlxwctli the whole I:lnd of Ethiopia ((;en. 2: 13). Ethiopia and Cusli are synonymous, so of the four riveslicads that watered tlic Gr~rdcn ol' Eden t\\o arc distinctly idcntilicd \ v i l l ~ Ct~shitc lands.

I t is rccordcd too i n the I lamitic gcncaology that I lnvilah was onc of the sons of 1<ush.

'l'his clcpitcts tllc Africanest of I lavilah (cf. Gen. 10:6).

32.18 Mollrcr- o f Maultint1

Fcldcr (1903: 102) rel'crs to Africa as Mothcr of Mankind or thc "Garden of

Ildcn". Ilc c~l'firms that the Iialiic was used by tlic Moors (Libymis), Egyptians and

Ilthiopians, l.3ascd on thc lindings so f'ar. Africa is qualified to be called mothcr of

nlilnki~ld. Abasika (Ibid: 50) emphasing the position cxprcsses that, ASrica is the first

world.

3.3.10 Africa

blcl lenry (1 993: 13 1) as indicated in chapter one, projects Africa as tlic second

largest continent on carth, embracing one Iifth of the land area and occupying

1 1,667,000 sqlrarc miles (30,2 17,000 square km) somc 2% of i t is inland watcr and

111al i t is almost tliviclctl ctliially by thc cqi~alor except lor Lhc I ~ ~ l d g c Iy thc West t l ~ r l

niakcs grcater ],art lic ill tlic north. Regarding its boundarics, he describes it is

bounded on the north by the Meditcrrancan sca, on the west by the Atlantic ocean, o11

the east by the IW Sca, and lriclian Occan and on the soutl~ by tlic confluence of llic

tlic Indian and At1;lntic Occans at thc Cape of (iood I lopc.

Uwcchue (1Jcl.clil; 1996:3 & 7) has a littlc diflcrence in Iiis dcscription of

Africa's s i x . I Ic indicates that Africa accounts for about one quarter of the land area

of tlic world, and that African languages are probably undcr 1,500. Inclusion of

clialccts, raiscs it ovcr two thousand, while thc world as wholc Iias about six thousand

lang~agcs. In Iii:; cliscussion of African pcoplc, hlcl-lcnry (Ibid) rsprcsscs that tlic

In~~guagcs spoltcn Ily tlic sub-salln~xn pcoplc arc Incvc numcrous th;in thc Nortli Africa,

wllcrc Arabic is p~.cdorninant. Informntion from l'cd Bergman's lct~cr (1999) indicates

As ol' 1996, our rccords show a total ol'2,O 1 1 living langiragcs o11 the cvnti- ncnl of Aliica. Of tllcse, only 12 1 liavc n l i l l l Bible and 219 others with

at least tlie New 'l'cstamcnt. 325 had Lranslarion work i n progress. 33 arc cxlinct will1 o11Iy a SC\V elderly people \dlo slill i~ sc lllc language. 18 of Ilicsc arc being used, but the spcalters :llso spcalt nncl untlcrstancl anotlicr la~iguagc will1 enough prolicicncy lo untlcssla~id cvcn llic 17pistIcs and otlics more cli l'l?cuh pnssagcs 01 . llic scriplure. 77 arc unlikcly to riccd tra~islation but \ \ / i l l rcquirc morc cvalualion lo bc surc. Most oSIlic rcst will rcquirc Inwe rcscarch to dctcrniinc tlie nccds, but 11ios1 will turn 0111 to dclinilcly nccd tsnnslr ‘I 1' 1011.

'l'llc copy ol' his Ictlcr is si~bll~itlcd us all appc~idix (lig.7). 1 lc (ibid) finally obscrvcs,

"urilbrtunatcly tlicrc arc many cducatcd Christians i n Nigcria, but not many arc

concerned with translatio~is of llic Biblc inlo thc languagcs of thc peoplc". I1 is

obscrvcd Ihal il' nol lijr Ali-icm's ability and inlcrcsl in English, I:rcnch, Lalin and

robab ably I'orlugucsc n ~ ~ d (icrmall, ~hcrc sliould have bccn inally more translations ol'

tlic Bible in Ahican languagcs. I lowever, speaking of Afiican idenlily, Mwiliamba

(1 989:97) obscrvcs:

Ilcspi tc Llic tl i ffcrcnl languagcs, c~l i l~ic gl.oups r~ntl disla~iccs in Al'rica, tlicl-c arc ~i~I'Iicie~it af'li- ~iities and siniilaritics which can ~naltc one signiIicantly lallc of an Al'rican culture and idenlily.

Mwikamba (Ibid :9G) arliculatcs dilTcrcnt pcrspcctivcs of who an Africa11 is. With

uuch of his pcrspcclivcs being right thcrclbrc, all pcrspeclivcs put logelher enricl~ heir

Some would claim lhal an ASrican is a pcrson born ill or origiriating l iun Africa. Olhers would say it is lhe colour ol'll~c skin \\diicli tlislinguislics anti idcntilics the "AlYican". Otlicrs would lracc the links of history lo ilic distant past, including t l~c era of

slavery and colonidisni. Others would see their "Africanness" in lheir ethnic and cultural roots.

111 h c process ol' his explanation, hc adds other perspectives too, such as cducatioll,

l\c;~llll and religious bclo~igingiicss. Bcside a11 tlicsc, Africa is a liolnc for all as

Igawza ( 1998: 1 7) dcclarcs llial:

'I'otlay's Ali ica i h xia ally plr~r:rlislic. Not only arc thcre descetidants of 1 lam and Sl~cm bit[ tlicrc are also clcscendants ol'.laplictli. 111 Africa, all the raccs cotivergc.

Walls (Ibid. l998:3) cri~phasizes the valuc of vcrnacular in African Clirislianily

lr~dccd, o w 1nigll1 say that l l~c vcrnacular principle in Cliristianity was earlicst cxemplilicd i n Africa: arnoiig thc New Tcsln~nclit are the Saliidic of the Locvcr Egypt and tlic I .atin of Roniaii Al'rica.

Mbiti (1969) ~wlcs tlial, "Ali-icans arc 'noloriously rcligious' and religion

puliic;~tcs all Ll~c diincnsions of life". 'I'liercfore, it is rcdizcd that African Cliristinii

~.cligioilsncss is clisplayccl as "gold fisli" in thc 13iblc with liigli objectivity in sacrifice

aiid sctvicc lor lllc proriiotion of the gospel in and outside Aliica, and yet taking pridc

in llicir origin and colour.

According lo 1.lilderbrandt (1990)' Afiica at the time of Christ was fillcd cvi!li

clil'lkrcnt notiotis at various lcvcls of development. Egypt had been an imporlr~nt

nation l'or morc Llian lwo tliousa~id years at the time of Clirisl (fig.8). Then Gral~t

(IOW) it1 l ~ i s vicws rcgnrtling Cl~ristian beginnings and Alcsandrinn dcvclopn~clll,

points out ha1 in ,I Jcwisll selling, wl~clhcr Alcsa~drian or 1101, Lhc first Cllrisliaris

wcrc devoted to I!:~r~iing about l l~c ~ncnnilig of lI:+r Bible or what we call t lic Old

Ix~\vccn his tcacliing and Llic Uiblc. And as sooii as tlicy posscsscd Llic Icltcrs of I'aul,

tlicy I~ad to think about what tllcy meant, for ;is Lhc ailtliw 01' 11 IWcr coniplains thcy

co~~ta in somc things hard lo utidcrstand (2 l'c1.3: 15,16) (New King J a m s Version):

. . . as also our bclovcd brotlicr Paul, according to tlic wisdom given to him, lias \\ rittcn to you, as also in all liis cpistlcs, speaking in tlicm oTthcsc things hard to undcrstn~id which soliic wlio arc i~nlnuyht and ~lnslnhlc twist to their o\vn dcstructioli, as tlicy do also to tlic

II.<..I ol'llic scsipll~~c.

I! is clcnolccl Stun1 llic l i~~dings lliat tlie dcvclopnicnr oS hcr~iicncutics was donc lw

casly ASrican Christiam. Gnuit (Ibid:178-189) says that the presence of inquiring

rnilicls in C:liristian congregations means that at Icast catcclictical instruction \ \ C I S

~!ccdctl. I lc (ibitl) ~.c~iiarl<s LIii~t i t was probably uL Alcsandria soriictliing Inore 1 u 1 , < 1

up in thc epistle to 11ic i Icbrcws. Its a~t l lor was introducing a bold iillcgorical doc(riiw

about the rolc ol ' . lcs~~s as llic Iici~vc~ily pricsl scplacing tlic pricsl of the Old Covcl~nril.

I lc (ibid) cliscovcss a distinction:

I Icrc \YC lind a distinction bctwccn hi1 11p1c i111tI 111orc :~dviilic.cd tcncl~ ilig being maclc by a tcachcr of Clwistian Iiiglic~ learning, l'he Lgyptian christians promptly rorescc implications of such scliools wliicli cvcnt~~ally has inll~~enccd the liturgy oSlhc Ilnivcrsal Cliusch.

Walls (ll7icl: 1998:2) cslablisl~es that Egypt and the strctcli of North Africa

that the I<oliians cdlcd "Aliix" wcrc both provinces o r thc I<oman Empire and so

\\csc part ol'llic rcpscsc~ilntivc Cliristianity of thc early ccnturics of the faith. 130th had

a notable rcc~rd or su~lkring undcr tlie rccurrcnt burst oS local and state persecutions,

in a period wllcn 1narytyrt1on-1 was tlic test 01' Christian authenticity. Thcy provi&:tl

~nucli of thc i~itcllcctual task force ol'carly Christianity who cleveloped tlie ground\\~>rl<

liilwti (1097) conlimls that tlic linlt bctwccn Africa and the Bible gocs back

scvc~~i l hundred ycars bcl'orc Ihc birth of Christ. 'flic Ne\v Teslamenl reached Al'rica

i n llic first ccnlury of the Clirislian cra wliilc the Old 'fcsla~nenl was much earlier.

I:rom Alexandria and Cartliagc, the Bible spread to the Ethiopian and Nubian

Itingclonis and Srolii the 15"' ccntury, portions of the Bible could be Sound along tlic

Ilnslcs~i and LVc~sLcsn coasts ol' Aliica t l~c Iti~igdonis of Congo and Mozanibicluc,

Angola and in tlic inlands. I lowcvcr, it was during tlie 19"' century missionary

movc~iicnts that the I3iblc sprcad thl-ouglioul the tropical Africa.

Kate (lC)7O:37) supposts Kinoti (Ihid) by saying "Lhc biblc prcscnts historical

Ilicts or1 the rclntiulisl~ip of Africa, with I'alestine, tlie land of'tlic biblc". Somc ofsuch

Iiistosical liicts arc presented in tlic next chaptcr. '1'0 draw the Icsson home, the

rcscarclicr tnlics psitlc in idcnlilj4ng her parents' litcracy with tlic bible koni about

1035 when tlicy bccanie Chsistians according to Oniale and Abbah (1998:iv). 'Though,

1 1 1 ~ ) I I C V C S 11;ltl l l~c liwn~:~l ~ ' ( I ~ ~ ~ a l i o n , IIicy ;ISC lilcratc in tlic Ig:11;1 Ii\ng11i1gc illld hiivc

copies ol'thc L3il)lc ard I lynm book as tl~cir basic Christian tcxts.

3.2.20 '1 '11~ lI);~~.li COII tilicl)(

Accostling Lo Scnlcj (1907), I'ilsopcans I'rqjccI Africa as ' L I l ~ ~ r I m t Ali.icaV

(litring the cra ol' Ali-ican scrvitutlc \vhich damage her societal institutions. Malting a

particular rcl'crcncc to Aliicans being ~iiaclc to bc in darkness, Otabil (ibid:3) quotes an

/?mcrican Sc~intor's nctwol.lc to ltccp them i n daskncss:

In 1832, the US Scnator I Icnry L3cn.y made this olieli quotctl revealing statement to tlic Virginia 1 lousc of Ilclcgates. Concerning llic stale of the Negro slaves, lie said: "We Iiavc as Iir as possible, closed cvery avenue by which light m y c~ilcr tlic slave's mincl. I f ' wc coi~ld cxli~igiiisli tlie capacity to scc ~ l ic lig!il, our work \vould bc complete. l'licy \vould then be o n thc lcvcl \v i l l i the beast oS tlic licld and \vc slioulcl bc safe".

I lc (ibid:2) has earlier projected thc development oS inferiority co~nplcs by pointing oill that:

Inferiority is developed whcn you do not see what somcone clsc sccs, hcar what lic hears nor understand what lic understands, nor know what lie ltnows.

I'hc linctin!! nl-liculatcs tliat only thc Al'rican Continctit \vas cvcr

~vl'c~-sctl to as "Lhc I)asli Co~ilincnt". Glaring reasons could bc supposedly as follows:

I. clue to [lie claskncss of t l~c skin of its inhabitants. According to Adcycrl;o

'I I I C C I I I T C I I I I I ; I I I IC, A l i i ~ i ~ \V:IS give11 by the 12omans aficr they had destroyed llic city ol' Caslliagc and conqucrcd tlic nostlicsn coastlands. 'l'liey made llic conclucscd tcrritorics into a cololiy wliich thcy called, "Ali.ica~ius" \vliicli lias double meanings: 'unknown or dark-skinned'.

2. I'licrc is an Aliican Icgcnd as pointed out by Edino (200 1) that postulatcs Llic

Sact ~ l i n l the two nations (Jacob and Esau) i n Rcbccca were that Jacob was

tlicm in tliesc cvorcls. "We know that Islxcl was u blaclc nation and 111:l:

dcxcntliinls ol'tlic original blaclc Je\w arc in Isracl"

3. A1 tlic time ofdiscovering tlic scst of Af'rica, llicre was a lot of foscsts and

4. Slnvcsy, slave trade and colonization \wsc cvorlts oi'daskncss lbr tlicir cvils.

5. Kinoli (Ibid) sees llic biblc as an cnlisely nc\v clivi~lc rcvclalion to llic

Ali-ican pcoplc who before tlicn had livcd in "clnrkness" and that under such

ntlsihi~tccl to tlic po\vcs ol'tllc bil)lc. I<cl'cr~.ing to Jcsus' cliscoursc in

John 8: 12:

When Jcsus spokc again to llic peoplc, 1 Ic saicl, I am tlic light oftlic woslcl, Wliocvcs Ibllo\vs nic will ncves walk 111 d.,~ liilcss, but \ \ ) i l l 11avc 1 1 ~ light oflifc'.

J ~ S L I S (::lirist. 'l'lic propliccy of Isninli 60: I i s being li~lfillcd in Al'rica:

And Ilic glory ol'[hc I.ortl is Itisen up011 you.

Scot1 ( 19 14: 1) r ~ p 0 1 ' 1 ~ 111~11, "Cl~sisti;~nity i t JIBS been li~icly said, grew up in 1lic

h i - I t . A fc\v y e m a k r the death of Jesus it had ils roots securcly plantcd and was

sprcadi11~ over I'.~Ic\tinc and 1111 o\\ ing its ol'l\l ,oats inlo the susroulitl ing Gentilc

\ ~ o ~ ~ l d ' ' . Adding 1 0 i t . its stsoliy, 1oo1\ illc ill Al.~ica. Kak) (1975) ~ ~ c n i a ~ ~ l ~ s that :I< a

Iltaltcr 01' I 'xl hislory sho\vs lhal C'hristinnily tics arc closcr will1 Afsica than wilh

l:t~rqw or Norlh Amcrica. 'I'licscli~rc, lo cli1i111 that C:l~rislial~ity is a wliilc 111an's

rcligion o111y bccausc tlicy I)soi~glit tile gosjxl two Iii~ndrcd years ago is liistosically

i11:wuratc. Accosdi~ig to Abhli ( 1997):

'I'l~c I 9'" ccnlury missionary nclivilics in Aliica marltcd thc

sccontl appcasancc oftlic gospcl on the soil having given

i t up Sor lsla~n.

3.2.2 I A 'l'hird World

11 is pi11 l i > ~ \ \ l i ~ d lll~lt A liica is gc~icsal ly rc~cr~.ccI 10 as a "'l'h id World

(:onti~lent". 'I'lii\ basically depicts thc wide cco~loniic gap bctwccn tlic developed

conlincnts and l I~ r do \ cloping Ali ican continent. 11.; conscqutnccs have Iicl~t Afric:l~ls

i n financial cnsla\/cmcnl tlirough Inlcsnalional I:m.cign Aid. "A I lclp" which the ncul

Ali-ican gcncsntion \ \ ( i l l still pay lix.

Wosslcy (1 975) indicates that thc modcs of the l:irst, Second and 'Third Worlds

\vcsc i'orgcd in 1950s but nonc of tlicse worlds is ddinitivc or entircly satisfactory, for

tllcy seek to capturc a rcality that contains at least t\vo major dichotomics: developed

itlid ~ ~ n d ~ r d ~ ' v e l o l ~ ~ C I , on tlic OIIC li;uid, tlicn capitalis1 and communism on Llic olhcr. I lc

(Ibitl) mcnlions Aliica, Asia and Latin America as tlic sociclics on which colonial

j~o\vcrsliavc imposccl their industrial culti~rc.

I t could tlicrcforc bc iclcntilicd that the dichotomy is a reason why tllcrc is no\v

110 sccu~id world. I t is a nlnltcr of eithcr tlic "powcrt'i~l" or thc "pocveslcss", the First

\\orld or thc 'I'hird world; t l x "World Power" or thc "world Undcrpowcr"; the "World

C~\~cldcvclopccl" or ~ l ic "World Underdeveloped". thc "World Oppressor" or the

-'LVorlcl Oppressed"; as it is created by the wiclc economic gap. Submitting a reason

1,)s such u litlc. Abasikn (1bicl:Sc)) rcmarl<s:

in lliosc regions lhrougli cco~iomic participation and

political propagancia. Abovc all: lo isolalc Aliica and

give it a name "the Dark Contir~cnt or the Third World",

co~isccli~clitly exploring hcr pcoplc to lhc li~llesl wi1lioi1C i'ccli~igs

Kinoti (1004) nf~irriis that [lie international ccono~nic system has contribulcd

c~~or~ i io i~s ly to llic i~iipoverisli~iie~il and iinclcr dcvclopmcnt of Africa. Adhiambo

(1088) also suggcsts tIia1 i t is probal)ly true ils sonic Aliicar~ scholars arguc that

tlirough llic sluvc traclc i ~ n d colo~iization Ih~ropc dcllcclcd Africa rroni lhc

dcvclopmcnt path cli~c to tllc i l l cSSccts of the aid lobby which has madc Africa

dcpcndcnl. I l o \ \ ~ c \ ~ r , Kato (lOS5:34) projccls n positivc and progrcssivc vicw

I'lic prcscnt gcncrntion oSChris1ians i l l Asi,~, Al'rica i ~ n c l I,atil~ Alncrica, arcns tlcscribcd as tlic bird world will bc I<no\vn i t i history as a gcncra- licw oI'thco1o;lical li~sn~rll;,! ion.

odds that hnvc bccn niilitating against Africa and her pcoplc. 'I'hcrc is a loud "AMEN"

Grallalii ( I99 I :6) riglilly puts ASrican currc~lt slalus as Sallows:

.lack (1095:6) ctnphatically stresses his caution against African nations laking Soreigli

aids by saying:

A:; lo~ig, as A Ssican govcrlimcnts anti conimu~titics feign poverty as n Ic.:w. to clc~na~ld cvcr grcatcr aid Ila~ldoi~ls, the longer thcir misery \till conlinuc.. . In llic wcsl, economics destroyed by war linvc bccn rebuilt vcsy quickly, always by tlie tliligencc and liastlworlt oS thcir pcoplc, ncvcr by aid alonc.

I t is asscstcd that what pcrpclually Iiolds Afiicans hostage in this Iina~icial aid

issue arc

( 1 ) pnynicnl of the loan inlcrcsls

(7.) Ici~dcrs' i~~tliviclual liingc bcncl'its

oblninccl lio111 the so-called aid.

' I Ilc proposal is tliat wlicn wc arc tlclivesccl from this prctlicamcnt, i t becomes "tl~c last

stsaw tliat brcalts tlie camcl's back". Africa will bc independent indccd. 'T'hc

;!ilva~lcc.rnc.~ll ol' C'hsistianity in ASsica \ w i l l deliver 11s l'rom any bondage unclcr "\\~oslcl

pc~\vcss". Ilctlii~ko (Ibitl) indicates that tlic ccnlcs 01' Christianity h;ts shil'tcd in tlic

nlotlcsli world fion~ Ilic Nostlicrn continents to tlic South with Africa playi~lg n

signiliciuit sole i n tlic scsusgcricc ol'tlie Ihitli.

Walls ( 1976: l 80- 189) draws an implication by suggcsling thal what linppcns

within tlic Aliican churches i n t l~e next generatioils will tlctcrminc the whole shape of

llic Church hislory for ccnturics to coinc; what sort of theology is most cliaractcristic

01' tllc C~hsistianily ol'tlic twenty first ccntury may ~ i c l l clcpcnd on what has Iiapl~cnul

in thc niinds oSllic Aliican Clisistinns in thc intcri~n.

'I'he clai~ll i s t11:it the solc aim is to cstnl~lish lhc I;lct that sonic parts ol'Ali.ica

(I:gypt, Cyscnc, Elhiopia, Libya) havc long histosics in biblical accounts and tlicscfosc

3 li~ithlill covenant with God whicli conlinucs to widen thc horizon of Christianity in

Aliica . Besiclcs, among reasons givcn by K i n d (1994:72) Sos the hope lor Al'rica, he

states:

'I'he third reason why I bclievc the Africans can bccornc a dignified and sell-reliant pcoplc is tliat God has planted the Cliurcli in ASrica.

'I'hc poi111 is Ilia1 \vlicn God made a covenant will1 Abraham (Fntllcr ol' lhc

I~~ithlirl), ill Genesis 15: 17- 10, 1 Ic cstablisliccl it lo have positive cll'ccts on Africa ant1

A l'rica~~s loo:

. . .'l'o your clcsccr~clanls I givc lhc la~itl liolii lhc rivcr of Lgypl to lhc grcal river, lhe 13uphrales.. .

tl~crclim, Aliica is Idcsscd will\ Abrallnmic blessing (lig.3).

j .3 C;ln Any Good thing Con~c Out of Africa?

I1 is gc~lcrally nolccl 11131 sornc Ali-icans, \\~llcn thcy arc outsidc llic conliricnl.

Do you slccp will1 tigcrs in Aliica'!

Do you live \vill~ ~11aI ic~ in Ali-ica?

L)@ yo11 I I ~ I V C cars i l l Aliica?

Is tllcsc n sky i l l Ali-ica?

Do yo11 c;11 I ice in Al.1 ica?

L h you only cat boncs, don't you lilcc nlcat'?

hllwny 01' such clucslio~~s arc rlskcd out 01' ignorance and bias ~ninclcclncss as well as

vague lcnowlcclgc ol' AliVica and ll~crcforc, no positivc cspectalion o r good things. A1

I io~~lc in Al'rica loo, tlicrc is pessimism and prercrcncc 01' outsidc to Iionie. For this

s;!lic, /\dcyerno (I 997:3) asserts:

According lo Scalcs (1997) the hi~manily ol' Aliica~i pcoplc was denictl and

tlcbascd in llic corlrsc of tllc cl'forts of thc colonialisls' cultural onslauglit. 'I'liere wcre

direct a ~ ~ t l i~ltlirccl nssoci;llio~~s ol' tl31.k ski11 colour will1 evil i111tl i~il'criorily. Ali-iu

atd Ali-icarls \wrc \vords tl~al bcca~nc synonymous \villi barbarism.

I h 1 . l ici o n , 1 Icgcl ( 1000 :OO) I I W I concluded lhc slalc ol' Aliicn by saying:

atid i l l difl'crc~it licct thro~~gll ages, cconomicnlly, socially and pllysically cxccpr in

s~~iritualily. 'I'llc last mcntioliccl olic is bccausc ol' Ali-ican rcligiousncss anel spirituality

\.\Iiicli have bee11 tllc only souscc 01' Aliicari susvival against all oclcls of cxtcr~ial fo~.ccs.

/\ 1.1-icaw luiow God so \vcll that i l l thcir strive to rcacll I lim closely, they dcviatc into

i)oiyt!lcism, but ycl Gocl in 1 lis omniscicncc, knowil~g thcir real int.entions rcveals

'I'lic Al'ric;in soul iincls spirit in c\lcrytIiing ancl cvcsyvl~crc. All I i i~~ i i r u i

cxpcrience is cxplaillcd in spiritui~l terms. 'I'liis was long mistnkcn for tlic \\lorship ol'oI)jccts or ;~nimisrn, but llic operative force ofllic world vic\v is to l ind G u d in all ofGod's crciitio~i.

Ali-icalls Iiacl cliscovc~.cd (;od so early in history that even in thc clinspora, tlic

same aurhors affirm that I'or well ovcr n ccntury, blacks havc sung a spirilual al'firnling

tlrc wluc of t1.1cir "old time religion". \\/llicli they i~scd to pronounce" 0' ti~ric religion"

I I I li~ct, people 01' all ~ ~ I I ~ L I K S Iia\~c 1xc11 I<riow~~ to rccogl~isc 1 % I i ~ ~ l i I-el igious richlicss.

Gc~icsis chapters 25 begins with this accourit, " I'licri again, Ahrdiam took a wil'c, and lies name was Kcturali. She \\/as tlic \vom;ili ol'consolalion to Almliani allcr Ilc lost his lirst a11tl bclovccl wil'c Scrah. And shc bore him Zimran, and .Iol<sllan. and Mcclan and Midian and Islibul< and Shua", Gen.25:2 Six childrcn \\liicli nicaris that six ~iations were Iiitlicrcd by Absaham throi~gh l<cturah. Can you u~idcrstand why black pcople arc so fi~ll of music, rhqtlim and clancc? Wlicrcas other pcoplc take many cla~icc Icsmis to bc aklc to movc heir limbs in rliylli~n to music, a black pcrson would just siniplp llow! 'I'lic music is in thcm. I t is ari inhcsitancc. . . . 'l'liis: n~ust explain why AI)sahani's Iirst so11 \\ it11 Kctiirah was c::llccl 7irnra1i \vllich ~iicruls ml~sical. We asc so ru l l ol' music that wlicii our a~icc\lors \vcsc h l t c ~ ~ into sla\wy and prcsscd 011 cvcry sidc, out of them oorctl \\/hat was in thcm - music - - a Sorm o f music that was later named I S i r i t i s . 'I'licy tlicl 11ol proclucc cur~iality, tlicy producccl spirituals our ol' llic abundance 01' \\4ial was in llic~ii. Go to any :~ulIicntic O l x l c congrcgatiou - tlicy may not prcacli right but they sure will sing tlic annoi~iti~ig ~ ~ p o ~ l you! Chlr chi~rchcs should \\/rite lic:)h hymns a11d spiritual songs \\lit11 our llavour and let Ilic nations of the \vvrlcl be blcssccl thl-ough this gca t hcritagc.. . . IA's bririg 011s ofl'cring o f p~.aisc lo llic all:^^. and ~liso~ic o f lhc King of ltirigs and the Great 1,ibcrator. 'l'llc prophccy of Zcphnniali, wllo is himsell' prescnlcd in /,clh;~~ii;~ll I : I :I\ lllc son ol' Ci~sIii, n i ~ l Ix lilcrally lilllillctl wlicn 11c ilccl:~rcs by tlic spirit:

I'raisc is a grcal ol'l'cring llia1 Al'sicans can give lo Gocl bcsidcs anylhing clsc.

tlicl not try to rclatctlic I3ible to ~raditionnl bclicl's. If Africans bclicvc that Jesus is h c

S:rviour I'or all pcoplc and no1 just Sor wliitc pcople, tlicy ncccl to find out how it

qy l ics inorc lo Al'sicans. On tlic other hand, ~licrc is a wonder il ' tlic wliilc

iiiissio~iarics thcriisclvcs had kno\vn wll about tlic Al'rican religion, thc syslc~n aiid

si:;nilicancc of tllcis worship. Unlil,c Paul in his ~nissionary journcy i n an cncountcr

with llic Atlic~iiu~is (Acls 17:22-23):

1 , ~ ~ : i ~ i ~ . I lowevcs. clcspilc tlicir shortcomings ;uid/or ig~ior:~ncc, thcir c!'Ii)rl:; wcrc 11ol

i l l rcgrct 011 Aii.ic;~r~s' bellall', Walls (1998:0), having appreciated active

~%,iclcsjir-cad :Imung l 'u rop~i r~s that Aliicans wcre hi11 onc slcp above :~pcs and

Ll~cr~-li~rc, \vcre not \vor~l~y ofconsitlcration as humans in tlic rccounling of l~istory

' I 11c sil~iatiim \\:IS abo111 tllc s u n c by tllc Sollo\+i~ig two cclllurics (I 790-1960s~

:I*; I l i l l (1093) clccl~~rv~ Illc grcxl irony during Ilw I N I J ~ ~ I I ~ mid sclli~ig of' Africa~w \ \ho

I,,uropc's civili/.atioii. 'I'lic l)coplc ol' Cusl~ \vcrc cicscribcd i l l 21 surviving a1.1cic11t

thc c l ~ l t ~ ~ r c of British 11ldi;i or FSCIICII Ca~nhodia, but Africa mas largely rcg:~rJ~iI :IS

krritorics. moved l iom a colonial slatus to Sull indcpcndclicc in the Iiw years allcr

10.57.

According lo Kalu (.luly, 11)'99), carly Cllrislianity grcw from dudaisnl a d the

Scnlcs (1 997) vicws tli:it the image of Aliica as projcctccl by liuropeans~ boll1

iil 1:uropc and Anicricn, during thc era of Africans' scrviti~dc illid IIK daliiagc clor~e Lo

u~cictal inslililtiuns, scrvcd to portray thcir mother continc~~t as "1)arltcsl ASrica"

\!L,;lrirctions i r ~ ~ h c lilcc of Lurope's i~icrcnsing impcrinlisrn. '1 I~crcl'orc, according lo

r I V t & ' ( : ~ t ~ r ~ i \\~or.l~I vic\v, 11otlii11g OS value tu ci\~ili~atiuli \\toliIrl l ~ c li)irl:tl among

i t Iixl li)i~r l~c:~dstrca~~is, 'l'lic 11a11ic ol'thc lirsl is t l~c I'ishon; it winds through tllc entire land of I lavilah, where tlicrc is gold. (the gold of that land is good; arolnalic l a i n and o n y s arc also tlicrc). 'l'hc nanic of the scco~id river is Illc (;illon: i t wilds throupll tlic cntirc land ol'C'u:.;ll.

In ~ I ~ I ~ I I I ~ I I ~ wit11 this Al'rica~~ occourit ill tlic lliblc, Joscplius (I S80:30) rcl'crs:

Accorcling to I)o\vlcy (1085: 13), .loscphus the Jcwisl~ I listorian, \vas born i n A D 37 of'

:I priestly fi~nily. "1 Ic was well cducatcd and I'ollowccl the pharisaic form of Juclaism.

l;~mvlcdge 01' Ihc New 'I'cstamcnt background".

I-ron~ llic Iorcgoing statement, Joscplius' information vis-i-vis rivers Srum tlic

I'rlcn h o i ~ l d be ac~cptcd ;IS valid. 'l'li:it is, tllcrc is one that \vi~~cls tl~rough Africa. It is

crcotion ol'tlic worlcf. 'I'lic rivcr that winds through I lavilah is also African, based on

Ihvis' (Ibid) al'lirmation that Ilavillah is one of tlic llvc principal peoples of Cush

(1,'ig.O).

111 ordcr to cstablisll a li~rtlicr prool' 01 ' the \\/illding ul' t l~c rivers, T'lie Ncw

1 Jrlivcrsal I ,ibrary vo1.4 ( l967:247) csplains cu~.rcnts as:

SIrcams set LIP in the si~rIacc wntcrs o f tlic ocean, largely by tlic agency

lo ~)ar!ic~rlar tlircctio~ls as slalccl al.wvc. l'ropliel .Icrcnliali l'i~rllicr supporls by saying

(!~:c.~;IIYs rllnl, Yiod sl~.ctclics out tlic licavc~ls liltc n curtai~i. Ilc lays thc beams 01'1 1;s

i s I I i ~ c l s " . I is I lo v I i t t l ~ t i ~ l i i r . I'rov 21:l

li~rtlics asscrtuil~s ha t God has llic control ol' the king's lieart just as I lc dirccls llic

coursc ol' the rivcr.

I'oolc (1008) d c ~ ~ i c s [lie rivcr to have been cillicr i l l Isrucl or in Ali-ica, b u t in

Arabia, which is licclucnlly callcd Cush or Ethiopia in which case, tlic author, in trying

Lo clcl iberalcly reject Ilic real ity lix A liica. 13ut l io~~cvcs, llic i~iipl icalion is thal i l

c~ld~l is l ics Ihc klcl Ilwl rivers call be wintlctl a11t1 I,ccausc lic acccpls i t bcing in Arabia,

it could be in /\ l'rica too.

Similarly, I3ullriclt ( 1082) accepts the land ol' f lavilali as a district appa~cntly

scmc\vlicrc in Arabia, but acccpls tliat Cush is Old Tcstnmcnt name for

(a) l~lliiopi:~;

(1)) Mcilii~; i111[l

( c ) I<assu

I Io\vcvcr, Iic prcscnIs (iilion rivcr as Ixing rlcar thosc ol'tlic 'l'igris and Lup111-atcs.

Calvin (1081) accepts tliat many t h i n k I'islio~i and Gilion arc thc Gaigcs and

tlic Nilc. L3ul lic rcliilcs i l I,y llic clislancc of llic posilions o r Ihcsc rivcrs. In f x l . in

!licir p:r~ccsscs ol'analysis, Adamo (1998) dcpicts tliat nlany rcli~sc to scc in tlic cnIirc

passages the u n i t y ol'C;cncsis 2-3. , - I lic rcscarcli Iindings li-om tlic scriptural passagcs, regarding tlic lirst rivcr

(l 'i\l~o~i) wliicli wi~icls tl~rougli tlic land ol' I lavildi, slill has to do will1 Ali-ica for the

I : K ~ t l~:~l I lavilali is onc ol' tlic sons of Cush (Gcn.l0:7) and also as a tcrritoiy oS

Isl~macl (Gcn.25: 18) wliosc motlicr is an Alkican.

Adamo (Ibid) comments, "some scholars locate i t some cvlicrc in thc West

( 'wsl of Arabia" wliicli is comprclicndcd as bcing in orclcr bccausc tlic Biblc locales it

!#as[ oI' Ilgypl (1 Sam. 15:7) and Alkica is in tlic wesl coast of Arabia.

According to Ihgcrs ( 1 961 9-1 1) Arabia was part of l3liiopia wllen t l~c carlicst

l:llropcans cnlnc, prior 10 tlic co~istri~ction of thc Sucz Canid. I t is dcnotcd Fom what

I M S bccn cslablishcd by Monkliouse (1958), thal Aliicn and tlic I lorn o r Aliica was

o ~ l c All ica. ' I IICI-clore, any place castward is Aliica.

Aclcyctno (1907:45), alnolig dil'l'crcnt names Ilc has g i v c ~ ~ i l l rckrcncc to

Ali-ica, incluclcs "1:dcn" and [lie "l,and o r I-lun~". Indccd, lie sitcs I'dcn in Ccntral

saying Llial:

'l'hc iclca that A liicit is Lhc "World zoo" is indelibly i~iiprcsscd upon the general niind.

I1i11nan beings arc widely thought to Iiavc originalccl i n Al'rica. Aliica's lirst great historical Itingdom, that ol' T$gpl, arose along the N ilc, and l'oniicd irs unilication in npprosi~nat~ly 3000 Ijc', i l Iloilrisl~ccl liw ~tcarly 3,000 ) u r s .

:~,.txmli!~g to Lliblc Maps nncl Charts (n.d) i~~dicating 2000 BC for Gciiesis 12-50 as the

;ISC 01' the I'alri:~rchs. 'I'l~is llicscl'orc supports 1000 years li.um lllc titile 01' cuxtion

\vlicn A kicu had commcncccl her civilizalion. I luglics and 1);1rtridgc (I 090: 15) plucc

lltc Grcut Pyramid Age ol'Egypt bclwccn 3000 and 2000 BC also.

1,inclscll (I 965) in his commentary on Gcncsis 2:8, 10-13, admits that tlic

I,\c,iiion ol' lhc gardcn ol' 13tlcn has ncvcr bcc~i precisely dctcr~iiinccl, but that scripture

I t~: \ lcs il gcncsally on tlic 'l'igris and I'uphratcs sivcrs cvlicre llicy cvcrc joined by thc

rivers Pishon and (;illon \vllicll may have bccn tlic 131uc arid While Nile. Based on Ilic

s11pporh1g views, 50% of'tlte Edenic rivcrs wind through Africa (table 2).

111 clcs~~ril~ing 11~1~11, Ihvis (ilIid:l87) calls it n country iri wliicli God cai~scd

iicc.:; to %row Iiwn t l~c gn)urtcl and in this manner plarttccl Ibr Aclam a gardcn, called

\\cnt out of Eden lo wulcr tlic gartlcn and parts inlo four rivcrlicads (NKJV). I lc

acccpls two main thcorics that give clues to thc location ol' the gnrdc11.

rivcrs ('l'igris and I~upliralcs) by which it is supposed to be locatcd in llic

Occai~sc tlic scripti~rc mcr~tions tllc occupatiol~ of' tlic lirst t \ ~ o rivers (I'ishori and

Gillon) k i n g in thc rcgiolis of' I-lavillali arid C'ilsli rcspcctivcly. According to I-ler~ry

So \vc may say oS the Africans and Indialis: tlicy havc tlic gold but wc havc the gospel. l'hc gold of ll~cir I:lnd is good, l ~ l tlic ricl~cs ol'o~lrs :~rc inliliilcly bcttcr.

Ilc (Ihicl) says i t rnay be adtlcd that tlic identilieation of Gihon with tllc Nilc il'

t ~ x c a b l c as far as to Joscplii~s \vho irndcrstood llic Nile by Gihon, becai~sc i t is the

grcu: ~ ivc r oSthc h i d ofCus11. It is then aflirmcd h a t thc position of Abasilta (Ibid) :IS

slwtling tlic bcst claim by taking Al'ricn-l\/lcsopot~11iii:1 as a strctch ol' land for the

Garden 01' Edcn.

1-lnsctl o n Ihc foregoing facts vis-:I-vis Ali.ica/l~dc~i. I t is claimed, tlicre is no

w o ~ ~ i l c ~ tIic11 1I1;it irp to hi\ conlclnporary gcncration, certain Ali-icans gcl l'or covcrngc,

Icavc: or./;inci i ~ l l i ~ l ~ a l skill ils to cslribit the Aliican licrilagc ol' I'tlcllic altcrnati\/c fro:n

God to mail a ~ d to retain Al'rican idcntity with IAcn sathcr than an onslaught ol'

Masscy (lbid:599) supporting African civilization, propagates that tlic origin

~Iic ancient ritc of initiative wisdo~ii later I<rio\vn as 17rccn~ansory.

i\/lcKinlcy ( 1 974: 1 17- 170) dcclarcs that British colonial govcrnnients gavc

ol'ficials sanclion to the image 01' Africa as a natural zoo by adopting itidigcnous

a ~ ~ i r ~ ~ n l s ;IS ollicial colotlial syi~bols lbr LISC 011 Ilags id SC~IS. Not only on Ilags arid

starlips, b~ti ill tlic niinds of Inany travelers, particular aninlals canlc to symbolize

A I-rica and lie (ibicl) n ic~~t io~is such ;IS:

'I'l~c Ulack manned Ai'rican lion, tlic !?irafk clvscribctl as "uniclucly Aliaican", t l~c gorilla; other \~liiqircI>, African animals ~nucli valued in museums, zoos and circuses; zebras, I1 ippopotamuxs, ch imlxizces

arltclvpcs, tlie spiral-lio~*ilctl Itoodoo, gazcllcs, impala, gcrc~iuk, the tiny tlilt-dilt wiltlcbccst, I.tlipspsi~igcr, linicricl; ;111tl pim, llic gnu , llic sliy sussct bango, thc okapi - tlie only sclalivc lo llic girnfi -. with its black and white lcgs and bluc tongue, tllc ~ ~ ~ t l v a r l i ~ , thc lemurs, the civet cats and t l ~ l "li-:~tlicscd Icgio~i" of tsopical birds also captivalcd r~nilnal collectors. Not only certain animals, but thc wholc process ol' survival ol'tlic liltcst was taken :is syn~\~ol ic of Africa, (Ibid. 120- 122).

collections to single individuals: tlic (I-lc~il-y A) Snow MUSCLIIII of Natural Ilislory in

ali kinds of:

I lighlighting li-om iilldings on sucli crcaturcs bcing nalional symbols, tlie

ol' ~ l i c country a11d slalids ;~i~tIio~-ity and power is ci~cd. l'lic black sliicld rcpscsenls the

good soil 01' Nigeria; llic caglc ~ C P I ~ C S C I I L S tlic strc~iglli 01' Nigc~ia and Lhc Iiorscs, 1hc

dignity and psidc 01' Nigcria. The mask on thc shield wl~ich looks likc the lettcr "Y"

l'cacocl\ (1079) upholds that thc univcssc described today is one which is i~

13zsctl on both cscation and Evolution 'I'licosics, it is Ll~crcforc aflirmcd m~ui's

tirigill as liom Al'ricri. As lincly csl~ou~lded by Jenkins (1967), biological,

i I!jsio!ogical studies ol' nian incscasingly scvcd Scatuses of i~is k l~aviour which t . a i

Al'sic:~~is atid Ali.icali sclalctl crcatiircs arc a rainbow oS magniliccncc. Abasi:;lf:a

(rl)itl: 134) obscrvcs lliat Ali.ica is il liltid 01' contrast c~licsc cvcsythitlg csists in tlic

the sriir~llcst microbe to llic biggcst mn~ii~nal; llic Iiigllc~l ~rroi~nl kililn;~li.jaro lo the locvcsl Rili-Viillcy; lllc ricl~csl all~lvial I)clla to thc driest S:lllara dcscrl; tlic loligcst rivcr Nilc to tlic seasollal pot14 lhc I~ollcsl dry scason lo the monsoon rains; the blacl<cst man in the kingdom to the I'aircst QLICCII 011 L ~ I C 1Iir01ic; rhc \vises1 king to thc dumicst Mongoloid on t l~c stscct; lhc siclicsl Oba Altcnzua Lo Llie poorcsl beggar in llic alley; Lhc tallcsl 'l'l~ird Evans Lo llic slioskst Congo Pl iy~ics ; ~ l i c largest lakc Victoria to the shallowesl Lakc Mansa; thc purcsl Clirislian lo lhc mosl ancicnt pagan; the biggcst clcphant in l l~c i'orcst to llic smallcst rnousc in llic jungle; 11ic slro~igcst caglc in tlic air 10 llic wcakesL slirlirig lo f ly; llic moat poisonous cobra lo ~ l i c non-vclon python; Lhc tliicltcsl Ibrcst lo llic bcurcsl savannal~.

3.5 - 'lk 'TalAc of Natioiis

11 is undcsstood Ilicrc arc tliscc \voslds, namely:

I lam. the I'allicr of' Canaan sa\v his li~lhcr's nakcdncss and tuJd his two brolhcrs oulsitlc.

' I l c sons of I l a ~ n : ('ush, Mim~iln, Put and Canaan. 'l'hc sons ol'(1) Cush: Scba, I lavillah, Sabla I<anmah and Sablccah: 'l'hc solis of Itaama: Shcbn and Dcdan. C L I S ~ was the l;~lllcl ol'Nin~rod, \vlw grew lo Ilc ;i \vassior on l l~c c:ulh. I Ic was

a nlighly h~~n tc r before the Lord: tIi:~t is wli~, it is said, "I ,ilte Nimrod, a mighly hunlcr bcforc llic L,ord". The first ccnlcss ofhis Kingdom were Lhbylon, l k x h , Akkad iund Calch i l l Shinar. 1:nm thal land he went lo Assyria LVIICSC he built Ninev~I~ , RolwL~oll~ lr. Cirl;~h and Resin \\41ich is bclwecn

Niiicvcli arid Caldi, ~ I I ; I L is l l~c grcal cily (2) ~M~/J:I~JI! \\QS ~ I I C l i l t l i ~ r 01 '1 -LI~~~CS, A~l;~n~i tcs , I ,clluhilcs, N n p l ~ l ~ ~ l ~ i t c s ~ I'nlhrusilcs, Casluliilcs (tioril \vlic~c llic I'llilislinc cnmc) u ~ t l Caplilorilcs. (3) Canaan was ihc I'a~licr ol'Sidon his lirsl so11 a d I leth father of Lhc I litilcs, Jebusiles, Anioritcs, Girgashitcs. I liviles, imd I la~~ialliilcs. 1 ,i~lcr Ilic Cnlii~nriilc c l a ~ ~ s sc~lllcrccl and Llic borders of Canaan rcachcd liom Siclon toward Gcrar :IS fi~r as ( ; i ~ a , and hen louascl Sodo~ii, Gomorrali, Aclriiali a d Zcboim as I'ar ils I .asl~a. ' I l i cx wc llic sons 0 1 ' ~ j f i by llicir clans and languages in Llicir terrilorics and nntio~is.

Yoi111g (Il,id:75 I) itlullilics 1'~11 as [lie third soil of1 lam and lhol his tl\velling placc. is

I ybiu. \vest ol' Lgypl ( I l~ck . 27: 10). 'I'hc ~ab l c conlains also lhc nations of' Japhcth ruicl

S l ~ c n ~ hi11 li)r thc scopc ol'this sti~tly, tllc I lamit nations arc cs l~xtccl . I1 is tlisco\~crcrl

111;iI ;I sludj8 or llic Iiiaps of' rhc Ancic111 Ncar 13asl and Narions (figs. G 61c 9), llic arcas

01' thc I-lamilcs occrrpnlion cxlcrids from Afi.ica to the Babylonian/Assyrian and

14.1-ahia~l lcrrilorics which arc rcfcrrcd lo as tlic I-lorn of Ali-ica by Abasika (Ibid).

LVhcn Abralia~n needcd a lalicl lo bury Selnli his wifc, 1.1c had to ask lhc sons of

i Icth ( Gcn. 23: 1-4) (Gel\. 10: 15, 23: ['I) Sidoli and I lclh being sons ol' C'aiiaaii wlio \\!as

ii;c b r o t h ol' Ilgypt, Iithiopia anel Libya. Abraham itilroduccti hi!nscll'ns a sojoi~r-ncr

Assyriology", Sir I lcliry Ihvlinson, George Ralinson and I'clrie, into the anliquily of

~ i i c Ali.ican pcoplc arc in S ~ V O L I ~ 01' his C ~ I I C ~ L I S ~ O I I 111~11 Illi: S i~~i icr ia t~ rcligion and

civiliza!ion nlay have come originally fiom tlic Nile vallcy

According lo Lockycr (lbitI:8S9) in his dcscriptioli of' t l ~ Nations of Gcncsis

Suva11 arc llic tlcsccndarils ol'.lapliclh (Gcn. 10:2-5); t h y arc in Europc

According to 13uslccr ( I W ) , the I lamiles wcrc located in soulliwcstcrn Asia

; i d ~io~IIica~t Ali.ica. C'ush, tlic Uppcs Nile I<cgion and South of' Egypt and that (lie

sc\c;i ('i~sliitc nations hcsc mciltionccl wcrc all in Arabia. Adrinio (Ibitl:62) tltlmi~s that

1 1 a ! 1 l<u:;h. 'l'hc linding articulates that \vlicrc thcy scttlccl ilicn ;mi now pcs sc is not

[tic bvnc of co~itcnlion, but that tlicy all arc dcsccndants of I-Ian1 and thcrcrorc Africrin

clcsc.cnls.

Abasika (Ibitl:46) supports the Ihct that I-lam is the father oflhe Black race f'or

\vc I\~io\v that all l h i l i c s of m;inltind osigiiinted l'roni AlYica and regarding I lam's

cursc, Ilc says tlint it is cviclcnt in the I loly Hihlc that Noah cursccl I lam indircctly for

scci~ig his ~ialtcdncss a n d Inugl~ing at Iiirn. I lis cwsc dcsccnclcd on Canaan. 'I'hescforc,

in his rcflcction on tlic l~istory of slavcsy, tlic partition and colonization of AlYica by

tI1c Caucasians (Anglo-Saxons), ~iiost scliolrirs attribute this scrvitndc as tlic li~ll?llnient

of Nwh's curse on tlic dcsccncl:~nts of 1 lam.

I lc (Ibicl) I . c ( ~ I ~ ~ s rliis bclicl' with the rcnson tli;it ( i o c l c;~n only p ~ ~ ~ i s l l ~ ~ n l i l the

tlii~d a ~ t l I'our~l~ gc~ic~xlions 01' tllclii hat hale hin.1, according to tlic I-loly Biblc

(Ik.20:5). I Ic postulates a gc~~cration to take a span of about twenty Iivc years. So i t

is clenotcd that about one Il~~ndred )!cars to havc covcrcd that ever sincc.

Lnlics ~ i lc cnp~ion "l.,iltc Nimrocl a niighly hunlcr bcl'orc thc 1,ord" (Gcn. l0:9b). Slic

(Ibic!) ilflir~ns Ilia1 tlic wmc Nimrod is wcll lino\vn in I lcbrcw Icgcncl. If any was a

btl-ong I~irnLcr., Ilc \vw said lo 11c as great i1 I~unlcr as ~~~~~~ocl . Nimrod \V;IS il

tlcsccllclai~l 0 1 ' 1I;11il. I lis Ii~lllcr (land) \\lils I<usll, the jmxml-clay Norther11 Sudan. Wc

know that rllc JWS who wcsc rcl;lting this niythology did not blcss I lam and his

tlcsccnctants. In I'lcl, tlicy atfributcd to thcni a divinc curse that they would he slavcs

01' slaves. 'I hougll I l a~n nlisbchavcd, hc cvcnti~ally became the only son by whom a

I i s I I A l ~ i i , I I I I I ' ( I . lO:2327; 0 0 : ) ' I his i s ilS lhc

Uiblc rcl'ers. "\vhcrc sin abounds, grace abounds ~ i~ucl i morc" (I<om..5:20).

In addition to thc nbovc linding, an cl'fort has becn madc in tracing tllc

' I he11 again Abraham took a wil'c, and hcr name was I<eturall Slic was lhc woman of consolation to Abraham al'tcr he lost his first and bclovctl wile Scrah. And she borc him Zi~nrnn, and .loltshan, Mcdnn, Midian and Ishbak and Shua. (Gcn,. 25:2). Six chilclscn which mcms that six nations wcrc hthered by Abrah:lm through I<cturah. Since the gcncology of I<cturah is not accounted for in thc Biblc, wc \voulcl have Lo Lracc Ilcr lincagc 1hrougIi the nnmcs o f her dcsccndanls. In Gen. 25:3 we read that Joltsllan begat Shcba and Dcdnn. And the sons ol' Ilcdan wcre Asslii~rim and Lctushim, and L,cunlmim. 'I'lic 6"' son Shua is sometimes rcfcrrcd to as I<usli. Joltslinn was the scconcl son 01' I<cturah so Shcba and Dcclan ivere grandchildren o f Abraham and Kclurclh. These grandchildrcn posscssed nanlcs that bclongcd ro Kushites or black pcoplc. For further light on lhis cxplanation we would need to backtrack a bit to Gcncsis chapters 9 & 10. And thc sons ('Ilusll; Sl~cba, and I-l:lvilali, iuid Sab~ali, and Ranmah, and Sabfcch:?; ancl tllc sons of' Ilaamah; Sllcba and Ilcdan, ticncsis 10:7 c!: Ch 25 . I lcrc in Lhis versc Shcba and Ilcdan arc dcscribcd as bcing lixm the

Cliusliilc line. 11' lhal is lhc case, llicn we can safely dcducc lhai thc Sixha :111cl I)ctlan wc rcacl ol' i l l tlic dcxxnda~iis of' I<clurali wcr-c nlxo C'r~sliilcs.

Shill~rk and tllc Ilinlia - thcy arc giant of about scvcn l'cct. As I'or Nimrod liis son loo,

I~is kingdotn was 13abylo11, 13cIt, Altltad, Calneh and frorrr that CIIICI-gcd Assyria. 'I'hc

i.c~~dcr's attcnlion is dl-awn to llic biblical iiccou~il (t ic~i. 10: I I) thal Ninivcli wliicli he

biiill b~cnmc. ~l l c capital 01' Lhc Assyl.iui Iklpirc. 'l'lic author (lbicl:27) asscsls that

Cicnesis 10:8- 12 viri~~ally stnics thal tlic firs1 etilpirc was that of ~ l ic black 11ian atid Lhc

Ni~nrocl. "Cusli was the Iilllicr o f Nimrod.. ." (Gen. 10:s) though il docs not appear so

in Ocl~iyoyc's CliarL. (1;ig.C)) J O S C ~ ~ I L I S (lbid:35) accepls him Lhus as the dcsccnclanl ol'

I I i ~ n i , but in his discussion ol'llic 'I'owcr of lk~bcl, lie n~istoltcs and ~iiisrcp~.cscnls in liis

'I'lle author (ibitl) ccstilirms Nimrod's African descent, but bnsetl 011 Biblical account

((icn.1 1:3,4), Nimrod cannol bc Iicld as tlic ring lcaclcr ol' h e Tower of llabel:

. . . tllcy said to one anuthcr

. . . I .ct 11s ~nalic bricks

. .. I,cl us 17iiild O L I ~ S C I V C S u city and a lo\vcr

I'his ~.ccorcl acquils Ni~~lsocl I * I . ~ I I ~ being lhc ring IcaeI~r of lllc builclcrs of'lhc l'o\vcr o f

l l is signilicd lhal l l ~ c two earlicsl grcnl civilimlions wcrc built by Ali.icans (1) tlic

Egyptian Empirc and (2) 'I'hc Assyrian Ihp i r c by Nimrod the son of Cush (Ethiopia).

Olo~iadc (1094:3-4) similarly cxprcsscs will1 multi-languages spoken in Nigcria in

relation to lllc 13abcl cspcricncc.

I oflcn fcel lhal whcn Ilic lowcr of l3abel crmblcd, one ol' ils linlcls fell over lo the gcogrnpllical cnlily callctl Nigcria. Ancl all Lhosc working on thn l linlcl I)ccamc Nigerians. C'crtairi fr~clc conlirrn my feelings: Stalisciatns claim there arc more lhnn Ii)i~r I l d r c d Inrigilage groups in Nigcria: ~ S ~ O L I doilbl LIia1; 1;lkc a tsij) lo I'latcau Stalc.. . Wherc al Icusl Iivc incligcnous la~~gnagc gsoups co~islilulc ils cnpilul inl1;lbi- t ank Visit Adamnwa Ik-gion will1 ils ovcr one Ilt~r~drctl lribcs or Lhc old 13cndcl \\here cvery town virtually rclxcscnts a pcoplc group.. . 'l'hc

12iblc Lclls us Lhat it w;ts God, not Satan, that scattcrcd the huniari race -- to li I 1 the earth. , . A~~i ;~ / i~ tg ly . i ~ ~ c l i \ ~ i c l u i ~ l ~ i ic~i l l )c~ ol'cnch ol'tllcsc tribes has a place ill tlic licast of lhc cot Crcalor ol' all rnm~l'c i d .

11 is conlil-~nccl li-om thc I~tlinologuc (1996) that Africa has 2,058 languages and

I t slioulcl L)c untlcrstootl in tlie light oC the biblical ilijunction in Acts 17:26-28

\vl~ich admits the cstal,lislitiicnt of nations that:

Llarkcr (lbid: 1683) i l l his notcs on tlic above passage, admits Ilia1 all people arc

and that God has detcsniincd ~ h c limes wlicn nations should cmcrgc, and places of tlicir r . occ~rpation, Ihr 1 Ic is God tlic L>csiy~cs. I Iic wislics arc that all Afiicms should admit

diis and apprcciatc i t like l3lytlcri (1878:l 12) ~vho on witnessing tlie l'yramids and

bcing so ovcr\\;l~clmcd by rl~cir mngriiliccnt arid architectural s ~ c n d o ~ ~ r commented:

'I'llc l i i l l i l l~nc~l~ ol' tlic Iicnrt clcsircs ol' tlic nbovc scholars and tlic biblical

i~!.junction in thc unity of fellowship among various races in the prcsclit gcncralion is

tllc ''I lorn ol'Ali.ica" il l p a r ~ i c ~ ~ l x . I t is noted tllat, Iiaving narrntcd the gcncology oi'llic

A li-icii and Aiiicans esistcd, playcd :In impostant role and havc made their presellcc fklt no1 only in the ancient krio\vn Asia11 \\/oslcl, Mcsopola~r~ia, Egyi,t, Gscccc, and I<onic, but also ill ancicnt Issacl.

,I p~oocl light". Ikyontl Il~c above pro,jcc\io~~, Adamo (lhitl:5) dclincs hi5 c ln i~~i by

1 haw tried not only lo argue li)s the psficncc oS Ali-icrim in the Old 'I'csta- mcrll, but lo higliligli~ tlicir subslantial conlribulion lo llic culturc, religion, civilizatio~~, cco~lomic, military autl political lifc ol'nncicnt Issacl.

I , ; sod~~s 2:23-25 records Abraham's gscat grandchildren wlw went 10 Egypt in

\, iiorn they had sold as slaw hcll~cd tlicm, having bccomc a powcrf~d man in ligyptian

govcrnnient and Sos whosc sa!ic l'linraoli had ~ c l c o ~ n c d thcm. l'hcy clccidcd to slay

arid 111:1ltc Iigypt their Iioruc and Sos four Ilundscd years, thc dcsccndants oS Abraham

I I , ~ bccon~c a grcal nation in Afiica. Scvcnly persons come but incrcascd to ovcr sis

hirndrcd tlio~~sand nicn excluding a mixed niulliludc, children, teenagers and womcii

'1 he Cllrisliall c l~urcl~ was boll1 i l l n world lllal was :~Ircady old. Gi'cat crnpircs had r i w ~ mci 1\1lIc1i. 'I'lic glories oJ' Iigypt, S U I I I C ~ . 13alylo11. Assyria, and Grccce lay ill lhc past. Now i t was l<omc, tlic grc:~lcsl o l ' l l ~ n~~cicrll ctllpirc,s l l ~ a l govcl~~ccl lltc civilizctl \vorlel". I lc rc~narks, '"l'hc ('liris~ian cliurcli was born in [lie Itoman Ll~npire". It was almost csclusivcly in that I3npirc that the Chrislinn church livcc;

the lirst livc ccnturics ol'ils lil'c.

According to Ungcr (1966), I'olnpcy brought I'alcstinc undcr Roman conlrol in

03 I . . I t is observed that his was so until the tillic ol' Clilkl and for the lirst livc

ilundrccl ycars of thc C'hrislian histosy. B L I ~ bcl'ore tllc~l, i n r c lc r~~icc to Ungcr ([bid),

from Malachi (400 13C, fig..S) the last propl~clic voicc ol ' t l~e Old 'l'cstnmcnt, to the

aclvcnt of Jcsus Christ, I'crsin and Circccc had ruled Ali-ica between 538 and 336-323

Joscpllus (Ibicl) (Anliquitics XI: 1.2) rcmnrlts regarding Isaiah's prophecy on

Israel. (44:28-45: I l l ) idcntilics tlial wllcn Cylvs liacl scad a copy Ilc ridlnirccl lhc divine

po\vcr. rl 'I~e~t an earnest tlcsirc n~id a~nbition scizcd him to lu l l i l l whal was so wsitlcn.

I3nbylo11ia. I Ic was a bcr~cvolcnt dictator. Ilc immediately implemented tlic policy of

scstoririg caplivcs to their homelands and llic tcmplc lirrniturc was rcstorcd along.

According lo Ihyscr (I996), as (:ynls Ihc Great began the l'crsian rule, so

l3C.. his po\vcr dcvolvctl, upon his generals. l'tolc~~iy [oolt Egypt and I'alcstinc as his

possession and they fnrcd well as thcy had undcr Cyrus and Darius. Thcy had thc Old

'l'ehlan~cnt trandatccl illto Grcck (the Scpt~~agint). 'I'lic advenlure took placc in

supjm-ts tlic above account:

Among mmy ollicr impor!ant cvcnts ol'this 400-ycx pcriod \\/as the Iranslatior! of the Old Tcsla~?lc:~t inlo Il~c (;reek language. 'I'llc vcrsion \\as produced front 280- 150 13C and was

Mxctlwian rule, the nc\vly Soiindctl Alcsandsiu city bccmiic

cspcciinlly a placc wlicrc tlic G~ccli la~igiingc, though by 110

conlnii~~lication arnollgst t l~c varicd population brought

togctlicr. 'T'liis Alcsmilri:~n dialcct is tlic idiom i n \vliich tlic

coilsiclcrablc: ni;~ny appear Io have scttlcd tllctc c v c ~ ~ litmi tlic lilvt li)uncling 01' tllc

city, rincl it becunlc thc rcsicicnce of many morc during tlic reign 01' tlie lirst I'tolcrny.

lIl.cnto~l (Ibicl) Illat i t was an lkgyptian Iti~ig who cm~sctl the translation to be nii~dc :ind

Ilia1 i t \ w s lio~ii Ilic I<oynl Library of Alcsandsia that thc I Icllenistic Jc\vs rcccivcd tlie

copies \vliicli they had. '1'0 him too, in examining thc vcrsion itself, i t bcilrs ~nanircst

~m~ol ' t I i ,~t i t was not executed by Jews of I'alcstinc, b u t hy Lllosc ol'l'gypt, Ihcrcl'orc.

tllcrc arc words a~rcl cxprcssions wlii~11 plainly dcnotc its Ali'ican origin.

( 1 . 1 i t ~ t ~ - o t l w t i o ~ i

'I'llis chapter, idcntilics and focuscs on thc li~riher distinctive instrumental rolcs

01' Aliica and Alqric:uls in (lic Gospel and apostolic settings, \villi u mqjor conccnl o n

Lllc New 'I'csta~iic~t. I t I;IICCS root in tlic soil 01' Ilistorical C V C I I ~ S , with such areas 01'

iclentilication in the Gospcl l'ra, embracing: Jesus' Genealogy, ATrica for Asylum, and

Aliic:l11 cicscctlt: a disciple ol'Jcsus, and ASrica11 dcsccnt: a woman of Saith and Events

l~n-l<outc the C~.ucilixion of Jesus. Whilc in tlic npostolic cra, tlic points arc sul,

tliviclccl, still to asccrlain Aliican rolcs as Sollows: thc I'entccostal Experience, thc

I . ' ~ L L ~ . . 1 111311's Synagogue, thc l)atriarcllaI I<cvicws, thc Jcrusalcm I)ilgri~n, tllc First

i l l l\w scglncnls:

( 1 ) In the gospcl cra, i t is to intlicatc Ali-icm identity i n tlic lifc and ministry oS

Jesus Christ.

(2) In tlic apostulic crs, i t is to establish the African identity in thc propagation of

'I'hc pcn 01' inspiration at worl; ill

tllc New 'I'cstamcnt describes tlic events which bro~gllt thc church ol' thc C'i~ristinn c r ~ into cxislcncc -- the death and ~ .csu t~~~c( ion G S the i.orc1 Jcsus C'l~ri~t, the coming oS 'I'lic I loly Spirit, tlrc ~prcaching of the Gospcl to thc Jews of T'alcstinc and to thc Sews arid Gentiles scottcrcd

( I ) Abnd~a~n to Lhvid

(2) I )avid lo Sclioiacl~i~l; o11d

Ihsl tc~ (1005: 154 1) obscrvcs scvcral dif'f'crcnccs bclwccn Lukc's gcncaolopy and

lint i l l lhc rcvcrsc osclcs and goes back lo Adam by wl~icli lie shows Llic rcl~~tio:, ,;lip of

SCMIS lo l11c \ v l ~ o l ~ 11i1111;111 race (Matt. 1 : 1 - 17; L,1<.3:23-38).

suggcslions by some sclwlars lhat i t may be bccausc Malthcw tlxccs tllc lcgol dcsccnl

o!' tile Iiousc of Ilavid. using only Iicirs Lo Lhc throne, \\bile J,i~ltc traces the complctc

I ~ I I I : ol .Ioscph lo Dnvid, or that bccai~sc Mattllc\v Ihllo\vs ihc l i ~ ~ c of Joscph as the Icgal

1;~i11cr o1'Jesus while I,i~Itc C I I I ~ ~ I ~ S ~ Z C S that 0 1 ' Mary bcing the blood parent of JC'SLIS. I I

is tllcrcf'orc iclc~ltilicd why Lukc prvjccls his supposition (Lindsell,, 1965: 15%) by

Ab:rsika (Ibitl:73) articulnlcs, "It is virtually witliout tlisagrccmcnt anioq;

biblical scliolars that Mary as well as Joscpli arc ol' tlic lioirsc ul' Ihvid". (Lk. 127 '

Ii'iV; cS. LI< 2:4).

Making a ~cllcclion on biblical i~ijunctions (1's. 1 OS:23; 1 O6:2 1-21) t!nt

t.:;labli:;l~ Lgyj-jt (Aliica) as the Innd 01' i l n t i i and rcaSfi~.rns tIi:iI every n:llion lll :)r

ti!~~;c~:irJs liuii I Itt111 is ul'llic Ncgriod race clcspitc tlic skin colour. 'I'licn in tlic giviiig

!iic I,a\v :it tllc socotid time (Dcu1.23:7b,8) lsrcal is mandated to accept ASric:uns ink

t!~v congrcgnlioli ol'tlic Lord:

. . . You sliall not abhor ;III ligyptian Iuxusc you MWC ; i n alien i n his Innd. 'I'hc cl:ildrcn of ilw third

gcncration born to tlictn may cntcs the collgrcgalion of Ihc Lord (N KJV).

' i !~crcli)~-c i t is li~lfillccl rl~a( Africri~is arc in Llic list oS Jcscrs' aiiccslry. Aparl

I'I.(.)I~I Lliis, it is lo cst:iblish that whatever sliapc or dimension his gcncalogy lins taken,

wcil as Sor tllc righteous and sinl~crs. I'lictcl'orc, tlic \voriicn ~ncntioncd in his

~C~:CLIO~OF!/, bcsidcs tlicir Iiuniblc gentler and origin, all have social stigmas in thcir

pc~~~;oiiliood.

111 Litltlition to the abovc, Douglas (1 990: 1009) describes M I !All as ri famous

Iwio: and a Cannnilc 01' I:itc 13rolm Age Jcricho. Shc hid the l ~ v o spics sent by

Josiut. Whilc rclcasing them she solicited Sor her security, ;is well a:, Sor that of hcr

liiliiily fiuit the cvcntu:iI clcstri~clion ol'Jcricho. Alicr tlic Sall ol'.jcric.llo. slic mlwicd a

.Ic;v \\ Iiosc nnmc \WS S;~l~iioli and borc him 13oaz husband ol' Rirtli and fallicr of Obcd

tho arlccsto;. 01' King Llavid (2 Smi.7; Ruth 4: 17). She was not only rcscucd from lhc

bescavcd ol' Iicr I I L I S ~ ~ I I I ~ ~ , she slill chose to go \vith her aged mother-in-law back to

. l i ~ ~ ; l i i , ' 1 1 I 1 1 I ~ C . 110 1101 sli~rc :I[ mc Ixcausc I aln tlalk.. . (Son!; . - ! j I! is x i \ ~ ~ ~ \ ~ l ~ d g c ~ l 111al I'AI\l:\l< \vas n victil~i ol' circu~ilslmce. Slic Itad

i ! ~ ci~skm-~. I3111 Onan dcccivcd and disappointed ilcr it1 hcir marital relationship and

:i::tl IWXIIIIC tlic cwsc of his i~~iti~iicly (Ic;1111. I t \vas alicr lliis incidc~lt tl~al she gut

ii,\/oI\lcJ \villi Ilcr Satllcr-in- Inw (Judah) and got a set of twins for him whosc n m c s

:,. :i.c 0 ~ i . i ~ ;111d Zcrali. . . . I'clu lllc I'nllicr ol' I lczron.. . (Malt. I :3) . 'I'hcy arc i l l the

i ) i ~ . I ! ! oI' Solol~lon, l l~c I\ing. 'I'llc issue 01' iclcnlily hcrcin is hoih progcn ial and of faith.

I\inzarctii who has cnmc lo scck and to snvo anyonc wllo rcpcnts. 'I'o srrch I lc tlcclares

'l'otlay sal\ a l i o ~ ~ has cumc Lo Lhis house, hccnusc this mall, too, i s a son of Abraham. l:or the Son of Man camc lo sccii :~nd to savc wiwt

'l'hc asylu~n issiic i : ~ locus of' 4.2.3 all co~lics about, ~vllcn the astrologc~s,

po!~i~I;iriy I ~ I . I ~ \ \ I I I as ":i;c: \\,iuc 111cn" tliscu\~cr t l~e pccdiar and ~ ~ i l i t j ~ c Still' tliat tiicy

; : ! : i i l l~ i~ l~ t l~c ill their stndic:; as signilicarlt Sor 3 pcculix nntl uriiq~~c king. Tlicl~eTorc,

!I:cy I ~ x c tlic star and along the way, also carry tlicir precious gifts (symbolic but most

( 5 : 2 ) . I!c alrcady becomcs cnvions of this said "Nc\v 13orn King" and 112s plnnncti

atrx)citics agaillst him, but ill a cnmouflagc, ~ q u c s t s thcm to let him know in order to

i;,~y 1:ii;i lioniagc loo.

M:ltthc\v chaptcr 2, Vcrscs 12 and I3 give thc summary ol' tlic clrcams Ijy tllc

t\+o p;wtics: IIIC wise Incn i~rgcd to go another route lo llicir comtry ruid not ~l~rougll

I !crotl, alitl .loscpli. I1:istcncd to cscape with the child aid nlotllcr.

4.2.3 Africa I'or Asylu~tt - M a t t . 2:13-15, 19-23

I t has bccll establisllcd in cliaplcr tlircc of recognitions accretlilcd lo

l;gy)t/Afi.ica lbr I~cr power and security in pro\ iding rclitgc lbr biblical rcf'ugecs,

gcncrally ['or tllc Israelites i l l their political and social crises and particula~~ly for Jesus

t l~i~. i~lg 1-in2 I lcrotl's rcign. 'I'hc cosc study is Ixgypl wliicli is ~~otccl for ils saScty arid

scculity, as wcll as her ;~hili(y to dclknd licrsclf 2nd those that seek rcli~gc in h c ~ ,

altl~ougli llgypt did n u t maintain a clean slate all tI11.ougli hcr history. I t is as McKinlc).

I.,iltc the trccs, great historicnl cvcrits spring liom rt soil cltrichcd by the rcnlailis ol' carlicr gro\vt!~s. 'I'hc to-chqs ol'our lives iwcl tornc~rl-ows, arise tiurn the yc-slcr-clays. l 'hc inl'ant present cannot deny thc parent p:lx(.

/\.cuwding lo ~ h c lindings. in rcl;l~ing ~ l ~ i s to Christianity in Aliica, it is admitcd tliat

~ ? L , I . 1);1st in order to appreciate Iicr Suturc. 11 is rcalizcd from biblical rccords that 13gypt

; : x c ~ t ~ i n Africa's ~vovision ~Ssccirrity to tlic Jews and as i t affccts the New Tcstcuncnt

I )crslxclivc.

Negatively, in Ciencsis 12: 10, Patriarch Almliarn, founder and father o r thc

I lcbrc\v race wcnl illlo Egypt becausc of I'amitic. It was a falsc rcli~ge as he did not

scck counsel liom God. llc had to lic to savc himself. When his son, Isaac dcsircd to

ti-!::~ci the same ~ O L I L C fur [IIC s m c reason in lalcr years, (Gcn.26:2) God forbaclc him to

cxpcricnccs and position to savc JsracI at a latcr dnlc when scvcnly pcrsons of his

l~~tiicr 's Fmily came (C;cn.46:27). 'I'liey all li~red well in Egypt and becmc a nation.

\khc~i they leli aftcr f i w h i d r e d and thirty ycars and numbering six 1iundr.cd

gcr~cralion into the congregation of I lis peoplc \vliich is bclievcd to be a rcwnrd for

Ixcnusc Solomon wai~lccl lo kill 1ii111 a ~ d hc was tlicrc i~ntil Solo~iion's dc;1111.

Solomon also ~ s c d to impost Ilosscs and chariots li-om Egypt for his dcfcncc

(2. Chs. I : 16, 17). It is also sccosded Chat God spcaks to Aliicans (2 Chr. 35:20-24).

1\,'11cn king .losial~ caine oitl Lo light against Nccho King o f tigyp1 Ilc sent messcngcr?

I have not conic against you, bul against the liousc with which I have was. for God cotn~nnndcd nie to maltc h:lslc. 12cliain liom mcdclling with God, wllo is \villi nic, lest I Jc tlcstsoy ~ O L I (V.2 I ) (NKJV) .

Anotiics casc is, \\llcn liom thc Icast to the gscatesl nntl including the cq?iail!s

of' Lhc asinics ol' Issacl, llctl lo I:gypt for lkas of hhyloninns (2 Kgs. 25:22-35). Uri;:li

[lie SOH ol' SII~III:\~:III too l lccl to Ijgypt lix I'car 01' King Jclioiacliiln (Jcr.26:20,21). In

.Icr. 38: 1 - 1 3. 13csidcs bcirlg a rcli~gc camp, i t is also a masilal camp for variws

~)alriarchs as rccorded in biblical accounts:

5. Moses was brought up by an Egyptian Princess (Ex.2: 1-25).

0. Solomon marrid the daughter of Pharaoh, Icing or Icgypt ( I Kg.3: I ) . 'I'licscforc his

.30: 1-8) psonouncing "Woe LO thosc who go clown Lo ligypt l'or horses and help. I r l

sl'iic of t l~c bad onlcrl, i f is scal'lirmcd t h a t the flight of Jcsus Christ into Llgyot

I t is also notctl that whatever has tnmspircd bctwccn Israel ad Africa is rn:.li!c

p c 4 b l c due to hcr Lllo~w~$li~sc. linlo (1976) points out that it takes less than two

When i'hnsaoh Icl the pcoplc go. God did not lcncl them on ~ l l c soad throiigll the I'hilistinc country, though that I\ as shorter. For (;od said, "I I'tlicy I k c \var, ~ h q might c11i111gc heis nlinds and rcturn to F,gyplV. So God Icd the pcoplc arouncl by t l~c desert ruad towasd tllc lied Sea.

11 is no st liltcly Lhat this was tl-ic route Joscph's bsothcrs irscd to buy grains

lixm Lgypt 2;s ~vcll as the oilc Joseph took M a y and baby Jesus along. And they nlusL

Ilavc i~scd c:~nlcls/do~:Itcqs as hstcr mcam of'transporhtion (Gen.42:26) than h o t and

so t!icir trip must havc taltcn ~nuch less Illan IL YO ~~lonlhs.

It is notccl tllnt Aliicrl has a rcfugc to\vcr in Jxgypt. I t provides asylum for the

opprcss"e and has served in both thc Old and New 'l'estn~i~ents, Jews, Gentiles and

abovc d l , tlic Saviour Jcs~rs C'llrisl. In Egypt, tllcrc is the eating ol'thc FAT o r the land

(Ckn.45: 18) and in Isrncl, tllcse is the eating ol'thc FRUIT of tlic land (NUIII. 1326).

Acccniing to h:lel~~li:~II ( I Y75:5), 1 1 - I - ~ : C O I ~ S 1118,: n;al.:!livc O F t l ~ c Fligllt lipisode

: 3 - I ) in I - 1 1 i I i s l i lilcral ~r;~nslatio~l i s follows fol. cic;lt.cr

i~ntlci~slaridir~g:

/ 7 4 I ;&TI ,7vCJ g-0 o ~ , < ,\ ( K C i/,i , ~~3~ A YJ

l m $ ~ c t saying: out ol'ligypt

AlcIic.~ and Cl~i~ichigno ( 1988: 147) csprcss ill heir sluciics lhol lllc Scpiuagi~ll (LXX)

1; I-, i i you p i - & f.-+jrr i i -7i. 7- E / ~ v ' l a & ~ d G -3 f . is less accurate than Matt.2: 15.

'l'licsc authors (Ibid) hold to tllc idea that 110s. I I : I sccms to rcfcr lo thc Israclilc 11:1llon

o f Mo:ics' clay, Jesus wit11 Mary and Joscph lo Sudca and Galilcc, after 11aving bccn lo

Il;:yl>t, is a l'irllilln~enl of 1-10s. I I : I . I t slioirlcl bc observed h t l i~ l f i l l~~~en t 01' prophecy

( ;w-~ .nhqpw Tu \ ' ' / l~a ) ( in orcicr 111at it migltt I L I ~ ~ I I C C I ) i~~ipl ics t~mt

li,r in.lancc lhc Ilsodus dcli\icrancc ol' nutior~al Isracl \\/as a prophetic cvclll for w l ~ i ~ l l

111c coming 01' thc Mcssinh as pcrsorial Isracl was thc nnti-typical li~llillmcnt, i r ~ illc

s m c scnsc cs Jesus is spokcn of in I Cor. 5:7 as "Cl~rist our 1)nssovcr Lamb". Tll:;! i~

! ! I : Ili>ii)ri~id cvcnt 01' the clolivcr~nce ol' Isracl through the sprinkled blood of fl7c

1';tsovcr lamb I'ound its a~~titypical ~i~llillrncnt in the slieclding uT Jcsus' blood on tllc

(.l,cw,.

St. Ivlaltllc\v's irllc~~pr~clation of l losca I l : 1 T is llic rcsearch focus, "oul ol'ligypl

I callcd my son" cl., Matt.2: 15b. 'I'o it, Poolc (Ibicl: 12) inlcrprcts tllal originally, i t \\.is

;i ~ n a n i lcstation 01' thc nation of Issacl fi.oln IJgypl \\lllich \vas a typc of 1l1c rcl'ugc . . t

tail o l ' t l~c Christ - child li-on1 tllc sarnc sourcc. I t is to conlirm tlic harmony of ' I ; { .

, 3

bc! iplui.cs, the hi~hlulncss 01' God in all agcs lo Sullill His promises. I his cpisodc \\Ins

Sullilled. I t stands unique ~ l ~ a t Jesus, [lie Son oS God and thc Messiah is bcing

ilicd with the na t io~~ 01' 1:gypt (Al'rica). Kalu (ibid:fiO) in acluali~ing t l~c

II i1l:;o s l ~ o w s , 011 the oillcr Il:~nd, thc a1noi1111 ol'sccurily and gu:lranlcc lor Jcsus in t l~c

Imci HS well as h i s evcr~ti~al siay and rclur~i (Lnblc 0). I t becotlics a Si~llilln~ent o f

"Arise a d flcc into ['gypl. .." (ICiV) "Acvaltc antl scck rcfilgc in I:gypt (Olitil I bid you rcturn) ('I'C'I'N) "Arise and cscapc into I<gypt (Wcy)

'1':isltcr (1981) b ~ a ~ ~ t i l i ~ l l y C O I ~ I I ~ I C I I ~ S h a t llic Magi scarclictl for Jesus to pay

5' ! ! ~ c word translaled -'G-@-'S (a~~acl~orcos) i n Vs. 12, I3 ilnd 14 is

I \ /- used i l l 4: 12; 12: 15 to convey thc same idea of cvitlidrawal Sro~ii tlangcr

111 'I'askcr's (Ibid) inlcrprctation of I los. ! I : I, I I ~ S L I ~ ~ C S I S tI1al the Mcssiali,

I l i ~ u ~ i f tlic pcrsonihtio:i ol' the true Israel, rcpcatcd in llis GWII lire history, the

<~pcric.ncc ol' tlic old Israel, and also that I lc \\us thc scco~id :~nd great Moses.

IA)\!;,lus (1986:lO) supports antl sums u p tlic accourit by saying, "Jcsus I l i~i~sclf

~.c'cciv~d Iiospilalily on llic A li%x soil". A~itl I lallcy (I 005:390) says, "I c:lllctl my son

out ol'l~gypt" is a way of saying, part oSMessia1i7s childlio~d would be spent in Egypt-.

! ic assumes (lbid:4 19) that the stay in Egypt was short, probably only a year or two for

I Icroti soon died and it was s a k to rctur~l.

' l - 1 1 ~ relationship of Africa with Scsus is u two-way dimension: that Africa givcs

lovc lo Jcsus and Jcsus givcs grace to Africans by which we are savcd, while on the

other Iiiuntl, I,intlscll (lbid: 1439) trics to cspatiatc the details and ~notivcs in I-Icrod's

I,inrl:xll (Ibiil) goes 0 1 1 lo estimate the nirnibcr of chiltlren slain to havc 1101 excccdcd

I or I i y Accorclirig lo l l i l l (1981), tlic Appocryphul tratlitio~i holds tlial hi:

s:!jo~~i.n in 1:(qq>t lasted liom onc to scvcn ycars. No wondcr, Unger (1966:472)

Ilcmon p~\vers throi~gh I Jcrod, r m l lalcr I I I I . O L I ~ I I tllc lcndcrs of' I lis own nation, resisted tlic King. Snlan ccliterecl his nllack againsl God's plor~s in Chris1 for ihc carlh. Ilgypt \vhich saw tlic great cnslavcmctlt oflsrncl, now bccalnc t11c rcfugc of Is~;IcI's Deliverer arid the \vorltl's I<cdcc~iicr i n tllc form ol'a

I~ lp lcss baby.

' I ' a s k ~ ~ (i bid) claims 11i:11 the clcviccs ol' man can IKWX tli\vart the purposcs oS God.

Aba,i'.;~'s (Ibicl:103) position o n this issue is racial. I lc claims .Icsus Lo bc a

' 1 o f~ i in (Ibicl), .lcsus is black and of a Negroid race, but thc rcscasch hcuh is more in

tile p;rspcctivc of .Jesus' j ~ ~ r p o s c il l ASrican salvation, amo~lg olhcr races a d thc

l ' i~l l i l l rnc~~~ oS an Old 'I'cstanicnt psophccy. 'T'hc pragmatic standpoint of Spurgeon

(1) 1 1 is a high ol'licc to bc a guardian to thc young child and his mother.

( 2 ) ' I Ilc lesson \vc lcar~i 10 Iiccp tlic Imd's ortlcr, is his charge, ". . . stay [!]ere

until I tell you ..." (V . 13b). I lc (Ibid) affirms that the Lord's scl-writs must wait

I t is intlicatcd (Matt .2: 19-23) that God ~naintains I lis \\;ord and I lc monitors

c.tzcn!s regarding l lis word. 1 lc orders, "Wail"! Alicr I-Icrod's dci~tli, His ;ingel

i 1 l ~ ; ~ c ~ a r s in a drcam again (v.20) ortlcring him "Go". Marshal (Ibid:7) givcs litcrrd

i /-

"Q p 0 EL, a 4 0 .-j & >,qw\!, I / ' TO jT;- ; t i&i~l/

: , , y ~ g : Rising t& tllou the child

'I'o l ! i n ~ (Ibicl), Jcsus is black and o f a Ncgroid racc, but I11c rcscarch focus is morc in

[he pcrspccLivc o S .lcsus' puspose in Aliican salvation, among ollicr raccs and Llic

l i~l i i ! l~ncn~ of an Old 'I'estament psophccy. 'I'lic pragmatic slandpoinl of Spurgeon

(2) 1 I I C Icssoii \vc lcar~i to Itcep (llc I,ord's order, is his charge, ". . . slay Llicrc

u ~ l l i l I lcll you.. ." (V . I3b). I lc (Ibicl) allir~ns Lhal llic 1,oscl's :icrvnills rnusl wail

lio~nc. Even Jesus Christ, rlcspitc I lis prc-eminence abovc all, Iias to wait in Egypt

11 i:; usscrtccl that thc Rcclccn~cr of thc ~~cdccmcd comes out of Egypt as lsracl had

It is i~dicatccl (Matt.2: 19-23) that Got1 maintains I Iis \vosd and I lc riionilors

: i r c : ~ r d i ~ g I I o r . I lc ordcss, "W;iiLn! Alicr 1 lcsocl's dcall~, liis angcl

:;ly)c.~ts in a dream ;~g,iir~ (v.20) orcicring hini "Go". Morsllal (lbid:7) gives li~cral

God's Wort! must bc fi~llilletl. As M'cngcr (1068) puts it, "God's \vorcl spolie~l

; I I I ~ \ V I . ~ I I C I I ' ' , L L \ v t . i t l ~ ~ ~ ;111d s110ken'' niwl be cs~ablishccl. Wolslon (1976) in his

Liwcwosd says regarding God's sovcrcign intcrvcntion, '"l"hc descendants of Abraham,

Isaac and J x o b cried out i l l thcir misery. 13ul wliilc lhcy did not cry to God, God

Ircartl thcir crics and came clown to clclivcr them". 'I'hcrc is an idcntilication of n

sirnilas issue in ~ h c cusc of Jesus' Ilight. WIiilc Joscph and Mary did not cvcn perccivc

a:ly clangcr, God alcrlctl thcm and nvcstcd the danger that would havc martyred the

irllhnt Iting mcl abovc that, hintlcrctl God's ultirnalc p1w liw lllc salvation ol'tllc I- urna an

S;lcc Illl~o~lgll .rcs11s.

'I'llc nppcarrlnccs o l ' a ~ ~ a~igcl of the 1,oscl arc ~~sual ly uniquc and signilicanl in

citllcr inlcsvi'nlio~~ (11. broatlcast tlcpcntlirlg 011 tlic siluation. According Lo l l i i l

(ll~itl:S4-85), llloi~gll Lllc x t u : ~ l cvc~lls arc nasralccl Ilcsc, lllc cvongclisl's red concern is

1;o1 \viill Ilislosical csactituclcs and delails, bul with ~hcological rcfleclion on tlic thcmc

o f ' Old 'I'cslullc~il li~llillmcnl. 1:lcc lo 1:gyp: Egypt cws always a 11atural asylum for

.Ic\vs especially li.o~n the time of the Maccabcan struggle. 'I'hc era of I-Ierod was

s ~ ~ ~ ~ c ~ ~ ~ l ~ c r c t l ;IS o ~ l c i n which Messianic tcnclcncics wcrc not wclconic in Judca. It was

()I:!), nlicr I Icsocl's death that tlic Qurnram community sc!i~rncd l o its ccntrc, which had

lii.:cn ticslroyctl i n 3 1 13C.

IXvcn in the contemporary world, God in I lis vindication slill deals with SLIICSS

i l o ; I I U :~rlt:lgonisls ol'll~c Gospel's progress. I Ic cilllcs s cmo\u tlmn or tliwarls lhcir

il;;!w 01' dclivcrs I-Jis ~~coplc , and by so doing: h c C I I L I ~ C I I g r o \ , ~ .

,-i . .?. .fi . 1311 AC':.~C:I 11 Desc'ci~L~_A I?iscii)!e o l ' ~ b ~ ~ i ~ ~ i ,

(RlIi~tt-.10:1-4; Mk.3:19; L1<.6:12-16; Acts 1312-14)

Aliicans are of tlic rncc that is intcreslcd in tracing gencnologics. Thus it is

c:i~,covcsccl ~ l l s~ , onc of ~l lc twclvc disciples oC Jcsus was Siiiiun tlic Zcnlot who is als:)

i.c!>;.~i.d lo as Simon tile Canannitc riccortli~~g tu Lhc CwcortlanL Bible Vcrsic)i~ a~!d thc

0tlrl)t;itr ol' the I h l y Spirit as :vcll ns i t 1 llic ordinalion and ccl~n~ni:;sioll nl' rl~c E,.:.t

'I'liis Sinloll (the C;r~laanilc) was one of' ~ l ic twelve disciples ol'Jcsc~s (Tablc 7).

As il I~ns becn cshblislicd, Canannitcs arc dcsccndanls oSl lmi. I t is onc of his

scvc~.cly dcltion posscsscd. Shc slcuids the trials of pcrscvcralicc and ignominy allti

4.2.0. African Kolc ISn-Ko~rtc the CI-ncit'ision of Jesus

(iLlatt.27,32; klk. 15; 2 1; !,k.23:26)

'I'lic basic [csls s c g d i n g ~ l l c iliciclcnt en-roulc tllc c's~;ci(isioi~ :~rc hcrc b::lo?v

~ ; J ~ t o l ~ l i c accounts cll-rolilc Llic Crucilisioll 01' .lcsus arc slated us lbllo~vs iri tllc Grcclc

: ' I ( , , : ; , 1 1 I i [ w i l t1. ;111:~1;1tioi j :

f < ;I (st.! 1) "A~icl as lhcy lccl mvuy him, sciLing I ,li;ii 11 Simon a cerhi~i Cyrcnian c o ~ ~ i i ~ i g lion1

rhc licl(l/counrry they placed on Iiim the Cross lo carry bcliincl Jesus.

3 Iiyl,I,olis ( l ')~l2:300) clcli~ics L~$c~)-L*--,"' e-i- U ,,, llleall

c.l:or~ctI J;~I>OLII.~> illit1 'a~d LX -/J c u SICS 10 lilcali

C O I ~ ~ I I I ; ~ I ~ ~ ~ C I ~ " .

I t is dc~iolcti i l l all the tcxls lo ha\/c clcpiclcti Ibrced scrviti~de on t l x Ali'ic:it~ /--, -, y--

I I I ~ I I I . I ~ I I ICI . , !\III(II ~ I N I { i i~~grich (IWO) si111iIi11 ly c~p~cssc t l Il1;1t a 1 L L / OV

I I c c r i t c I ' l l i l i . : l - I I ) . Ohbii (ibicl:O2) also positively views 11:::

As n result ol'blxk pcoplc's connection to God's plm of rcdcmption. it was ncccss,~ry li)r a hlack Inan lo Ilclp C'lirist carry llic cross lo Calvary. "/\llcl ;IS thcy calllc 0111, 1 1 1 q li)u~lcl :\ 111;111 0 1 ' C ~ S C I I C , Simon by nallic; him tiicy compelled to bcx his cross. (l\4at1.37:32). I1 ~ ~ 3 s I I C C C S S ; ~ ~ ~ (i)r Silno~l lo bc whcrc IIC was and be l'ouncl just as i l

WIS ncccssary 1:)s the Midianilc caravan lo bc nrou~d and bc So~lnd to lakc .loscph inlo 1;;gypt. 'I'liul is no co-i~icidcnce.

acilicvccl ir~slanlly 1i)r t l~c opprcsscd to be so Ilighly clcvntd. 'I'hc bias/oppl.cssivc

color,y ill Cyrcnc. Ilc goes lilt-thcr to csp~.css his \visli by sayillg, "7'11~ 11.adilion that lie

\vas a Ncgro tllougll \vc \voitld it trite, can gatl~cr almost 110 cvidcncc". 'l'hcrc is no

'l'llc issue ol' superiority versus inlkriority complcxcs does not Ilavc to do with

?4;11..,liall (1079:862) indicates that L ~ l i c iucludcs Lhc incident of Simon of Cyrcnc who

11ruy I I L I V C been sccn by him as a picture ol' thc idcal disciple. In a similar view,

cl'l'cct on Sirno11 the Cyrcnian and his cnlirc racc for his Sorcccl scrvitudc:

I [ i s clcas l'so~n Lhc idclilily bclow that Simon ~l ic Cysc~~ian was an Afsical~. 'I'l~c Bible

2. Sinion -- Lhc (';:l~nnniLc (Mk. 3: 18; 10:4) I.ukc renders it the zcalot. I Ic i s onc ol'thc ciisciplcs ol'.lcsus. (Lk.6: 15; A c ~ s 1 : 13).

3. Simon - onc of lhc bsolhcss o l ' o ~ ~ r 1,ortI (iv1~111. I 3 : 5 5 ; Mli.6;3),

5 Simon - a ('yrcniw wlio was compcllcd to ci~rry h e cross of Jcst~s (Mh.15:3 I) .

!3llc:\.~ing trnnslalions, to cilc a couple of Ll!cni:

'I'liis is unlikc Maclarcn (ibid) who claims Simon's Jcwish origin to wl~ich it is

,.~~I\IILYI bcci~i~sc Illcrc is no scriptural suggcslio~i anel supporl for his claim. I-lc coulcl

! lc wys thal llicsc \~o rds s~g,gcsr Illat Ilic Inan camc inlo siglll as tlicy issuctl l iovi :he 1 -1)

I I ic \ws O I I his way liom llic counlry ( ~ 1 1 arf' O' "dc villa") would 2 --

!,cltcr rcplascnl MI 0 a ' j and was passii~g by \vl;en ihc solrlicrs '1

:ici/cii a ~ ~ d iwcs:;cd l1i111 into tlicir scsvicc C & ~ $ ' ~ - ~ Z - . L ~ I is ;I word OS Pcssiiln origin 4 I

3 . E"!T- /- I / ii:;cd iii rclbrcncc to co~npulsory scrvicc of any k i ~ ~ d . Ail iilstnncc of C.F~~CC',Y

was I \ ,UI-I~! Sso1:1 ail Ilgyptii~tl i~~scrip!ion of AD [ !O and Iws since been

ci;sc:o\~crcd i r ~ n papyrL;s 01' I { < . : 252, so thn t the W O I ~ has lo11g bee11 cs~ablislicd i l l

I'?:!,l)tinn (irccli ! I I O I I ~ I I il has no placc in lllc Scpluagini (1,XS). /

'Illc ~ I L I L I I O S (Swcte, lbiil) illso rcl'crs that liic v c r t ~ ) 4 5 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ! / is us{:^! in

AiaLl.0:4 l \ \ li;:sc con~jx~lsc.)i.y scrvice is ii~tentlc~l. I ' i~is is Lllc salnc in!crprctation

,::~~il~,\&~!lcd ca~.iici. by ~ h ~ ~ l c i * , ~ ' , r ~ ~ d i x ~ d Gi~igiric,h (ibidj il~ld il. is ;i us;: i i l \v:jch JCSLIS

rsi6,.k;IIxgcs I)clic\ws Lo do. li is tlcpictcd 1I:al. s~ich li)rcctl scrviti~cic ~ w ~ a l i y ;:!ids in a

c:uf~,.~(ly. 'Jcws i1nt1 Ali.lcn!~s in Cyrc~lc l ~ d gocd, Il~~mnri ~d;~lionsllip ihoag!l the Jews

7\.~:~-c- in:li.iy :~,,l~icl~ a c c d i n g io I3rclo11 (jbiti), 1 Mucc. 15:16-24 rclatc t l ~ a ~ the Jews

I;>rnicti an i ~ ~ l l u c ~ ~ l i a l s~.:cli01-1 01' the i~lhabit:~nis. 'I'hc I<omar; Consul \ \ ~ o ~ c a lctlcr to

i'tolc~!iy ~,cg:idiilg lhc .Ic\\:s' Il~ic~dly rclalior~sl~il) nlltl sc11~ c:!pics 10 at! t l~c counlrics

I ~ I I ~ : L ~ 11i11i ii i~(. i ( . ; y ~ i l c I V ~ I S U I I C of' l i1~1- ,1 . 11 is il-~lkri'ec! 1 i 1 ~ 1 i [ I I ~ S docs 11:)t iilc:Ill l h l

ii, l'ric:;:~~ iiltlit!c~lcs \vcrc nclt occLipa11ts of C'yl-cw, ~ h o i ~ g l ~ 111c1.c \\::IS :I large ~lumbcr of

.I i.,\t:~; i 11~1-c.

S\vclc (lbicI:37Sj aclmils Illat \vl~clhcr h i s Simon Ilacl bcco~nc a rcsiclcnt a1

.Icr~~:;:ilc~ll or \has a vi;,itor iil lllc I'assover (cl', l.Ii.24:113), i t i:; inlpossiblc to clcciclc.

1 1 ~ :~;~,I.ccs \ \ i l l 1 O I ~ I C I . ; I I I I ~ I I , I . S [ I I ; I I h;Ii\ldi ~ I ~ O I I C ~ ~ c s ~ l ~ i ~ ) c s ~ l i l l l ilS " l l l ~ I ~ I ~ ~ \ c I . (11'

A l c s a ~ ~ d c ~ ulcl l i t1 l'i~s".

S\vclc (Ibicl) says an Alcsandc~- is ~i~cnlionccl (Acts 19:33; 1 'I'im.l:30; 2

'l'i111.4: 14) I I U ~ in each c x c an ;~nlago~lis~ ol' St. I'aul. 'I'his is disagreed with and

c*l:~i~licd ~ I I : I L Alc\:~nclcrs 111.c clil'l'crcnt li-om onc n~lotllcr. 'I'llc Ncw li~icyclop;~ectic

IicILicllcc lklition ol'tllc I loly I3ible (n.cl:20) dil'fcrcn~in~cs hcnl as Tollo\.\/s:

I . A son 01' Sinloll 1l1c Cyrcnian Mli. I5:2 1

2. A 1ncrn1)cr ol'tlic Iligll pricstly 1';11:iiIy, Ac1.s 4:G.

7, A .Ic*\\J i l l l<pl~cs\~s, i\cls l0:33, 34.

4 . A11 al'ostalc contlc!nnccl by Paul, 1 'l'ii1i.1: 19,20

1 1 is ir~elicalccl t h n l Llic one i n 2 'I'i111.4:14 is clearly iclcl~lilicd in h c passage as

4Ics:-111clcr h c ('oppcrsmirli. 'I'hcrcl'orc il is uplicld lhat Llicrc is IIU rooni Tor S L I S ~ ~ C ~ O ! ~

. : ,.: . ' > ! : ',.:~!I(.~cI' I!IC ~ 0 1 1 I ; [ ' > i : i i : ( ! ! ~ [!I(: <'yL'c!ii;!ll \l~,:iS ; i l l : i ~ \ l ; ! ~ , ~ ~ l ~ i ~ ~ i O!. i!)~:, ;!,OS~C\ l!:11' Of'

. . ,;,!:.'.;I k'i i-11 ~ : ~ I L : \ I C ~ : ; , i L is ix:!i7,cd tIlLi1 , ~ ! L X : I I K ~ C ~ I\x i\ l l ~ i ' < ; i ~ l!ii1;lC ( ; l l l ~ l ' ! j ! l ~ ~:011'1

, Y N I I ~ Macccdo~~i;m 11~1-o AIcxllld~r tlic Great (336 - 323 DC), a young soldier or

i\:ic~ily \\tho :;itbclucd Lllc \vholc world under him iiorn Llic l'crsia~l liule within a

I!, cadc. 'l'llus Illany covctcd liis namc.

[is li)r (he I~;IIIIC ICuli~s~ i l~c New Et~cyclopncclic (ibiil) inc!icr!ies [he s a w I<ufus

i ' , : ~ ~ ~ : ~ i ~ i o ~ ~ c c i i ~ i Vlk. 1512 I ; \ I I<oII!. 16: j .3. ' 1 ' 1 1 ~ pri!bal~ilil)~ :!s tt) \ ~ I I O J ~ I I tllc sill i1tati011

~ \ ; I . ~ : ~ I L X I i s ~ ~ c l i ~ t ~ d ! ii~-i!iI,c Swctc (il~ie~) \ \ , ! lo says thai RLI!.LIS Ilas \vilh sonic

i ; d~:l!)ili[y hcc11 irlwliliccl will^ Ihc pcrson Lhai is salu(cd in KOIII. 16: 13; to liis ~nolhcr

. ; 1 : ; : ) , \:, I I O S C iclc~~lilicalion is co~.i.cct, \ \us tlic \,\)ilk or widow ol' Si~non tile C:yrc~~i;\n thaL 1 ( ,

-. - 1 -3 :... ~ ' L I I I I beass :I 1 1 igii tc:;tiiiiw~y - I Y , ~ ,,&Tj'j:pfi - C.l U #?'.r.3u [.,a,( E + ~ ( L I I ~ ~ l ~ ( l ~ l ~ c ~ ,

!I:' !;i!il and ol' ~nc). I l'r\:lark \\WIC 10 Ilic Rorna11 Chris1i:ins and Lhc sons of Simon wcre

i, I ; ~ I o L \ ~ I ~ i l l liolnc, I~is rcli:rcnce to Alcs:~ndcr :lnd I < L I ~ ' L I S is ~l ; l t l~raI C I I O L I ~ I I . 111 ally

1::1:,c: it. implies that the s o ~ ~ s becamc disciples of reputc whose idcntity would be

~.ccognizccl by Ihc original ~wclcrs ol'lhc gospcl.

It is \\wtlly ti l ' note, li)r i~lsta!icc, tlrc tcxt dcscsibing Sinion tlic Cyrcllian ;IS

Iallicr of Alcsantlcr X K I Ruli~s, shows that tlic time of Mark's writing, his sc;:-is \vcsl:

;ilrc;idj8 r ~ r c ~ ~ ~ l ~ c r s 0 1 ' tlrc ('111.i:ilii111 C ' o ~ l i i i l ~ ~ ~ ~ i ! ~ :III(! WCI.C c~r : i~rwl [NX;I~I:,C ! ' ; , \ I [

appsixiialcs llicn~ in his salclalion lo tlic lio~nan Cl~ristians as he rcfcrs lo lircm as

"clcct in the losd". I'aul scl'css to Illcis motllcs as liis, too, \vliich depicls the oncncss of '

I l i l y I I s I I I I Ilc'sitlcs, it csliil~ils tlic \.vlivlc lk~iily 01' Simon :I::

hcinp, C:I~sis[ir~ns and closc associates ol' I'aul as \ \ e l l as M a ~ k l:os X L I ~ * L I S 10 be

I-iicrliionctl aillong l l~c Chrislians ill I b m c was i l l ortlcr because Aliica was under llrc

J < ~ I I I : I ~ 131iipi1.c ard so lie could be i n Romc.

It is ubscsvcd ha t Simon, liis wilk and sons, though not designated in airy \w!..

cvid~lltly \WSC well li110\\111 pcopIe. 1 3 ~ 1 l how lilllc Simon hilllsc~l'krlcw 1hnt \vl~csc\~c*l'

t l ~ i : ; gospd \\wuld Ix prcaclrccl i l l tllc wllolc world, the lkllowsliip ol' his sul'l'cring cvilll

i'hsi:;t S I I O L I I ~ Ix told 1;)s l lis ~iic~ll~si;rl, ~ L I S L like Llic \.voman \,vlio anointed .Jesus

( P,4;1[t.20:0- 13). i \

i ; ~ ~ ~ I : 1 ) 1 1 L: c L ( c * ~ ;J& -7 t-- i,c. ~ I . I ; I ~ I , A- ,/

I I is L ~ I . I ,LII;C p rc~er\~es tlic dcl;iils that Simon was from Cyrenc possibly

Iwcaasc he kno\vs ol' Cyscrlin~~s i n tlic carly history ol' tlic CIILISCII (Acts 6::); I 120;

13: 1 !, but Ilc o ~ i ~ i t s details a b o ~ ~ t his i'amily, which to him nicant noll.iing lo his I U ~ C I . : ~

~ i i ! M i 13\11 I ~ I I I C C (IOSO: 146) ccslifics tli;rt wlwn Marl< thc cvangclist I C I ~ ! C S this

incitlcrll, 1 . 1 ~ iclcrililics Sinloti the Cyrcnian lbr his I-cadcrs of thc next gencsatio~i

psi~~~ari ly in I:o~l~e as "lhc I'alhel. or Alcsa~idcr and Ruli~s" (Mk. 1 5 2 1 ) . I lc (lbicl: 14'7)

2gl'ci:s that one l<uli~s livcd in Konic in AD 57 among thc Christian colnmunity to

\ d \ i ) n i l'aul sclids :~,l..ccli~ig ;ml xltlrcsscs liinl ns "RLI l i~s, cmi~lcnt ill llic I.,osc!"

1 1 i . I : J 3). l 'n~~l also cxlcntls his regards to I<uli~s' molhcs wllom hc calis "lli.;

11io~11cr and iliinc" ( Y , , ~ ,L(q 71. & * U ' ~ U /a:<( ~ ~ u " ~ ' ~ i ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ I ~ S C I I C C S i ~ i d i c : ~ ~ ~ llicis I P

; m i ~ l c ~ ~ c c mid close sclatior~sliip lo tlic gc;spcl preacher.

L3riicc (ihid: l,48) si~ggcsts "a \vritcr 01' histosical ficticm ~iiight p ic t~~rc Paul LI:,

lodging during his years in Anlioch, in [lie Iiomc oSSimon t l~c Cyrenian alias Sinicw

thc Niger and :IS k i n g mollicscd by liis liosl's wiSc". 111 summary tlicn, his stantlpoi~i(

gives credit lo llic Aliican iclcntity in apostolic Christianity. It is cmpliasizcd h i t tlic

I :SLICC (lbid:O75) rcl'crs lo tlic crucilixion (h/lk. 15:2 1 !'I) as the Ileast of lhc coronalio~l oT

( la ) I t is capti\c~li~lg lo 11o1c tlic \\icd.tly co~~~~iicliiora(ion \vl~ilc i l l Ali.ica, i l is yc:~rly

co~i~ri~crnoratcrl i l l ASsica~~ clivcrse Cliristian liturgics, l~ul \\/hiell conscqucntly, 011

i~Ii .~-~,iicc to t l~c saliic 12ulils, t l l c ~ ~ at Icnst Ilc was klmvn to tlic Ibmarl cliuldi. I t is

i~ l lcc~cr l that Mark hacl kr~o\v~i both Simon tlic Cyrcnian and l ~ i s sorls arid beyond that,

C 111 i ~ , i i i ~ r i b i l l 1 over tlic \vo~ ltl I~avc bclicvccl l l~c report duc to llic nutllcnlicity of' l i~c

1~iI)lc.

'I'nsltcr (ibid:263) notcs that \vlic~l tlic procession movcd off I'ilatc's cpas1rry

.:csus carriccl Sos 1 limsclf [tic crossbar ~ l i i c l i \vould bc lixecl to thc vertical post already

in position at tllc plncc ol'cxccution (John 19:17). 1lut alicr the city-gatc had bcen left

(as l!ii:y cnmc out) tllc soldicrs lioticcd that Ilc \\us already sl~owing signs ol'

c:hllaustion. 'I'licy liacl 110 Iicsitalion thcrcl'orc in pressing into thcir scrviccs as they

\ \we c~ititled to do, a Cyrcnian ~iarncd Simon who happened to be coming into tlic ~ i i y

i -~s~i i t of tlic \?;liolly r~ncspcctccl cxpcricncc, ~~csclilccl pcshaps at first, but rcgardcd in

rctroywct as a privilcgc, o!' carrying tlic cross alicr Jesus (Lk.2326). But bascd on

Lo lhc Mall ol' M i r x l c s who had bccn

1:ailcd by pcoplc; and

2. li)r liming hcen li~rcclully co-optccl

inlo the procession, lic \vould take his

psocccl tire.

Accordii~g !o Spcncei. and Excll (Ibicl:588), h e issuc of Silnon the Cyrcriian is

livni lhc 1'crsi;un and implies tllc compulsory po~vcrs posscsscd by Couricrs ol'

i~ccl~iisilio~iing horscs and c:u.ri:~gcs ill forwarding dispatclics. I L is understood that their

i : i !.';I; L!:agc 11:;ccl in I'irnic \wrs to impale rcbcls. 'I'llc hdcclo-l'crsians liildc~ both i1j11i:i

. , . ;.iici i ,,::.!ti:; nr.!oj)icd i! kiio11g wilh Alcsandcr tlic tiscat :IS well as tllc tj'ra~it / \ I I L ~ C C J ~ L I ~ < , ' : !)~;-ll.:i!ics 1 0 ~ L I I I ~ ~ ! I I I O ~ ~ ~ ~ ' ~ O L I S ~ I . ~ I I I ~ I I ~ I I : ; . !l \ v : ~ s L I S ~ ( I x; capi[;~i i ~ i i i l S C I Y I I L :

;li:!!i-l:li~eni a ~ d escculio~l ol' boll1 slaws ~ I I C I s1ranger.s (Ilz. 6: I I). l i ~ l ' d c s t i~~c~ , t i x

~ i . i ~ : l ~ s rangi:c.l lion1 robbery, tumult to sctlition,. I lvwcvcr, ctnpcrcs C:otW:tilii~ic

;:!x)li:,l~cil i t i l l 3 5 1 Al.). Abl)ah (1976:7) i111'Crs t11al c r i ~ ~ i l i x i ~ ~ i ~ I I C I C ~ ~ I ~ C , s t ~ o d For

iwbiic sllumc i111d scnlcncc. According Lo t!ic Bible, 11c ~11-10 dies llic C ~ O Y S is

:!*.(.I:: d ( I ~ ? i 3 ! [ . 2 I :.?3: <;:11. 3 13).

Acco~diiig to LIougl:~s (Ibid, I%(,: 342), C1ri1ci i isi<)n was practised by Ilic

!; l~oc~locinns aml Cn~~\llcgirrns and latcr usci! cstcnsivcly by t!ic I<olnans. Only s!avcs,

r l m r .Icsus \vas 11ol Ii)riml guilly of any charge, ycl Lllcy cr~~cifictl hill; j t~sl liltc his Cross

inlucsling lo notc 1l:c types of' crosses. Romc \\!as responsible Sor dcvcloping ti! . lypcc; of' crosses as clcscribcd by 1)ouglas ( 1 978):

I . SL. Andrew's cross, shaped like Lhc

lcllcr '<x '

4. S\i.xsLik;~ Cross, was peculiar

5 . ' I ' l lc : I.ati~l Cross, has ~ l i c cross bean1

Su~nlaarising hb:rsil~o's cxplanalio~l (Ibid ) 0 1 ' I lolly's (ibitlj vic\v or1 Noah

WcatlicrI~c:~d (n.clO9 ) x c c p t i ~ ~ g Sirnoti's Ali.ican origirl, laltcs a clcar stand by . ( 6

s:ll I U ~ , l 3 u t ns li)r rn], wvri part, I bclicvc h a l xi Aliican playcd a part in lhc d r a m 01 '

[ I I L , i(ol:ia~is l'mn thi. days cil'thc I'unic wars I d ~ ~ s c d lor slavcs and criii~inals oi ' i l~c

,-:!l~iliilai.y, x~corclir~g 1:) l i ~ ~ l ' i ' i ~ ~ n ~ l (1953;4:54'?), llic cross to 11;c wor!ci is sheer

( i I . 1 : I 8 . 111 Christclitlon~, il has a vasicty 01' intcrprclalio~l as poinlccl out by

11-1 uclclition, CIIC cruciliccl is thc primal and l inul sncri lice l'or llic elcrnal salvalion based

on ii~tlividual's li~ith and conlLssion in Cl~risl.

Morgan (1087) like Carlsor~ (ibid:246) complelely avoids llic Silllon LICCOIII IL i ~ !

h c series. Mc~.c.s (1 087) writes on .loll~l \.\lllosc narrulivc docs n:)L includc Simon llic

r C i I I I I l i ~ . Ics~s, .lo1111 10: 1'7 I ~ C C O ~ C I S .ICSIIS (Ioil~g il ;dl I Ii~i~scII:

. .. / , ~ i j ing I lis own Cross, I lc went out LO lhc placc of thc skull (\vIiich in Aramaic is

cdlctl Golgo~lin)". 13[1ttriclc (I 976) con~mcnls that .lcsus \vent oil1 bcaring his o\vn

Cross :is cvcry condcmncd prisoner we111 oul lo lllc placc of csecutio~r. I lis reason is

I J C I ~ L I ~ ~ ~ C U U S C ~ I K i~icitlcr~l was uni~~iporlanl to .lohn uid possibly bccausc gnostic

hcrcljcs wcrc alscutly suggesting, as 13asilidc did a gcncratiori latcr, tlut Sinlo11 and

. Ics~~s cxcliangc placcs, so that Jcsus did nut actually sull'cr d d i , but Simon did.

' l l lo~~gli tllc idea is IBlsc, Ilic I ' x t is Ilia1 :rn Al'rican rolc is ncli~~o\.vlctlgctl.

IZro\\j~\si~lg (1073) si~~ril;isly S I I C ~ C S ~ S I ~ I ; I I .lo1111 s~~cciIici~Ily s1;1Ics ll1:1I .ICSLIS

"\\;ciit oul bearing 1 lis OWII ('sass" :11id 111akcs 110 ~iic~ition 01' Si~iion. I'crliaps this WI;

:.; c::.,hclici sonic riiiliollr of ~ l ~ c subslilulion o!' Sin~on hi. Jesus --- i~o t only i l l :I:..:

I i I I r o I I c i a l c ~ c i i ; i o i . S L I ~ ~ C S ~ ~ I I ~ a reason, it is pcrlqi.;

11131 ,~posllc Jol111 tukcs ;I dill'crcnt view liom the synoplic gospcl \vsilcss i l l Inan),

~ux j t~n t s . '1'0 him, in this case, bcaring of thc sin 01' t l~c \vholc \vorld (all I~urnau . .

. . , ~ i ; ~ :,) is i::~icIi rilorc :iig!~il;ca~it th:i~i the 1)c;lring 01' ti:^ pliy~i~i:l C W : ; S just Ii.oi!: :I:::

cily ;ylc lo i.;olgolli;~. 'I'lris docs ~iot nlcall Llial l l~c ~1ccour11 of llic synoptic wrilcrs i:,

: . , ,~,L>Jc(: i l l ~ 1 1 y \\::~y, L I I O L I ~ I I . Olllcr\visc, JCSLIS dcli~~ilcly co~ i l~ ! i i ~ ) I ~ : I V C tii,:d !i*i,

i : ; ~ 1-1 i ~ l g t l~c C'soss be l i )~ '~ gcttii~g to Golgotl~a (l~cca~ss:: the scripture n : w t bc liiiiiilcc!); < , / > . q e ; . ,

., 1.1 i.2 Oi' 111;. :~1<\111 \ \ : l ! t ~ l ; is yymbolic of dc:~[l~. 111 W i j ~ ~ l j : : 1 Ii!;!~j\ j i~y ('CCIC ( 1 .,,. : .;

. .. . ; , i ., i:;~~yo;.,.- ( 1080:3'/), tllc s!ti~ll is sy~nbolic OS cleati~. A rlcixlly zcirlc wiwcl~y w:

. < I c ; I ~ L C C ! (0 1 ) ~ C>\[i'iI C : I I . C I ~ I I ill O S C ~ C ~ lc ) :lVOid ;icci~ic~lls. ''.I'I!c ~k l l l l ' ' \ . ~ . . : l ~ i i ; .

: . ; j~i ! ! 1:)Ii~cs a ! m m ~ a l tlcull~.

In oi.\i~l. lo csrablish all acltr~o\vIcclgcrncn! of Si111oli a ~ l i i ilis I'amily, /'\\:iy.;!~i

li:C.?: 10) co!llrncnls ui: n I,wid cave uscc! i;; h e lirs: ccnlu;y prior lo 111c dcstrwliw:

o l' tlic Lcmplc as b c l c ~ ; ~ i ~ ~ g to a Sa~nily 01' Cy rcninn \\,l~ich WIS d i s ~ ~ \ ~ c r e ~ I by !sracli

:~!.cl~acologisls on the : ~ ; ~ r t I i wcstcrn slope of'!lie Kiclrori valley in November, 194 1 . 1.k

~ t ~ i ~ ~ ~ > ~ t ~ tllc i ; ~ l r i y ~ i , ~ g pc)ssibili~y [l~at t[lis [o!l\l7 was OY:IICLI by lhis African Si11io11 a114

llis li~mily 11iorc cspccially I'or tllc inscriplio!i in Grcclt twice discovered, "Alcsander

I o i i o .!'llis stirs L I ~ I I I C intcrcst CII' /\cIeyc~iio (1907:50) wliu cscitcdly

'I'his sspcct is concludccl by implying that though Ali'icc711 cliristians liavc black

skiri, l i i ~ ~ l i y hairs, thick lips, flat noscs and protruded buttoclts, yct, I \~ I ICI I Jcsus appears,

we :;hall scc I lim and bc like I lim according to the Scriptusc~ (cI',I Jn.3:2-3),

~ i ~ r i i ~ l o s s - \\lllosc pcriod, tlio~~gll \viincsxcl 11 lot o f pcrsccutiotis, yet Ilacl a

\\iliich 11;:s sct in the Ii)llu\vi~lg lbr our : I S S C S S ~ L ' I I ~ of the said Afiican identity in lllc

ol'hlissir~narics into the Cicntile \\'osld (i\cts 13: I-.? el: Itom. I G:2 1).

'I'his scclion cliscilsscs the l'cntccostnl cxpcricncc that really led to thc birll~ (1:'

IIw C'hristian chi~scl~. 'I'hc inciclciit which look place on tlic (lily ol'thc l'cntccost

Mn~sliall (ibitl: Acts 2) is as lidlows: 1 . 1 vvlicri tllc tli!jl 01' t'crllc~cosl

\ I :I!; ~ ~ o i l l p l ~ ~ c r l

:!I::\' YvCl'c' :ill ti,g~lllcl. (v.i)

/'

, .' /-, .,.- /' :ciyi "'i' , . , , , - ; , 7 : : 2.5 5 I [ l'g y U c i ! I:/:-.)

am1 liicy \vcrc lillctl all \villi tllc Spii.il I loly

'1 ~ ) ~ - k j ~ ) , T ~ ~ ~ T ~ s 7 '1 OU;>('~.. ] u , ~ ~ c I ~ c i O L 3 C- - - - \ \- '- ' tire all thosc not G:llilca~ls? (v.7)

V C I ~ C S ! l i i l ~ (0 C ~ C V C I ~ l t ) ~ l l ~ i ~ i l the l l i l t i~l l~ 1Iliit ilSc I . C ~ I ' O \ C I I ~ ~ 10 be: ~'ilrlilii)lls, hlcdcs,

i:lantilcs, h11csopolami;l, Judcn, Capndoci:~, l'ontus, Asia. I'llrygia. Pamphylia, fiw nil I-cyio~ls 01' Lilwi- over against CJJI-CIIC. tllc tanport~ry residing IC)nloos, Jews illld

I'rosclytcs, Crelans and Arnbi:ms (table 9).

~:l~t~~ll:~sizc. 1l1c mtrlii-vct~r~nc~~I:~~~ spoken 011 this peculiar I'crllccosl Scslival

a ln l u r i n g but ill tlic issue u~iclcr cliscussion, it gocs beyond just hcaring a souncl,

ti~cselorc, I3alz and Scllncidcr (ibicl) clefi!~c fiurlhcr in six ways:

4 . lislcn to somconc

5 . lisle11 to sonlconc or something

~vcsc on rcligio~is pilgrinlagc lo .Icsusalc~ii and \vho worrld untlcrsland lhc I\vo

I : I I I ~ . I ~ ~ ~ 01' I'alcslinc Asanx~ic and Grcck. But i t inclicalcs [hat tlic mallcr docs not

ii;\\<* ;o clo will1 just two Iiinguagcs ( I lcl~rcws ; I I I ~ Gicck) Sor i l~c I:iblc c l c ~ l y slates,

I lo\vcvcs, il sccni:, lllc 3uLIios s ~ a l i ~ e s his CIYOI- lo an cxlcnt, by athnilling lalcr i n liis

disc~!ssion lhal a I'cw forcigncrs and prosclytcs of the synagogue would bc among rlxir

ni~~nl)cr.

Similarly, Neil (1073:74) rcjccts the aclual parlicipalion of'ncilivcs of natiolilies

lislctl in Acl 2. I lc nlislrikcs all llic ~mlicipanls of l'enlccosl lo bc Jcws \die \ \c~-c

I lc clcxsibcs l l~c Ali-ican clomain v. 10 by saying, "... 13gypl and parls of l.il-yn

~ ~ ~ : l i ~ ! : . ~ \ \ / I ~ ~ l g i i ~ g lhc p;!i.licip:~ti~~~ 01'00111 L I I C JCSLIS and l l~c i;r.o:;cI);lcs i n tlic I"cnlccosl

is ail acltli~ion to illc ol-igir~:\l test, i l is .lc\\ls and I'rosclj,tcs \ d l u ;\IT indicated by ~ l l c

I ~ I . L I ~ X (Il)iJ) sc~o~!,~ii/.cs t l~c ~ I C L i:;,:t 1ii;11iy 01' tlic visitors IVCTC ~ s k m i s I i ~ J ;IS

lhcy 11card llic IC)LICI praises of God i111er,:.i by llic disciples. 1-lo\vevcr, hc rejeck; [lie

31,tsc.i)l.c ol '( . ic~~lilcs I J \ I ~ ol'.lc\\(s a ~ ~ t l I ' s o ~ ~ ~ ~ ' ~ ~ l c s , I I I O L I ~ I I on lhc otI1c1' 11:111cI, ; I C . C U ~ ~ Y I l ~ i :

I , L I I \ c 1 0 I I C I ~ C ~ I . ~ S C I ~ ~ ; I ~ ~ V C S 01 ' L I I C varicws !rinds livm which Ihcy comc. and 01' Ioc:~l

clidccl.; oi' tliosc lands. 'I lien tlicrc Sollo\v~ an imjwcssive roll call of tlic 11;ltions so

paslicipanls' cscilcr~~crrl, \il~icli wuulcl no1 have bccn il' the aposlles wcrc only

I I I I I ! I I I L C S I s r i i ~ i c I I I I ; I c I < c ~ ~ (I 882:43), supporling

illcli\,iJual local di~~lccl, ~1iipIi~7:;i~cs key plirascs and woscls in the passage sucl~ as

"\\ere :learing", "cvcry" (:rlonc), "his OWII" (usually cmphalic). I IaclieLL (ibitl:44) (!)en

I n clnborati~lg tllc I'c~~tcco\tal cxpericncc. I t is i~dvocatcd that the proniise by Jcsus

r.cgxcling the i~tlvcnt o f the I loly spirit 10 cncluc Lhc apostle was conlirniccl. 'l'hcrc w a T ,

~i ic '-\;illd" ~Ic:.;igl:iti~~g 111:: po\vcr 01' 1 1 1 ~ ~ 1lc)Iy Spirit and the ~iianil'cstation of 11 . . 4 (I. ' j'pPi3S

I : f I i s \ I i I I I f I ( J ' ~ MgL,;- ) Acts 2:;

one a~io t lw. 'I'llcsc point 0111 h t at the g1ob:il birth and inlluencc of the Cl~urtl..

tllc~~cl'orc, 110 olic sllo~~lcl cavil Africa11 C.llirislianity as Wliitcnian's seligion ally m i x .

I'ctcr sci~li/,c~, Ciod's acccplancc ol' all pcoplcs arlcl tcstifics lo t l~is ill Acl,

10. :4, 35 as li)llo\\ls:

Vauglian (Ibid), speaking on God's lion-F~~vouritisn and universal ncccptancc ol'

l311t i l l cvcry nation 111: that rcarclll him w d worltcth riglltcousncss is :~cccptctl by hinl (IUV); . . . but that i n cvcry noliou Ilc wllo ~.cvcrc~iccs h i~n id docs W I M ~ is I iglit is acccptablc to him.. . Goti is not olic c\ho slw\vs partiality ('I'CN'I'). . . h 1 1 i l l cvcry nillii)ll the nian who rcvcres Gocl and practices doing right is ncccptnblc lo I lini (Wms).. God ~nnlics no distinction bet\vccn one man and nnothcr (\Yvy) . . . ( h t l has not ravoi~ritcs (Mol).

I1 is \\iorlh poir~tir~g out that lacism has inllucr~ccd a lul of global issues.

Go i 's gcnuloi~s love to h ~ t h Jcws a~icl Gvntilcs w i ~ h o u ~ discriniinalion malics I I ; . .

1 1 1 111atlcrs 01' rcligion lhcsc is no languagc that spcaks to t l~c 11:':1r1 and l i~ in t l and lu our ilirier- niost kclings as does our nlolllcr- tongue. 'I'lic achicvemcnt o f C'llrislianily with rcgarcl lo this a l l - i~n lx~~ tar11 placc US la~iguagc i ~ ; scligio~l is truly ur~icluc. I'or Cl~ristin~iity is amoup all rcligio~is, llic most cullurally

l i ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ i b l i c d l y . Ali.i~i111 spiritmlity and culturcs I ~ v c a lo1 ol' associations \v i~ l l

i 1 1 1 1 l I I I . Accorcling to ' I 'LICI~CS (1997: I), 'Lh'lo~.e I ~ I I ~ L I ; I ~ C S have :)ccn

tii\tro\ crccl. I<ccc~li stalistics sllu\v Illat ~ l ic world no\\] Ilas up Lo 6, 170 langur~gcs. OLIS

Alcx~ndriu \vIicre:~~, il i s I N ) ( SO in llic original Greek lcxl which according to Marshall

(iilitl), Acts 0;O 1.cacls as li)llows in his (ircck-l'nglisli lilcral trarislarion:

I i d i cU (ibid:S7) implies that thc simplest implication is that tlic Cyrcnians,

Alexandrians, Cilicians and Asians Sormctl so many tlistincr synagogues including lhe

I.ibcrii!-lcs, live tlil'Sc~~clrt asscri~blics in all. I-lc (ibitl) intlic:ltcs t h a ~ llic Rabbinic

~bv~.ili.:~s say w i l h soii~c CS;I!;.!;,CI.~I(~OII, no d o ~ ~ i ) t - 11131 . I C I . L I S ; I I C I ~ ~ cwilai~~cd Sour Ii~mdrcd

. . :;i~ti o:gl~ty synagogues. I1 is ~l~crcl'orc, cicduc.ccl thnt therc \vcre not only .Jcwi::i;

sy~agogi~cs bi11 also llic ones bclon!:ing lo Arricail bclic\/crs. '1'0 bnltrcss lllc

.... s (mc o!'tl~o:;c who bcll.,n,yti 1 0 ~ l lc synagogue of lhc li-ccd~ncn (li-cccl Jc\vish slavcs) as i t was callcd, and (ol'thc synng- ogllcs) ol'tlie C.:yrcnian and of lhc Alcsancl- sians anel of hose from Cilicia and (of [hc province ol' Asia...).

Alwnymily, 1 Icb. S:9; 1 1 :24 - 27

'I'lic fixus Ilcl-c is on Ilcncon Stephen's rnonolo~ical dcfcncc belhsc llic

S;~~li:i.clsin. In l l~c cuussc ol' l~ i s scrvicc, lie has also riiinislerecl llic L V O I ~ oi' God

ancl shcltcr (ma.!c possible by .Ioscph, Iiaviri!r. I3ccn frlving well in Fx!/pl). Skphc!l

( i ' l ~ i ~ ; n1:ln lccl li,r.~l~ l l~cir~ ' h i r i g \vo~ltlcrs a i d signs in tlic lalid of' iigyptj. Il,,:nrc~n

, ; i ( l l> !~~ :~~ ' s a~~~oIo!;clics l ~ ~ ~ i ~ ~ ; ~ ~ ~ i ~ I . i i ~ ~ ~ l l ~ ~ i~~dc!~ i i l i c s S O I C S 01' Al'siw ~111cl Afsi(:ans i i i l l ~ c

i1islo1.y ol' the Issaclitcs as wcll as Cl~rislianity. ' 1 ' 1 1 ~ significwcc 01' Afric:; ;:id

Ilislory whicl~ so li)rmcd part of the exhortation ill the cl~urch that day that the k w s ,

Cicniilcs and proselytes ulld tlic wliolc city \\!crc spured and thcrclbrc reqiicstcd Ibr

S L I L I ~ a n exhortation againsl tllc Ibllowing S a h t l ~ 3s ~.clatcd in Vcrses 42-44:

I ' ; I I I ~ ' s scvic\v C O \ / C I S AcIs 13: 17-52 but vcrsc 17 particularly r c fm to AJ'1,ii.a.

1 !I(: ~cscarcll i~rticl~l;\tcs tl~nt Aliica and Ali-icmls arc i~idispensablc in Israel's hisLo!.!l,

i i i d~;. scnsc Illat her history is not complctc wilhout Africail rolcs and rclatioi!s.liil;,

i ?iaci's i~~clcpcntlcncc is traced to thcir dcparturc from Africa (Gu~liric Ibicl: 175). il i:i

i!~~cic.~zlood lllal pruspcri~y brings exultatiun. 'Ihcrcibre, it is in nccorclancc \vi!ll

/\lc:.ii~~lcr (1080) \ \ l ~ o inlcrprctcs that God csaltetl tlicm literally mcaning, I lc nlnclc

I c v I 13:1scCI t)n lliis vcrsc, il is aflismccl that tllc Isri~clitcs I~ccalnc so

prosl~crous and so popdous that if not for God's ilitcrvcntion by llis mighty power,

~ h c y would havc rc~nained in Aliica and notionalizecl. 'I'liis indicates that Africa caiiscs

Gi~tl~ric (10:3: 175) i~dicaics illat t11c ~oi1LrL\St t r f I I K ~ I C W c o v c ~ ~ m t wid^ ihc old

is 5ccn in a spccilic rcl'crc~lcc lo the hi\torical circu~nslanccs in whic11 the old

co\,cilant \\/as nindc. Israclilcs' thought constantly went back to the dclivcrancc from

I , l'ur Illat was tlic point in history l i u m \vllich lhc inclcpendent cxistencc of Israel

i ( M G ~ ~ ~ , ~ s ) 11y lhith lic an11~1la his :doption. 13y Sail11 bc Sorsal;cs

I : g j 1;:. I3ro\\n ( 109 1 :3 15) c ~ n p l ~ a s i ~ c s tivc aspects of h i l l ; as can bc exhibited:

I t is i~itlicalccl Ilo\\: I;iilh cncrgizcs Moscs i l l his plulicrimcnt. 13y hih, he

I O I 1 ) I 1 1 1 l [ C W ~ k \ v i l l ~ ( s I , C O ~ I C I ' ~ I , I I C I ' t 1 1 ; 1 1 j

'I / Lbc~\joymci~t o ~ s i n ~ ! k i i - ~ ) , cx usj[\, rc,&cy L.LS 1. I3y init11 ''hc left i~gypt?.

' ( ~ < c , i , ~ ~ ) , c ~ ~ - ~ : k \ [ k ~ f l ~ ~ ~ ~ / ) I , I~oulc (ibid. ) ;~sscrls l'ailh ilillimccs and

ilc[c~-ii~incs his choices, wliilc I.,csscr ( I I . ~ I XU) signifies Illat tlic groul~d and rea:;o:i for

;!ix clioicc is 1l1al Ilc jdgt::.; 1I1e one tu hc grci~!cr thari ll!c o h .

Accol-cli~~g Lo I lackcll (Ibid. l 13), il is clcns l'som l'liny \dlo Iloi~sislicd in ~1ic

i.cig11 ol' I'n~pcror Vcspasia~~ that ilicrc \?ins n iluecn of Ethiopia na~nccl Candncc in his

I r i s bcyo~ltl ;I I I tloubi Ll~crcli)rc, Ihal Lllcsc was a q ~ ~ c c n ol' I'lhiopia of Lliis name 3 1 1l1c

time Philip is said to liavc convcrtcd a n d baptized the eunuch. 'fhc baptism bcing thc

I ' - I',

/--\',!..I L ( ~ ~ . . ~ - ~ ) S (imii~alos) v,28:cxplai1ls t h u t tlic chariot was rcgarded as a 1i1;1ri< ! 6'

Yi'l; ,I i s tlicrcli)rc, clisco~c~ccl i:; the u n i q t c and pcculinr purposc of LIic mccli!ig :is

According to Scalcs (1997:47) and \vllicIi corresponds cvith Walls (ibicl.), he

1 Ic ce\.plains llic Kcbra N L \ ~ ; I S ~ to bc an nncic~lt bool, lhnl traces the royal hlii!y (:I'

i:tl~ic.l)ia~ls. 'Illis clocumcnl is said to trace the lincagc ol' Emperor I lailc Sclus:;ic a n d

Mull;!mmccl's convert:; ;is lie cxprcsscs that:

Y,'l: $ 1 is llicrcl'orc, c l i x o \ c r d i:; thc ~micp:: a n d pccutinr purlmse o f Lhc rnccLi!ig 1:s

Acccudi~ig lo Scalcs (1997:47) :~nd wliich corresponds will1 Walls (ibitl.), hc

1 Ic ~,.\.l)lains Ilic Kcbra N c ~ ~ r s i Lo bc an ancicnt book thal Lraccs Lhc royal I t in~i iy 0;'

I:llrit;piar~s. 'I'liis clocumcnt is said to [raw tlic lincago of' Enipcror I lailc Scliissic ant;

Muliammctl's convcrls as lic cxprcsses that:

I?:l;,:is ( \ < ] 5 ( ; ) {(kg ;:t!yc.!.:s ,. . t h : 1 ~ i\ic i;:.(;j-,':cc)~ (1':;.1>8::! i ) :i:::li:ls i::, l'tiii7il!i:-:l;i I ; :

' . < % , ~ j ~ ~ ~ , ~ c ~ s i ~ . ; : ~ o!' t!\c Ia;[!ii<>:~ii!t~ ci!r>:~c:!~: ::!;<.i L!!c ii-::lyd!lctioii o!. ~!l<> cil:):,p~! !I,:,)

Abjsinin, \vliich still ~.crnai~ls n C'hristinn Itingtlom. 'I'hc :ni!ilali:ig political \vo!.It!

I X ~ V C I . ~ a y i n s l Aliica arid Al7ic:ins' p ~ y l x s ! ; i l l tllis ~~~~~~~~ation ic apptdicr~iclcd, hi::

ycl. i! lo( Inorc ol' Al'licans arc strctchi~lg o ~ ! t (our) hand5 to God fhr f lis inlcrvci~lioo

and tlic fi~llillniont is bcing aclualized anlong Aliiwn CIirislia~~s cvangclising /\liic:i

;111c l \VOl.ILl :]I l:ll.g>c.

;igrccs too that !!IC cunucli was 1I1c firs1 Afiican convcrl to Christianily by acccpling

.Icsus as ~ l i c onc \vho bears 011s sins (Is.53) and observing llic symbol oTmlcr baptism.

It should bc rccognir.cd illat Lukc's evaluation 01' 11ic cunucli's emotion is ~hul,

"hc \vcnl 11;s \ \ a y rejoicing" (v.39) which was Juc to his new hand salvation Il~roiigli

111 addition to the above, is lhc Sollowing signilicancc,

thc Aliican role in Chrislianily. I lackctl (lbid: 139) ailir~iis Antioch was llic capiial of

Syria a~lcl the scsidcncc of tlic I<onlan govcrnoss 01' thal province. It WIS Soun:icd by

According to Ilngcr (1076:60), lherc arc iil'lccn "Anliochs". l'liis parlicnlar

Anliocli was sct up by Antiochus King of Syria Ssoni \vlicre it took its nnmc. I ' h o ~ ~ g l ~

Iliglily c i~ l t~~red , I I C S social lif'c was cliarnclcrizcd by scr-isualily, dcbascment and shock.

Under King Sclcucus Nicator, it rankcd Ihc third city aftcr both Rome and Alcxantlria

i l l tlic cntirc Roman 131npirc. Conscqucntly, by 04 13C, l'o~npcy had made il both r i lice

ciiy mii 'llic capital scal of Lhc legate of Syria and thcrcby bccam "Lhs Queen of the

l k r " as well as thc Syro-Grcncian city. 'f~driy, it is lwown as Antakis.

! Ixkrtt (Ibicl) rccognizcs Antioch \\las almosl all oricntnl I ~ O I ~ I C , in \vliicli all

!he lilcl Illat it is mc~norablc i n thc lirst C'hristia~~ agc as tllc scal ol' missiollary

cycsa~ions 161- the cvangclization ol' tlic licall~cn. 'T'lic Afi-ican role is tlcknowlcdgcd in

; i c i [ h (!I(-111. ; l i i ~ l ;I grc;r[ I I ~ I I ~ I ~ ~ C ~ 01'p~opIc bclicvcd and lurncd lo t l~c Lortl" (Ads 1 1 : 2 ! )

.io[ 'c '~c~Ii-spc;~l~ing .Ic~\~s but t;cnlilcs I'or \vl~icli Alik:~ris arc. I Ic alsv asscrls lli:.: " 1 1 : s -

i i ;)! i~; ,r i! lg to 11lc .lc\vs is c!curly itlcn[ilicd iiic zeal that I x p t tlic~n evangelizing 2nd a

(Illid: 1070) in acccpti~lg\ \\l~a[c\lcs tlic ulterior motivc might liavc bccn in initiating Ihc

Icrni, says:

. . legacy as :I rcsu!: of llicsc Cypriots and Aliican CI:I * , :ns \ \ l ~ o 1. ' prcacl~ccl to I '

(ic~ililcs i l l Alllio, 11. Alii~i111~' (*lI?)r[s ;ift;!ili 50°0 i l i t l i % ~ ~ I J C I C ~ ~ ~ O L I ~ .

the Gclitilc World (Acts 13:l-3; C S . l b l r ~ . 16:21).

; i i ; ) c ~ :!r~cl I,ucius ol'('yrcnc. It is iliclicatctl Illat lhcsc Iwo arc Al'ric:in Clirisli~is who

S . . ,,!ilrll!,, ii is 11ol s ~ ~ r p r i s i ~ ~ ~ I>ccc~i~sc they \wrc part and parccl ol' cslablisili;iil, 111.

Ita~.iic>r (ihicl) :;ajls ~ I I L ; ~ Silncon sup;:csls a Jewish b;~~i\gro~iildj in th:~i i : ; : : .~

"hic,cr" (I.atin li)r %lack") may i~~clic:~tc Iiis dark co~nplcsion. What sl!ciultl 1.;:

nlc:iil :<i~llo~l lhc 131;lck. ihuglns (1988) :iSlirnls that Simon is a IaLcr l'orill 01'i:ie C!I,I

'I'hcrc wcrc thcrc. .. Siiiicon callccl Nigcr, and I x i u s of (:yrcnc, Simcon is thc salnc \vod as Simon and Nigcr, as cvcryonc lm.m:t, N igcr means black.. . lhcreli~rc, \vc h ~ ~ l d rcutl 1hc vcrsc to Incan.. h t i l <)I . Qlcllc.

( ' 8 ~ bomcnos) "clcvo~~l one". lic is alnollg lhis Ic:ders in Antiocll loo. t!ro\vni,;i,

( i 9 13:259) in aclmo\vlcdging I..ucius the African Christian, plainly sta!cs:

' I his is ol,jcclcil lo hxausc i t lins no biblical basis Sol. supporl. In I'act. tllc i l ib: .

A1:ic;.11! o f lliis Iianlc - - Simon (lhc I lcllcni;:cd !i)~.nl 01' S ~ I ~ C O ~ I ) of C~rcilr: \ ~ l l ( i : e

131~1cc (ibiil:

rllcsc carly ('Ill-istian

1980: 148) ilj,prcci:\k~ the good rclalionsl~ips Ih,!t c:\is~ ,.. . . ) !~g

",\lexanclsia", accosding to 13laiklock (Itti. 'l'cnncy, 1980: 100). ''\:as lbundcct in

i\/larshnl (Ibirl 55 I ) ~~ccortls: I

'7 , : ;> -7 p?JfC (. 1 . b . , \ l l l ~ ~ ~ x ; l ~ ~ ~ ~ r i ~ l ~ l 13y race^^,^>\^^,^,\/.^-^,/^^^ ,,,L.,- 0 5 '.-'- liij., : C.

: I ! K : ~ : ! I - (JI~I !,~~om:i~ig .I(C:I,IS :IS !llc Savici~r :IS ~ I I ~ I C I ~ as lic l1:d l ~ i ~ ( ; w ~ l liic Ole1 ' I ' C S ~ : I I ~ I C I I ~

. . 11tis11i . i . , c lcx 1I1;it l ~ i s c.l'li)r[ intcgrnlcs t l~c Olcl i ~ l ~ d Nc\v 'I'csl:unc~lls i.c. lhc

i i ~ ( h11 : I I I ~ Lllc baplis~n ol' lhc l lo ly Spirit. ~ ' I I C I I t h ~ t ! i d c ~ the O!:i

(.hrisiians. li)r tlie first lil~lc lo rcccivc lllc I loly Spirit n ~ i t l spcnk in tongucs nncl

!-\i-i~pilr.sy by lhc laying 011 ol' Ilatntls ol' npostlc I'ai11 (Acts 10: 1-7). 'l'liercl'orc Apollos

j j ! ; : i ~ \ c d " !lit C'liurcll :11 1:l)iic:;us anel I'aul "\v:~tcrccl" rmcl vicc vcrs:; i l l C~~~ l i i l I i (cT. I

.. 01.. ? : O ) \ \ : , , by I + I [ I I ~:I:!II!::~! mid Aj)ollos \V;I!~IU!.

:~;,..,.,' ... . I'casso~~ unt l (iucl~i.ing, (1W5: 180) wsumccl it was psobablj. :I\

; rIrodi~~*~n? a hold allegorical doctrinc aboi~l Jesus as the hcavcnly Priest rcplnci~il~ the

Aii icu~l ;u-ccni:l::c. Ixxon lc 2 s =: ?.3.32'% /;,(1:1!11~ 15) 9 1

. \

.. i)!~~iil;~lld(:! ciwgcs I i l ;~ t 1';1irI bc ~ I C C I I to L I I C bare-acks lix his sccul-i~y (:ws 2 1 : 17-::6). 3 . 1 '

; i I ! I ! I . I I ~ S I lo i I . I . ( ' I ~ I I I . I I l ~ y

l i ~ i ,'Linl)liiictl Ijiblc hays, "AX yo11 I I U L Lllcli (as 1 supposed) l11c I:g>yplian W I W 1i(:1

'I llrsc tllc Centurion Sound an cllcsuntlsia~l ship sailing for Ilaly a id pill 1 1 ~ 0 1 1 board (Acts 27:G).

V I !<or:!u $\a:; at t l~c s1i!1c tirnc Lhc s:ril 01' God's Word 1 0 liomc" in a inosc clj,n;111!;c

::(!I. ibrlhcr caplx~alion, 13illz L Sclincidcr (Ibid:

(i'liilolinicon~ni) nlcalis "cunsidcr i t an Ilonwr, ln;ll,e i t O I ~ C ' S ambition nu1 lo go lo

tiIIo!~ :I Io Al'ric:~. colisitlcrilig i l s prosiiiiily 10 .lcr~~s;~lcrii and ycl n c w huh bcm

i.!li)i;s; ncvcr rivals, ncver oppvlicnls, ncvcr conIcst:il~ls, ncvcr i l l ;I ctrnlpcti~icx,, biii. OI!

:! ~:i:i;;i~!;s~ioil. \VIICI.C / \ j ) ( ) l l o~ ~ ) / ; I I I ~ s > l'i1111 \ \ J ; I ICIS (/ILLS 1 S:24-28); \\'ildrc 1':;11! plai?i:;,

; ' ~ p ~ ~ i i ) s \ \L~ICIX (1 CO~.:?: 1-0). /\pt)lios 1110sl. iil~cly has II~L:!C C!)ribl !<ii0,\~1-1 i11 AbiC;.l.

I'i sit;-,!iccl \\/it11 tllc :;IC:I \\41crc tlic Circa1 C O I ~ I I I I ~ S S I ~ I I MOVCI~CIIL h ; : ~ 13kW I'OC)L:> c ~ i ~ d

~11liilic !liany of LIx. ~.~y~.lnl;cli::l~: a n d C1111-cl1 plail1c1.s in our ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~y world \vl./i!o

\vould only c:va~-~,!iclizc. and pl;~lir <.'IILII'LIICS M ' ~ c ~ ' c I~:cI.c arc tlirc;ldy csi:;ling Chir~ri:i~c~

I 1 t 1 1 1 i i 1 1 . I Ic (ibitl), in accepting S ~ I C I I traditions, rc111al-1;s:

Kalu (ibid:4 l j projecting beyond that, nsscrts:

sou~-cc l i ~ r llic Irrdilion placing Mark in Iigypl". I)owicy (1985: 17) agr-ccs too bccausc , , , , 11c ; t t I o l ; t ~ il1:11 I , L . ~ C L ~ I L I S ( , I \ , ,<IIL -,,.I . ) . i ,, \V:I:, ,... 1ir:;l LO ~ ~ L C I I I ~ L a l , i ; , i~r j o r 1I1c

cli:11.cI1 oli g1.01111(1 c c I I I C . I l v t ; :!: l'.:!': ! : i q 1 1 ~ 3 $ . :IS 0;; the r ~ 1 1 J L I ~ ! ! I ~ ti;': Gu::rt

!>crscci~[ion. I V \ V I T ~ : I I I ~ , I I ? ~ ! . ! \T,!OI~IY :17 l;gy;>f : ~ ~ l ( l \\*:I:: l l i~n~c l l ' i ~ i i p r i ~ ; : ~ ~ i ~ ~ ( l l'or ;li:j

lkill~. In 3 13. 11~. \ w c marl(: h i s l ~ m of C : ? c w c : ~ in !';~lcstinc ancl lalcr bcc.wic a close

1i.ic11d o S I . ! , I I I I I ~ I W ~ ' o n s h ~ [ i ~ i c .

111 agrccnlcnt will1 t l ~ c tradition of' Mark, I:alk ( I 979:26) nd~i;its that:

('i~rislian Jc\vs living> ill .Ic\vis11 sclllcmc~ils I)cl\~ccn A l l 50 and 100, cu~islili~tcd lhc

11pl1oltis ~ I I ; I ~ I I I C ~ C \\;IS a IlosL ol'bisllops alicr Si, h/ln~li, bul lllc lirsl li~lo\.\l~l 10 Ili~1oI.j~

sl:~!cliienls ol'llic Cliurcli I'nllicss llinl Mar!< scrvctl as l'ctcr's "Intcsp~-clcr", thal he w a s

l1c is said lo Iiavc bccn marlyscd in Ncro's 8"' ycar, about 61-62 AD. I'cars~li

(Ibid: 138) implies [lint lllc Church llicrc \vas in cxislcncc already \vl~c.~i h4ar-ii arrivcd

A1lal!< is a cosmopolihn cva~igclist, having been with I'aiil and Barna lm , pari of tile

Ix*c~: i l l /\ l i . ic:~ loo I);~sccl oll Ikls above. I Ic ;rlw \vorkccl \ v i l l ~ I'clcl.. 'l'radilio~ls h t

According lo Vi~ugllan (Ibicl: 12 1 O), ill rclkrcricc to lhc cily, lie uses some of his

to (Ad. Socloln rckrs to its low lcvcl of' morality and Egypt crnphnsi~cs oppression

mil slavery. Ol?jcclivcly, Itgyp1 is also known Sot3 her granary being a food basket of

alli~sion to 1Jgypl i s in Rev. 1 1 :8 \\hcrc .Ics~lsnlcm is c:~llcd "Sotlom and I:gypt7'. 'I'hc

'I'tlc evils 01' 1:gypt (Al'rica) arc acccptctl lo be reasons I'or A!'rica bcing

cxlravag:~nl l o w i l l !;\rgiviny ant1 l 'ory~ling sin ;I\ 4 c scsountls \\lit11 Mic. 7: 18,IO) to

I:c ~ i ~ c bcnclit Sor Al'ricans as a tncssagc ol'llopc:

CVhcl~ propllccy is against o ~ ~ c , tllc onc sl~ould turn to God for ils averlion. As

i l l tlrc casc ol' f Ici:cki:~li, wl1c11 the prophecy was agailxl his lilk, he cricd to Gocl and

s t r c t c l ~ s a ~ d \\,ill C O I ~ ~ ~ I ~ L I C ! ( I s I ~ c I c - I I Iles 11:111,I to God (cl:I's.6S:31) ~ ~ n l i l I I K l h a !

tlcl ivcrancc.

CHAPTER FIVE

AFRICAN IDENITITY IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

WORLD VIEW

5.1 Introduction:

In this chapter, the study distinguishes the peculiarity of Africans as a Negroid

race from other races of the world in entirety regarding close relationships with the

New testament. It cannot occur to any one to say or accept that Africans are Jews,

neither can they be referred to as Hebrews and yet, when they are called Gentiles,

hearers generally ponder because they are more or less known to be the Blacks.

Africans have certain close relationships with the New Testament world that make

them a unique set of Gentiles to a great extent: regarding the Circumcision issue, the

Family life, the Life hereafter, the political and social affinity as well as the Effects of

African Christians in the Early Post New Testament Era.

5.2 Africans As a Unique set of Gentiles

The fact that Africans are Gentiles but that they are different from other

Gentiles is hereby submitted. According to Tyson (1988), interest in the issue of the

Jews in Luke - Acts has not waned. This means then that since the paradoxical aspect I

has to do with the Gentiles, therefore, interest in the issue of Gentiles has not waned

either. The issue of Africans as a unique set of Gentiles could then be raised. In order

to portray this, the need to define the key words in the issue is necessary, such as,

Gentiles, Jews, Hebrews, Israelites.

Collins (1988:298) defines "Jew" as a person whose religion is Judaism,

descendant of the ancient Hebrews. Whereas according to Livingstone (1977:209),

"Gentiles" is a Biblical term usually denoting non-Jews. Similarly, Tenney (1 988: 6 1)

says, "Usually it means a non-israelite people". He (Ibid:71) defines Israel to mean a

name given collectively to the twelve tribes of Israel". It originates from Jacob's

( 1089: 180), clcli~ics "( ;cnlilcs" as:

i , l ' i i l i : l l i ~ (ibitl : 273) too clclincs "Sew" as Originally n mcm bcr ol' the slate ol' .luclali (Nch. 1 :2). I n thc N.'I'. il is i~scd ~I ' l l ie nlcrnbcr ol'll~c Jewisll Iaith or. 111cir Icadcrs: it ~o lnc t i~~ ic s C I C I I O ~ C S etllnic birth but 1101 ncccssarily ~cligio~l.

li.0111 h c I Icbrcw, dclincs tlic word "I lcbrcw or I Icbrcws" as:

liom a I Icbscw rooi meaning "to pass ovcs" (from the crossing o r the ICuldilxlcs Iy Ahsaham).

Accorcling to (ktltlic ( 1002:442), hc sirnply and concisely clclincs a C;c~lI.ilc as

' c\iI;,(jiIC I I O ~ LI .lc\,\l 01. I;O! :I (.'111~isti;11i 01, (\ j .s) 11i)I ;I ~ ~ O I I I J ~ J I I * ' , '~ 'CIIIIC}! (ibid:8?? S ~ I J . :

[ I l o - ~ o f rllc countsy of Juilall. I t also scl'crs to ~ncmbcs 01' otlics tribes rcsitlcd i l l

.~CI.L:: , ,I~~III i l l .ludali c.g. l i m ~ thc N. Ki~igcIcm \vho came to J u c l A to worship L!:c isuc

;;or!. the t\\clvc tribe:, who \ \we cilpti\fcs tlial canlc to ~ ~ b i i i l d thc temple ol'thc scign

ill illc 13il,lc was Al~~nliari~ (Cicn. 14: 13). I lis dcsccnclanls dcsivcd liom Iiim thc clllnic

dcsignalion ol'"l Icbrc\\sn.

Smcicrs (I 90 I :434-455) suppo~cs LIi~il God- I'cascss may bc dciincd as Gentiles,

like L 'o~mli i~s i l l /',LLS I0 or tllc Vwti~sio~i i n 1 t!Lc 7, \vlio both saw 1ilucI1 good i n

cli:ico~~rscs. -p,v Tci .7q ' ~ 0 ~ 9

1 1 1 t l~c Scpti~agint, C h i . 12:3 has thc i~!junction "A11 tlic peoplcs ' i .

3 , o ~ l y I,lllic is with ~i ic GCL Mark and bring h i~n wilt1 you Ibr he is i~sei i~l

to iiic Ibr 111i1.1ist1.y (2 'l'ini.4: I I ) .

I Ic is paul's li.Ilocv cvorltcr antl cunipanion in his lirsl i~nprisonmcnl ~ I I Ro~ix-

:~nd liis sole c o ~ ~ i p a n i o ~ ~ tli~ring h e scconcl antl Iinal imprisonmcnl. Panl clistinguisliri

I.,ukc l i - o ~ ~ lhc men of circun~cision (Co1.4: 1 1,14). 'l'hough Albrighl (1066) argues Lh:rl

I,:II ,L* i s :I C O I I \ ! ~ I ~ ~ C ~ I lc\v, l'lkil'lix, Vos & Rc;r (ihicl : 1050) point 0111 t l i ~ ~ t the S C C ~ I I ~

ccr\(wy Anti-Miwoi~~i(c prolog~~c claims LII:IL I.ulic is a (ici~lilc ol' A~\Lioclr in Syki,

Iivctl a single !ilk antl died a1 lllc agc ofscvc~ily Ibilr.

I1 is clcpiclccl [hat bci~lg a Gcnlilc, Iielps kccp Lultc conscious 01' Lhc Gcnlilc

\vorlcl, Gcnlilc evangclisalion and rccognilion or' African roles in Lhc cvangelisation as

well as I;ccpi~~g cc)rlil~a1lio1lslii13 ol' Paul Llic Gcr~lilc cvangclisl. M N ~ , loo is in 1l1c

smlc company intcrcstcd in the Gcnlilc cvangclisalion, and ~Iiough il is not

~~i~ivcrsally ncccplcd, mmy lratlilions hold ha1 Mark, a Cyrcnian Jew is the Sounc!t:r

and bishop 0 1 ' rhc C.:Iii~rcli in Alexandria and dicd h x e ns a niarlyr under Nero (ibitl:

1075).

I lo\vcvcr, ccrlnin Biblical I;~cls Llinl are cstablisliccl such as wilnesses c 1 I '

i\.li.icans nl the C'rucilision, Llic oulpour ol'11ic I loly Spirit and involve men^ in Cenlilc

cv;~~igcli:;lii ~nalic 11s l i~ lO \ \ / Ilia1 Clirislinnily canlc inlo Al'rica in t l~c casly aposlolic agc

:111t! \v1131 OCCWS ~ I I C I I and IIOW reveal lllc Aliicnn sub-scl ol'tlic Gcnlilcs: such as Lhc

con~ribu~ion of' Aliican Chrislians lo lllc universal Chnsch (as cslablislicd later in Lhis

cli;~plcr),tlic Arab (Gcnlilc) i~lvasion againsl lhc Ali.icans and lhc lallcr sailis of

C!\ristianily in Alika.

1I:rsccl oli all Ll~c I'ncls above, tllc li)llowir~g vic\vs vis-3-vis ilic SCN- Gcnlilc

issw arc bsccrlainccl:

I , All I~lcb~~cws arc Jews bccausc ~hcy arc purlicularly dcsccndrunls of Abraham

(Gcli. 14: I3 bcing Lllc I'orc~nosl lorelitlllcr 01' the I lcbrcw raw; not of 'l'crali and

111c.rclix 1101 ot' Nahor 11or I - l a m \vho \?;ere Abrali~m's bro~llers. Nvl even

tlcscc~ldi~~g Llirougli Isl~~nacJ, bcing 1101 111c so11 of pro~nisc. 'l'hus his o\vn

clcsccl~clanls arc callccl" Ish~naclilcs".

L3nscd on tlic 13iblical account, regarding lhc prcnching o f Lhc gospcl primnrily

:u lhc .lcws only, bcli)rc they rcjxlcd it, their rcjcclion is rccorded in Acls I8:O as

I t is ilotcd thar h i s incident rook plncc aboul llic end ol' Paul's sccond

111iwioilary .jol!r~~cy \vllicI~ h e ilCCOLllll covers fi0111 ACLS 15:3G - I X:22 and according lo

iiasl\cr (1995:Mop.I I), was l-ron~ 49-32 AD. 1r)cI'Orc tl~is time, Al'l'icuns had alrcady

~li:;ii~~~;ciisllctl liwn other (kn~i lcs which, u~ltles natural circumslanccs could not have

bccn possible lbr lhc Ulnclt pcrson, now have the privilcgc of bcing co-llcirs (Eph.3:6).

'I'his niyskry is LliaL LI~rougl~ Lhc gospcl, the Gcnlilcs arc liciss Logcllicr with Isracl, mcmbers logclhcr ol'onc body, and sharcrs togcthcr in lhc promisc in Chris1 Jesus.

13Iacli 'l'hcology, hc tlescribcs Lhcm in thcsc words:

We kno\v 11131 lsracl was n blncli nation arid that dcsccr~clu~its ol'lllc osiginal black Jcws are i n Isracl, Africa and lhc Mcdi~cssancan arcas loday. 'l'hc I3iblc was writ~cn by Black Jcws. I'hc Old 'l'cstu~iicnt is l l~c history or black Jcws Thc firs1 Lhrcc gospels: Matllic\v, Mask and IduItc Lcll Lhc story of'Scsus,

11 is inlcrcsliiig lo discovcr along the linc that evcn though Jews rcjected the

salvalion in Jesus, tlicrc is no New 'I'cslamcnt record ol' Aliican Jcws rc-jccting it.

it, l i w instance, Saul (I'aul) \vas u l'liariscc who bccamc a Christian, thus tlicre mubt

have bccn somc I'linrisccs who \vcre Christians (I'lii1.3:5 cl' Acts 9). I Ie takes prick in

ucldrcssing lii~iiscll' a Ilcbrcw ol' ~ h c Ilcbrcws, using thc supcrlativc dcgrcc of his

"tlic Gcntilcs" to mean " the pcoplcs", probably to bc

Circumcision as delinccl by Bryant (ibid: 1 12) is:

Ihc culling ol'l'ol'llic rorcskili, a rile i~islilulccl hy Gocl us lhc s i p ol'tlic covcnanl bctwccn I Jim a11cI Abraliani ancl his dcsccndants (Gcn. 17: 10) that I-lc woi~lcl bc their God ancl tlicy \vcrc Lo bclong lo I Jim, worshiping and obeying only I lim. I t is ~iiarlc ii Icgal instililtion i l l lhc wildcl-ncss by Moscs (Lcv. l2:3; .John 7:22:23). Evcry male chilcl was ciscunicisctl on Illc eighth clay al'lcr i ts birth. Ollics nnlions also practicc thc rile (Egyptians, Ambinns, clc), the Christian C'IILI~CII scfiiscd lo Ihsce rile Gentiles to be circumcised (Acts 15:5; Ga1.5:2).

According Lo \Villiarn (ibid~92) il \vas llic I'ounclalioli I'ca~iirc ol' NT Judaism,

:mcl Ixca~iic the cause of controvcssics in tlic asly Cli~~scli. Paul cmphasizcc! that

lI1c ~ollll~l~lr~tllllcll~s.

'I'lioirgl~ circ\~nicisioli is ir~signilic:~nl in 1l1c New 'I'cstamcnl, il is not Ihrbiddcn

!'\~.iic~\n Cicntilcs who, clcspilc lhcir I'car 01' God, ca:l~lot go thc lasl ccnlimctc:. ol'

/I li.ic:m Gcrllilcs, tllo~rgh i t docs no1 carry thc swlc ~.cligioi~s tag cvcry\vhcrc in Ali-ica

(I(cl. 1905: 15) cliscovcrs such lintlings in Ilcr Nigeria rcscnrcll. Shc says thnl cultures

!;:is bccn clclibcrakd upon i l l tlic C:hurcli Coucnil at Jcrusalcm and rcsc)lution; havc

bcc:~ reached. l'ui11 clocs not sec any thing wrong \villi circwncision as a Jew, but his

latian tia an rcaclcrs still Ilavc i t as an issix to bc adtlrcssccl. I t is such a cast that m:lltcs

I Y I L I I respond i 1 1 C;a1.2:3:

Ycl riot even 'l'itus \ \ho was will1 Iiie was compcllcd to bc circumcised even Iliough Iic was a Ciscck.

1'0 this. Brrlcc (ibicl: 1 S S ) rcacts by saying:

'1.0 us, though probably not l'aul's lirst r.cndcrs (who knew \,vIiethcr 'I'itus had bccn circumcisccl or not),

li.\c;nl 'I'ilus Iia\/ing b c c ~ c.ircu111ciscd bccausc during the second mission;lry journcy

(;'\.c!s lO:3) \ ~ I I C I ? I + I I I I \ j ( i 1 1 1 ~ ~ ( 1 10 h l i~ 'I ' i~l~oll~y along \\lilIi S i l q he circu~nciscd 11i1:i

l.,_.(..:t,.. .,L . 01' ~ I I C .IC\VS \ \ I10 \wrc i l l LII;I( rcgiori, lor hey all hlcw 1ha1 his lilllici' \v;::;

I'aul's bcl~aviour i l l Lhis issuc is lunny in Lhal circumcision is no longci

:I(-ccssary; 'I'imohy's SaLllcr is Greek and the mission is Lo lllc t;rcclis. Why docs P:;uI

prescvc llic gospcl ol' lice g r x c li)r ollicr Cicrililc convcrls'?.

l 'hc poinl to draw Ilomc is ha1 llic issi~c 01' circumcision is ~ ~ c v c r raiscd as a

propllels) in Lhc: Apostolic Church (Ads 13: 1-3); a1 Penlecost (Acts 2) or in [lie

Sq~lagogi~c ol' llic I:~~ccd~iic~i (Acls 6: ')) \vliicl~ is n ~iiixccl irp ol 'r ;~wswlic~~c Stcplicn is.

1 lo\\cvcr, Llicir tlispi~lc is no1 rclalcd to circuli~cisio~i, ilitlccd no subjccl is menlionccl.

13alllgbosc (1999:2) rcScrcs lllal lhc hislorly ol' circumcision is as old as lhc

Ili:;lory ol' lhc Jc\\ls as rccordcd in Lhc holy scriplure. Quoting li.0111 Gen. 17: 10,J 1,

"l:\lcry male among you shall bc circumcised in Lhc flesh of llie foreskin". The

circumcision of' ~ h c male is pcrl'cctly laken and donc wilhout objections or alarm and

i l is n I3iblicnl pl-cscriplion. I t docs no1 havc any ncgalivc sidc cl'l'ccl on h c rnalc

c-h:lr:lcLcrs.

Bamgbosc (ibid) assumcs a rcason lbr l'cmalc circumcision as ha t , early

~mcticlioncrs did il probably bccause of' ~licir bclicS in gclidcr cqi~alily. 'I'liis practicc

is oiily in sumc Ali.icrun communilies, and that whatevcr rcason llicre may be, it must

stop because il is tiol scriplural lor tlic Scmalc Lo bc ci~~curnciscd. 'I'lic aullior (ibid)

asserts llial [lie socicly fro\\/~ls a1 i t and crics oul fix ils loppagc due lo lieallh hazards

i l ~ t co11ic \\(it11 i l ,

r . c:i~.crln~cision arc sl:~lccl in l\\w cnlcgorics of irnmcdialc and later. I he problems tli;!~

\~lc:t~!cni wiih passing wine. 'I lie problcms h ~ t may happen later arc will1 nioiitili>t

1nc111a1 hcallh problcms.

because tlic cncl rcsulls arc usi~;iIIy i l l 10 the praclitioncr. Africans 11;1ve the tcndency

no1 only lo outclo, but lo overtlo issues somclimcs.

5.2.2 Africas I;a;l~ily 1,ifc As l i c h tctl to thc ,Jews

Uka ( 1 99 1 : 1 YO), hils llic nail on llic licad vis-A-vis the African family by

I 1.1vi11g cliiltlscn is consitlcrctl Lo be thc suprcmc rcason lor marriagc in

A liicl. Most A liican ~nyllis ol'crcalion poinl lo the 1Lc1 tlliil God cl.caLctl mcn ancl womcli nncl bid them go into the world and multiply. I'socscation, ~Iicrelhre bccomcs a niark of God's l'rrvour o n nlarringc. 1 Icncc among Alqricans, nu man-iagc cescmony i s concludctl without a rcclucsl lo God n ~ i d anccstors lo Icl lhc nc\v couplc bear many children.

13asccl on \w-ious sourccs, llic Jews are very milch lhc same in thcir family life.

I'hc Jews cnlcr ~narriagc will1 tile dcsirc and hope lor procreation bccausc posterity

dcpcnds on its oulcomc. ]:or cxample, when God promiscs Abraham exceeding great

Lord God, \\/hut \ \ / i l l you givc me, sccing I go childless. ancl h e Ilcir ol'rny liousc is Iilcazcr of Lliimascus'? (Gcn. 15:2, NICJV).

Accordi!ig to Jamicso~~ (I 978: 144), csprcssing thc Jewish way ol' lil'c signilics

1l1;r l according lo an :~rlcic~~i ilsi~gc in rlonladic tribes, ('l'lx rcscarclw acltls, "Aljral~a!;;

cliiltllcss, the steward or servant "wlio was over liis liousc" fell heir to all his property.

In tlic Jewish lil'c, wlicrc thcrc is no blood sclativc, servants assume slicl;

s i i o ~ ~ s , In lllc cnsc ol' Abralwn, 1,ot his ~icplicw had partccl from him and was o n

his o\vn in Soclom thcrcl'arc, Llcazcr liis Iirill~fi~l servant was to bc heir i l ' he had

scmained childlcss all liis lil'c. 'I'liis is similiir to Ilic African lil'c ranging from the

their property anyhow and \\llio might decide with tlicir spouses not to gct any child or

::L,I a coirplc ol' 1l1cnl. 'I'llc Jc\visli 3 1 ~ 1 Ali-ican cluivcss :\re usually large thus, many

cliiiclscn.

'I'lic i \wc 01' family l i l i ' es~xxially scgasdi~lg psocrcati~~i is SO ps01'0~11id to thc

.ic\vs, \vit l l tllc biblical baclii~lg that i f a b~~otlics clictl childlcss i n a f'aniily, another

I ) io~l~cr ol'lllc clccccr\ctl slloi~ltl rnarry the \\lido\\/ i n order to raise a family ill his behalf

(cl: IIcut.25:5). 'I'liis i~!jui~ction is supported by biblical xcounts. 170s cxaniplc, in

G~i1.38, \vIic~l 1:r thc son ol' Judnli died, Onan his brotlicr \vas givcn 'l'amar (liis

brotl~cr's wiclo\\:) to marry a d r:~isc a n heis for Ilinl, but Onari deceived tlic \\lomall in

tlicir sexual sclatiorlsliip by withdsa\ving and cmitting on the grouncl so that she would

11ot get pregnant. 'I'llc action angered God, tlicscforc, I-lc kiilcd Onan (Vs. 1 - 10).

'Illis custonl csisis in Inany African communities too where the \vido\v ol' a

!:l~l;~ly is rctnincd as "\\/ilk in ordcr to gct more childscn I'or t l~e s;une Camily. Such :I.

Clilistians \vho are clclivcrcd Srom that yoke ol' Jirccd rnarriagc and are givcn the

lil:crLy ol' free will to cl~oosc. St. I'nid's writing to tllc Corinlliial~s aclmonisllcs:

A wife is bound by law as long as her husband lives; but iShcr ilusba~id dics, slic is a t liberty to bc lilarried to whom she wishes, only in the Lord, (I Cor.7:39).

According l o 1:aussct (1978:304), "only in the I,orcln means, "let her marry

only a Christian and in Ilic I'cnr o f the Lord". 'flicrc is much similarity bctwecn thc

Jc\\!s and Al'ricans in tlic arca ol' li~mily tics through gcncaulogy. Accordillg to 13rmvn

(10713: I) on this issw, says:

our p~l;nsc ~ l c r c ~ y A a @U&E US

I lie issuc of gcnc:wlogy is so important to thc: Jcws lhal various long chaplcrs

arc dcvotcd to it in both the Old and New Tcstalncnts such as Gen. 5 : 1-32; Num. 1-3,

ctc uid in the Nl', Matt. 1 : 1 - 17; l .u1<.3:23-38). 'I'lic Jews do trace it no n~attcr how long

il is. Aliica~ls loo arc intcsc~te~l ill I'amily lincngcs. For cxaniplc, Omale mid Abbnli

(1 008:iv) in tlic prcl'acc \vri[tc~i by D.U. Okolo, al'lirm such a tradition by saying:

I'n. Okolo was born to tlic hi~nil,lc r m i ly ol' I'a. Okpoclii and h/laclani 1,;jumaltu. 1%. Okpachi was tlic son ol'thc Icgcndary Akwucbaltwu, tlic son of Altogu Akpclc, the son o f Amc-Oliicga, llie son 01' Onalipa Akpal\~i~nabi \vho \vas iui Alldl ol' Igala, son ol'tlic :~ll-Sa~nccl Allah Aycgba Om-ldoko. To thosc or you ~vho arc lgalas and to non Igalas hniliar ~\>ith !gala cullurc, I ncccl not state tlic obvious that Pa. Okolo Okpachi was n blue-blooded clcsccncl;~nL ol'tlic Attnh Igaln royal lincagc.

I',r~lily li~icagc is ~iot important to them. 'r'licy tracc withi11 grandparenls, i~ncle anti

ailnl. Ixucnh, brollicss :IIKI sistcrs and probably Iirst cousius. 13vcn so, they casily do

:\!~c!-cas, JCLVS ad Aliicans bclicvc in "tlic more \vc arc togclhcr. the happier we shall

Anothcr :ma ol'similarity between Jews and ATricans in hmily lilc, has to do

\\/ill1 the paternity in thcir 11.aditi01ls. Male cliildrcn arc considercci with high cstecm,

\;.ilh her broLhcrs (Gcn.49) nor havc a share among the twelve tribes of Isracl. Most of'

non-A(i.ica11 (3cnlilc.s givc cclual rights to boll1 boys and girls. The impact of

('lirislianily OII ASricms and Jews i s nllcvinli~lg the psoblcnl Lo somc cslcnt. 1 Iowcvcr,

i l i:, gcncr;~Ily r~otccl Lhat Lhc Amcrica~l I'scsiclcnt Clin~on (1093-2000) has only onc

Cniicnsiun (;cntilcs scc more to lilk than sons.

ASsic.ans and .Icws ol' lhc I3iblical times bclicvc in gelling as many childrcr~ as

ilo\sib!c (to subduc ~ l i c car~h - Gcn. I :2S). I'ovcrty is no rcason to avoid more bcnrin~.

: i ~ ~ t i rearing children Sor the hope [hat sorncho\v, somc ~ncmbers within the family may

xrisc to I~ccomc bread \vinucrs. Ibr esamplc, Oinalc and Abbali (ibitl:42) with the

Haba i l l silvcsy bcartl sand\vilcl~cd in a "li)rcsl" ol'his children, gl.rindchilclre~i and grcat gsandchildrcn. 1 3 r h bclicvcd lic was a "trce" which in God's mighty act I Ic made inlo a "i'orcst". May God blcss and Itccp Lhc I'orcs~" Ilc enable Daba to Icavc bcliind, Alncn.

King David had many cl~ildrcn and \vhcn Solo~nor~ onc of Lhcm bccomc King

". . .May God makc thc n:llnc oS Solomon bettcs than your nnmc.. . and his throne bctrcr ~lian your Llirone. And Llic lting said Liius, "13lcssed be the LORD God o l Isr~cI, who has givcn nic one Lo sit on my throne this day, whilc my cycs scc il". (1 Kgs. I :45-48, NKJV) .

1:roru bib1ic:d accou~ils and the rcscarclw's Aliican backgrounds, she prqjecls

~ h a l due lo .lcwisl1 ancl Al'l-ican belief in God's lrnnscc~~clcnl and imliia~lcnt rcl:rliu~isl~ip

Sue11 s i~i i i l~x Iianlcs i \ K hornc among Ch-islians ancl nun-CI1rislii1rls loo liorn 1l;c

backgrounds c.g.

I:lc, clc.

'l'l~crc arc such nilmcroLls namcs that ca~ i makc a book that indicates African

I'i~crc :~rc hin~ilarilics hcl\vccn .Jews i~nd Aliicnns ill lhc area of prulocol

obsc~ulions. 'l'hc Iliblc chargcs, "... 11ic oldcr nian, csliosts him as a Salhcr, the

youngcr rile11 as brolhers, h c oldcr wolncn as mothcrs, tlic youngcr as sislcrs, with all

1~11'ily". ( I l'iln.5: 1.2 NI<.IV). Stephcn cfocs in his protocol, L ' I ~ r e l I ~ r ~ ~ i ;lnd I'alhcrs,

lislcli Lu the clclknsc which I now makc in your prcscncc" (AMP) (Acts 22:l).

Ali-icans makc such rcfcrcnccs tu agc mates of their fathcrs, mothcrs, brothers and

sistcrs. 'I'hey arc not as olXcial as otlicr Gentiles in address.

5.2.3 Afl-ic;~n : I I I ~ .JCW~SII Lifc in the I I ~ r c ; ~ f t ~ r

Acco~ding lo I1ai11. (1008:542) ~licrc arc h w m:!jor religions atlhcrccl lo by

Aliicans, viz: Chrislitunily, Islam and Ali-ican Traditional Religion and as it has been

cslol>lishccl in Chaptcr 4, Mbili aclvocales lhnl Aliicans arc "notoriously religious".

Aliicnns bclicvc in lilk alier death. The .lcws, too bclicvc; c.g. King Saul's rcq~lcsl lo

h I I \ \villi Sa~l\iicl \vho had dicd anel bccn bi~riccl ( I Sam. 28: 13-1 5 ) . According lo I~~rllcr

(l905:7) in Ilcr cliscussiorl on Lhc lradiliunal African World View regarding spacc, , - i t ! l -~~i~l~cs:

Many Aliicans lratlilionally Lllinlc

of tlircc Itintls of places thal csist. ' I hcl-c is the sky or hcavcns, \vhcrc (ioel is, tl~cl-c is the earth, il~clucling laid i l ~ c l water, \vI~ere people live tlicir earthly livcs. and 111~1-c is a phcc whcrc the dead and t l~c spirits arc. 'I'llis last placc niight bc thought oTa \ ul~clcr tllc ground, \vllcsc thc clcacl ale h11 icd (tllougli spiri(s arc also i~ivisibly in LIE world \vilh men). 'I'hc iclca ol' tl~esc ll~rcc places is ill the biblc. I:or c s a ~ ~ ~ p l c , l'hi1.2: l O bays, LLtli;~t at the nanw ol'lcsus cvcry kncc must bow, in hcavcll and o n earth and unclcr tllc c;lllll.

I:rom the traclitional anel Christian backgrounds, they bclicvc in life afcr clcath

as t!tc Ilolnc of trutli; a placc of individual accountability to God and a placc of'

,jucig!ncnt \vllcrc a witness is unllcccssasy. In acldition, Awolalu (1978336) dcnotcs the

clcpcl~clcncc ol'onc's bcing on l l~c Crcator by saying:

Liltc any othcs Al'rican, a Yoruba man h i s the source of his bcing in the Si~prcnic 13cing who is believed to bc tllc Creator and Sustainct ol'~lic ilnivcrsc.. .one bears the spirit of that Suprcn~e Being. 'I'his in 1-na11 continim afkr death.

In his discussion at the Suncral equip~ncnt, Shaw (n.d:34) rcmarlts:

'I lic L:,gyptians bclicvc Illat n man's Spit4 col~linucs to csisl al'tcr his body 112s died.

Among the Jccvs, only the Sadducean sect docs ilot believe lliis. According to

'I'ho~~ipson ( I 083: 14-15), Lhcy arc clcfinctl as:

a materialistic pasty among t l~c Jccvs, that deny the rcsusrcctio~l and the cxislcncc ol'angcls and spisils.

'l'licy even took Jcsits up with questions regarcling t l~c Iilk hcrenltcr 011 tlle issue

ol' 11larsi;igc ill Iicovc~i (Mat~.22:23-33). Jcsus ill l lis response, according to WinLcr

(cd. 1974:20~1-208), says:

I Ic rcctilics tlicir rnislaltc (v.30) and corrects the gross ideas which lhcy had of the rcsurrcclion nncl n I'i~t\~rc slalc, alicl lisc4 tlic4c cloctrillcs i~pon a tri~c 311d lasling basis tliat.. . it is not liltc tllc statc wc a c now. 'r'hcy ncitlicr marry, ~ ior arc givcn in mauiagc.. . I t is likc lhc slatc angels arc now in hcavcn.. . another life alicr this, in \ \ ~ l ~ i c l ~ tlw r igl~koi~s sli:\ll be lrirly and co~lslanlly Iinppy.

Ihmmclo\v ( I 0 10:697) indicates tliat tlic Sndduccccs sought to bring Jcsus into

ridiculc and contempt with thc niultitudc by asking hiill n qucstion which thcy thought

hc coulil 1101 ans\\'cr, but \vhicli Jcsus took thc upportunity of rebuking the Sadduccari

5.2.4 Africiln ,Jewish l'olitical :rnd Social A f f i n i t ~

Politically Israel is olien rel'crcd to in the Uiblc as tlic land 01' Canaan atid

Abasika (ibitl 115) rejoins that it is becausc of thc influence of Canaan the yoi~tigcst

son oil [lam and bro~hcr of Ethiopia, ISgypt and Libya, tlic grandchildren of Noah.

12ocr (19'76:7) remarks that it is important to notc that there wcre more Jcws outsid:

I'alcsti~ic t l m l tl~crc \ \we in it clue to thcir i~itcrcst in commerce, wl~icli made lhc Jcws

lo syrc:lcl ill all directions Srom I'alcstinc. I t is cstimatcd that during tllc tirnc ol' early

~llol~sni~tl in I h l y nlltl N . Aliicn; tlicrcl'orc, Iingclbcrt (1975:7) observes the rigllllj~l

biblical claim ul'tllc Ncgtn civilization ol' Al'rica as Sollo\vs:

1 I' l'roiii llic p~~rc ly Ilisloric:11 1x)iliL ul'vicw, we arc pl-clnrccl to csaminc the most distant past or biblical tradition, \vc shall litid thiit this clialoguc has roots cvcn tllcrc. Few

Moses' political Icadcrsli ip was lcarlit and cs~ablislicd in A li-ica. 1:lrivi~is (n .d)

aflirlns thal "h/lnscs was i~litialcd iri 1-gypt into the nativc rcligion and marricd n

Lwriian ol'tllc counlry". I (is initiation into tlic nalivc religion took place in I'liaraoli's

1:roni Lllc crcntion to eschatology, tlicre arc a lor of rclationsliips bctwecn

rctlcctirlg 011 the polilical rclalio~lsliip betwccn Al'rica and Isracl indicates:

'I'lic Falashas are a community of black Jcws who arc clcarly Ltliiopians and call tlicmsclvcs tlic IHousc of' Islxcl. 'I'licy Itnow only thc Pcntaleucli, not the 'l'nl~iiund and do not speak I lcbrc\v. In 1970s wlicn Ethiopia was ravaged by raminc, tlic Jcws of Isracl h:~d lo dcc.itlc wlicllicr I:alasllns \\ic~'c xccpLablc to 1lic111 :IS Jews or 1101. 'l'licy tlccidcd Ll~al Llicy \vcrc SCLVS a~id many migraicd to Israel.

licccully too, according to Vanguard Nigeria Ncwspapcr (1999::;) oil

Isl-acl was prcpari~ig 011 hljuliday lo wclcomc 3,800 J w s lion1 the rcmotc Qunrcl rcgion of 13lliiopia, Llic Imi wmnnnt ol'a p~.cvi~i~sIy large coliinii~nity \vIiicli II;IS crnigratcd to Isracl over tlic pas1 15 ycars. A lirst group ol' 88 was cspcctcd to land on a

commercial Ellliopian Airlines iligllt Srom Acldis Ahaba, l'ucsday.. . "At tlic nlo~ncnt \\ic arc busy with tllcsc l'orgotlcn people of the pro~iiiscrl land". . . Wc do not want to L I ~ S C I tllc ai~tlioritics of hddis Ababa by organi~ing a spcctaculal- opcl-ation, 'I'hc Qu:~rn Jc\vs will h x l h r c hc coming in slagcs on schcclulccl flights. The 70,000 13hiopian Jews now in lsracl nl.r.ivccl in Iwo cnornlous aislilis, the lirsl in 1985 in Operation Mnscs and ~ i i c sccorld in 199 1 in Opmlion Solomon.

slalc~ncnl Illat Ih!lic!,,ians slill Ilwc llic cons l i l i~ l i~~~a l rig111 lo emigrates as rcporlcd in

as I{gyplim 1:orcign hlinislcr A m Mussa ~ ~ r g c d LIIC Israeli Prime Minisler-clccl Elii~ci

13csidc orhcr counlrics, the rcscarclier is proud that her country (Nigcsia) has n

cordin1 tliplo~natic 1~clntiori4iip \villi 1s1-ncl. Alwve Llial, African Christians have

bccornc ~ ~ l e ~ n b c r s ol' tiic Commonweallli of' lsracl through Christ Jcsus

lwilory. Jixi~salcni I'ilg~.i~ils go to Mt. Siiiai ~ I I [lie Lgyplian Visa. r h p i r i d l y , one

otlics sncc in [urns ofpolitics, :nasriagcs, culturnl similxilics, cI cclcra

5.3 k~;fl'ccLs ol' A l ' r i e ; ~ ~ ~ ~ ' h r i s l i i ~ n s in the 1Q1rIy Post Ncw 'I'cslaalcnt I?I-:L

Al'sicrin Christians, havc ~nnde indelible impact on Chris~endoni. 13ut Iio\\wcr,

hcl'o~c ll~cii a rcl'lcclioli is madc on Lhc ALi.icil11 Lr;~dilion;lI ba~lqyoi~~lds or the Miry- >

"LL'l~nLcvcr ixtioriali~alio~i \\ic may 11.y 10 mnl<c. llic wo~ship of gods i u Africa is

iclolaiory". 'I'his was Lhc lcintl ol'background Ab~.aliani popularly known as "Lhc f r ic~ l~ '

1 I I o r I I by God lj~iger (1970: 1126) mentions Nanar (~i ioo~l god)

:!s llic city g,otl of' Ur, and his consort Ningal, Marduk thc sun god, Tmnnt Ihc walor

god as well xi other gods and goddcsscs. I)ouglas (1 980: I G 12) and (Ibid, 1978: 1304)

rclki- lo Nanar as Ur principal deity.

72) and he become godly so also has God appeared lo Aliicans and madc ~licn:

(:liris~i:lns. 1Vho in Lurn, have riiatlc impacts in Chrislianity as Noclc (IOG4:3j

'I'licrc can be lilllc doubl Ilia1 the first Gcnti lcs lo bc convcrlctl wcrc

almosl wilhoul cxccpliori men and wcoliicn \\ho liad fiillcn under Jcwisli ill Iluc~lcc.

Aliricails \\;ere such Gcn~ilcs who were ulitlcr Jcwisli inllucnce, based on fi~cls

tlcnoicd as Lllc rcason why Cl~rislianity in Al'rica got so roolcd rro~ii its early slagc.

Nllmibt~ri (1091 :89) i n a similar obscrvalion comncncls:

Within a few centuries Africa had bccolnc onc of the great

ccnlcrs ol'Christiariity. Cartliagc was known for ils orlhodoxy. Aliica ~ ~ ~ O C I L I C C ~ SLICI I llicologi~al giants as Auguslinc oS 1 lippo, 'I'crlullia~l and Cyprian. Alesanclria (Egypt) on the other hand, liad had cslccmcd theologians and apologisls such as Clcmcnt, Origcn, Antlloriy a~ld Atllnnasius. I t is nol all ovcrlc;Liui~cnl lo say tllul tllc theological dcvclopmcnt of lie Wcslcrn church Ir~rgcly Jcpc~lds on Lllc A liicarl 'I'licologians.

Chi-isliunily in Aliicn wc~.c Alexandria md Cartliagc. 'I'licy both tlourislicd during tlic

('h~lscli F;~il~cl's and I'atriarchs who defenclccl both thc Catlio!ic and I'rcitcstanr

cloclrincs a:; \vcll as thc Christian Saill~ and practice a1 very high costs. AIIIOII:; si~ch

scholass of ciislinclio~i am1 csccllcncc, as wcll ns great del'cndcrs uT thc iait!~, the

ibil(;ivi~ig~ arc briclly ciiscussccl:

According to tlic I ,ocb CIassic:~l Library (1 960:XII) in clcscsibing Clenicnt's

I lis ritlc c o m s from tlic city u11ic.h \\/:IS the scclic of all Iiis iniporhn~ work. I Ic bccar~ic a prcsby~us of thc Church and taught in Alcxanclsia Sor morc than 20 y c m . I Ic \\!as dcscribccl as "Clc~iicnl the blcsscd Pscsbytcr, a virluous and cstccnicd man.. . \vho uphcld and cstcnclcd thc cli~~rcli 01' the Lord". I lis ~vritil~gs arc considcrablc in cste~it mid remarkable in cliarac~cr. I lasdly a pagc can bc ~'OLIIICI \villioilt Some cli~otations from cithcs the Old or Ncw 'Tcstnmcnl.

In addition (rcgasding his rolc in education) I<cn\\klc and I larman (1993:45) acclaim

Lllat Ilc became Iiead ol'tlic theological school about 190 A l l . They also propound that

in Iris philosophy, hc pl-qjccts that the Christian Cliurcll ~ I ~ o i ~ l d not complccely ignore

pag;111 philosophy bill slioulcl clianlicl i t thsougli the I-loly Scripti~rcs wllcre wc have tlic

I?nal sevclation. 'I'icnou (1082) projects :I similar philosophy too as established in

cl:oplcr two ilia1 rwt cvcrytliing in African 'I'raclirionnl lieligion is bad. Based 011 tlic

abovc niilliors' positions, il is bclicvcd thal pagan pliilosopliy is the dislortcd goclly

principle and lllcrclix slio~~lcl be s ~ r a i g l i k ~ i ~ d by h c Chrisliali philosophy \villi llic

~~ l l i n i ak aim of leading them ro I<now lllc God ol'glory.

I lc \ \ as i ~ i t l c u l 1l1c lirsl Aliicau SCIIOI~II . i n f i l l conln~ancl 01' k~~owlcclgc o!' his

tinic. a great tlieolo~ian and pliilosopl~~r who vchcmcn~ly dckndcd the Saith against

(;nosticism (Salvation tllrough sccrct knowledge).

5.3.2 'l'crtallian, Ilishop of C;\~-tI~azc (160-2202

I<cn\\~ick uncl I las~nan (Ibid:40) ufism that 'l'erti~llain was Usom pagan parcnls,

h t bccainc a C'hristian and tlml lie \ \us trainccl as a Imvycr which had a great cl7'ect on

his m:mlicr ol' cxpscssing hcological concepts. I le was the lirst to coi~i thc word

" I r i~~ily" li.0111 Llic I.ali11 "trinus" (1hrccli)ld) lvr Llic Godhead (God thc Folhcr, God lhc

So11 ;111cl (iod rl~c I Ioly Spi~il). I)o\vlcy (1990: 1 12) in support, nlaintains lllat ' I ' c ' I I L I I I ~ ~ I I I

\\m llic firs1 major C'lirislian aullior to write i l l IAin. I 1c \?/as tlicrcSorc thc 1?rst to ilsc

illally oftlie rccliiiical worcls coliimoii in later Christian tlicological dcbatcs.

'I'lic t ly~~u~l~isn i ol"l'crtullian's pcrsonl~ood, is summcd lip by Abbaln (13(?7:2'9j,

that "I lc wah a brilliant Aliicaii Orator, I:wycr, pliilosophcr, apologist

cclucalio~list a d Lhcologim".

5.3.3 C y l ~ r i i ~ ~ ~ , I h I ~ o i ) of C;II'III;I~C (200-258)

In rcI'crcncc 10 Cypriim's background, Iicnwiclc and 11arimm (Ibid:42) a\sunic

til:li I I C \v;I:; b o r ~ ; I ~ ) O L I L 200 A D ill C ' ;~~III ;~SC ~ ~ ' C L I I ~ U ~ C ~ , I I O ~ I I C nncl n/caltliy p:~ren[\.

All:? ll~al Iic \\us \ \ /OH to Christ a1 lhc agc 01'46 by an agcd presbyter and fricncl. I lc

ga\ (: LI]) liis sic11 ; I I ~ C ~ S L I C C C S S ~ ~ I ~ lire in law h r celibacy and tlicrcby bccame an csamplc

01' 1.iyruus North A Srican Saith.

I Ic tlcvclopcd tlic conccpl that the priest at thc Euclnarist ofScrcd t l~c very body

mcl blood of Christ; thcrcl'orc, paved tlic way for thc latcr Catholic concept oS

'-ti~ansubsta~iliatio~n". I Ic ~naintaincd that bishops wcrc ccpal and :uns\vcrable to God so

11,: \WS r~Scrrccl Lo as ill1 "anti-Christ". I Ic prcachcd l'rccly, but was findiy asrestcd and

I~-.llcaclccl i n I<o~iic in 258 AD.

Alcsurdria about 1 S5 A l l anel describes him ;IS the grcatcst scholar ~ u i c l ~iiost prolilic

w t l~o r ol' tllc early Church. I lc was not only a profound thinkcr, but also deeply

sl)iriluaI and a Ivyrrl churchlnan. Origcn proclucccl tlic I lcxapla, the grcatcst piccc 01'

bil)licnl schol;~ssliip i n tllc cnrly C:hurch UILI one of the grcalcst scholr~rs in North

Ali-ica \%ho rosc l'rom tlic rank of Deacon to Hisllop. I-lc put i n parallel columns tlic

I Iebrc\v mil I I I C C;rccI< texts.

At the age ol' 18, lie hcadcd the sellown Catcchctical school and raised its

stantlard for 28 ycars. I Ic latcr set up the Christain School of Scholarship in Cacsarea

li,r all I'alestinc mtl !.an i t I'or 20 ycars as both principal and psicst. I-le had an

inlnicnsc inllucncc on boll1 tlicology and scliolarsliip. I lowcvcr, duc to llic Cli~~rcli

ilisagscc~ilcnt \\:it11 nlany ol' his vicws, Iic was cscommunicatcd mid cxilcd in 'Fyrc

\vlic~c Ilc cvcnti~ally died of torture as a martyr undcr the Emperor's persecution.

(.'onsitlcring his co~~tr~ibi~tioris to t l~c dc\/clopmcnl ol' Christcrldom, l%aur

( 199S:23) asserLs:

I Ic is vcl~ernlccl as the first biblical scholar, theologian and ~~inster o f 3sccticis11i; a man to whom St. Augustinc and latcr ~i~cologians were deeply indcbtccl.

5 ..?, .5 i\~l~;~r!i:sius, 15islroi) of' iilexr ntlri;~, (300-373)

Athanasius is hailed by Ihwley (Ibid: 145) as one of tlic giants of Christiall

liis!ory bccairsc of his part in dclining thc doctrine ol'the Trinity in the Arian struggles

while Abboh (Ibid:30) hails him as onc of tllc grcatcst scl~olars in North Arrica \vho

( h c l (sanicncss of Jesus \\/it11 God the 1:atIicr) and tlicrcby gainctl lame Tor Ariuh \\!as

finally ba~incd. Ilc hclpcd in forriiulating the Niccari Crccd and tlic Coi~l~cil of'

(.'o~i~(antinopIc in 37 1 A l l through his preaching and writings. Daur (ibid) com~ncnds

Iiis l i ~ n c l o Lhc Alcsanclririn palrinrclialc llirougli his rc!entlcss dcScncc of the Sidl

cfignily ol' Clrrist. I lc is I\~riioi~sIy 1<110\\'11 as "l:atlicr oS Orthodoxy". I lc was ctilcd

live Li~ncs bill Iic ~.cl~~srrccl live li~ncs.

According lo Yanncy (1007), Allianasius considerccl ~nonaslicism as a revival

~riovclncnl to be ~iulurccl. I lis relationship with it was clusc. Alhanasius's wrilings

\ \ )ex studied by Llic Egyplia~i ~iionlcs. Ilc in tuni, was influcnccd by Antoiiy,

par~icularly in ~ l ic rclbrnialion 01' Origcn's doctrine of salvation. Wlic~i Alha~iasii~s

csposic~iccd hi\ scrics ol' c\ilcs in ~ l i c hands 01' [lie Empcror, il was tlic rnonlis tvlio

5 3 ,O e ) i ~ i ~ l u s , l l i s l~o~) o S ( ' : I I ~ I I ~ ~ J C , (3 13-3551

I-lis conlribirlion LO ~ l i c Clisislian clcvclopnicnL is in liis bclicl' in the au~licn~ici~y

ol'tlic bible \vliicli ~iiakcs him attack the Catholic Church Sor not sticking to llic "I3iblc

cnly". 13uc; (Ibid) subniils lllal Donotus was proud lo scl up llic lraclilion oC Ali.icaii

I s i s i r ~ i y . In the 4'" ccnlury, lic willidsccv Ihr autonomy and scl up bishops a d

pricsi nlicr Ali.icari nirtiorlalis~ I'ccling. 1-.lc and liis group were able lo survive the

~~ci~scculior~s iind nrassucrcs ol' limpaos Conslanli~~c unlil Llic 7"' ccnlury wlic~i h/loors

aml Islam invaded North Africa.

5.;.7 Cyril, l':~triat.cl~ o l 'A lc s ; \~~ t l cr

Ilowlcy (ihicl: IS I) admils Lila1 his early lili: is obscure, but succcedcd liis uriclc

'l'lrcol~liilus as llic putsialclr ol' Alesaridria i n 412 AD. According lo 13r:i~-ill~~'

(1970: 13.3). Irc was a brillian~ spoltcslnan 01' Alcsanclrian ilicology who licadcr': i t x

i'oancil ol' I.:plwus Ih;li clcposccl Ncstorioirs bclicvccl virgin Mary ;IS "I l ic~~~i~; : ) : ;"

(Mo~licr ol' God). 1 Ic also led in ;rdopling ancl co~isolidatirig llic l\+io naturos of C2il.k~.

5.3.8 Aoyu:itit~e of Ilippo (354-430)

Dowlcy (IbicI:206) asserts that Augustine wliosc i~illucncc was lo dominat:: li:,:

blcdicval Church it1 the West, was born lo ASrica~i parc111s of Kolnanizcd 13cri)cr

osigiirs in 'I'agaslc in Nurnidia (Modern Algeria) in 354.

I Ic Iiatl a good Chrislian b;~ckgrou~id by his godly riiollicr Monica, bill no1 :ir-ilil

: t c l i ~ l i l ~ ~ ~ d wl~ilc a prol'cssos of I<liclorics in Milan LIir11 I K acluully bcccmc a CIiris;iir~!.

/'\!icr conversion, Ilc bcgm as a I'scsbytcs and rose to bccoli~e a bishop. I-lc was well

cclucaid in Inany licld:;. J Ic \tias a grwt thiiiltcr/;~liiloso~>Iier, aulhor and tlic gsealcst

,'\ l s i c : ~ ~ ~ tl~ct;logia~~ i l l lilt carly ( 'lluscii. Ih)cr ( 1970; I0 I ) notes 11-la1 in 393 ilc ! l c . x l ~ x i

i I 1 ~ Cotl~icil 0 1 ' 1 lippo m c l tl~aC 01' Casrl~agc in 397 whcrc the canon oC N.'I'. Scri;Xui.cs

vvas dcies~ni~iccl. I lc was a triic Al'rican /<oman CMiolic lo t l~c core who fissi

publislicd tlic co~iiplctc canon ol' the N.'I'. scriptures. I lc also cstablishcd a niunaslcry

in his village ul"l'qystc to ~ ~ l l l i l l l ~ ~ easy study 01' :lnd ~iicditation oS the I3iblc. I.!c

!~rtiI~lis!~~d various books.

At~g~~st i i ic ol' i liplw as a gcnitis, wzs a !..r'* , c'ichcr, p s io r :111cl ~iii~ii:;~cr u f

c,acr:inicnls, juclgc, i~~tcrccssor, trustcc and co-orclinntos of cl~arity as wcl l 2s a n

i ~ ~ . I i l c alwlogisl ancl :I voli~~iiinoi~s \vsircs (1)owIcy (lbid207). 'I'i~c scsc.i~scl~cr

vic:vs St. I);ILII ;IS ;I rei~ica:-ti;~tio~i of St. Augi!stinc in dci'cncc of thc Ihilli.

5.3 .0 Li'hs: !loly (;]-rat M:II.~)T Mcmx of Ji,e,;pt

':'he l i l i : ol'l1.1c l i ~ l y Ciscat Mlastys h4cl1~1:; ol' L,:gypt is tcnlarkublc u ~ i d iiiiiciiirlc

I I i t o ~ I A l i i c i l i s t i s 0 0 . AccusJillg 10 :lit Itcligiuus a l c l '~'!u:io;,ical -, rd

i~~~ ( I 0 1 1 i 1 I I L I S ~ I ~ I . Ccntary a n d was :I 11ali:ic o f 13gyp:, \vir!l

most 01' his l i l'c spent in I'lisygiu ('I-i~skcy) as IIC scsvcd in the I~npcrial Army. 1 le was a

dcvoi~l orthotlos Christian as well as an csamplary soldier. Outstanding was his

s\\cchlcss ol' dispxi~ion, sclr discipline, patience and conccrri l'or lllc afllidcd. I-!c is

cslxcially known lbs iicaling illr~css and dclivcring people fio111 demonic possession.

l lis inlcsccssion is valued Sos psutcction at sca and during wws as \c'cll as

iinding lost ohjccls. 'I'liis rllcans thal tllc Minislry ofclclivcrancc and intcrccssion has

lxx-11 L Y ) ~ I I L X I 011 A ~ ' I ~ ~ c . : I I I ( ' I ) I ~ ~ S I ~ : I I I S SIX)III t:;\rly l x ~ ~ ~ i ~ ~ ~ t i ~ ) g s . ' l ' l ~ < ~ ~ x ~ l i ) ~ ~ c , i i is 1101 :I scxu~l

Cliarisnialic clcvclopmcnt.

'I'hi!; bricf prolik of ninc gsctlt early Chusch r:athcrs is jilst a list of a few

Aliican bulwarlis. 13ascd on the i n fosmation collcctcd on them, it is established that

tlic casly ASsicnn Chsistia~is \ ~ c r c in thc lil1lcliglit of tlic Church growth a r ~ d

tlcvclopmcn[ bcrai~sc "they clwccl lu sland dcspilc al l odds". 'I'llc Church linivcssal is

ll!crcSorc, intlispensablc ol' early Ali-ican Chrislians whosc rolcs have indelibly

inllucnccd rl~c ChuscJl Ibs posCerily.

111 concluding this chapter o n tile signilicrincc ol' Clirislian ASric;uns in the Ncw

'l'cslal-ncnl World view and particularly, llic signilicancc of lhc Early Post New

'l'cstaii~cnl Al'ricnn Cllrislian Icadcrs, ~.cliccling on I<du's (ibicl:43) l d~ lc , dcpicls lhcir . . -

ci!-~ili~c s ~ g ~ i ~ l ~ c a n c c . Using the n~~n~cr ica l growth of bishoprics, lic inclicn:cs t l u l 1\11

220, tilcrc \ v m liiiicty bishops during l'er~ullian; one hundrecl n~ic l lil'ty bisliops i ! ~ A i j

250 cluri~ig C'ypria~n; l\vo Ilundrctl and iil'ty bisliops duril~g I3npcror C:o~nsl:intinc il l A1.I

350; live Iiii~~tlrcd and sixty bishops in A D 41 1 i ~~ ide r l~lo~ialisl CIii~Ile~~gc S(:VCII

i-i:md!~ccl bishop in (130 A11 during tlic Vandcl Captivity. 13ul tllc number oS bislioj;:,

d ~ ~ p p ~ c l clraslicolly lo Sorly due lo the Islamic scourge in tlic sc\/critli cc~ili~ry.

Ciirislianity in the scvcnth ccnl~lry All in North Africa, si11'1'2rcd l i an mi~cl!

~:l~j,:,ic;~i urlcl spirit~~al obit~~arics. I IOMICVCI~, Lliiil ~iol\,\~itlislandirlg, llic p:cscnl

~cncralicui i n Ali.ica at tlic cl;~cvn oflllc third riiillc~iniu~ii AD, Aliicans ace flourishing

i'!l~.isLii\ll~. I:or inslance, in tlic Christian ul'hirs o n Godly 'l'allc in Sunclay Voice (.lui.ic

3: 1990: 12), Anum tliscusscs Mastcr .Jacltson Iltililo~i, an ciglil-ycar old evangelist

!)iq~iIaslq Ii1io\\111 as thc cvangclisl a t six who Iml nri encounter will1 Llic I ~ r d a1 tlic age

ol' tirrcc. Ilc liails limn1 Akwa-lboni Stak ol'n'igcria, Alieica. I t is ilidicatcd tlint this

j ou!ig 111a1i I M S beco111c ;I ~0~1iiopoIit;11i prcaclicr \,\hicIi sig~iilies the continual sourgc

o!'Aliican iclcnlity in Cliristianily.

0.1 111 tr-otl~~clion: . .

'I'lne prohlcm 01' h c gcncral notion that ('liristianity is n Whitc man'<, I . : - ~ I ~ I P ~ I

has bccii a common vicw up Lo Lliis contemporary Lilnes. 13111 the stidey into Ihc issw

oi' i l~c Biblical I'crspcclive ol' Aliican Idcnti~y in Christianity has bccn signilicant and

I I I L I C I I yiclcling. It has been csrablishcd to a grcal extcnt, and particularly tlic ,\lsica~i

itlc~itily in h e New l'cstalncnt perspcctivc, with a number ol'cross rcfercnccs . . I iLlc i 8 *

illc Old 'I'cstarncnt bccai~sc ol'thc pcculiiu intcrrcl;~tionsliip ol'botln tcstamcnts.

It is al'lirnlccl tlnal l ium tlic crcation account (Gc1n.2: 10- 13) to csc1n:llologic:il

i s s ~ ~ c s (Rev. I 1 :S), wilh ~najor cmphasis on the New Tcsta~ncnt perspective that Africa

;!nil tllc Ali.ic~11is arc iclcntilicd i r ~ God's plan and tlic biblical world is without

; ) I +jitdicc i~g;liti~t t11(:111. ' 1 ' 11~ history ol'tlic I lcbrcws/Jc\vs is inconiplcte withoi~~ Aliic&~

xnd the Africans in biblical history as \wll as in ccclcsiastical cund political liistoly.

' I ' l i ~ gcnclxl notion tllat Christianity is a Whitc-~nan's religion is annullcd \\tliilc thc

ic!c~~ti!y or Aliicans in Chistianily i s cstablislicd. 'I'hc signilicc~ncc dctnotcd in this

L I I ' I ~ ~ C I . per \c i~ il si~ni~nialy 01' lindings on thc study.

0.2. Nig~~ificanrc of MI-icae Idcetily in the Old and Intcr--Tcstamwt l'crspcctivc~.

'Ilic slucly on African idcntity ill Christianity has a good numbcr 0 1

higri i liciuiccs illat 111a!\cs i t an Aliican rcligion. Fcom tllc research concluctcd, the

tc l i .~~~nccs i11io Ll~c s t~~tly.

C'onsiclcring Ali.ici1 aid I'alestinc, lor instance, North ASricn is par1 of thc

r i Ic~litcrranc~~~l worlcl \vllcrc tlic growth of Christianity cnncrgcd. Politically, tlnerc is :I

~l~oroi~glifarc bctc\ccn Aliica and I'alcstine tlirougln tlnc land ol'thc Philistine withoi~t a

I Scvcnty tiesccndants ol' Imcl (Jacob) including Iiirnscll' crmc and scttlcd i n

/\:iic,t (ICgjpt) rli~ring Ihc then notable l i~ iv i~~c . 'I'hcy Ilmrishcd in l'gypt Tor Tour

liurirlrcd and thirty ycars ~111l i l tlicir 1qi11atio11 Iiad increased to uboul 600,000 mcn

bcsiik cliildscn, tcc~iugcrs, wonicn and a misctl mullitudc. 'I'lwir- cxuct numbcr statcd

i:i 003,550 I I I C H ~ c I ~ I I C I , o I ~ 11;d 10 I c ; I ~ tllc111 O L I L wiih ;I stro~ig Iw~id. i f ' not, l l q

\vould I w c rcniaincd in Al'sicr~. Also, I Ic had to lcncl thcm through the licd Sca i f no[.

lhcy would Iiavc sclu~nctl to IIgypi. -. 1 lic ~iiixcd multitude that \~lclit with them dclinitcly included Africans wllo I1:1(1

ii~lcrrclaiecl wiih ihc Issuclilcs \vhilc in Aliica. I locvever, Llic Isrciclilcs coniinucd lo

long Sos tllc ASsican clclicxics such as lish, cucumbers, niclons, Iccl<s, onions anti r . .. , ?,ai.lic. I licy cvcsc d s o captivalccl by thc Al'sican products and generosity. I his IS

cvitlcrit i n tllc I;KL t11aL Ix1i)rc l11~'ir ~ C ~ ; I I I L I I . C li.o!~l Egyp~, t l ~ 1.jgyp~ians C I C I I ~ ~ C C I ;1 i , i l

r)l' !;olilc~i ,jc\vc.lsy lo ~lic-m ((;cn.40:?.7; 1;s. 0:O: 12:30, 37, 40; 13:17, 18; :(S:20:,

Nii1.11. i 1 :5 ) . Al'ricans played psomincnl roles in Lhc religion, civilization, econon~ic,

! . , I ~ ! ; I : I ~ a11t1 political !ilk o~'Issacl ( 3-71,

I L has bccn ill:lic:llccl lllal a! v:~ri!~us Limes, Afyica and Ali-iciuns. pr;ri.ly N

\vilr,)~iy Iiavc bccn labclctl by ccrmin nmcs , psojccti~ig at tinics nagctivc 11olio11s. Such

tunics ar-c licsc bclo\v summarisccl. I t is nfhmcd t h t what is now Middlc li;is[ was ;I

!):I;[ cl' A I'rica callctl, " ' 1 ' 1 1 ~ I lorn ol' Ali~ica". Al'rica ws ~ l i c ~ i li~io\vn as Ciong\v;u&n. . ..

i , I , . ! is, in :l~c vcry a~icic~ll lilncs and civili>.alions \illlicil ~[retclics out froni EL!I-I ;~I~ i n

: ; i f - ~;:iSl 10 ' I ' i ~ n b ~ ~ k t i ~ i n iiic \Vest, /\I':ix ioo \ V X i l l ~ i n ~ c dcsig~aicxl :IS ' I ? I ~ ~ I ! ; ~ . I J 01'

u h t is no\\; West Afi-ica.

Altch-l,an ( I lcbrc\v) tllough unliuniliar is tlic most indigenous na1:ic [or

(2 1; ica. I t is asscslctl too tlial Lhc Moors (L'ibyans), 1;gyptians and Eliiiopiiuns ~ ~ s c d thc

I I ' 1 t c 1 I i ~ i l i ~ ~ l ' or X i ~ r c l c ~ I ~ i ' I I s Lo A I : li \ w s also

i-cliLl.!.cti 1.0 as '"i'lic Gartlcn of Mall". 'I'hc 13iblic.al n.ic!llioii of I3d;n along wi:h ~ZSrica

clcj!i;:ts thc close rclr~rionsliip o f Christianity with Af'sica,. I r is admitted that many

~ n i ~ i ~ r a l and natural ~csourccs in other parts ol'the worlcl originalccl i n Alrics. kluman

bcii~gs arc ~vidcly tliouglit to have osigi~~:~tccl iri Al'sica too in both creation and

cvcjii~lion Ll~corics.

Aliica has a1 a t i~nc bee11 scScrrccI lo as \Vawal, and scholars generally bclicvc

111a: Llic L\la\\utans wc Aliicans. 'I'hcrc is thc associalion of thc motion \vil l i a ccrtain

'. .,cc~ion . . ol'lgbos of'thc Ih rcn i Nigeria \vho arc kno\vn as "Wawas".

I1 is populxly acccplccl lhat I lam populalcd Ali-ica lhrough three 01' his sons,

Cush jl3liiopia). Vlisraim (I&yl) a~icl 1311 (l,ih):\), wliilc his foi~rlli son Cnnaali is tlic

next ~wiglilxwing nnt io~~. 'l'licy nrc k n r > \ w ~ lo I)c black 2nd of' colo~rs . 'I'hcy ~ \ ~ c s c

i,\i:;i-~iors and psi~icipally associatccl will1 mnics lium Egypt slid auxiliaries.

C ~ J V C I I C t l~c city on tlic nor111 c o w oS Al'rica was I'oiindcd in 620 13C by Dorian

t;s::crl<s alitl \\!as latcs t l~c capital of tlic Roman I'sovi~~cc 01' Cysenaica (ancicnt and

inti!icrn I.ibya). 'I'hc city was rciio\vll :IS a n in(cl!cctual ccntrc. Althougli Cprcnc \\.as

11ol nic~ilio~lctl ill the Old 'l'cslaiilcnl, il is an imporla111 cily in Ncw 'l'cslamcnl limes.

(:usil the oldest sol: ol' I lam was 01' a great anliquily. I t is applied in the . . - i .~:~,I .c \v o~isinill to tl;c 1)i:oplc that sprallg li-om Cus!i. Ii is also i~sccl to dcnotc the

I.iii ! iii ?vl~ich dcscc!ic!ants 01' Clusll clwclt, Ethiopia os ,A,byssi!?i:l as is no\.< callccl.

: . ' t i s i~ is tAcn as Iitiics ol' :icvcral nations, including Ninrrod. I1 docs no1 mc;ili ihc:

i:rc:.;!.:nt 1:tIiivpia alonc, but also llic wliolc U l x l c Man's continent AlYica.

Cusli also rcl'crs lo l l~c tIcsccndan1s collccti\/cly. 'I'hcy coiistit~tc live psincipal

11coi~ics: S l~cba~ I lavillati, Sablali, I<amall as \wll as Nilmod. 'I'hcreSorc, il is admillccl

tl;;li cvcn llic lisst t\vo sivcrs I'isho~l and Gillon) that wind fsom thc Gartlcl-I oi'riclcn

\::inc.l through Africa si~icc I lavillah and Cusli are AlYican lands. And Slicba \i/liosc

0 1 1 ~ t : i l visilcd King Solon~on was black :lnd ol'Ali.iccln origin.

Cusli (I<thiopia) is rcl'crrcd to as tlic land where Cusliilcs (Ethiopians) lived

(!11i.i1.1;: :111y pcsiod i l l li~iic : i ~ i ( l i l is 1I1c A1.siw11 c o ~ ~ l i ~ w ~ i t . I [ l11e11 S I ; I I I C I ~ l l ~ ; i t Ali~icms

(:IS !W\V called) arc still rigl~tli~lly possessin!: tllc Innd 01' Cusli llicir progcniios. Sincc

L!rc I3lncl; L)iaspora lracc lhcir roots back lo ATrica, lhosc in llic contincnt s!iuuld be

psouil 10 posscss it.

'I llc 13iblc tlcpicrs tlic signilica~lcc ol' Al'rica by denoting that, "l:ro!ii bqond

l1:c rivers of Cush Iny \vorshippers.. . will bring me oJ'Scrii~gs" (Zcph.3: 10) aiid

"lhvoys will comc li.om I'gypl; Cu:;h \vill submit hcrsclS to God" (l)s.68:31). I t is

i1c~i:pkd that tl~is prophccy obtained its fi~lfillnicnt at the conversion oi'thc Ethiopirui

Ali-icans arc rckrrccl Lo as "Bcrbcrs" and Babarialis" mcaning the ~incivilizcd,

13::sidcs, Rahab is anotticr clcsignation I'or Egypt, dcnoting for instancc, Rallab tlic

liarlot ( I lcb. I I :3 I ) :I sin~icr saved by grace o~icl listccl cvc~llually a ~ i ~ o n g llic Saitl~li~l.

Su also arc Ali-icans, llic ncglcclcd and tlcjcctcd, having bccome rccognised in

Christianity and godlincss in Christ and in the v,~orlcl to co~iic \\.itllout cnci.

I la111 was 111c only son ofNoah alkr \vhom a continent (Allica) was namcd as

~ l ic land 01' I lam. 'I'l~crc is a prcvoiling popular ~xrccplion \vhich scrvc as a11 addcd

lhal Africans mninhi~l that hey arc dcsccndanls ol' I lam, for whose seed they believe

llic Mhiopians a d IJgyptians dcsccndccl, tracing ~lieir ancesky, Lo the classical

civilizatio~~s o f h e Nilc valley. 'I'licy arc nhlc Lo find parallels bclwecn tlic mcicnl

Nilc valley cullurc and tlic prcscnl day Nigcsian ctlinic groups.

Since parts of Aliica have long Iiist~rics ill biblical accounts, thcrc is tllcrcl'o~~o,

n I'ailhli~l covcnanl of God Ibr Aliican si~slcnanco \\hen 1 . 1 ~ 11iade a covcnant with

/ r ~ l ~ n : . to your dcsccndnnts I givc the land, from lllc rivcr of Egypt 10 Ll~c grcal

i I I l i ~ ~ c s ' (ic1i.l.S;I7-l0). 'I'licrcli~c Aliica is Olcssetl wit11 Abrahamic

blcsbing (Fig.3).

'I'hc generally accepted idea thal ASsica is ~ l i c "World Zoo" is indelibly

imprcssccl o ! ~ pcoplc's minds. 'l'licrcl'orc, 1:clcnic accounls arc Ali.ican ~clatcci, SOY

iri\l;uicc, rivers I'isllon nncl Gillon wind Llir~i~gli Ali'ica and ccrlain Al'~.icans, still in

h i s gencralic~~i, LISC animal skin or lcaves I'or body coverage which sy~nbolizcs llic

! ~ c < I ~ I c , they ~icccl to lint1 out how i t applics morc Lo Africans 1lla11 any olhc!~ racc.

i?liic,~n cliristinns shoi~lcl i~ sc Pauline ~iictliod of prcaclling (Act 17:22-23) by letling

:luii-christians Imnv the unknown God \vho is the God ofthe Christians.

I<cgiilcling [lie Tnblc of Nations, I - lm is cursed, blackened a~;d made inlo t l~e

(:'\i'rica). I l i ilic Old l'cslamcnt ctcvclopmcr:l, Aliica and ASricans exisled, played ail

l)uri;~g tlic i~~tcr tcs~a~ncnt pcrio:i the Enipircs tll::t positively in!!ucnc;

L~iiiliiing 01' Synagogires all over his politicul domnins (incliding Africa ant1 I'aicsti~ic).

(ircl;!i k i n g the lii~t:ira li'anca ol' his cmpirc was ~rsed to \vorlc 017 tlic Scpiltanginl

'!'II(. Christian C'IIIII-CII \\/;IS 1)or11 i n the li011ii111 Iinpirc ;und it was almost esclusivcly I.1

Ali.ica atid Ali.icaris iri the gospcl atid apostolic eras in \vhicli tlic pen or insl~iratio~l

b ~ o ~ ~ g l i t the Cliristial~ Ch~rrcli into existcncc. I t concerns tlic ASricnn identity i n tlic lili:

ol'.lcsus C'hrisl in the gospci atid apostolic cras as wcll as the active roles ol'Ali-icrins in

'I'lic Jews apl)rcciatc g~tlc:ioI~gy and so do Aliicnns b ~ ~ t morcso, tlic ge~lcalogy

0 1 Jesus alol~g tlic lint having to do with so!iic Gcntilcs anti African related persons

too, seaflirming Llir11 cvcry nation that desccnds liom I-lam is Black of the Negriotl

~ x c c . Cnnaa11 t l~c son ol' I l a~n ar~tl grandson ol' Noah is "l3lacl<" ol' the Ncgric)cl race.

'I'arnar tlic motlicr 01' I'ercz is a Cariaanitc and liahab too is a Canacnite (Matt. l:3,6)

\vho g v c sccurity to lhc two spics of' Israel and who eventually married Salnion arid

ther~ gave birth Lo l3oaz the Iiusband of I ~ L I ~ the Moabikss ;~nd mother o l Olml, t!ic

Ihtlicr OI'.ICSSC, tlic lilther of David (I<utli 4:22) Ll~c lither of Solomon.

'I'llc four-th of h c cvorncn relatcd to this rcscarch is Bathslicba (Matt. I :6) Sormcr

\\ilk of' Uriali 11ic I liltitc. I t is widcly acccptcd that botll IJriah and his wifc arc

cfcsccncln~its 01' llcth \\~liilc Iletli and Siclon arc sons ol' Canaan son of Cusli

( C k n . 10: 15). 'I'licrck)rc, Solonion is li-om I,otli parcnls 01' I lamitic tlcsccril. N o

\vondcrSololiion tlcclarcs his pride in being "Black" (Song. 1 :5) .

I:,arlicr on, God had mandated Israel to acccpt Ali.ic;lns gcncrally by saying:

You sliall not abhor at1 13gyptian bccailsc yoir wcsc aliens in l ~ i s land. 'I Iic cl~ildrcn ol'tlic !liird gcncralion born to ~Iicm nlay wtcr rllc cortgrcgalim of the l,ortl, (L)c111.23:7,8).

ol ~ h t l ' s providcnhl Iiislory ~hrough Jesus being called 0111 ol' ISgypl (Aliicu), \vl:icl~ 7 P' 1 /1 ---,,j(J lC , ~4 AL&"'" L- C- /,-o*l;ir-GC: Tg/ / &~fz?,!tf COG d i:: (;leek is slated /'

~I~c~cSorc. in acl\no\\ Icdocmcnl, I';I,II salutes ~ I K I inli-rs "his niothcr nncl minc" ("Ti1 :/ 9,

1 J / 0-3 i-dd ?dcL vi~G ). I ] is S~illldPOillt lllCll Crctlit 10 tilC

I lc in~prcsscs !hat cstcnsivc ruins o f Cyrcne still exist an,! i.hc sitc

is now called Lxl-Krcnna.

Ali-ic;i~~s I-lave b c c ~ i~lvolvcd in godliness llisougli Jucluisni x i c l tlun intcgralcti

mootllly illlo Chistianity (11)-irlilio. Irom tlicn, thcy liavc pursucd tlic propa~ytion (!I'

ihe gospel to hot11 .lc\vs (Ac!s 18) and Gentiles (Acts I I). 'I'hc Missionary ~i~c:vcmc~:!

( > I ' i ! \ ~ 10'" <,~711111.y S I I O \ L I ~ only I>c ~ I I I ( I C I . S ( O O ( I ;I.\ L I ~ c S C C O I I ~ S C ' ~ 01' I!IC si~ydcs (:!'

:.'li~istii~nity i 1 1 l11c c o ~ i l i ~ l c ~ ~ l .

Simon the Cmianitc is of the Ncgroid racc too, liming dcscc~idcd Srom Cana~n

son o!' I l u ~ i i . I lc was also onc 01' tlic clisciplcs of Jcsus (Matt. 10: 1-41 MI<.;: YO; L K ~ .

6: 12- 16; Acts 1 : 12- 16). I-lc was one ol' thc t\wlve that ordairicd the first clcac.. ..:,; in !!

cxly ('li~~scli (;\cis 6 : 1-7). 'I'hc Canaanite woni:rn whosc I'ailli was dcclarci! (~rcat 11,~

.ICSLI:; (Malt. 15:3 I -2Sj LV;IS of Al'sica~i dcscc~ida~it.

11; thc C ~ S C oftlie I ' C I I I C C O S ~ ; I ~ e x ~ ~ c r i c n ~ e that rcally Icd to birth o S ~ h c Cliristian . , c . , i :~ l r~i i , i l \\;us witncsscd by Ali-icarl Chrisiims who liacl conic LO attwd iilc ycarly holy

ci)~~i/o~.aLio~i ol' tlic I'cnlccost. 'I'lic m i ~ l ~ i - v c r n ~ i ~ l i ~ ~ ' spoltcn tlic;.c 1iad .'\l'ri~;:.,

langaagcs alnolig otl;css, clcpicling Africans in God's plan being among tlic :. .ipiciy!'

01'tlic o i i t p ~ i ~ r of'tlic I loly Spirit mnnil'cstcd in tlicir indiviclual motlicr tongitc::. , , .

I li::rc,li)rc, (:Iisislianity i l l Aliic:~ Iiaving :~tlairlctl lhis V ~ I . ~ ~ C L I I ~ I ~ sialus consitlcruhly

c ~ l y , Iias constiiutcci o ~ l c 01' its most rcm;ukal,lc signs 01' hope ill llrc past, now and

i .~i tw: , ~ 1 1 1 l i l i ~ I S I L I I I I ' S " S ~ I C I . C ~ I;~ngi~;igc" not co~nprclicnclciI by m n y . In matters 01'

1~1:ti~iiin, t l ~ c ~ c is no language lllnl can give tllc S C I ~ S C of bclongingncss, i~liicr-ni~>i

L:c:liiigs, comprchcnsion 2nd :~pplication ns a pcrson's mothcr-longur,. Chrisiinnity i:,

I..iit)\\l!l lbr tl~is mid tl~is is why i t is c~iilwucctl I)y cvcry clllnic groi~p wilho\!l b c i ~ v ~

inji~rious to l l~c biblical implications.

'l'llc :~poslolic account rccods Al'siciui Cl~ristians in col-11icctio11 with tlic

l:iccrirnan':; synagogue wl:crcby oppositiol;~ \wrc silisccl against Slcpllcn. I t is

c.<t:\lili~li~d Illat rlwrc wcrc many synagogucs in Jcri~snlc~n and that tlicre \vcrc those

owricd by Alcxantlrians and Cyscnians of which Simon may have wcll belongc~l Lo.

' 1 ' 1 ~ lindings rcvci~l hat tlicrc was owncrsl~ip of African synagogucs in Jerirs:!!cm in

i1:c npostolic era 01' which Siliicn must I m c belongcd to. Ucsidcs that, tl~crc arc

suggcslions Lliat Deacon S~cplicn Iliniscll'vu'as all Alexandrian Jew. 'l'his is likely to be

Illc reason lbr his togetlicrncss with tlic L,ibcrtincs, thc Cyrcnims and Alcxcuidria~is

wllcn uncl \vlwcl>y Ilc had an opposing cncounlcr. I lis lil'c has universal signilicancc

bcyo~cl jusi bciiig ~ h c I Cl~rislinn Martyr, rathcr, his martyrdom laid the Ihu~~dation ol'

\\:llicl~ t l~c ~iiission lo ill^ Gcntilcs was built.

I'airi;~scl~;~l 1ivc.s in lhc (')Id 'I 'csla~~lc~ll Iwin!: ~wic\vctl in Ilic New 'l'csl;~cr~cnl in

sc\ ~ 1 x 1 iIcsc.ounls i~~clic.alc 1 I ~ t h c 11isto1.y 01'1lic l s~x l i t c s is in~lispctlsalh 01' Al'rica .46,J

' i c s SLcpIicri :~cl;no\~\~ledg,cs t l ~ u l Joscpli's l,rolllcrs out ol'jcalousy sold l i i i , .:;

slnvc into I?~;ypl anel c\~:~itu:~IIy Ilirorlgll him. tlic \vliolc nntion of lsrael 5 . . . ' 1 .

accornn~oclalcd i l l Ilyypi (Afsica) [luring and after the ~~olablc famine.

I L is ~.cllcciccl i l u l \ v l l u ~ ~ Stcpllc~~ rcvic\vcd Lhc patriarclid lives. I'nul (Saul) \\us

still ~ 1 1 1 c ~ ~ r r c d . I lo\\~cvcs, alicr his conversion, Iic sti~clicd tlic script~~rcs so wcll that

lx ;~r ! icuM~d si~nil;x accouni [liar God nlaclc their lorcl'a~licrs prosper i ~ i Egypt

;i"\li.ic;i) dxing tl,clr stay ~l~csc.. Ilc had lo Icacl illctii o~i t with a ~iiigh!y hand,

i;!!lt'~\\ irX, 1 1 1 ~ ) ~ \ \ ( ? [ l I ( l h : l \ ' ~ l ' ~ l 1 1 2 i l l C d ~ ~ C S C , ~lil\'illg h ~ ~ 0 1 1 1 ~ pSOSpCl'OLlS ~llld j i O j > ~ l ~ O ~ l ~ .

'I'lic nnonynious ai~thor or llic cpistlc to tlie I-lebrcws rcvicws tlie Iii~iory of

Iwc l i i l conilcclio~~ wilh Ali-ica by pointing out thc rcvcrsion or God's covcnanl \? ;!I:

:;~~l>~ccl:icnL tlcscc~ida~~L:; ol' Israel clue to tlicis ~ ~ n l i ~ i t l ~ f ' i i l ~ ~ c ~ ~ , L I I I ~ ~ ! ~ C l l~e C O V C I I L I I I ~ Go(1

:I : I~ . I 111 t i t I~ \\li!Il Ll~~it. ~ L ) I X I ~ I I I I C T S \ , \ , I I c I I 1 I C l ~ d ~ I ~ C I N O L I ~ ol.Af'rica.

.l llc cpisllc iu lllc ! Icbrc\.vs, liltc olllcr pssagcs sig~iily Israci's ilio~~glit

co~lsta~illy goi~lg bacli to ~ h c dclivcrancc from Lgypl I'ur that was the point in I.tislory

J'ro~n wllicll thc il-iclcpcnticnt cxislcncc o r Isrocl as a nation could be said LO daic.

I:ur-~l~c~~:~osc, it is signilics lhal Ciocl I-limscl I'cscrtcd [he intlcpcndc~icc hy sayi~ig ". . . i

iooli thcm by lhc hancl" (I lcb.8:9).

I t is aflir~iicd [hat the treatise on an anonymous but a seal Ethiopian eunuch rv

t'ilgrimngc lo Jcrusalcm tuolc place about A11 34. Ethiopia is a ~ialion tl~at has an

ancienl proof ol'I;cr bibiical an~iquity and thar Ali-ica's conncclion with Clirislianily i s

as old ;is CI~:.isti:uiii.y i t s l l ' .

'I'l~c cl~nucll Ili!lisclf~nusr have hccn a cliligcnl and a high rir~ilii~rg ol'liccs to ritii:

i n a cliariol ant1 to lnrvcl on such an inlcrnalional jous~lcy. I Jc was al:;:, \vcll ccluc:i; , : i

to be ablc to rcad tlic scripti~~.es. I t is accepted tliat tlie prophecy, "Ethiopia shall

qi~icltly slrc~cli 0111 hcr I~ancl 10 God (I's.GS:3 1) is Si~llillcd in thc conversion of tlie

1 I i o i 1 1 1 c i ~ ~ i ~ c l ~ . llis cuni~cl~isni tlcpicls his lilk of' simplicily, scrvicc a ~ d

yicldcdness to God, and lie too is cicknowlcdged regarding thc sprcad of Christianity in

A!i*ica.

I<cgwtli~rg tllc ~ I I : \ L I ~ I I ~ ~ ; ~ I I 01' ~ ' I ~ r i s t i ; ~ ~ ~ i l y , l,i~l<c's ~ ~ a ~ x ~ t i v c zivcs l l~c SWIW

lhat L L I I I I S the Alik:~n C'lrrislians into sprcirding Christianity outsidc Africa. While

.Jews were spealting lo Jcws only, men from Cypri~s and Cyrene wcnt LO Antioch and

bcgnn to share the good news of tlic Lord Jesus to the Greeks. 'flie Lord blcssed thcir

~fli)iI:i and n g u t number of people believed and it was as [lie resuil ol' tlicir

av:~~~gcliz;~liori i l x li)llowcrs ol'Jcsi~s wcrc first cdlcd "CI1rislio11s" (Y~LGTC; (VC)~~S )

a name tliat has cvc~itually bccorne a tillc of honour lor tliosc belonging to Christ h r

poslcrity.

Anliocli is itlcn[ilicd to be ~ncniorablc in the first: Christian agc as thc s ~ a l of' . .

:?11>).i:tiiiai,y opcri1lic:ns liw Lilt cvarigclisalion of tlic IicnL11cri 01' wliicli Afi.icuriri and

Cypriots wcre Icadcrs. Antiocli was popi~larly Itno\vn as tlie Mother Cliurc!i Sor

ticntilc Christians in pxtici~las just as Jc'susalcm was laiown as lhc Motlies Clii~sch fbr

Christians in gcncral. "71'l~c 1,orcl's hand" upon lhosc Afiican cva~igelists indicatcs

tlivinc apl~roval a~icl blessing. 11 mnrl<s 111c Ilrst systematic attcmpt to evangc!izc l l~e

:;ciitilcs as a whole. This was I'ollo\~cd by thc far sprcad missionary work of IJauI

tl;roi~gIiout the Mcditcrrnncan world.

r!'lic Ali.ican cvangclisls in Antiocli wcsc also I w w n as "'fcacliers" (Acts 13: 1)

:I psuli.ssio~~ tI1i1I they tlcscrvctl lxxai~sc rllcy clcvolctl :I whole year ill {cachi~lg llic:

c o ~ i \ / c ~ - ~ s (Acts 11:20). 'I'liis was to ~iialtc tlicir I i i t l i ground in tlic L,ord Jesus. I t is

xiiculatcd Ilia1 the zcal of ~liose Cypriots and African Missionaries niade thcm do ~ h t

\\,as ablwrring lo Lhc Jews, but pleasing lo thc Lord. Due lo the physical ii~anifesiaiion

o i ' ~ l i ~ i ~ godly lifc, tiic lcrni "Cl~rislians" was coilled for their idcntily. The iiiip1ica:ion

o f his term is that lhc labour 01' carly African Christians has brought about il as a

irnivcrsally acccplccl Lillc li)r id1 I'ollowcrs ol'Clirist.

nation;tli/alion. having bccn born, bred and cducaretl in Africa. I-lis vast kno\\/ledge ol'

tlic scriplurcs uncl rcfirlulion of thc Jcwisli vicws tlcclascs more of his Clisistianily than

Judaism. 1 lis cl'li>rt intcgratcs thc Old and Ncw 'l'cstmcnts in the area of the baplim

oSJchn and Bnplism of the I loly Spirit which m:~rks thc Old I'estamcnt giving way for

its n~~titypc among tllc Ilpllcsim Chrislia~w and othcrs subscc1ucntly.

In recognition of Judaism and Christianity in Egypt (ASsica), it is al'limcd that

tllcrc \ \we places 01 ' worship all ovcr ~ h c city. 11 was tlic intellectual and litclxcy

ccnkr and Sa~nous for its schools oTl'11oi1ghts.

Apollos \\/as gcncrally acceptccl as an ASrican Jew who got accuratc I<nowlcdgo

01' the story of Jcsils from Alexandria. Ilc was traincd in tlic wisdom of Egypt as

Moscs. I lis preaching pavcd tlic way l i~r Lhc I'pl~csian Clirislinns to rcccivc thc I loly

Spirit baptism which was cvidcnced in speaking of tongues. 130th Apollos and Paul

\\icrc cordial co-\\~orltcss (2 Cor.6: I); thew lose in Ephcsus, Apollos planted wlii le Paul

\\late~.cd and in Curintll, I'ai~l planted \vliilc Apollos watcsccl and God gave tllc

it:crcasc ( I Cor.3:G). 'l'llcir i~nity solves tlie problcnis ol'li-aclims within tlie church.

Aparl from Mark, il is also acccpted hat from the Liiiic of Luther, Apollos has

bccn si~ggcs~ctl as author ol'thc epistle to the I lcbrc\vs and that since then, has Soi~~~cl

I'avour \villi many scholars. IS this suggestion is Iruc, i t is then r u n indication of Af'rican

~nission. Ilc givcs clcar indicalions of proclaiming from lcrusalem all asoiind

Illyricum h c gospcl ol' CIwist \ ~ h c r c Christ is 1101 known, but no1 to build on someone

clsc's l'oi~~~datiori (I<olii. 15: 19-20). I t is acccptccl that Paul ncvcr scelts to prcach in

Africa bccairsc Cliristinnity has had succcsscs in African nalions, at lcast in Cyrene,

Lybin, Cnrthagc, !:gyp( and EN~iupia whose adherents could sclay thc mcssage for

on\\;;lrd spr~ad . 'I'i~is issw: s~!pporls c:~rl) Cl~ristiui!l!y in A Ssic;~ before Ei~ropc.

'I'lic clisci~~lc.; ancl :~postlcs \ \~r .c v:attcrcd :,I1 over tllc then \vosld, preaching lhc

guspcl allel i l l tllc coursc, tlic Lradition of St. Mark is wiclcly ac.ccpLed that he was an

apostle to ASrica and cstahlishcd the first Chi~rches in Cyrenc, and Alexandria. l ic

bccamc Lhc Iirsl Bishop oStllc CIILI~CII i n Alcxanciria.

I'ai~l's attiti~clc to\\!arcis thc gospel prcaclii~lg slloulcl be covctccl by all C'IILI~CIICS

and ministries spscxling illlo cvcry nook anel crmy ol' Africa for Saskr :lnd wider

covclagc 01' thc gospcl than competing \\/ill1 onc nnothcr in n coticc~itra~ccl ccnter and

pid!ing members Srom one Church to andier .

'l'lic f ' x t that AiYicrl is included in tllc snlvific plan of God and revcalcd from

ci.caLion io cscl-~atology ((knesis to I<cvclatio~l) has made tl;c position of AfYic,a anci

A iiicans pcculinrly unicluc in Ihc biblical accounts.

On the csclintological issuc, Egypt (ASsica) is Iiguralivcly mcntioncd as a city

i ~ i l c : ! ' ~ dead bodies will lic :lnd wlicrc tlic !,old ivns cruciliccl. 'I'hc allegorical L I S ~ ~ C

I y 1 I 0 c i i 0 1 I I I \ I 1 Illdccd, the ],ro])llct'~

is: !igilr.alivclp against Aliica, but literally, Ciod's cstravagant lovc is ablc to f'urgivc,

!'orgcl and save Africans clernally.

0. 1 . Siiritificaacc of AI'r ici i~~ Idc~il i lv 111 t h c 1hrIy l'ust-New 'rcslatucnt

I'crspcctivc.

l 'hc nctivc involvc~llcnt of Al?icnn C1irisli:uis in the gospel and tlic apostolic

eras blossomed in thc casly post-New 'I'csiamcnt Christianity through tlic carly Churcli

1;atllcrs wliosc tlicological contsibutions have inllucnced the Universal church for

i>t)hI~r~ty. Illus, ttvo promi~lcnt Cliurcllcs ~ l i u t ~lirovc si~ii~~ltancously during ~ l i c the

birth of Clirislinnity in Al'sica wlwc Alexandria and Carlhage, both or wliicli

Iloi~risl~crl during tllc first two ccnturics of Christianity wliile the 4"' ccntury markcd

tllc /.cnilli of Al'rica's sluncl and slatus in Clirislianily.

I'sodi~cts oftllc ~ a r l y ASrica11 C I I ~ I I ~ ~ C S wcsc well cquipjxd L I i ~ ~ l ~ g i i l ~ i ~ , Church

1:a~Iicrs and l'atriarclis cvllo clcfcnclcd both tlic Cailiolic and Protestant doctrines in

C'llristianity at vcsy high costs. Among such scholars of distinction, exccllence antl

g u t apologists wcrc siccli as Clcmcnt ol' Alcxandria; Tertullian, bishop of Carthage;

thigcn ol' Alcxnnclrin; Cjpri~un, llisliop of Carrhagc; Atlianasius, Bishop of

Alwlndria; Donatus, Uisliop ol' Cartllagc, Cyril, l3isliop of' Alexandria; The Iloly

Grcat Martyr Mcnas and Ai~guslinc of IIippo, lo ~iicntion a Scw of whom cacll is

Osiclly summariscd below:

C'lcmcnt of Alcxlndria (1 50-250) bccacnc a pscsbytcr ol'tlic cliurcll antl lnilght

in !\lcxnnclri:t l'or over 20 ycars. I lis writings wcrc rcmarltnblc in biblical quotations.

I le :11so tlcl'cndecl t l~c f c ~ i t h against gnosticisn~.

'I'crtui lim, Bishop of Carthag (C. I 20-260) was Tronl pagan puc~its, but

bccai1:e 3 Chrislian antl a lawyer by proScssion. I le was the iirst major Christian to

writc in Latin and wus tlic firs1 dso to coin tllc word "'l'rinity" from tlic Latin Word

"Lriilr is". I !c was a bril liant A l'ricnn oralor, la\vycr. ph ilosopllcr, apolo&ist, cduc3lioiiisl

: !lc! LI 1hct)logian.

Origcn of /\lcsanclria (C. 185-254) \vas bor~i into a Clisistinn Ihniily. I-lc was a

proli)uncl tliinl;cr as wcll ils spiritrl:~I anel a loyal Cliurclirnan, I Ic licadcd n "rcno\vncd

~ . ' ~ I ~ c L ' ~ I c ~ ~ c : I ~ ~ e ' l l O t ) l 01' ~ ~ c . Y ; I I I ~ I ' ~ ~ I ~ ~ 1 ' 0 1 1 \ {I IC il&!C Oi' 18 ~ 1 1 1 ~ 1 l ' i l i~Cl1 ii:< 5killlditi~!

~it~l!~cricrilly lor 25 ycnrs. 1 Ic then sct 111) thc ScIiool oS ScIioIar~Iiip i n Caesarcn fbr d i

I'i~lt.slinc for a~~otlizr 20 >*cars. Ile procfucc:l thc Ilcsnp!n - the grcatest piccc of

biblical schol:lrship in tlic c w l y chu~-cli. ttictcl~y yr~tli~ig in pnrallel columns i n both the

!-lcl>~,ew and (irccli 'l'csls. l lc is veneralccl as the lirst biblical scholar, thcologiali and

~n~lstcr' ol'asccticisnl.

Cypsim, 12isliop ol' Castliage (C.200-258) \vas born into a noblc ihmily but

orily rcccivccl Cl~rist at the age u f 46, after wliiclr hc gave up his rich lil'e as a lawycr

liw cc~lih;rcy. 1 It, I I C . C ~ I I I I L ~ VC-:\I I ~ I O C I C I ol'rigorot~s ?.!,,)rIl~ Al'rica~l h i t11 :1.11cl ~It\:clopcd ill::

co~iccpt of' thc I:~~cliarisl \vhicli latcr pavcd way for the Catholic bclicf i~ ;

"11 anubstanliation".

Atlia~iasius, 13ishop of Alcsauclriu (C.300-373) is hnilccl Sor his hicl.arcl.~;l

dcvcloprncnt li.o~n tllc post of Deacon to Uisliop. I lc attacltctl Ariw h r Iris I I C I ~ ~ t l l i t t

denied lhc ticity ol' Scsus alltl wcnt on to hclp to Sorm~~l:~tc the Nicean Crccd. I Ic wils

Ii~~nously k n o w ;IS "the I:allicr 01' Ortliodoxy". 'I'liough cxconi~nunicated many times,

lie nwcr gnvc np the st~.iiggIc for he triilh of the Gospcl.

I lo~la~us, bisliop of Car~llagc (C.313-355) has his miiin cont~'ibuLion to

i;lisistianity tllrough his bclicl' in thc autlmiticity of tlic Biblc rind thcrcby ui.tacltccl tllc

!<oman Clatlwlic Church I'or not sticking only to tlic Bible. I-Ie is rcsporisiblc for

seitil~g i ~ p t!1c 11,udition i;r A li-ic:ir~ Clirislinlii~y.

('yril, I';rtri:~~*cIi 01' /\Icsaiitlria was bclicvccl to Ilavc piuidccl over ltic (:c.xiricil

of' I,phcsus that deposed Ncstorious who bclicvcd the Virgin Mary was tlicoioltos

(Motlicr ol'Gocl). I-lc also lccl in adopting and consolitlnting tlic two nnturcs of Christ.

IIlc I loly Great M:utyr Mcnas was n iintivc 01' Izgypt who lived during t l~c 3''l

( ' ,~!L~:L.Y ALj. 1 Ie WilS :I ~ C V U L I L ~ r ~ l ~ i x l ~ r ; Cllri~tiil!~ aiid an cscmplasy soldicr. 1 I:: hu;.!

biuciw:; !i)r l!ic nf'l1iclci.l ivho also liacl ti;!: Mi~~iuiry a1' inicrccssion 2nd dciivwuiw.

'I'l!cx~urc, tllis rni~iislry is lioi n rcccnL cliririsni;~tic hlovcmcnt.

Augtislinc of' I lippc (C. 354-430) Iiad n godly niotlicr b ~ l ; became a C:hristian

()illy \\hen he \ v x a n adult. I lc was \wll ctlucalccl in many licltls. I lis hicr:~rcl-ly was

I ' I . O I I ~ I'~.csI>yIcr 1 0 Ilisl~op : I I I ~ I I C : I I S O ~)r~sidciI O\JCI- the C ~ I I I I C ~ ~ S 01' l lily)o arlcl

C x t l q c i!i AD 397 wlicrc tlic Ncw 'I'cstamcnt Canon of the Scriptures was

ticlcrn-iinccl anti went alicrld as the lirst lo publish it. lie was boll1 an academic and

ecclesiastical gcnius. 'I'licrcl~rc, Ilc \\Ins n huge pride lbr all African Christians, post

I r c s c 'l'licse x c jtls( :I lk\v 01' tlx carlj, Al'ricun COri.;ti:ln b\ll\\/odi~ wilosc

identity in the early Al'rican Christinnity lnaclc i~idcliblc and intlispcnsablc marks in the

imivcrsal Church ol'Christ lor posterity.

I t is allirmccl 11131 Aliicun languages are 2,058 and many out oS these 2,058

Ali.ic:m languages I1::vc got [llc 1lil)lc tlmslatcd :11ii1 ~ l lc Uiblc is a well i~sccl book in

botii rural and ~ ~ r b n n a rex by Aliican Cl~risti:~rls. 'k vcl-nnculnr principle: in

(%ristianity \v:is carliest cscmplilicd in Aliicn bcc:lusc h c l i , ~ ~ thc cncl of the 3'''

cc11tu1.y Al l , Aliica has had the Uiblc tr;lnslatcd into thc Sahidic and Coptic languages

a~icl the early Aliican Christians Ii:lcl clcvclopccl the Coptic I,i~urgy and invcntcd

Moilasticism. 'I'hcsc vcnturcs prcvc~itctl tlic complcle a~lnihilalion 01' Cliristianily in

Norh 14 Srica.

Iicgading Christian beginning and Alcsandrian dcvclopmenl, thc first

' ,~I i i~~s~i;~ns \.VCIC clcvo~cd t i ) l c m ~ i ~ ~ g alwi~t Ute ~iica~ling 01.h~ I3i!)lc o r w!i;~t wc c i l d?c , , I ' l c s t ~ i c ~ t . 1 llcy wcrc co~~ccr~lccl \vitll what Jesus hacl t:ltight and t!lc

i~iic~~rcl:ltions bctwccri Ilis tcacl~ing and the Old 'I'cstamcnt. It was probably 2t

Alcsni~drin solnc~liing iilorc turned u p in the cpistlc to the 1 lcbrcws regarding ~ h c role

i~i'.!::sis as thc Iicavcnly I'ricsl rcl>lacilig lllc pries1 of thc Old Covc~lanr. 1 Icrc wc li~il! , , l ' , , ' ' r . cii:,!1l.:Ltl(>11 ! .~c~ \vcc I~ ~ i ~ i i p l c iml liiorc ~ C I : V ~ ~ I I C C C I ~cacliing being made. l lsc Egyptian

(.'Iiri;i!ii~lls prolnpliy ~:!I.CSCC iliip!icaliolis 01' such scl~ools \vhich evclltual~y Il'id

i~llluc~iccd lhc liti~rgy of the i~nivcrsal Church.

North Ali.ica \\us part ol' tlic rcprcscntnlivc Clirisliunity of Ilic cnrly ccnlilrics

O i ' ilii: lui~li. It had a record ol'sul'fi'rings unclcr [hc rccurrc~it bursts of locnl and s!atc

i:~r':~ccations, i l l n pcriotl when martyrcioill was thc tchl ol'Cliris!inn autlicnticity. Early

Ali.icm CIII-islians povitictl 11ii1c11 01' the in~ellccluitl task lbrcc of carly Cliristiat~;ty

which tlcvclopcd t l~c grouncl\vorlt o f Cliristia~~ 'I'licology.

0 . S i ~ ~ l i l . i c ; ~ ~ ~ c i ! 01. A l . r i c : ~ ~ ~ w ( i i ~ i l l l l ~ < o ~ ~ I ~ . i ~ t p o r ; \ r y I ' c . I - - s I ) c c ~ ~ Y ~ .

'I'hc ~dntionsl~ip of Al'rica with the Bible goes centuries before the histh oi'

Clwisi ::nd beforc tlie Old 'I'cstatiic~lt translation (L,XX) was donc in Aiiica ir~to Grcck . Simil:~rly cvcr bcl'orc the atlvcnt ol'tl~c Wliitc mall in lhc co~~tincnl of Africa, il1~1.c 1iuJ

bcc~l historical i~ l tc~xt ions \villi Cl~ristiiinity and Inorcso, in llic Saviour Jc:,<.., Clirisi

t:~liir!s rclirgc in Ali-icn \vliich is an issuc tli:!t ratlinlcs its glow in evcry :.'l:,t.is~i?.-~ , . ,

gc~lcration.

I h d y Chi.islianity ;~cti~illly Iloi1ris1ml and was wcll rootcci i n North AVricn, but

L I I C /\sabs L\U.C :hIc 10 O V C I ~ C O I I ~ C it due to sl~oitltlcr-ri~bs in t l~c~ logy among ~11c carly

C:hurcl~ 1:utlicrs. I io\\/cvcs, allliougl~ tlic intcntiun of the Arab Isla~nic invi?sitiir \\la:; lo

:t~iniliilatc Christianity i n Al'rica, it is still sustained :\gainst all odds bccause i . , . ; blxn

clccply ancl lirmly rootcd.

It is atlmiltctl that Aliicir~~s 11;1vc Iiirtl ~~u~t ic~ .o i l s gotls liltc in [ I s of' t l~c

C'halclca~ls, Abraliam'j: nativity, but tllc appcnralw 01' tlie God 01' glory has brought

dclivcrruncc Srom them. 'Then, tllc advenl ol'Cliristianily with its inipacis, I~ave rcachcd

all ~ h c sliorcs of Aliica and bocrnced bcyond the conlincnt in the contcmporary cvs;l.

Unlil<e the colonial clays whcn all about Aliica and tlic Africans wcro >vicwcd

wg:l:ivcly with prcjudicc, thc last tlircc decades have witncsscd nulnerous writings by

ASrican Cliristian educationists, theologians, and biblical sclrolars regarding

ilc\~clopmcnt and trcnds ol'Cllrishnity i n Africa.

I<ulcs oSAli ica~ Clirislia~is' unicli~c conl1.ihi11ions to tlicologicnl clcbalcs whicl~

arc biblically busccl have bccn i~~dicatcd as a compass towards thc 21" ( n t u r y

Christianity i r ~ ASricn. 'I'licir nunibcr has triplcd, tlicir newly built Cliurclics :w Full,

:iwir i~\llirc~,cc is growing atlcl in tlic i~nivcssal cliurch, ASriciun Christians I-lave w o ~ 11

licr:;i\io~l t l i i ~ t can n o I I ~ O I Y be o\uxlool:cd.

Cilristianity in ASrica is very signilicxlt i n tlkal tlicy liavc adhcrcd to il lor ilt;

ri:ligious/sl?il.iti~i~l v a l ~ ~ c s and lllc csprcssions 01' i t ;lrc visible and ad ib l c cvci-; ;\Iicrc,

bcing so sool.hing Lo tlic ASrican rcligiousity. Cliris~i:l~iity is an African rcligiwq ::: !hct

c3r!y ~ I I ~ C I c o ~ ~ t c ~ i i ~ ~ ~ r a r y / I ~ ' s ~ c ~ I I ~ C:liristi;lli:i have madc indelible conlributiotis io :I:<

;-:rc.:\vil; n:~cl clcvcloprncnt 01' the Universal C11!~1rch. I3csl)il.c (he \+xvc:; o! sy:v:i~;iw:

:1!:c1 C L I I ~ ~ I I . ; I I 11o1111s \vliicI~ ; I ~ C cx:~IlccI o\w spiri(~1;11 ;~i)s~)Ii~lcs in cci.l;~i:l ; I I -* - L L 6 s > \lit

lwcrcqativc cvcr bclongs to J~s i i s as the o!~ly Saviour, ~vliilc the I3iblc rciil;~ins !I;:

coliipass in A l i h n Chri.i[iani(j~,

Acco~1111i11g l : ~ :Al'ric:;~il iclct~tily i n t'liyis~i;~;iify. [l!c ~S:;LIC or >.!:i \ j~;~ ~ i i i 1 . I Y . ! , , ~ , , , :

l i . a t l ~ us \veil as lhc \vestern colol~imtion canliot he iporcd !'or tilt !ilct !Itat !I:cy Ki.i:

plIuiic)nlcna Lha( haw inllucl?ccd thc wllolc c o ~ ~ r s c :)I' Aliicil, :!:c .A lk iu~~s : ! i - i \ l iiz!:

I 5 i x k . 1)inspora. having sufl2rccl nlorc lion) Ilun~an csplvitalion and colonizntiu!l ~ ! : : : i i

:,,iy otllcr continent.

' 1 ' 1 1 ~ ~ ~ ~ l l l ' O ~ ~ ' : ~ l i \ \ t i(k '~lh'~;~d llo~iol: [ I I C SCVCII !~ :C! !~~~ L C ~ I ~ ~ I I ) ' l!l:il t ! l ~ / ' , ~ i ! C ; i T ;

l ~ v c ~ c just o w slcp :~bovc apcs and tlicrcl'orc, wcrc slot \vurtl-~y of consiclcririiori us

i i~!i~iai~s i n lhc rccou~lling ol' history has lost its hold. Mcanwliilc, in ~ h c wal s;.!;~,

i'\!ilc. \d lcy civilizatlorl Ilad dcvclopccl at a milch cariicr period !iw~ tilo2;e oi' L u K ; ] : LI-!

I ~ : I ; iolis.

'I'he propllccy that Atiica was tlic spirilual reservoir of the woidd is hc i i l~

li~l iil!cd in thc contemporary cn1. 'l'hc Uib!ic:~l signilicancc ol' Aftica 2nd Africans'

position has bccn cstablislicd.

It has been al'l'irl~vxl tllal tlic New 'I'cstamc~lt \Yorltl Iioltls a ~xcilliar view

rcgrcling Alkicnn Cht-istims with a distinclion li.o~n other Gcnlilcs of the world.

Contc~np~rary vic\vs slrpport il also. 111 the cliscussion on Gentile Cl~ristians i;i Lhi:

h o k of Acts of [hc Aposllcs, Aliican Christians nr-c distinguislicd by colour or plrtcc

ol'origin along wilh o good rccog~iition ol' Illcis l aho~~r ill lllc gospel prqmylion.

Attic~uis \vcrc mcmbcrs of Judais~n and thcn bccmc Christians from thc

inception 01' Clhrislinnity. Unlikc other Gentiles who bcgan to Iicar thc gospel li-oin 49

A l l (during I'aul's I:irst Missionary journey), thc 13tliiopian c~iniicli had his Christii?:1

cncountcr (from Judaism) in AD 34 whilc others hrld had thcirs earlicr.

I t is establisllcd that ccrtnin Jews are as b lxk as Ali-icans. A t Icast, Solomm's

clai~n r h t Ilc \+us black nl'lir~iis tllc fr~cl (Soi~g. 1 :5,0). On thc otllcr hand, evcn tllougi!

the .ic\,vs rcjcctcd thc salvation ~hrougli .Jesus, tlicrc is ~ : o New 'l'cs~arncl~t rccord ol*

Al'ricnn Jccvs re-jccting it , i t is also cstablislicd [hat lsracl was a black nalion and tl~at

tlcsccntlanls 01' Lhc original I3lxlc Jcws arc in Isracl, ASrica and tlic Mcdilcl-sancun

areils 10d:lg.

Socially and cul~i~ndly, Aliican C1-~ris~ians obscrvc various cultures ~ h i c l i arc

rcloicd lo thc Jc\,vs unlilic otlicr Gcntilcs. 'l'hougli circumcision is insignificant i l l Lhc

I I C \ V '1'cs~:~nicn~ ~~rg;~r~I ing x1Iwiio11. i l is l i o i v ~ ~ ~ c ~ ~ . 1101 I i ~ ~ h i d ~ I c ~ ~ i n a ~ i y i.v:~y cil.li~i~. '1.0

I ' L I I I I I C I ~ ~ I I L I . C S S l l~c IhcI I C ~ I ~ ~ I I ~ : Ali.ic;\~~s, h e isstlc oI 'c i~ 'c i~~iicis io~~ is tlcvcr rl~iscd :IS

a c;i>;c study os bone ol' cor~lcntion againsl tlic Aliican (Gcnlilc) Christians w i i ~ WCIX

li~ynien or Icadcrs in [tic early Church il~ililcc ha t of 'l'imo~liy or l i lus that bccanic a

sui?jcct of contention. 11 i s al'lirmcd in this stucly that tlic right ol' circumcision hy

\;ll~ic.i~ t l~e pcoplc 0 1 ' ~l lc Ijildc arc distinguisllctl l'ro~n pagan nations, is also inllcritctl

l'son~ Ncgro Africa. 'I'hcrcforc, thc New 'I'cstanicnt Aliican Christians alluin 100?4 in

l l~c c i r c u n ~ i s i o ~ ~ issue.

Kcgarding tllc hmily life, ~ l ic Jews and AfYicans arc very 11iuc1i the same i l l thal

ii ~c i r 1 )ri111;1ry p i~~~posc 01' ~~ i : t r i i~gc is procrci:tiixi I1)r 1 1 1 ~ sdcc 01' poslcsity wli ic!i CO~!I::S

very 11ii1cIi in gcncnologics. 'fliis issuc to a grcat cslent, is unnecessary to ollier non-

i'illici~n Cknlilcs. Anotlics nrca of similarity Ixtwccn .Icws and Arricans as ~clnictl lo

ll1111ily l i l i ' ~.cg:~~.tls tllc palc~.~iity ol'tlicir tradilio~~s i n wliicl~ o~llp ~iialc cl~ilcl~ul i l l l u i l ~

rccogijililio~l ol' righls Lo li~n~ily propcsLy.

Je\w in biblical rccords and Afi-icans appreciate procreating many childrc:ii in

circlcr lo subduc tlic cxth according to ~ l ic biblical injunclions. 'I'liis goes Si~rll-1c.r lo ,

cicl,icl tlic godly consciousness of' Jews and Alikans whicli al'l'cct tlicis namcs cvhcrcby

ill 1lli111y cilscs :II.C' ( ; ( ) ( I I.cI:IIc<I.

01.1 Ihc issuc 01' the licrealicr, tlic Jews a11d Africans bclicvc the human lilc

coni in~~cs alics clcath and it is according 10 onc's lilk on cat11 bcl'orc one's dcatli.

'i'l~is \~icw ol'thc hcrcalicr has a biblical origin.

In the arca ol'political am1 social links ol'.Jccvs and Africans, only a I'cw rloii-

Jcwisli civili~alions can claim 11-~c biblical inlicritancc with as much justice as the

Negro civilization 01' Al'rica, bcing t l~c land of' C~~s l i . For instance, thcre is still

~)~)iiLici.~l c~rdinlity between Israel and Africa in tlic slatcmcnt Lhat I3thiopian .Icws still

have thc constitutional rigll~ to cmigratc co Israel whilc oli1i.r Ali-ican 11:1tions havc

good cliplo~iiatic r c l d i o ~ ~ d ~ i p s \vi th l\r;~cl loo.

1 1 1 I'xt, 1l1c use ol' laligi~;rgcs ((irccl\, I lcbrccv, 1,alin ant1 Modlcr IOII~LICS) \\/a:,

grcally ~ ~ t i l i x d by the carly African CI1ristiarw. In nclclition, colltcmporary /\fricnn

C'hristians havc dc\uloped tllc use of E~rglisli illid 1:rcncIi along with the others

~!icntionccl :~hovc in ~~rcaching the gosl~cl A o . Aiiican ('hristia~ls go bcyond their

~nr)tllcr tongues in order to ~llaltc [he gospel availnblc to otlicr nationalities.

'I'hc Nc\v 'I'cstanicnt in scglncnts rcachcd ASrica i n tlic first cc~iiury of 1 1 1 ~

Christian cra \vliilc thc Old 'I'csta~licnt was carlicr. l:ro~ii Alcxantlria and Carllingc tile

131blc sprcad to tllc 1:thiopiuil and Nubia~l Iti~lgcloms and liom the 15'" century, portions

o!' Illc I3iblc could be li)ulicl 011 tllc casLc1.n i~llcl \vcslc1.11 coasts ol' Al'ricn, the h i l~gdo~l~s

of' ('ongo, Mozn~nbiqi~c, Angola and in thc inlands. 1Jut i t was during the 19"' ccnt~lry

n~iss~onnry nlovcnlc~lt that tlic Iliblc spread all over tlic tropical Al'rica.

It is articul;r[cd that o ~ l y tlic Aliicun contincnt was cver rcl'crrcd to as "I hc

I > ~ I % C'o~il~~icnt". I<vc~i Llic cuucrll Ilalllc "Aliica" (Ali.ica11us) \\:IS giver1 I-~y tI:c

lCotl~:i~l~ anti i t has cloublc nlcrinings", "i1nltriow11" or "ckrk-skimcd". It ix17 ~K:C,:

li~icly said t l ~ n t CIu.ishnity grciv up in t l~c (lark being lilting t'or Al'rica in t h t a Sc~v

y c m aiier lhc clcah nlld rcsurrcclion ol' Jcsus, Clisislianily had its roots sccurcly

~)l:u~tccl in the continent tlicrcl'orc, the light ol'!Ilc glory ol' God has shown oil Al'rica.

As a ~iiatlcr of I;\ct, Iiislory slro\\s :hat Cllsistianily's tics arc ciowr ~ v i t l ! /\li-ic'~

illall vvitli I ~ I I . O I ) C ~lnd N01tl1 /'wlcricn. ' I I~crcl'orc, to claim that Christianity is :I Whit(:

i~i:iii':, rcligio~l just bcc:~usc Ilc b~ouglit illc gospel two Ilundrcd ycnrs g p , is

l ; i%,~o~ ically ~ I I : I ~ C ~ 1 ~ 1 t e .

':>I1 ( ; i Altliuug!~ Al'rica is rcl'c~red to as l l~c 'Yllirtl Worlcl", thc prcsent general: _ ~'111i.stiani~y irl AlYica, /\sill and l,atin A~llcric:t, will be I<ilo\\ln in his tor^. :IS o

q w a t i o n of' tlicological lixmul,rlion. A si~ggcslccl i~liplicatio~i is t l ~ t what happens

\ v i l l ~ i ~ ~ tlic African Clii~rclics in tllc ncxt generations will detcrminc the wholc shape 01'

1 1 ~ C'IIi~rcll hislory for ccntiwics to coinc.

CONCLUSION

c..;kil,lisl~ccl 1I1;\1 ('l~sis(ialiily is ill1 Ali.ica11 rcligioll. i l ' i t was thc LYhitc man's religion,

it i\ould not llavc bcc~i in Aliica bclbrc tlic colonization and it would have cvaticd after

tlic i~~ctcpc~itlcncc 01' Aliican nations. 13111 satlicr, it was lioin tlic gospcl cra and has

l3aus ( 1 99S:42S) conlirnis this issue by saying:

Jn orticr to buttress tliis hct, Grovcs (1948:46-63) cstablishcs that Af'rim was

r,'hsisti:uiizcd long bcfbrc tlic Wcstcrn world. In thc Lirst tlirce cerltusics of tlic

Clisistian csa, thc Church had been plantcd in I'gypt, rioina~i North Africa and the

ICingdom of Nubi:~. 13y thc ~nidtllc of the 4"' ccn[ury, niissio~iarics from Egypt wcrc

b ~ ~ s y planting cliuschcs in Ethiopia. Tradition 1x1s it that St. Mask cstablislied thc

C:lliircl~ in Egypt (Alcxantlria) ill about 42 AD. Ilowcver, the rcscarcli finclings

:icknowlcdgc tlic cfli)sts ol'ilic 19"' century LVcstcrn niissionasics whic!i havc stamgccl

some indcliblc socid inipacts on ATrican Christians and Clisistimity i l l c~itircljf

t i iso~~gl~ ccclcsiirslicnl aiicl auxiliary ininislrics. Such social inipacts src in cvangclis~x,

lilcdical clinics and cducnlion and tliesc tlirec asc intcstwiscd. Nlhambtrri ( 1 99 1 9 3 )

L C L I L C I * 01' C'lrristian Icarnii~g l i w ~ Llic carlicst period 01' its Uhsistiw history".

I . Majorily 01' ('llris(ii111:; arc litcrntc i11 llic 13iblc a ~ i d I l c r ~ r ~ i 1Zool;s i i r tlv.

In spite ol' No1111 Aliicn, having bccn invaded by Islam, yet that

c!willrs a1 lcast tvc-tliird (?3.3V4) nvn;l~cring I.'0 millioi\s o S ASric;~ns \vho arc

ndlicrcnts S C l i ~ i s l i ~ ~ r i t , but I3nur's ( i ! : , ) rcccnt statistics rcvcal :i:l

ovcc .wl rc l~ i~ i~~ growth to 350 rrlillion ~xup lc rndti~ig 45% of tllc (old Ali'icn~?

pop iacc . Wliilc thc sub-Saharan Aliica 1i:rs over 50% Christians (lahlc 26).

I:ollo\\iing the acccpta~icc of Cliristianily by Aliicans, Africans in turn havc

contributed to tlic growlli of the Church. Mulago (Bcdiako, Ibicl: 375) a Fsa~icophonc

1!1 si~pport ol'Mulago3s position, Walls (1996:G8) f'i~rllicr buttresses it by inidcating, "It

can I~ardly bc saiJ t h n l Mulago has made an exaggcratcd claim ror thc place of Aliica

i l l modern Christian Iiistory". 'I'hen Walls (ibid) hirnsclf in his cliscussion oforigi~is of

Old Nortlicrn onel New Soulhcrn Cliristi:~nity ascertains that the strengh of

'l'llis discussion co~ifis~iis Kate's (1975:47) pri)jcction in chapter 3 hat the

Numcsous African and \vcstcrn scholars huvc ~lcltno\vlcdgccl the active position

of' Alsicans in Christianity which has convincingly and positively changcd thcir

,,;!I::) liy Clii'l'ord 11. Scott ihili whul Americans iriiagincd Africa to bc liltc in thc first

4O j c m of tllc 20'" cctiiilry l i x suggestccl that the Americans' concepion of African

Ncgrocs \\.as Inrgcly innccusaic, busccl on prcvions niisconccptions about Atiicsican

swid impacts i ~ i Ihcolo::y : I I I L ~ scliolarsliip in thc IJ~~ivcssal Cliiircli.11i this gcncrniion

\\'hat has contributed to 1l1c growth and dcvclopncnt of the church in Africa is the

pieachcr that clocs 1101 use the Uiblc (table 23) a~itl (Figs. 10-12).

a~icl biblical scllolarship as \\ell ;IS that of the U~iivcrsnl Church has been establisiicd

bishops in tlrc s1)ccial :isscr:~bly o l ' t l ~ Synod ol'I3isl:ops on tlrc ihcrnc, "The Church in

Al'ric;~ As 'I'lic 'I'lircsliliolcl 01' the 'I'lrircl Wlillcnii~m", Ile declarcs this theme by

Lvcsy nation, cvc1.y Isibc,

Evcsy wul l m u 1 bc broken down;

I low good il is i o live as onc.

!~ltlccd, llic I,onl has b c c ~ so good regarding the icicnlity of Africans in Christianity

iI?:11 thc li~lut-c glimpsc ol' African Cliristiani~y could us I3aldwin (n.d.:30 .33)

tlcscsibcs i t as "/\ngcl in Ebony" mcl "Dirumond in the Malting".

Sirniiasly, OScjcbe (n.cl.) a Nigerian musician i l l his music, psojccls lhc

r > I lic pcsson weg say . - lno go beth for Africa i loly Gliosl ... ...... ... 1 : 1 1 ~ 1 ~ 1

m *- LnlWmr

A pudivc onc is pluycd on Lhc vidco co~npcict disc (VCD) in South Afi-i Y by a C'!iribtian group (2000) will1 thc rcfrain. "Jabuimi, Jabulani, Africa" which Incans "Rcjoice, IZejoicc, Al'rica" a11cl they dancc i t will1 llic ACrican rhythm u~: ~tyles. lndccd, ATricaw shoi~lcl rcjuice a:id ion /?ii.icans who apprcciatc God's dc:llings in ATric;n sliould ~c~joicc ~,vitl! 11s also.

Abbali, A. Dsvid (1976). Crosscs and C'ri~cilixion. jlJnpublisIicd paper). Ilorin: 1Jnitcd Missionary 'I'licological Collegc, p.7.

Ab1~311, Riil11 I,. ( 1 907). :l'cgchcr 13duc>1tion Joi~r~i:~!. '"l'he signilicancc oTATricn In The Early Chitrch" Volumc I, Numbcr 4, June

1997, Kogi Slak Collcgc Of l~ducation, Ankpa. Enugu: I lilly I'rcss (Nigcria) Lld., I'1'.25-34.

Acl; i~i l~gl~, I'elcr (1908). Qral l'ropl~ecy. Nigcrian Studcnt, Swonsca, U.K: I3iblc Collcgc o f Wnlcs,

Ada~iio, 'rucsday Dwid (I 978). Ali-ica and Africans In 'I'hc Old 'I'eslanicnt. Sun 1;rnncisco: Univcrsily Press, pp. 5, 9, 15, 62, 165.

Afiican National Iniliulivc (1993). "West Aliican Consullalion AD 2000 and Ceyond Movcmcnt, Mobilizing and Rcsourcing the Churches of Aliica and lkyontl lo I;inisli [he Task". Colorado Springs: International Oflice.

/\j;~yi, J.I:.A. (1969). Christian Missions in Nigeria: 184 1 - 180 1. Evanston: Norihwestcrn U~;ivcrsily Trcss. -- -

Albsi&l, W.1:. (I 906). Ncw 1 ! ~ r i m ~ In I3iblicaJRcsearcli. 1-ondon: Oxl'ord Univcrsily I'rcss.

/?iici(:i.si)l~, ihvid ( 1980). 'l'hc I'assion of Ma11 111 Llic Gos& a~ltl Litcralurc. I3IW Ihok Club, No.8. Brilish Library Dala, p.34. - --

A ~ l i c r , Glcason I.,, cYc Clii~~icliigno, Grcgory ( 1988). OIJ l 'csla~nc~~l Quolalions In 'I'hc Ncw 'I'cstamc!in

A (:ornpIctc Susvcy. Chicago: Moody Press, p. 147. -- -

Arndt, \Yillinn~ A. S( Gingrich A. Wilbur (1976). A Gscclc - I~ngl ix l i Ixxicon of 'l'lic Ncw 'T'cs~amcnI And Otlicr l?arIy Cliris~ian I.ilcsaturc. Chicago: 'l'lic University of Chicago pscss. -- -

A 1 1:.01d, A lbcrt N. ( I 882). An /\rncsica~l Co~ixiictltasy lo [lie Ncw 'I'rsstamcrit. Vol. IV: "A Conirncntary On 'I'lie I:pistlc '1'0 'I'hc - - ~ ~ - ~ L

l~o~nnns". I'liilatlclpliia: 'I'hc Anicricari 13nptist I'ublication Society.

.lliya. A.S. (1067). IJislory ot' I'astcrn Christianity. Notrc Damc: Indiana Univessity of Notre Dame University pscss, pp. 25-28.

Avigud, N. (1962). /\ Dcpositosy of Inscribed Oss~larics In 'l'he Kindron Valley. Isracl Explorat~sy Journal, -

pp. 1-12.

/\\\rol:~!u, S . 0 . (1 978. LVcsI Al'siciui Mig& "'l'lic Conccpl ol'I)catli Ar~tl 'l'lic I lcscaftcr In Y O ~ L I ~ ~ I Tsaditio~i". West /\lYican Ikligiun, Vol. 17, No.2, I'p. 35-47.

i h i l . , : !orst & Schncidcr, Gcsliard (Eds.) (Jan. 1994). Cxcuctical Ilictionap o r thc Ncw Tcstariien~ Volumc l*'.~(d;/--ga+(. Grand I<apids, Micliigati: i:-- ---f Willicim L . 1:crdmans publishin!: Company, p. 307.

ih~kct. . I<c~lrictl~ (Chi , Ed. I995), l'lie NIV S t d v 13iblc, , ,!I: Anriivcrsxy lYition. Gia11d Rapids: %.onclcsvan p~~blisliing I louse, pp. 1529, 2 "----- I j . 1 I, 1657, 16.58, 1670, I67 I, 1700, 1 SG3, 1936.

I'il,lc in l'\,vclvc Volu~ncs (Vol, VIII). Nasl~villc: /\l~iilgclon prcss, 1 14.

C ' h l islisli Association of Ni~csia (CAN) I'i~blicntions.

(hpril, 1 998) Kadun:~: Northcrn CAN,

Clc:~gc., Albcsl 1;. J r . ( I O G O ) . 'I'hc L3lacli Mcssiah. N:w Yosk: Sliecd and Word, p. I I I .

('oIlir;s Gcm (IOOS).~!g!ish Dictionary. Ncw Edition !ill. t l ~c 2 I " C:~IILLII-Y.-~ larpcs Collins publishers, 298. -

ihit! ( 1980). I'rtst 3, pnsr~blc- %anzim, pp.3 I , 32, 78.

!!,id (iO7S). 'l'hc Ncw 13iblc I)ictionary, I X ! ~

!:I-:gland: Inter Varsity prcss, 1). 1304.

i5id ( 1 090) 2"" I<(ii~ion, pp. 1354, 1609.

ti:~d ( 1980). 'I'lic Illuslra~cd 13iblc Uiclional-y.

~ 1 . c ( 0 7 ) . 'I'Iic (;rcnvtIi ol'tlic Chusg& Al'sica. Jos: AC'I'S, Aliicnn Christian 'I'cxlboolts, pp. 15, 26, 57 -

Gircbclein, I:sanl< E. (Cicn. Iltl. 1990). u c Expositor's 13ib!c Commcn~nsy i11 'l'welvc Volume (Vol. 10). (isand I<apitls, Michig~rn: licgcncy I<cl'crcncc Library, Zondcrvan I'r~blishing I loilsc, p. 157.

I .inds[:II, I larold (1 005). I l q w Study 13iblc. (Rcviscd Sl:uiclard Version). Grand Rapids, Michigan: %;~t~clcrv:ir~ Eiblc !'i~blisIicrs, pp. 1436, 1 439, 1536. 1644.

r'\!ibogosi, .I .M. (Nov. 1075), ccl. 13cst, I<cnnctIi, _Alijca~!-C'':lIlxg~ "I lo\\/ the Uiblc is Used in Al'ricu".

Nairobi: 'I'rans-A fi.ica ~ ~ i ~ b l i s l ~ c r s . I'p. 1 I I - I I S.

P,/ id~ali~lned, I<lin %,afi.ulla (1978). 'l'lic 0~1ra1i. Lmclon tk Uublin: Curzon I'rcss Ltd..

"'i hc pr~!,pccr ol'i'hsistianity ill Nig,cri:~". 'i'l~c Niy - i : 1 .4ssociation li)r 13ibiical Studics, Vol. No. I, April, i'p. 06- 106.

i'iiintcr, Joiin (lO97). Mark's Gospel. Idondon c% N ~ w Y o I ' ~ : I?oul!etlgc, p.202.

Scales, Mausilti S. !:all, 1907). 'J'lic .lournal or llic Ir~kxnalio~ial 'L'ilcological Ccnlrc, Volumc XXV, -- N L I I I ~ ~ X X I . " l , e y q I<cclailnccl - A I listory ol' I I I ~ C S C S I a ~ ~ d study of Ancient Egypl - An Ali*ican Ccnlcrecl I'crspcclivc". 'I'lic I'I'C' prcss. 1'13. 1 1-43.

!;colt, LSrncst ( I9 13). 'I'lic Lk~ inn i~ ig of llic C I I L I ~ C ~ . Nc\v Yosk: Charlie Scsibncs's Sons, 1). I .

Sl~aw. L 3 . (11.~1). Q c a { Civiliznlions: l<gypl. ~,ouglibosoi~gli: 1,ntlybird Books, pp. 12, IS, 20,34.

:-;ilo\vltcr, Kay ( 1084). i:otlos's 1gy121, New York: I'odos's 'I'savcl G~lidcs, pp. 48, 53, 77, 78, 120.

"tsorl:rj James (11.d). Stro~ig'h I ~ s a u s i ~ c Concostlnncc oF tlic IZibk ! ,; !iciib~l.g, Visgir~iw: 'l'lic Old - 'l'ilnc Gospcl I lour.

Si~i i t la~, \oic,c. (Junc 3; 1000). "Mcet 8-Yca1_Olcl 13vangclisl Utitil 'ox ---. 13:: Anum, Victoria, Clisisli;ln Affairs: Godly Talk, Nigcsia, p. 12.

i d ( I I . 1980). 1 hc Zondcrvan I'icLosiaI . 7 ~:~rcvclopnccliir oL'111c 13ihlc, V~ILIII'IC C h , A - C' Ilcxar~tlri;~ (13lail\!ock, I<.M. Cirmd Itapiclb, Michigan: Zondcsvan publisliing I louse. PIX 100-1 03.

' l ' i~clw~~, 1<~1tI i ( I 097). Nigeria Lliblc Traislation 'l'rust. "is Your Language Spoltcn by God Yct?" Nc\vslctter, Vol. 5, No. 3, .los: 1'13. 1- 10.

'l'yson. .l.ll. (cd. 1988). I ,ulcc- Acts rind Lhc .lc\\4sh J'coplc: S Critical l'crspccli\:cs. Minncupolis: Augsburg.

l j ! q I.;.h4. (I09 I). Lli-ic:ln 'l'licolo~zical Journal. '.'l'iic Aliican Fanlily and Issue of Wolncn InScrtility".

Volu~iic 20. I'p 189-200.

\I'ciss, John Johan~ics ( I 950). IMicst Cl~sislianity: i\ I listosy ol'tlic pcriocl All 30- 150, VO~LII I IC I I. ..

Nc\v Y O ~ < : I larpcr 'f'orchbooks.

William, Ilcldc (ctl. 1989). T11c Nc\v Concise I3il)lc I circstcr, 1IngI:incl: Inks-Varsity I'rc~s. pp. 02, 1 SO, 273.

\;l1orcc's1er, J.I.1. ( n . d). 'l'lic Lilk ol' David 1,ivinmtonc. Chicago: i\/loocI!~ press. pp. 75. S 1, 98.

Young, l<obcrt A. (lid. 1 Icrlxxt Apthckcr, 197 1) . I:li~ioph!i I\/la~iil'csto. "Istic In Ilckncc ol'thc 1 2 l d < - .---

M:III's I<igllr\ i l l rllc Scalc 01' I l~livcssal 1:rcctlolll In A Ducumcntary I listory 01' 'I'hc Negro I'coplc 111 'I'hc U~iitcd Stalcs". NCLV Y o I ~ : Citadel press. P.92.

'I'ihlc I : I'csccnlagc ol' Aliicru~ land Mass ( 1 .O)

( I . 1 & (1;ig.S)

-. Clrs l l Mizsaim 1 1'111

(Ethiopia) (13gyp t) (1,i bya) (I'alestinc)

1 75%) it1 Africa

i'ablc 4: Ali.ica/the 1:cr~ilc C'rcsccnt ( I .2) - -- -

God's promisc to Abraham (Soil l'c%:y) r Wllcl-e hc journcycd li-om Mcsopotarnia to Egypt

I :. I&pL (A l1ric:a) has 100% by Llic 1 1 i lc Val Icy I

alI~i\ l ial soil. I I

'I'able 0: Refuge for Jcsus (4.2.2) --- - I Cities ul.I<cS~~gc fw J c s ~ ~ s in isracl = 0% -7

'J'ablc 8: Cornl'ost lor Jesus err ~.ozrlc Cr~~cifixion (4.2.4)

l'nblc 0: Africaiis i n the J'cnlccost Expcricncc (4.3.1) - -- - - - - - -- - -- 1 15 oaliunalilics arc rcpcscnlcd.

i Ob: 'I'lic Scvcl~ 1)cacons (cIS.4.3.2; 4.3.3) -- - -- -- --

Slcplict~ (ow ol'ilic scvcn clcacons atd a great apologist hails lium Alcxanclria (ASrica) 117 = 14.2% i

'I'ablc I I : A li.ican I'atriarchal l<cvicws (4.3.3) -- - - m ~ s t o r ~ o r Israel 2nd Cllristinoity is l ~ ~ a m p l c t c i

'l'ublc 13: Africans in ihe First Systematic Evangclisrn (4.3.5)

2 nirtionalities are rcpresented (Cyprils and Cyrene)

I (Cyrcnc) is in Africa

'fablc 15: Jewish Al'ricnns (4.3.7 & 8)

'I'ablc 16: Jcwish Ali-ican N'1' Authors (4.3.8/4..3.12)

-- Born

U scd

'I'ablc 17; Sl. I'aul: A Mislaltcn Al'rican Identity

(43.9)

Apollos 1 - - - - - - - - - - - _

'I'ablc 18: A l i k a n Ship (4.3.10)

I ~ J ~ i c a ~ c d -. - _ -- - -_--I

'1':1171c 20: First Apostle in Al'sica (2.2.?;4.3.12) - - -

St. Mark (A Jcwisli - Al'sican):

I:irsl Aposllc in Al'rica

One of the N.'l'. Authors I- 1

'I'nblc 22: Aliica in Ilscliatulogy (4.4) -- ----

1:igwalivc Cilics (Soclom alld 13g~j>t) 1 I I

'I'ablc 23: Earlicst Biblc 'I'ranslation (5.3) -- -.. - - - - - - -. - - -- - - - - - - -- -- - - ----

I . 1 icbrcw Old 'i'cstarncnt, translated inlo Grcck (LXX) in

Ali-icn, two Ccnturics before Christ (280- 150 BC). 1

2, '1 hc Bible was lirst translaled into two (Sahidic and Coptic)

languages bcforc tlic tlrircl century oUC11rislia11ity (I .4)

'l'ablc 24: Bible 'I'ranslaLions, 2000 (ligs.7,l0, I I , 12)

F i t s . 7 Map: 'The Fcriilc Crescxij -A<--

/

F&: 4 Map: A ~ ~ c i c n t Ncar East Before Exodus

\ Ranlah Nimrod (not on Gen. 10:8

Siclon / (Gcn. lo: 1 5)

<no+ on hor 0-3

C i m t i ~ g s in the name of o w L.ord

I am in receipt of your letter of January 28, 1999, reqclesting current information on Bible ir..x;slciic'ns in Africa. Your request comes just a few months before we will have a new editiLtl o l the Ethnologue which is the publication we put our about every four ycars. However, tbrt i!iformation from the last ediiion is still approximately correct as things do not change all ti. quickly in our field of work. Translations take on average over 15 years from start to finish.

As of "196, ou i records show a total of 2,011 living languages on the continent of Africa. Of tiicse, only 121 have a full Bible and 219 others will at least the New Testament. 325 h a w iiatisluiion work in progress, 33 are nearly extinct with only a .few elderly people who still use i.11e language. 18 of these are being used, but the speakers also speak and understanri anoti-iar language with enough proficiency to understand even the Epistles and other more ,li l~; ...,alcu!t passages of Scripture. 77 are unlikely to need translation, but will require more evalualion to be sure. Most of the rest require more research to determine the needs, but m!x3 will turn out to definitely need translation.

i hope that is the kind of inforrriation you were szeking. I'm sorry that I am not expert on thc status of Christianity in Africa in general. If you have access to the internet, you could got sonre !lelp from the AD2000 web site.

K;iay I refer you to our sister organization in Jos for more information about Nigeria itself?

!3. Dsnjuma Gambo, Director Nigeria bible Translation Trust P.O. Box 790 lcls, fJ!:~teau State.

As you undoubtedly know, Nigeria remains the largest need of any country in Africa, and it IS

very diliicult for foreigners to come to Nigeria to Work. Fortunately there are many educatrcl Christian Nigerians, but not many are concerned for translating the Bible into ihe languages ui the people.

.- i L-:i k r y r n a n , P1i.D. Africa ,Area Task Assessment Coordinator c - m i l I c d Bergman @sil.org.

80G.S: GENESIS 1-11

PERIOD: The WORLD before A ~ ~ H A M

CREATION EVENTS: , Tho F A ~ L The FLGOD . . - .

. . - . . . . . . . . A D ~ ' CAIN A O ~ L ENOCH PEOPLE: EVE

. . SETH NOAH . .

EXOXIS 12-40 ~ ~ ~ , { ~ $ $ JOSXUA J'JDGES RUTH DE2TERONOMY

I

0 2 T E S T A M ~ J T TIME LXXX 2 9 0 0.C. IX!!, lac0 !iCJ 1600 !SO0 145

I ," .?""W . I GENESIS 12-50 .I... -. . 2. -..... . . EXODUS - . 1-11

:AGE of the PATRIARCHS; EGYPTIAN XINDAGE

I - - - I - - StiEM - HAM : ABRArlLM ? A C O B ( ~ ~ + ~ ~ J

ISAAC ' - . t JOSEPH J A P H N

WIL3XNESS CONQUEST of CANAAN TIME of !he jUDGES

EXODUS LAW INVAS!ON BCNDAGE and DELIVERANCE TR3FRNACLi of CANAAN OFTEN REPEATED

A NEW LIHE of FHAR40HS 'OSEL

lCG0 1 ,' 900 300 700 GOO 500 4C0

UNITED MONARCHY!DIV;DE~ KINGDOM DEC!INE e i jU3AH EXILE RETURN !ram EXlLi I

CAPITAL at TEMPLE REVOLT of DES~RUCTION FINC'NG 6;3K DESTRUCTION 'DECREE CLOSE of JERUSALEM B U I L ~ ~ JERCI?~AM of S%;)RIA ' of LAW ef JERyAALEM of L Y j U i 0.7.HlSTO?Y,

5 9 . 9 Map: The Nations Of Genesis Ten

!%. 10a: Bernman's Letter, 2000 - . . -- - Bibie Transiaifons In fifricarr Languaqes

0- . : Rc. t-ror-rl Mrs. Xcth L. A.hbah, ROOTI 238, Nkrurnah ti:_1II Laic: 00-05-0 1 : 18: 12 t l3 I Frc;ii: ted bcrgman@sil.oa (Ted Bergrnan)

EPSEELON@aoIIcomM 10: - -

;]ear Mrs. Abbah,

Cci)_ !-a!:ilzlms on th.2 ,iew casseites in Igala. Youi reqmsl for ;he list of African languzges is not easily possible unless you are wiliing to have me s w ? you a frle that is very large. I am afraid that would cost yoir quite a Lit of money. Or are you asking only about Ianguqes produced on casse;:es?

b 1 ~ ~ i i revision or new translation: 51 l?sported Liiilqual: 246 i-1~7 r.r.rly extirxt: 4'1 3 rAk);:>: 333 NT: 876 Progress: 1278

TOTAL NUMBER OF LANGUAGES 6899

Larigua~e portions with at least one book of the Bible but not a full 'Jew Testament: I028

;",fr-ica 2058 An-r2ri~a~ 101 3 Asia 21 97 Europe 230 Pacific 1311

TOTAL 6809 languages in the world.

Of ?he 6809, there are 5600 languages with no NT or Bible, anc! 4572 with no Scripture at all. That comes to 1,024,667,784. people that have not NT or Zibk, and 508,785,997 with no Scripture at ail.

Fig. ?Ob, A Genetic ReIationship Jesc~s film. Needed revision of Bible in progress (1998) Cil~n(i!ralism' 711cy are able to converse in mcst colnmon topics in ldclna arid

Agalu

here is the iniorn-lation 1 have about your language, Igala,

\CI Pligeria \':iU Africa AT\{ !(;/\LA i''.it(;l .~LI;c spelii~ i(J: iGAR/i dialecis: EBU, IDAH, ANKPA, OGUGU, IBAJI, IFE, ANYUGBA C-' .- i-C.r, . J I for information: SIC 4973; UBS 1990; John S . Dibble I598

xscol~~diac.Com, P.O. Box 3732, Englev~ood, Co 80155-3732 i ~ w c t i c relaticnship: Niger-Congo, Atlantic-Congo, Volta-Congo, Benue-Conao,

Defoid, Yoroboid, lgala XEIG Kogi Stale, Ankpa, Ida!), Dekina, and Bassa L.GAs; Edo State, Oshimili L.GA; Anambra State, Anarnbra LGA. \i-'a? 800,000 (1989 UBS) \M USS, CMML, CEFN i'ub. Date for 6 i k 1968 First pub. Date ior NT: 1935 Translators: (G. Oyibo, S. Gako), Spencer J. Dibble I,lotcs: Kaymcnd T. Dibble working here in '1921, translated the Bible. --

Thursday May 4, 2000 America Online. EPSEELON page 1

\USE Ayatu, Idoma, and Bassa people use lgala for attending Ika Bible School \EL€ Used in initial primary education \%EL 60% traditional religion, 30% Christian, 10% Muslim

this sort of information exists in rinted form in a book called Ethnologue P for all 6,809 languages. The 14 edition is being printed and will be available very soon. I don't know how close you are to Jos, but you could contact Nigeria Bible Translation Trust there and they have a copy you could iook at. Or if you have access to the internet, you can find much of the information st y~~~w.s i l . o rq .

Please do not hesitate to reply if you have other queslions.

111 Cliiist's nm lc arid for ~ I IC kingdorri,

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-- Headers Return-Path: ted berqman@sil.orq

.-. :tr. + I la, Letter: Idheria Bible Transfation Trust --. --

- Director's Letter, 1999.

NIGERIA BIBLE TPA!4SLATBON TRLlST Old Airport Road, P.O. Box 790, Plateau State, NIGERIA

Telephone 073-46281 1 ~ 7 ' ~ September, 4995

D.N. Gambo, Esc; M.A.

Mrs. I'i~~iil Laruba Abbah Depariment of Religion University of Nigeria Nsukka.

Dear i\l!zdam

Request for Current Information on Bible Translations

Your letter to one of our partners, requesting .for current data on Bible Translation in Africa, has been referred to us.

We are pleased to enclose some c i our recent past publications, containing some current information on translation work in Nigeria. We hope you will be able to glean some data from them, particularly from vol. 5, No.2. if you do require more information, please fell free to let us know your specific needs.

Meanwhile, we note with interest your area of studies - we are looking for Scholars like you to partner with us in tackling the enormous translation needs in Nigeria. We look forward to hearing frorii you again.

Yours sincerely in Christ,

Tony Aliu Resources Development Coordinator.

Scriptures in Nigerian Languages as of July, 1937 Conrpiied by Nigeria BiSbe Tm~slaiiors lfust

Total Murnber of Living Languages - 470 (1996 Ethnologue)

'l'ra11slalio11 Lw!cy_-.-- - - SII. 13s S11, Sll. SIL AG IISN S11. S11, llSN 1IiS SIL SII, S11, SII, IISN LCN IISN SII. SII,

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Ycnr oI' I ' L I I A ~ c ; I I ~ ~ I I

1978 1084 1977 Iosn IOHJ I OH2 1030 1080 1981 1 070 1995 1071 1007 I Y X l 1977 1920 1050 I W6 1970 1 9x0 1089 IOSF 1080 1 00 7 I !j :< I!

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l luino Cross I<ivcr

T:lrill>a l'Iiili:i\~~

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3ig. 1x6.: Old 'l'cst~~ncnt Translntio~~s a ~ ~ d Uibk Revisioris i ! ~ Prowess

'l'raesiulioo

Agency

SIIJN U'fT N IYI-1'

N IiC 13SN N IiC I3 SN BSN USN NRC

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Nl3'IWI' SIL/NUl1'

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L,i\nguagc I Sulc 1 TranslaLion A ~ C I I C Y C'hamba ( I h k k a ) I Tarnbn / CRCN 1

Iicbbi UMCAISlL Niger UMC/VSIL Abu,ja ECWAISIL Kcbhi LJMCWSII,

Ih-i~isl~ n r d 1:orcign Iliblc Socicly I t i l~ lc Socic[y ol'Nigcrin ('hurch Missionary Socicty ('!,111-c11 or Christ in Nigcria Chris!ian Rc!'wiied Church of'Nigcria I~va~igclical Church of M'cst Africa inlcrnalional I3iblc Socicly I.atl:xin CIILI~CII oSNigcria biational Bible Socicly of'Scotlancl Nigcria 13ible Translation 'i riist (CIILII'CII of Clirisl i n LIIC Sutlan among the Tiv). Ncllicrlands I<cSort~~cJ Congrq+iions Ncw Yorlc Inlcrnalional biblc Society SI1 , In~crnaLional/WycliSfc Iliblc 'I'ranslakws Scriptures Unlimited I Iic f3iblc Societics I!nitcd Uiblc Socictics U~litccl Missionary Churcli A l l i ; ~ ~ u World I lomc Biblc Lcagnc