AbstractThe Eldest Brother and New Testament Christology explores the origin of cultural representations of Jesus as an eldest brother. Through ethnographic surveys, author Harald Aarbakke shows that the role of the eldest brother in different African societies is often accompanied by additional roles, among them mediator, protector, and leader. Aarbakke also searches for an exegetical basis for this understanding of Jesus, and argues that an eldest brother Christology can be substantiated by the cultural and literary context of certain New Testament texts (Matthew 25:31-46 and 28:10, Mark 3:31-35, John 20:17, Romans 8:28-30, Colossians 1:15-20, and Hebrews 2:10-18).

AbstractThe Gospel according to Luke has been described as both the loveliest book in the world and the best account of the life of Jesus ever written. Luke's aim was to present a history of how God accomplished the work of redemption for the whole of mankind regardless of race, color, and language. Abogunrin discusses the applicability of Luke's message to the modern lives of suffering and starving African refugees.

AbstractLes quatre paradigmes autour desquels s’est élaborée la christologie africaine de ces dernières décennies (culture, pauvreté, race-racisme, responsabilité historique) représentent-ils de véritables lieux théologiques ? Si oui, dans quelle mesure ? Si non, comment peuvent-ils le devenir ? Quel soubassement anthropologique l’Afrique offre-t-elle pour une articulation significative – c’est-à-dire, sans relents idéologiques – de sa réponse au Christ ? Tel est l’objet de cette étude s’appuyant notamment sur les dialectiques du père Fessard.

AbstractThe importance of the mother tongue in the planting and growth of African Christianity has been stressed by scholars such as Lamin Sanneh and Kwame Bediako. Bediako, for instance, states that "the ability to hear in one's language and to express in one's language one's response to the message which one receives, must lie at the heart of all authentic religious encounters with the divine realm." The paper discusses how the translation of the Bible and the use of the mother-tongue-has facilitated the production of new theological idioms by Akan Pentecostals/Charismatics in particular and Christians in general. Particularly, the paper discusses how the use of the mother-tongue has contributed to the re-interpretation of classical theological concepts such as Christology. Christ as an Ancestor and Christ as Healer-Duyefo is among the topics to be discussed in this paper.

AbstractThis research investigates the problem: do contemporary African Christologies reflect the portrayal of the personhood and the significance of the Cross of Christ in the New Testament? It explores the Christo logical views of African theologians in Black Theology, African Theology and African Women's Theology, and the fundamental presuppositions of these forms of Christologies rather than providing a detailed treatment of the individual Christo logical views of these theologians. The research argues that the methodological assumptions of African theologians, specifically, their hermeneutical starting point and convictions, deeply influence their Christological thoughts and constructions. Therefore, this research examines contemporary African hermeneutical methods, particularly searching for their congruence with the original and characteristic Protestant hermeneutical conviction of Sola Scriptura. As a comparative study, this research deliberately compares these contemporary and representative African Christologies with Paul's view of Jesus Christ and the significance of his Cross, thereby inquiring specifically after the role of Christian Soteriology in these African Christo logical approaches and comparing them with Paul. The research argues that, looking at dominant contemporary African Christologies from the perspective of Pauline Protology and Soteriology, they do not always fully reflect the New Testament portrayal of the personhood and the Cross of Christ in the New Testament. For future work on African Christologies, the research concludes and suggests that African Christologies be critically evaluated based on their congruence with the Protestant hermeneutical principle of Sola Scriptura.

AbstractThis article undertakes a critical appraisal of contemporary African christological discourse. After an exposition of a sample of three contemporary African Christologies -- specifically looking at the interplay between African traditional religions (ATRs), experiences, societies, cultures, contexts and Christianity -- the essay evaluates from an evangelical understanding of the person of Jesus Christ, all the three dominant Christologies espoused in the essay. Recognising the influence of African traditional religions and cultures in the development of Christian theology, specifically Christology in Africa, the essay argues for a further continuation of African christological discourse, since the discourse itself is a form of dialogue between ATRs and Christianity. However, the essay suggests that reflections and constructions of Christology in Africa should be done in such a way that the person and work of Jesus Christ will not be misconstrued in African receptive cultures and contexts.

AbstractThis essay undertakes an exploration of contemporary African Christologies in the sub-Saharan region of Africa. In the first part, the essay describes the major developments in African Christian thought that produced three major theological trends in the sub-Saharan Africa from which major Christological trends emerged. The second part is an exposition of contemporary African Christologies. The third part evaluates the three major Christological trends. The essay argues and concludes that the situation of the Africans - especially the notion of human suffering and African pre-Christian religious past - plays a key role in all the three major Christological trends.

AbstractReligion and life, both private and public, remain strongly linked in Africa. This was recently expressed in a prayer vigil organized by Ghana Airways when the staff and management invited a London-based Ghanaian evangelist, Lawrence Tetteh, to lead a 'healing and deliverance' service aimed at exorcizing evil spirits from the affairs of the airline and releasing it from its predicaments. The organization of a healing and deliverance session by a public corporation, it is argued, is symptomatic of the quick African resort to the sphere of religion in the search for solutions to life's difficulties. Religious functionaries including Pentecostal/Charismatic pastors are important in Africa as purveyors of powerful prayers, potent medicines, and amulets for protection against evil. The Pentecostal 'healing and deliverance' ministry has become popular in African contexts like that of Ghana because it takes African worldviews of mystical causality seriously. This Christianity promises Christian alternatives to the search for security that drives people into the courts of other religious functionaries.

AbstractTrois affirmations principales progressives concluent les resultats de la presente etude : (1) la pensee soteriologique negro-africaine, dans ses principales options (chapitre 1 n iii) possede de considerables ressources. Mais le discours soteriologique ne quitte pas le schema d'opposition qu'il denonce et rejette dans sa majorite. Celui-ci est renverse, mais non surmonte ii y a une triple separation et reduction (chapitre iv, v. Vi) qui appauvrit le discours et empeche la richesse qu'il annonce et dont il porte les elements d'emerger : c'est ce dont il a besoin pour se constituer qu'on lui ampute. En effet, c'est la richesse soteriologique qu'on annonce au monde c'est-a-dire l'unite du salut et l'unite de l'homme, qui est en meme temps etouffee. (2) ii ne s'agit ni de retourner simplement l'heritage soteriologique recu ni de continuer l'ancien schema reducteur. Il s'agit d'unir ensemble ce qui a ete separe, et, dans et a travers ce projet d'union, rechercher notre propre accentuation en vue de la mission. Il faut lier sauve du peche et sauve du mal, salut de la personne et salut de la communaute, salut present et salut etemel pour permettre a la presence-totalite que proclame le discours de trouver son lieu (chapitre vii) (3) pour realiser cette union qui prend en compte les richesses soteriologiques du discours africain (presence et totalite), trois concepts theologiques necessitent d'etre lies ensemble (conclusion generale) : (*) l'identite (lier crise originelle, crises historiques et crises contemporaines pour comprendre le probleme d'identite telle qu'elle se pose a partir de l'existence africaine) ; (**) la restauration (comprendre le salut comme restauration a laquelle appartient la liberation) ; (***) la communaute (integrer et soumettre la question des structures a la question communautaire). Ainsi, le christ est venu pour nous liberer du diable et du mal et restaurer notre relation pour nous redonner notre identite d'homme. Le salut en jesus-christ est restauration de la relation dans toutes ses dimensions. Il est communautaire et non individuel. C'est parce que le salut est communautaire qu'il est personnel.

AbstractThe central claim of this dissertation is this: christological images like healer, liberator and king, which are popular in grassroots Christian communities in sub-Saharan Africa, have socially transformative dimension and potential. The potential, however, is not yet constructively explored nor fully actualised in the African Christian landscape and theological circle. It is then argued that distilling the potential consists in retrieving three closely interwoven christological notions: relationship, agency and praxis. To spell out this argument, the work draws on insights from Jon Sobrino's Christology. Sobrino's historical Christology, with its model of Christ's existence as "incarnate divinity," allows him to lay out certain themes for disclosing how belief in Jesus Christ - as a single reality regardless of whatever image he is proclaimed in - could provide resources for Christian engagement towards bringing about a more just social order. Three of the themes which are relevant for the line of inquiry in the study are: (1) Jesus' relationship with the Father and other people, (2) Jesus' service of the Kingdom of God, and (3) Jesus' call to discipleship and hope for a transformed reality on the basis of his resurrection. These themes offer the systematic-theological structure for working out the christological trajectories for social transformation in Africa. The trajectories, or what could be designated as the historical correlates of the aforementioned themes are: (a) enhanced relationship of Christians with Christ and with other fellow human beings, (b) empowered human agency of Christians as an outflow of this relationship, and (c) embodied practices of solidarity, both within and beyond ecclesial communities, as the form of Christian discipleship. It is from this line of reasoning, the dissertation concludes, that we can understand how belief in Jesus Christ presents resources for Christian commitment to social change, or simply put, how Christ is the image of social transformation.

AbstractChristology has gradually become the dominant theological issue in the development of African theology. Many theologians, in their attempt to construct theology for the African churches, have used some of the African cultural categories. Of interest for this dissertation are the works of John Pobee and Kwame Bediako who used Biblical sources and African cultural categories with special reference to the ancestral paradigm. This dissertation critically engages these two attempts to construct an authentic African Christology that uses indigenous religio-cultural concepts to speak of the Jesus encountered in the Bible. This project affirms and shares the concerns of this theological movement. However, it questions some of the assumptions and constructive moves: it also seeks to examine the extent to which these attempts have delivered on the promise of honoring both the biblical witness and indigenous thought. Predominantly, the project critiques the appropriation of the Akan ancestor traditions in Akan Christological projects. Intriguingly, such an appropriation to make Jesus Christ "at home" in the African spiritual universe mirrors the Anglo-European identification of Christ with their own culture, which is identified by the African theologians as the source of the problem in the first place. Therefore, this study seeks to facilitate a conversation between the selected theologians and Karl Barth who, in the European context, made some methodological decisions to counter the easy identification of Christ with culture, in an attempt to recover the independence of biblical testimony. This move is an attempt to shed light on the complexities of the challenge facing the construction of African theology. It also hopes to better enable African theologians to avoid some of the pitfalls of Anglo-European theologies in their very effort to distinguish Akan Christianity from Anglo-European cultural categories. This dissertation suggests that in doing Akan Christology perhaps we should turn to Paul's vision of Christ in his Second Letter to the Corinthians, where he develops Christological formulation in the phrase, "God was in Christ." This understanding of the fullness of God being made available in concrete terms, it is argued, is the function of Christology within the Akan tradition.

AbstractTout le discours sur le relativisme situe les difficultés de l'Église dans un monde de plus en plus globalisé. L'institution ecclésiale n'est plus au cœur de l'organisation sociale. Elle doit se frayer une place dans une constellation de systèmes qui sont parfois mis en concurrence les uns avec les autres. Il se pose inéluctablement la question de l'Église. Que peut-on en dire ? La Bible ne répond pas directement à la question, sauf qu'elle propose une multitude de métaphores qui ont été reprises avec plus ou moins de succès par des théologiens. Elles constituent autant de modèles ecclésiaux. Ces différentes représentations donnent une certaine image de l'Église et de ce qu'elle est. Aucun paradigme ne semble faire l'unanimité. Toutefois la fraternité présente plus d'avantages que les autres. Aussi la considérons-nous comme la meilleure expression ecclésiale. C'est dans cette perspective que nous avons formulé la problématique de notre recherche qui porte sur "La fraternité en Christ : les fondements théologiques de l'être ecclésial et son incidence africaine". En conjuguant aussi bien la dimension structurelle et les sentiments fraternels, la théologie de la fraternité dépasse les impasses liées uniquement à l'institution d'une part et aux vertus de l'autre. Elle transcende les limites imposées par les traditions. En effet l'Église-Fraternité est essentiellement facteur de relations. Elle relie l'homme à Dieu et rapproche les hommes les uns des autres. Ces travaux de thèse s'inscrivent dans la perspective de recherches que j'ai entreprises en Maîtrise et en Master sur les critères de reconnaissance d'une véritable ecclésialité. Pour les uns, l'Eglise est une grosse machine juridique sans cœur et sans âme qui écrase tout sur son passage. Elle pèse par son poids et sa lourdeur. Par ailleurs elle n'a aucune compassion pour ceux et celles qui ne se conforment pas à ses principes directeurs. Cette Eglise semble lointaine et indifférente aux personnes et de leurs préoccupations. Pour d'autres, l'Eglise manifeste l'idéal d'une vie communautaire entre des hommes et des femmes qui ont répondu à l'appel de Jésus, lui ont soumis leur volonté et se sont fait ses disciples. C'est l'image qui se dégage du récit des Actes des Apôtres. Ce communisme primitif constituait la spécificité de la communauté naissante de Jérusalem. Jésus mène par contre l'homme à la connaissance d'un père et l'introduit dans une relation filiale. Il apparaît alors de toute évidence que l'homme est porté dans une relation transcendée. C'est la dimension de la filiation adoptive par laquelle il se reconnaît enfant de Dieu, frère et sœur en Jésus-Christ, Fils unique de Dieu, et frère et sœur vis-à-vis des autres. Cette fraternité embrasse tous les hommes. En effet la filiation établit une relation nouvelle en Jésus Christ. Cette communauté des frères et des sœurs ne se réalise que dans l'Esprit-Saint. L'Eglise en tant que Fraternité se distingue de toute autre société car sa cohésion sociale est fondée sur l'Evangile.

AbstractJesus Christ, the Son of God, Son of Man, Son of David, Lord (Kyrios), Rabbi and Messiah. These are some of the names used by Christians today and even by the people from the era of Jesus Christ to address him or to communicate with him. Others use them because they were taught that this is the way you talk about him or to him. People use all these different names to describe Jesus Christ according to their understanding, knowledge, trust and belief in him. This article will describe how the Sotho, who are African Christians, from the township of Mohlakeng in Randfontein, know, understand, trust and believe in Jesus Christ according to the title of Great Ancestor. Views of the inhabitants of Mohlakeng are used to describe the complexity of the issue. This article discusses what the meaning of the concept of ancestor entails and determines whether Jesus can indeed be referred to as Ancestor. There are different answers to this question.

AbstractThe issue of blood sacrifice is of great importance to Christians because of its connection with Christ’s death and with Christian soteriology (the doctrine of salvation). In the Akan community of Ghana, where traditional religion places high value on the atoning efficacy of blood sacrifice, a proper understanding of the atoning sacrifice of Christ has a high potential of enhancing people’s appreciation of the work Christ did on the cross for human salvation. Yet, not much research has been conducted on the subject for Akan Christians. This literature-based research was therefore conducted to develop an Akan Christian theology of the once-for-all sacrifice of Christ (referred to as Afɔdeprɛko Christology). After a brief study of the issue of blood sacrifice in both Akan and biblical contexts, the study proceeds to formulate an Akan Christian theology of Jesus’ once-for-all atonement. In the process, the study engages relevant portions of the lyrics of Bernice Offei’s song titled “mogya” (“blood”) as a way of developing oral theology in the Akan community in particular and Africa in general. The study concluded that Jesus’ sacrifice is enough to secure human redemption and to offer solution to all human existential needs; therefore, in the post-resurrection era all traditional sacrifices intended for atonement must be stopped.

AbstractJusqu'ici, la christologie africaine n'est pas intégrée dans une théologie trinitaire systématique. C'est ce déficit que voudrait combler l'auteur. Comme point de départ de sa théologie trinitaire il met au centre la vie et la parole. Cet ouvrage montre comment la théologie trinitaire peut contribuer à redynamiser les sociétés africaines d'aujourd'hui au plan ecclésial, socioéconomique et politique. Un livre qui donne un souffle nouveau à la théologie africaine et dont ne pourront plus se passer les recherches ultérieures.

AbstractThe centre of gravity of contemporary Christianity has shifted to the southern hemisphere where, with the exception of Latin America, almost all Christians are minorities in their home countries. Christians in Asia live amongst Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Shamanist or Taoist majorities and this context shapes the local Christian theology. The same is true in Africa where traditional religions and beliefs influence African Christians. Central to this change in both Africa and Asia is the creation of a new Jesus, one who accretes local beliefs and concerns and who, in that process, is transformed. 'The Non-Western Jesus' reveals how a new theology - with its own images and concepts - is coming into being. A wide range of embodiments of Jesus is examined: Jesus as 'Avatara' and 'Guru' in the Indian context; as 'Bodhisattva' in the Buddhist context; and Jesus within Asian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, African and Indonesian religious contexts.

AbstractThe first section of this news report presents two studies which deal with the question of contextuality in Christology. The second section gives a review of a book on Christ as seen by philosophers. The third section groups together three books devoted to Protestant Christologies (those of Luther and Calvin among others). The fourth section reviews, among other things, two recent introductions to Christology.

AbstractDepuis le discours de Paul VI à Kampala en 1969, l’Église africaine ne cesse de répéter l’expression « christianisme africain ». Avec le discours du pape Benoît XVI à Ratisbonne en 2006, au contraire, on peut se demander dans quelle mesure il est légitime et pertinent d’avoir un christianisme spécifique à l’Afrique, s’il est vrai qu’une « deshellénisation » n’est plus possible. Pourtant, l’exemple même du christianisme primitif en Afrique suggère que la foi vécue n’échappe pas au contexte et à la culture où elle s’articule et aujourd’hui encore, l’Afrique noire développe résolument sa théologie pour interpréter à sa façon l’unique foi en Dieu un et trine.

AbstractOffering powerful insight into aspects of contemporary African culture not always fully understood, Dr. Elkanah K. Cheboi examines the meaning and implications of the Pauline statement in Galatians that “Christ became a curse for us.” Drawing from biblical passages referencing judicial curses, and the widespread practice of cursing and blessing within the Ancient Near East and Greco-Roman world, he investigates how the crucified and cursed Christ provides the ultimate solution to the power and dominion of curses.

AbstractImplicit in the concepts Incarnation, narrative, Christology, Shona women of Zimbabwe today is the God who acts in human history and in the contemporaneity and particularity of our being. The Incarnation as the embodiment of God in the world entails seizing the kairos opportunity to expand the view and to bear the burdens of responsibility. A theanthropocosmic Christo logy that captures the Shona holistic world-view is explored. The acme for a relational Christology is the imago Dei!Christi and the baptismal indicative and imperative. God is revealed in various manifestations of creation. Human identity and dignity is the flipside of God's attributes. Theanthropocosmic Christology as pluralistic, differential and radical brings about a dialectic between the whole and its parts, the uniqueness of the individual, communal ontology and epistemology, the local and the universal, orthodoxy and orthopraxis, Christology and soteriology. God mediates in the contingency of particularity. Emphasis is on life-affirmation rather than sex determination of Jesus as indicated by theologies ofliberation and inculturation. At the interface gender, ethnicity, class and creed, God transcends human limitedness and artificial boundaries in creating catholic space and advocating all-embracing apostolic action. Difference is appreciated for the richness it brings both to the individual and the community. Hegemonic structures and borderless texts are view with suspicion as totalising grand-narratives and exclusivist by using generic language. The kairos in dialogue with the Incarnation is seizing the moment to expand the view and to share the burdens, joys and responsibility in a community of equal discipleship. In a hermeneutic of engagement and suspicion, prophetic witness is the hallmark of Christian discipleship and of a Christology that culminates in liberative praxis. The Christology that emerges from Shona women highlights a passionate appropriation that involves the head, gut, womb and heart and underlies the circle symbolism. The circle is the acme of Shona hospitality and togetherness in creative dialogue with the Trinitarian koinonia. The Shona Christological designation Muponesi (Deliverer-Midwife) in dialogue with the Paschal Mystery motif captures the God-human-cosmos relationship that gives a Christology caught up in the rhythms, dynamism and drama of life.

AbstractEn 1986 paraissait l'ouvrage Les chemins de la christologie africaine . Revu et complété, il sera réédité en 2001. Certes la nouvelle édition témoigne des avancées et des progrès récents de la christologie africaine, mais la question se pose, selon nous, de savoir si le discours théologique produit est encore pertinent pour les chrétiens africains en 2004. En quel sens éclaire-t-il leur foi chrétienne ? Au-delà de cet ouvrage emblématique, nous voudrions poser la question de savoir à quel public s'adresse le théologien africain quand il use de concepts et de catégories qui n'ont pas forcément prise sur la vie réelle des chrétiens, ses contemporains ? Ce questionnement nous a habité tout au long de ces années de recherche après avoir lu et relu cet ouvrage qui constitue assurément le premier jalon d'une réflexion christologique proprement africaine et accessible à un large public. De ces interrogations est née l'idée de réfléchir à cette problématique en vue d'avancer, si possible, des propositions christologiques pertinentes et crédibles d'où l'intitulé de notre thèse : Chemins nouveaux de christologie africaine. To hasten the hour of the African reception of Jesus Christ, to favour the blossom of an adult and responsible Christian faith, to elaborate a relevant and credible theological discourse, such are the tasks that have been imposed to the African christology of our days. This thesis is consecrated to take up this challenge and it is composed of three parts: 1) First, we described the genesis of the project of African theology. We then put forward a description of the African christology in order to appreciate the interest and the limits of it. 2) We analysed the socio-anthropological and religious situation of Senegal which is our anchoring point. We could, therefore, illustrate the mutations and the transformations which the African societies go through and which condition the life of the individuals. 3) Reinforce by this analysis, we made new christological proposals starting from choir singing, a theological place that expresses the confession and the comprehension of the mystery of Jesus Christ by the African Christians. Finally, we supported these christological proposals by implications and supplications in order to assure the relevance and creditbility of the African christological discourse. It is what the title of this thesis want to express : New paths of African christology.

AbstractFor many years, Africans have embraced a Christ who was a stranger to their worldview and culture; a Christ more reflective of western epistemology than that of the Christ encountered through the Scriptures. Today it is widely accepted that all theology (Christology) is contextual and therefore arises out of the synergy between culture, Christian tradition, and Scripture. Our knowledge of Christ is therefore something that is not static or detached from everyday life but dynamic and immanent. A true assessment of Christ in Africa must take us to the wellsprings of African orality where Christ is seen and experienced at the grassroots of Christian experience. This article explores the way Christ is encountered and appropriated among Akan African Indigenous Churches (AICs) in Ghana. Drawing upon a nationwide Christological survey it explores the sources that adherents of AICs draw upon in shaping their knowledge and understanding of who Jesus is to them. It further examines how their appropriation of Christ aids them in the quest for life and wholeness in what is very often a world of poverty, disease, and conflict.

AbstractAfrican indigenous churches (AICs) are commonly known as being highly pneumatic. Some even argue that their overly pneumatic spirituality has weakened their Christology. The question of the place of Christ within the pneumatically centred theology of AICs is an important one that has been explored more rigorously in recent years. This article that constitutes part of nationwide research in Ghana among indigenous churches, explores the place given to Christ within the religious apprehension of Ghanaian AICs.

AbstractThe article explores the African experience of Jesus in an objective and subjective sense. Under the rubrics of missionary, biblical, and independent experience, how Africans have experienced Jesus centers on the question whether and how Jesus can be said to have moved from being a stranger or guest to being kin and finally host. How Jesus has experienced Africa is a matter of the “paschal imagination” perceived as the re-creation and transformation of human life, the esthetic celebration of life, and the need for a socially responsible church.

AbstractThe question of ecclesiological identity is a pressing one in the contemporary context, particularly in the light of the church’s increasing marginalization or relative insignificance within Western society. This question of ecclesiological identity is explored by way of engagement with the guest Christology of the Nigerian Presbyterian theologian Enyi Ben Udoh, and by way of John Koenig’s New Testament Hospitality. The result is a suggestive and constructive vision of the church that prioritizes its status as guest, in relation to the Christ who comes to the human family as guest, then kin, then Lord. The implications of this guest Christology for the church are sketched in conclusion. L’identité ecclésiologique est une question urgente dans le contexte contemporain, en particulier avec la croissance de marginalisation de l’Église et de son insignifiance relative au sein de la société occidentale. Cette question d’identité ecclésiologique est examinée à travers la « guest Christology » du théologien nigérian presbytérien Enyi Ben Udoh et à travers le livre New Testament Hospitality de John Koenig. Le résultat est une vision suggestive et constructive de l’Église qui priorise son statut d’invité, en relation avec le Christ qui vient à la famille humaine en tant qu’invité, puis parent, puis Seigneur. Les implications de ce concept du « Guest Christology » pour l’Église sont esquissées en conclusion.

AbstractThe centre of gravity of World Christianity has moved to the South. The numerical growth of African Christians however does not manifest itself in ...

AbstractThis article is an amalgam of four talks given over several days at The Community of Women and Men in Mission Conference. The overall title ‘Who do you say that I am?’ covers the subjects of Jesus the Liberator, The Healer, The One Who Empowers, and The One Who Sends Us. The author explores these issues in the context of Africa and opens a very illuminating set of questions.

AbstractUsing theories in medical anthropology, especially the ideas inspired by Hector Avalos and George Foster, the study explains three activities associated with the early Christian healthcare system: (1) touching infectious people, (2) hospitality towards possibly infectious people and (3) the practice of itinerary evangelism as an activity that earned Christianity the dubious role of being a carrier of infectious diseases. Discussed alongside the issues associated with the advent of COVID-19, the study aims at (1) reflecting that early Christian healthcare system, which was an offshoot of Jewish healthcare systems, had practices that were perceived to exacerbate infection. In addition, (2) in view of the advent of COVID-19 pandemic, although of lesser catastrophe to ancient plagues, the study proposes that such epidemics call upon the collective actions of mercy and kindness, as Jesus did towards the infected. Theoretically, Victor Turner’s concepts of liminality and communitas assist in imagining the discursive ideas concerning labelling and marginalisation of the Jesus movement, with comparative implication towards those suspected to have contracted the deadly COVID-19 virus. The study concludes with a warning against Christian practices that may further inflame infection by suggesting alternative practices for love and empathy towards others. Contribution: Using ideas concerning infectious diseases in antiquity, the study reinterprets the Jesus movement as a movement that was perceived as carriers of infectious disease. Due to fear of infectious diseases, the rituals associated with hospitality towards the outsiders, the touch and laying of hands and iternary lifestyle were seen as promoting infection. Taking this perspective, the Jesus movement whose modus operandi is mostly associated with the periphery of the villages and cities created alternative rituals for the outcast. In view of the spread of COVID19, such stance by the Jesus movement provides lessons for the church and society to reach out to people who are considered infectious and burden to main society.

AbstractEboussi Boulaga, Fabien

AbstractIn Nigerian Christianity, many theologians and Christians who do not have any formal theological training perceive Jesus Christ primarily as a solution to the problems that confront humanity. As a solution, they expect Jesus Christ to inspire some theological discourses that will deconstruct and overthrow Western theological hegemony, to rekindle the quest to preserve some indigenous traditions, to liberate the oppressed, poor and powerless, to expose the oppressors and all evildoers, to liberate and protect people from the attacks of the malevolent spirits, and to save people from being eternally separated from God. But what these solution-oriented Christologies have overlooked is that the Christ-Event is a paradox for it creates simultaneously a problem and a solution for the Christian community which confesses that God has revealed God’s self in this event. The contextual Christology that I develop in this study probes the theological, christological and anthropological consequences of this claim for interpreting and appropriating Jesus Christ in the Nigerian contexts. To achieve this task, I will converse with and critique some selected ‘constructive Christologies’ of some key theologians and some ‘grassroots Christologies’ that have been informed by social conditions, indigenous worldview, encounter with some versions of Christianity propagated by the West, and some existential issues that confront many Christians. However we choose to interpret and appropriate Jesus the Christ in our contexts, he remains simultaneously a question and an answer to the theological, cultural, religious, anthropological, political and socio-economic issues that challenge us. Viewed from this perspective, I will argue that the Christ-Event upsets, unsettles, critiques, and reshapes the solution-oriented Christologies of Nigerian Christianity. I will explore this claim within the circumference of the overarching thesis of this study; namely, as both a question and an answer, Jesus Christ confronts us as a ‘revealer’ of divinity and humanity. Thus, he mediates and interprets divinity and humanity for the purpose of enacting and sustaining a relationship between God and human beings.

Abstract"'Who do you say that I am' (Mark 8:29) is the question of Christology. By asking this question, Jesus invites his followers to interpret him from within their own contexts-history, experience, and social location. Therefore, all responses to Jesus's invitation are contextual. But for too long, many theologians particularly in the West have continued to see Christology as a universal endeavor that is devoid of any contextual influences. This understanding of Christology undermines Jesus's expectations from us to imagine and appropriate him from within our own contexts. In Re-imagining African Christologies, Victor I. Ezigbo presents a constructive exposition of the unique ways that many African theologians and lay Christians from various church denominations have interpreted and appropriated Jesus Christ in their own contexts. He also articulates the constructive contributions that these African Christologies can make to the development of Christological discourse in non-African Christian communities." -- Publisher's description.

AbstractThis article gives an overview of African and Asian women’s images of Jesus as proposed in academic discourse in the last twenty-five years. Some of the images discussed are explicitly feminine (e.g. Jesus as mother), although many of these images are proposed by both Western and non-Western women. African and Asian women also use non-feminine images of Jesus (e.g. Jesus as liberator, Jesus as life-giver). Many of these images were developed by both male and female non-Western theologians and have become part of the global academic discourse. The article concludes that only a few images (e.g Jesus as shakti) are exclusive to non-Western women. Nevertheless, the images presented give insight in the lives of women in Africa and Asia since they reflect the experiences of non-Western women, their quest for life and the conviction that this life is to be found in Jesus Christ.

AbstractThe article sets out to demonstrate African reconstructive Christology as the seventhChristological trend in African Christianity. Considering that African theology is kerygmatically universal, but theologically provincial, the study shows that Christology in our contemporary Africa can be best understood by retracing it from the early Christologicalcontroversies through to the present times. Certainly, African Christology in the 21st century is dominated by calls for contextualisation, indigenisation, rebirth, inculturation,renewal, rejuvenation, renaissance and reconstruction. To this end, the article endeavours todemonstrate that Christ, the ideal reconstructionist, the one who broke the cultural codes of his time in order to reconstruct the society, is the relevant model to our contemporary world.The article draws its theoretical framework from the works of Jesse Mugambi, Kä Mana,and Wachege, amongst other proponents of reconstructive motif in African theology. In its methodology, the article first attempts to identify some early Christological developments through to the contemporary trends. It subsequently attempts a survey of the six Christologicaltrends of the 20th century; that is a Christological trend that commits itself to interpreting and adapting Christology to modern mentality and situation; Christologies geared exclusively to thehistorical Jesus; Christology that tends to uphold the Trinitarian theology; Christologies based on the proclaimed Christ and the historical Jesus; Asian Christologies of inculturation and liberation;and African Christologies of inculturation and liberation. Afterwards, it analyses Christological trends of the 21st century where a seventh dimension, African reconstructive Christology, has become the norm. In so doing, the article builds on the premise that the primary task of African Christology today is restoration.

AbstractChrist and Roots is about Christ Jesus, who revealed himself to me when I was six years old, about how Jesus talked about himself in the seven “I am” statements in the Gospel according to John, and how the New Testament writers experienced him and wrote about him. It is also about preexistent Christ who revealed himself to the African people long before the missionaries came to Africa. However, we assert that the revelation in Christ Jesus is superior to the one in pre-Christian religions. We fully agree with Hebrews: “In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things and through whom he also made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he has provided purification for our sins, he sat down at the right hand of Majesty in heaven. So, he became as much as superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs” (Hebrews 1:1–4).

AbstractAncestor christology and Jesus' identity : a study based on the Epistle to the Hebrews / Jacob Terhemba Igba

AbstractContemporary Trends in Christology in Africa (Full Thesis)

AbstractThe study Women’s faith seeking life investigates the relation between the experiences of Kenyan women with a focus on gender relations which they often conceive as problematic, and their lived faith experiences with Jesus Christ. The main question is whether, and if so how the lived faith in Jesus of churchwomen informs the transformation of gender relations. The study uses the term “lived Christologies”, — developed in conversation with the christological reflections of African women theologians — as an analytic tool. The study into the faith experiences of churchwomen was conducted between 2012 and 2017 in a team of female Kenyan theology students and women theologians, and located in the Reformed Church of East Africa (RCEA) and the African Israel Nineveh Church (AINC). Particularly the life story interviews as reflections of the daily struggle to survive, proved to be an important source for this research. The study maintains that, where Kenyan women theologians emphasize that Jesus Christ accomplishes holistic liberation from oppressive gendered cultural, religious and economic structures, churchwomen speaking from their existential experiences as woman, mother and spouse, conceive Jesus as the one who gives life. The research concludes that there is a certain ambivalence in the lived Christologies of churchwomen regarding the transformation of gender relations: faith is both a power for transformation, and simultaneously motivates women to persevere in situations of suffering, injustice and oppressive gender relations. Nevertheless, faith in Jesus Christ offers churchwomen space and arguments to navigate between gender roles and negotiate gender relations.

AbstractCe livre donne la parole aux Africains, et c’est bien là son immense intérêt. Il nous propose de découvrir la richesse de la christologie africaine à travers quatre grands moments : « Seras-tu des nôtres ? » parcourt le champ de la rencontre des Africains avec Jésus-Christ ; « Nous cherchons ton nom » explore les voies d’une inculturation largement repensée ; « Nous confessons ton mystère » reconnaît l’insaisissable qui s’est pourtant révélé en Jésus le Christ ; et enfin « Tu seras avec nous dans le siècle qui vient » élargit encore l’horizon et diversifie l’investigation des modalités de la présence du Mystère. Les Africains méritent d’être entendus lorsqu’ils répondent eux-mêmes à la question: « Et vous, que dites-vous ? Pour vous, qui suis-je ? ». Ils ont effectivement quelque chose à dire, et ils savent le dire. C’est là ce que ce livre vient montrer amplement. Une collection de référence en christologie sous la direction de Monseigneur Doré.

AbstractDas Wichtigste in unserer Dissertationsarbeit ist die Bestätigung der Behauptung von J.P. Mayele Ilo, nachdem der Mythos so sehr die christliche Religion wie auch die afrikanischen Religionen strukturiert. Ich habe daher dank der biblischen Forschungsergebnisse und der Dogmengeschichte genauestens die verschiedenen christologischen Modelle studiert. Die Analyse beweist daher, dass die Besonderheit des christologischen Glaubens nicht im Gegensatz zum Mythos bezogen wird, sondern zu Häresien und anderen Religionen. Aus meinen Studien negro-afrikainscher Zwillingsvorstellungen geht hervor, dass die afrikanischen Religionen auch diese Mythosstruktur aufrechterhalten. es sind dies die verschiedenen inhaltlichen Konfigurationen, die die einen von den anderen unterscheiden. Diese Studien negro-afrikanischer Zwillingsvorstellungen zeigen in gleicher Weise formelle Ähnlichkeiten mit der Christologie, aber letztere überschreitet die unüberschreitbaren Grenzen der ersteren. Die Christologie lässt die Menschwerdung des höchsten Gottes zu. Kraft dieser Überzeugung, dass der Mythos genau so gut den christologischen Glauben, wie auch die afrikanischen Religionen strukturiert, kann sich keine afrikanische Aneignung der Christologie außerhalb des Mythos stellen. Gewiss, alle Prozesse der afrikanischen Aneignung der Christologie sind immer ein doppelter Prozess der Afrikanisierung der Christologie und der Christrologisierung der afrikanischen Traditionen. Der Glaube, dass Jesus der Sohn Gottes ist, ist das strukturiende Netz jeder systematischen, vor allem afrikanischen Christologie.

AbstractThe faith that Christianity cherishes and bears witness to must have Christ as its foundation and goal. Without Christ as the central cornerstone and final aim, nothing in Christianity counts. Thus, Christology is, in the final analysis, the basic and central issue of Christian theology. This study is a contribution to the ongoing discourse on Christology in Africa. It is of great importance to all peoples of Africa, as it touches on the way they experience Christ on a daily basis and provides a compelling explanation for the African as he can now see Christ within the categories that he or she can understand. --

AbstractEn vue de contribuer à la connaissance du christianisme en Afrique et dans le cadre de l’histoire de la théologie africaine contemporaine, ce travail met en exergue ce que les pasteurs et théologiens africains ont dit de la personne de Jésus-Christ et de son mystère du salut de 1956 à 2000. Ce qui permet de découvrir que l’appropriation africaine de la révélation chrétienne ne se limite pas à des aspects uniquement périphériques, mais qu’elle touche également le centre même de la foi chrétienne. Et les Africains devenus chrétiens confessent ainsi, à partir des questions de la culture, de la pauvreté, de la race et de la responsabilité, que le salut apporté par Jésus-Christ à toute l’humanité les concerne aussi bien dans leur devenir historique que dans leur destinée ultime. Si dans ces discours christologiques, situés à l’intérieur des quatre courants de la théologie africaine contemporaine (inculturation, libération, théologie noire sud africaine et reconstruction) et dans le « Rite Zaïrois » de la messe, une certaine originalité peut se remarquer au niveau des expressions du mystère de Jésus-Christ, ces pasteurs et théologiens africains affirment rester dans le cadre du message biblique et dans la ligne de la Tradition commune de toutes les Eglises chrétiennes. Pour eux aussi, Jésus, le Fils éternel du Père, conçu de l’Esprit-Saint et né de la Vierge Marie, est véritablement Dieu et véritablement homme. In order to contribute to the knowledge of Christianity in Africa and in the context of history of contemporary African theology, this work emphasises what African pastors and theologians meant about Jesus Christ person and his mystery from 1956 to 2000. This leads to discover that African self-assuming of Christian revelation does not limit to some outlying aspects only. It goes further to the core of Christian faith itself. Thus, Africans converted to Christianity confess, from their background of culture, poverty, race and responsibility, that they are concerned by Jesus Christ salvation for the world in their historical future as well as their ultimate destiny. If through these Christology speeches, placed in the four schools of thought of contemporary African theology ( inculturation, liberation, south African black theology and reconstruction) and in “Zairean ritual” of the mass, there is a somewhat originality on the expressions of the mystery of Jesus Christ, these pastors and theologians assert their faithfulness to the biblical message setting and the Christian Tradition common to all churches as well. For them too, Jesus, the Eternal Son of the Father, conceived from the Holy Spirit and born from the Virgin Mary, is truly God and truly man.

AbstractCette recherche vise à élaborer une mariologie sociale en Afrique. Sa problématique tourne autour de trois questions principales : le culte marial est-il vécu comme une pratique libératrice au service de l’engagement pour la justice sociale ? La figure de la Vierge Marie constitue-t-elle une source d’inspiration qui permette aux chrétiens et aux chrétiennes catholiques romains de s’engager au niveau sociopolitique en Afrique ? Les engagements des chrétiens et des chrétiennes, épris de vertus mariales, participent-ils à l’avènement d’une société de justice, de paix et du vivre-ensemble harmonieux ? Ces questions sont posées dans un contexte large, celui de l’Afrique subsaharienne où plusieurs pays font face aux crises multiformes et, dans un cadre plus restreint, celui de la République Démocratique du Congo où quatre mouvements marials, basés à Kinshasa, ont fait objet d’études de terrain. Cette thèse prétend déconstruire et reconstruire la conception et le vécu des pratiques mariales afin que celles-ci deviennent un ferment qui pousse les chrétiens et les chrétiennes catholiques africains en général et congolais en particulier à s’engager dans la résolution des problèmes majeurs de leur société notamment au niveau de la justice, de la paix et de la question des femmes. Cette thèse cherche à dépasser deux types de mariologies produites en Afrique : la mariologie coloniale, qui concerne l’histoire de l’arrivée de la Vierge Marie à travers l’action des missionnaires qui ont évangélisé le continent africain et une certaine mariologie inculturée qui se limite à corréler des catégories culturelles africaines avec des thèmes classiques de mariologie. La réflexion épouse la voie d’une approche de mariologie sociale qui, mise en application par les Africains et les Africaines, peut aider à relever le défi lié aux multiples problèmes au niveau économique, politique, social et culturel que rencontre la majorité de pays africains. La recherche est abordée dans une perspective des théologies africaines de la libération et de la reconstruction à travers une démarche de contextualisation, de décontextualisation et de recontextualisation. La thèse comprend quatre parties. La première partie fait un état des lieux de la mariologie africaine. Elle situe cette dernière dans le parcours historique de la théologie africaine, analyse la dévotion mariale en Afrique à travers l’action missionnaire, étudie la question de l’inculturation de quelques mystères marials et se penche sur le lien entre la mariologie et les problèmes de société en Afrique. La seconde partie examine la question de la mariologie sociale en Amérique Latine. Elle étudie l’aspect sociopolitique de la dévotion mariale, l’anthropologie et l’herméneutique de la réflexion et des apparitions mariales, les dogmes marials dans une perspective sociale et la place occupée par la Vierge Marie et le culte marial dans le combat féministe en Amérique Latine. La troisième partie explore le rapport entre la pratique de la dévotion mariale et l’engagement sociopolitique de quatre mouvements marials (Légion de Marie, Communauté du Magnificat, Groupe de l’Arbre Desséché ou Nzete Ekauka et École de prière Notre-Dame Vierge Puissante) à Kinshasa. Elle jette un regard sur le contexte de naissance et d’évolution des mouvements d’action catholique dans leur ensemble et fait une analyse critique des pratiques mariales et de l’engagement sociopolitique de ces mouvements. La quatrième partie tente une recomposition du discours de mariologie sociale en Afrique à partir d’une lecture du Magnificat. Elle fait une actualisation de ce cantique pour enrichir la pratique du culte marial et présente trois axes sur lesquels peut porter une mariologie sociale en Afrique.

Abstract"La présentation de la figure du Christ aux hommes est le défi de l'évangélisation. Ce défi tient sur des fondamentaux, à savoir gagner les confins de la terre et s'y enraciner pour produire l'effet d'intimité avec Dieu. Si le premier aspect (quantitatif) semble être un acquis pour l'Afrique, le second (mystique et qualitatif) laisse à s'interroger. L'interrogation suscitée engage à réfléchir l'accueil de la figure du Christ."--Page 4 de la couverture.

Abstract"The Apostles' Creed is one of the most prominent creeds in Christianity, perhaps even the most recited creed by normal believers in church services. However, the creed holds a clause that seems controversial to Christian mission in some contexts, especially African contexts. The clause, "He descended into Hell," is the main concern of this book. In African context, where ancestral cult is prominent in both people's worldview and practice, this clause poses a tangible problem of religious syncretism. The phrase suggests a life after immediate death, that a person can continue to live in a certain realm soon after death. Since the clause depicts Jesus descending into hell after death and burial, and preaching to the other souls of the dead in hell, it suggests the possibility of hearing a message of salvation after death, a doctrine hardly held by Christianity. The doctrine therefore becomes good news for those Africans who hold firm the ancestral cult, and those whose relatives had died in sin on earth. Therefore, this book critically examines the origin and use of this doctrine in the church and its validity in an African context."--

AbstractThis paper draws upon the theologies of Jon Sobrino and Engelbert Mveng to construct a social ethics of participation for those who have been marginalized by corrupt political and economic institutions, focusing on the agency of women in Sub-Sahara Africa. In light of the philosophy of political participation in developing countries, I examine Sobrino's insights that the victims of the evil of this world have to live as risen beings, I consider the African Theologian Engelbert Mveng's concept of anthropological pauperization, and argue that it makes a difference to consider historical events that influence the contexts in which we view the victims. I also argue that both Sobrino and Mveng provide foundations for political participation of the victims, but there is a need to reinforce the agency of the victims, and their own ability to come down from the cross and live as risen beings. Such agency suggests the need for reinforcing the political participation of the victims. Finally, I supplement Mveng's thoughts with the cultural features of the African philosophy of Ubuntu — related to African Humanism — to show that Ubuntu, as well as Mveng, reinforce Sobrino's claims.

AbstractThere is an ongoing challenge in defining African theology because of two important reasons: (1) the quest for a definitive African theology is a fairly recent pursuit and (2) the vastness and diversity of the African continent. Given this, this article presents the complexity of defining African theology and its methodological approaches through a background sketch of the development of African theology. Regardless of many definitions of African theology and its purposes, the article acknowledges African Christian theology as theology that should be derived from the interplay between Scripture, Christian tradition and African cosmology. In deriving theology from the aforementioned aspects, African theology should also seek to develop contextual African theologies with global relevance. In this way, African theology can claim its space in the universal church. Although we are conscious of the values and challenges associated with the task of doing African theology, we argue for its necessity. We further argue that if the centrality of Scripture is maintained in the African theological endeavour, it will cause African theologies to have some shared reference point with other Christian theologies and hence engaging globally, while contributing unique African perspectives to global theological discourse.

Abstract"In the quest for an alternative Christological model that identifies Christ with African Christians, this article critically analyses and evaluates Torrance’s incarnational Christological model in order to determine how his (Torrance’s) incarnational Christological conceptualisation can open up aspects of Christ’s incarnation that fully identify Christ with African Christians. The article highlights that Torrance’s incarnational Christological concepts, namely, anypostasis and enhypostasis, the close association between the doctrine of creation and redemption, and the interpretation of the redemptive history of Israel from an incarnational perspective configures that in the incarnation, God in Christ completely identifies with all humankind and saves them from the ontological depth of their existence. Hence, Torrance’s incarnational Christological model has the significant implication that the gospel is for all humanity in its dealing with sin and spiritual forces. African Christians may claim complete solidarity with Christ everywhere without the stumbling block of a claimed foreignness of Jesus Christ. This article contributes to African Christian identity discussion by identifying a constructive way of understanding Christ’s salvation in a manner that effectively communicates Christ’s relevancy to African Christians. As such, it contributes to systematic theological discussion on Christ in Africa from a Christian identity perspective and its soteriological implications."

AbstractThe background and the origin of the Christology of the Aladura Churches of Nigeria are inherent in the royal traditions of the Yoruba. The author first describes Yoruba traditional kingship institutions in precolonial times: the selection of an Oba, the sacred nature of the Oba, his rulership and authority. He concludes that the charismatic aspect of Oba rulership has inspired Yoruba indigenous Christian establishments to conceive Jesus Christ as Jesu Kristi Oba in their churches and community worship. Secondly, the author assembles some scripture texts, choruses and hymns in order to demonstrate empirically how the Aladura Churches have evolved a King-Christology which is native to their culture and which is instructive for inculturation theology. Thirdly, he focuses on the extent to which ideas about the obaship have influenced the Aladura Churches' Christological thinking.

AbstractMatt 28:16-20 is a narrative epilogue, and indeed, one which lets us in on one of the most hidden expressions of Christology. The African rituals of royal kingship can help us come to a better understanding of its implications for reflecting on the Lordship of Jesus in our own context. However, the structure, literary form and content of the periscope has, over the years, intrigued exegetes, commentators and interpreters alike. Its universalistic importance cannot be underestimated as scholars agree that the text preserves, in spite of some insignificant textual variants, Matthew’s understanding of the status of the exalted and enthroned Christ who sends his disciples to evangelize the world the oikoumene. The importance of the periscope as a Schlussabschnitt in the Gospel of Matthew is predicated on its Sitz im leben in the Matthean Hellenist Jewish Christian community, who saw it her responsibility to execute the Lord’s commission. From a contextual exegete’s point of view I am being challenged to offer a perspectival reading of the text in order to negotiate the meaning of Jesus’ injunction in the context of the emerging Small Christian Communities (SCCs) in the period of the New Era of Evangelization in modern Africa. Such a reading becomes necessary in view of the urgent need for the African Churches to evolve an adequate image of Jesus, quite suitable for their task of evangelization in the year 2000.

Abstract"Two major strands of theology have developed in Africa - inculturation and liberation - each in response to different needs. Emmanuel Martey's African Theology provides a clear, scholarly examination of these two basic approaches, solidly based on Martey's understanding of contemporary theology and his first-hand knowledge of Africa."--BOOK JACKET. "Martey first examines the historical background of each of these theological developments, especially relating to cultural and political movements enveloping the continent in the 1970s. In sub-Saharan Africa, struggles for independence from colonizers have resulted in inculturation theology. The defining aspect of this theology is that it pushes its roots firmly in African culture and traditions. In South Africa, on the other hand, Black Africans struggling against the oppressive systems of apartheid have turned to liberation theology."--BOOK JACKET. "Martey shows how the real hope for African theology lies in the dialectical encounter between these two approaches and in their potential for convergence. "The two foci (of liberation and inculturation)," Martey says, "are not contradictory, but complement each other." African Theology concludes by challenging African theologians to weld together the praxis of inculturation with that of liberation, in order to achieve an integrative vision for the continent."--BOOK JACKET.

AbstractThe person, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ are the central tenets of the Christian mystery. The theological reflection upon the meanings of these is summed up in Christology. This paper seeks to explore the inspiration derived from feminist Christologies by women in Africa for social and political participation. The emphasis of feminist Christologies on the African continent is how one understands the life of Jesus and how that understanding can help alter present circumstances and be empowered to fight for change. Feminist Christologies in this paper arise from its significance in women's daily lives. Using the cases of Bishop Margaret Wanjiru of Jesus is Alive Ministries (JIAM) and the late Catholic Prof. Sister Anne Nasimiyu, this paper proceeds to tease out their understanding of the life of Jesus and how from a gender perspective they found this useful for women's social and political involvement. As shall be demonstrated, feminist Christologies are compactly intertwined with women's social, political and contemporary lived realities and also serve to empower them.

AbstractThis article draws upon African widowhood for theological reflection. It shows that experiences of widowhood characterize widows in rural western Kenya as liminal individuals located at a threshold. These widows experience deep loneliness besides other hardships. Further, they feel an existential lack of appeasement of loneliness, which opens up room for the emergence of variant Christologies that are fluid and concern intermediate (‘in between’) areas of experience. Thus this new dynamic of specific embodied experiences by African widows and the intermediacy they experience create the possibility for widows to see Jesus Christ in a manner which is similarly fluid, shifting, ‘in between’ and on the threshold. In order to capture this new Christology that is unbounded and creative, through metaphoric theology, "Jesus Christ is breath" articulates who widows in rural western Kenya say Jesus Christ is.

AbstractChristianity has become a major influence on African life. This book studies the way that sixteen African widows cope with grief by turning to Christology. Their daily lives are documented and show that they survive through their faith in Jesus. Most of them pray almost everyday, and their relationship with God reflects the different ways that each of them experiences grief. Several of the widows lacked genuine and binding companionship because people consider them burdens. So they stay away from public spaces and feel lonely, which could be the reason why they compensate by creating a relatio

AbstractAccording to the book of Hebrews, the locus of Jesus’ intercession is found in his role as a high priest. Yet neither the Levitical high priest nor Melchizedek, the prototype after which Jesus’ priestly function is modelled, interceded in a strict sense of the word. In a context where prayer is seen as an activity that pertains to the purview of the weak or needy, how then does one conceive of Jesus’ intercession as portrayed in Hebrews 7:25? In addition, does it not seem rather incongruous that Jesus at the height (right hand) of power should still be found to be interceding? It raises some theological questions as to the subordinate role of the exalted Christ. This stands in sharp relief to other passages in the New Testament that have used the same background text, Psalm 110, to advance the motif of a triumphant Jesus. The contention of this article is that in addition to Psalm 110 that is explicitly cited and alluded to in the letter to the Hebrews, the servant’s song in Isaiah 52:13–53:12 stands behind the high priest motif in Hebrews. The explication of the twin role of Jesus as an intercessor and as an ‘atoner’ for the sins of the people coheres in the servant’s song. The article submits that Jesus’ intercession is indeed a continuation of his vicarious interposition whereby he takes the weakness of the people upon himself and stands in their stead.

AbstractThe theological and relativized usage of inculturation as a paradigm which serves the purpose of ‘praeparatio evangelica’, otherwise known as ‘the preparation for the Gospel’, of Africans with the Christian doctrine of the uniqueness of Jesus Christ, as a superior Ancestor, necessitates some considerations, if it is not to be abandoned altogether. At present, Ancestor Christology appears to remain a theoretical premise which bears no parallelism with the practical experiences of most African Christians, who practice ancestral rites and customs. This appears to be the case for the Bantu communities of Central, Eastern and Southern Africa. Ancestor Christology appears to merely justify the persistent veneration of ancestors in the name of Christ, rather than honouring him as the Great, supreme Ancestor over natural ancestors. For this insight, the paper critically evaluates the premise of Ancestor Christology as a paradigm which permits the contextualisation of Christianity in Bantu communities.

AbstractThe Christian axis has shifted dramatically southward to Africa, Asia, and Latin America, so much so that today there are more Christians living in these southern regions than among their northern counterparts. In the case of Africa, the African Initiated Churches-founded by Africans and primarily for Africans-has largely contributed to the exponential growth and proliferation of the Christian faith in the continent. Yet, even more profoundly, these churches espouse a brand of Christianity that is indigenized and thoroughly contextual. Further, the power and popularity of the AICs, beyond the unprecedented numbers joining these churches, are attributed to their relevance to the existential everyday needs and concerns of their adherents in the context of a postcolonial Africa. At the heart of Christian theology is Christology-the confessed uniqueness of Christ in history and among world religions. Yet this key feature of Christianity, as with other important elements of the Christian faith, may be variously understood and re-interpreted in these indigenous churches. The focus of this study is the amaNazaretha Church, an influential religious group founded by the African charismatic prophet Isaiah Shembe in 1911 in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The movement today claims a following of some two million adherents and has proliferated beyond the borders of South Africa to neighboring countries in Southern Africa. The book addresses the complex and at times ambivalent understanding of the person and work of Christ in the amaNazaretha Church, presenting the genesis, history, beliefs, and practices of this significant religious movement in South Africa, with broader implications for similar movements across the continent of Africa and beyond. (Publisher)

AbstractLe contenu de cette thèse est commandé par son intitulé même qui exige de balayer autant que possible l'histoire de la liturgie chrétienne autour de quelques idées-forces. Nous avons ainsi découvert que, de son origine au cours de la dernière Cène ainsi que dans sa formation et son expansion par la suite, la liturgie chrétienne a été modelée par divers facteurs. On remarque, là où il a connu un succès franc et pérenne, que le christianisme se caractérise par une réelle transculturalité, sa capacité de s?adapter aux diverses cultures qu'il rencontrait, avec, dès ses origines, un pluralisme liturgique et, même, différentes familles liturgiques, s'appuyant sur les différentes cultures. Si en Occident, cette logique s'est réalisée au point où la liturgie a fait un avec les cultures des peuples et même de devenir la culture de ces peuples et sociétés, christianisme et chrétienté étant identifiés à Occident, elle ne fut pas toujours respectée en pays de mission où la liturgie occidentale fut imposée sans considération de spécificités culturelles locales. Pour remédier à cette situation, le Concile Vatican II prescrit que l?évangélisation et la liturgie s'adaptent aux valeurs et génies des différents peuples pour véritablement les pénétrer en profondeur. De l'axe central de cette thèse il découle donc ce triple constat selon lequel l'histoire de la liturgie s'est orientée par rapport à la pratique ou au rejet de l'inculturation : Une première période où, né dans la culture juive, le christianisme en a été l'une des expressions mais a pu s'incarner positivement dans les différentes cultures des peuples d'Occident. Une deuxième période où les théologies et méthodes missionnaires ont ignoré la nécessité de l'inculturation, avec un bilan mitigé et, même, plutôt déficitaire sur le plan de l'évangélisation. Une dernière période où à la faveur des réformes du concile Vatican II, la théologie de l'inculturation est élaborée et systématisée, ce qui a permis l'émergence de rites africains, notamment le rite zaïrois Tout en demeurant dans la famille liturgique romaine, ces rites ont leurs caractéristiques qui reflètent et intègrent les valeurs traditionnelles africaines, avec une liturgie et, finalement, un christianisme, qui prend un vrai sens aux yeux des peuples.

AbstractVivre sa mort est une réalité complexe, voire paradoxale qui échappe à l’expérience immédiate. L’article l’aborde à la lumière de l’expérience religieuse fondamentale de l’Afrique noire. En partant des rites funéraires et des rites initiatiques en tant que morts symboliques, on établit un parallélisme systématique, une homologie suggestive, entre la dynamique africaine de la mort initiatique qui fait avancer sur l’axe dialectique d’accroissement de la vie et l’économie du salut par la croix qui ouvre à l’homme l’accès à Dieu. Cette caractéristique partagée permet de voir dans la croix du Christ une réalisation concrète devant laquelle la tradition initiatique peut se redécouvrir comme dans un miroir, tout en y découvrant quelque chose de facilement crédible. La réalité du vivre sa mort est donc saisie, au point où logique chrétienne et logique africaine se rencontrent. Elle apparaît comme une disposition religieuse et une marche de la personne humaine dans l’élévation spirituelle vers Dieu.

AbstractThis book collects various essays on Africa and the Bible in order to explore the intersection between the Bible and public spaces, exposing the liberating and oppressing strands of the Bible.

AbstractAfricans have considered their ancestors the mediators between them and their creator, how come Christianity, it declared that there was one mediator between God and humanity, the man Christ Jesus. How do African Christians reconcile these two claims? The doctrine of the communion of saints is inadequate since sainthood and ancestorhood are not the same. since Jesus came to fulfill the law and the prophets among the Jews, it is argued that he did the same with the Africans. John the Baptist questions the viability of the Jewish ancestry in view of the coming of the Messiah. St. Paul has argued that both Jews and Gentiles are children of Abraham based on the faith through which Abraham was justified by God. Jesus fulfills, supersedes, and has become the one mediator. In him the role of the African ancestors is accomplished and they are also fulfilled in him. While the West have related to their ancestors through history, the Africans have done so ritualistically. The God of Jesus is also the God of our ancestors and through their life affirming traditions of wisdom, the also served the living God. They are the living dead in the living God.

AbstractIn this response to Professor Maluleke, Kenyan theologian Philomena N. Mwaura speaks about the importance of taking cognizance of women and women's theologizing in the construction of an authentic African theology. While not denying the power of the cross, Professor Mwaura notes the danger of a theology that overlooks women's oppression and marginalization and recommends accepting "their deprivation, suffering and abuse as Christ did ."

AbstractUn article de la revue Théologiques, diffusée par la plateforme Érudit.

AbstractPour comprendre la conception de Dieu chez les Nande du Zaïre, l'auteur s'attache le plus possible au langage religieux des Nande par une approche sémantique du nom de Nyamuhanga et des attributs qui lui sont décernés. Ceux-ci peuvent être groupés en cinq catégories par rapport au mode d'existence de Dieu Nyamuhanga, à son rôle créateur et de providence, à la vie quotidienne des hommes, aux événements exceptionnels de l'histoire, et au gouvernement de l'univers. Ces attributs apportent en même temps une lumière sur la conception des intermédiaires célestes qui sont les esprits et les ancêtres. Au fond, l'acception inaliénable pour le Nande est que Nyamuhanga est une dénomination pleine d'interrogation et d'affirmation. Le Dieu Nyamuhanga est un être digne de louange, d'action de grâce et d'adoration. C'est à lui qu'il faut célébrer le plus grand culte. Notes, réf.

AbstractMonograph on the murals at Saint James and All Martyrs Memorial Cathedral, Murang'a, Kenya, painted by artist Elimo Njau in 1959

AbstractFemale initiation rite is one of the many traditional practices found in some African communities. The many rituals during this time of initiation include female circumcision/female genital mutilation, a socially justified mark of maturation, dramatizing the break with childhood and incorporation into adulthood. This practice has received much criticism because of sexist, health, and human implications for woman's integrity. Christian missionaries to Africa condemned it as a barbaric practice, unnecessary for its believers. In spite of condemnations and various efforts to stop the practice, female circumcision persists among a number of Africans including Christians. The author here examines the gospel message, especially what Christ's salvific message means to the Nandi culture, and especially how the practice of female circumcision can be reinterpreted in the light of this message.

AbstractAfrican theology was spawned in response to yearnings for theological independence, and desires to theologize in dialogue with African cosmologies; these practical elements still remain today the raison d'etre, and are definitive of, African theology. This background disguises a cardinal goal of African theology: to build and sustain authentic African Christian communities in faith, ethos and worship. Because the Bible is a witness to Christianity's primal events and traditions which are considered to be definitive of the identity and self-understanding of Christianity (ever since) and, consequently, integral to its faith, ethos and worship, its usage in African theology is imperative if it wishes to fulfil this goal. To show one of the ways the aforesaid could be done, this thesis uses the Bible to formulate an African theology on ancestors by interpreting a section of it theologically. Such a theology could help define the relationship between African Christianity and ancestors. More specifically, the Christology of the book of Hebrews is interpreted theologically and related to typology, with the result that Jesus is understood not only as superior to Jewish mediatorial figures of angels, Moses and the Aaronic high priests, but, also, as the definitive mediator to whom the Jewish mediatorial figures point. Subsequently, this Christology of Hebrews is 'transferred' to Hebrews' contemporary context in Africa by means of a theological re-interpretation based on typology (due to the similarities between the Jewish mediatorial figures and African ones), resulting in the view that Jesus, as the definitive mediator in Africa, is the greatest ancestor. The thesis goes on to argue that when this Christology of Hebrews in Africa ('Jesus the greatest ancestor') is applied to African Christianity, ancestors can, firstly, be absorbed into an African Christian consciousness as a work of God pointing to Christ, i.e., as types of Christ. Secondly, ancestors can be perceived to be displaced by Jesus the definitive mediator to whom, foreshadowing as types, they must give way now. Finally, and in consequence, ancestors have to be abandoned now, specifically as objects of religious cultic practice, i.e., as mediators. The resultant effect of this African theology based on Hebrews' Christology on African Christians is that ancestors are absorbed into their Christian consciousness while allowing for an authentic belief in Jesus' unique and ultimate significance as the definitive mediator between humans and God.

AbstractThis article draws from biblical insights and Igbo socio-cultural structures to introduce a new Christological model for Nigerian Christianity – Jesus as folk. In Nigeria, Christians evidently connect with Jesus as a wonder worker who effects changes in their lives especially for the better even in spite of their moral standing. Pastors help to foster this image of Jesus and a lot of Christological currents had been derived from this inkling. Consequently the average Nigerian Christian is no longer challenged as to living by the ethics of the religion but lives a high level of awareness as to the benefits of believing. Alongside the quest for miracles is the acquired unwillingness to bring human efforts to bear on life situations as if God will do everything. Jesus as folk implies that Jesus is both like and is one of us but this is not just about Jesus but also about real folks who through this exposition should be seen as another Jesus. The work aims at re- focusing on the humanity of Jesus as a means of strengthening the power of mere human nature and challenge Christians to their own part of the salvation bargain.

AbstractThe author reads the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman (Jn 4:1-42) in light of social ills afflicting African society today. She first highlights the rejection, prejudice, and isolation of the two main characters in their own contexts, and their contribution to John's account of how the woman leads her village to the "living water" of faith in Jesus. Finally she examines what John's Jesus of Galilee and the Samaritan woman have in common and might have to say to Africa today.

AbstractThe title of this thesis is Christ in Tropical Africa - in the Tension Between Identity and Relevance. Within a few years Africa will be the greatest Christian continent, and African Christianity will then no longer see itself as a mere continuation of Western Christianity. On the threshold of the 21st Century, this insight challenges Christian theology and missiology which have for a long time answered the helm of the Western missionary movements. This contribution to the scholarly debate on cultural and religions identity issues deals with the question how the recent development ought to be integrated in a systematic reflection, and how Africans - especially African theologians - themselves attempt to highlight the necessity of a relevant and authentic African Christianity and theology. The post-colonial and partly post-missionary era has resulted in a sense of departure and transition which has created space for a renewed and adjusted conception of the question of identity. This dissertation present a critical discourse on African themes and questions concerning identity issues in the perspectives of studies in the areas of theology, anthropology, philosophy, and religion. The discourse shows the complexity of what is called identity, africanity etc. and threw critical light on a tendency of making generalizations and constructions. Dangers of constructions of which Christian African theologians have not always been sufficiently conscious. The interdisciplinary perspective of this study is widening the question of identity while it still constitutes a hermeneutical key to understand the concerns of Christian theology in the tropical part of Africa. African theology is situated in the tension between identity and relevance. This become obvious in African christological proposals. The thesis put a critical test question to the theologians who have contributed with new Christ-titles and -models: Have they both managed to give grounds for the significance of christology for human freedom and identity (the relevance of christology), and at the same time secured the continuity and agreement with the original theological content of christology (the identity of christology in the New Testament)? The question can only partly be answered affirmatively. In some cases the actual understanding of life and conception of reality in a certain context provides the decisive criterion in the interpretation of Biblical concepts and christological titles. This creates hermeneutic problems which are dealt with in the close of the thesis.

AbstractSome African Christians continue to rely on traditional spiritual powers as a means of addressing their spiritual insecurity. In their perception Christ is regarded as being foreign to African spirituality and treated accordingly with the gospel seen as a predominantly western phenomenon. This raises the question regarding their understanding of Christ’s incarnation. This article critically analyses the ancestral incarnational Christological model of Bediako as a response to the foreignness of Christ in African Christianity. Bediako’s ancestral incarnational Christological model is his enterprise of deforeignising Christ in African Christianity by treating Christ under the African traditional ancestral category. This article demonstrates various theological aspects (i.e. the uncompounded divine-human nature of Christ in the one eternal person of the Son of God) that Bediako brings together in order to configure his ancestral incarnational Christological framework in deforeignising Christ. In breaking away from Bediako’s ancestral incarnational Christological perspective, the article concludes by identifying the weaknesses associated with the proposed concept of Bediako, and then suggests that there is a need for an alternative biblical-theological model that best describes Christ’s complete identification with African Christians. This is done without diminishing the actuality of Christ as God incarnate, or encouraging syncretism in African Christianity, or reducing the validity of African contextual needs.

AbstractAt the heart of the quest for authentic African Christian identity has lain the question of Christology. In societies where much of life revolves around kinship it is not at all obvious that the man from Nazareth, who has been for so long accommodated in Greek philosophy and European culture, should be given the definitive role in establishing what it means to be human. "Why should an Akan," asked John Pobee, "relate to Jesus of Nazareth, who does not belong to his clan, family, tribe or nation?"¹ Hence a sense of alienation marked much of early Christian experience in Africa

AbstractDepuis la définition christologique de Chalcédoine au IVème siècle, une certaine unanimité s’est faite au plan doctrinal, au sujet du mode d’union dans le Christ des deux natures divine et humaine. Cela n’a cependant pas empêché l’existence de ruptures entre le plan doctrinal et les systématisations théologiques d’une part, entre les systématisations doctrinales et le plan très concret de la vie chrétienne d’autre part. Le Renouveau charismatique, dont la quête outrancière du miracle et du merveilleux a servi de point de départ à notre réflexion, s’est révélé comme un lieu d’illustration de ces ruptures. Une étude analytique et critique du Renouveau charismatique (1ère partie) a ainsi permis d’une part de cibler la signification du salut et le statut de la foi comme lieux privilégiés de rupture entre systématisations théologiques et spiritualité charismatique, d’autre part d’y remédier par une juste conception du salut et de la foi en référence à l’équilibre du rapport, affirmé dans la définition christologique de Chalcédoine, entre l’unité concrète et la distinction maintenue (2ème partie). D’où l’importance de traduire la loi d’unité de l’union hypostatique dans la spiritualité, la pastorale, l’agir chrétien, et la théologie africaine dont nous avons donné un exemple d’inculturation à travers des orientations en vue d’un renouveau du mouvement charismatique dans l’Eglise au Burkina (3ème partie). S’imposent alors l’urgence et la nécessité d’une meilleure articulation entre la pratique chrétienne du Renouveau charismatique et l’intelligence théologienne de la foi.

AbstractUnder the subtheme of “Christology in the Context of World Christianity,” this article explores recent developments in African women’s Christologies. The aim is twofold: first, to engage critically with the content of these current Christologies, and second, to consider one method for doing contextual theology, namely, the “pastoral circle” or “pastoral cycle.” Its four key dimensions of encounter/insertion, social analysis, theological reflection, and pastoral planning allow a flexible framework for probing the causative factors, the contextual nature, the theological methods, and the central motifs of African women’s Christologies, as well as their contributions to social transformation through the impact of individuals and institutions. The article concludes that interdisciplinary approaches like the pastoral circle, which advocate the integration of biblical, historical, theological and contextual perspectives, hold the greatest potential for constructive Christology today.

AbstractWidespread evidence indicates that Jesus Christ holds a most prominent place in popular cultures across Africa south of the Sahara. In the present article, empirical data generated through qualitative research in Kenya, Ghana, and Uganda serve to illustrate similar phenomena attested across the continent. Initial description and subsequent theological analysis highlight two central aspects of these Christologies: Jesus as Immanuel-God with us-in Africa, and Jesus as the "image of the invisible God" (Col. 1:15). Following a summary overview of Christological images in Africa, conclusions point out their significance to contemporary Christianity, particularly regarding the intrinsic relation between popular and academic theologies.

AbstractThis chapter explores emerging African Christology in relation to the wider, historic streams of Christian tradition. The discussion focuses primarily on churches derived from the modern missionary movement in sub-Saharan Africa. The main thesis is that these African Christologies reflect creative, contextual engagement with the central question of Jesus’ identity and significance by interpreting and appropriating biblical revelation and Christian tradition in the light of African realities both past and present. Three African proverbs provide a framework for developing the major themes of coherence, where African Christologies are essentially congruent with broader Christian tradition, and contextuality, where they are distinctive on account of contextual factors in African experience, plus the sources and methods employed in their formulation. An overview of key Christological images reveals the richness of recent African Christologies, thereby demonstrating their significant contribution to the ongoing development of Christology worldwide.

AbstractSi la grâce ne supprime pas la nature, la mondialisation montre qu’elle ne supprime pas la culture. Après quelques considérations sur les rapports religion/culture dans l’espace négro-africian, le propos voudrait montrer, à partir d’un exemple, comment les croyances aux apparitions des morts dans la culture bantoue posent question au fondement de la logique chrétienne qu’est la résurrection de Jésus, tout en se laissant questionner par l’Écriture. Se trouveront ainsi fondées la mise en question d’un discours chrétien unique et la nécessité de l’inculturation pour dire le message du Christ en Afrique.

AbstractOn peut définir cinq grands courants constitutifs de la théologie dans l’Afrique subsaharienne (mise à part la théologie de la fondation, dite missionnaire). L’article présente ces courants et les théologiens qui en sont les représentants, non sans faire place à une appréciation critique : on peut en effet déplorer dans la théologie africaine un certain déficit de la réflexion sur le titre christologique de « Sauveur » ; ainsi qu’une approche partielle et une instrumentalisation du mystère mort-résurrection du Christ, à des fins de revendications identitaires et matérialistes. Une prise en compte du dessein global du salut, moins captif de l’Histoire « historielle », s’avère nécessaire pour une théologie africaine plus sereine et plus juste.

AbstractIn this critical study, Dr Turbi Luka uses historical-theological methodology to engage in detail with Christologies of key African theologians and conventional theological sources for Christology, including the church fathers Tertullian and Athanasius as well as modern theologians. Turbi argues that existing African Christologies, specifically ancestor Christologies, are inadequate in expressing the person of Christ as Messiah and saviour, the fulfilment of Old Testament prophesies. Providing a new approach, Turbi proposes an African Linguistic Affinity Christology that explicitly portrays Jesus as Christ in a contextually relevant way for Africans in everyday life. This crucial study highlights the need for biblically rooted Christology and for sound theological understanding and naming of Jesus at every level. This book also warns the church in Africa, and elsewhere, to avoid repeating the dangerous christological heresies of the ancient church by remaining faithful to a biblical interpretation and orthodox theology of Christ.

AbstractThe African Jesus of Tinyiko Maluleke and the Christ of deep incarnation represent two radically different christological trajectories. While the deep incarnation theologians extend Jesus’s body into social and cosmic bodies, Maluleke locates Jesus’s body in the bodies of his fellow Africans. Each of these christological moves is interpreted as a manifestation, albeit in a different sense, of God’s radical embodiment through Jesus in our world. African appropriations of Jesus stand out as a warning that even christologizing centered upon the category of “flesh” is at risk of remaining purely visionary unless it is done by and/or with those in whose own bodies Jesus is being crucified.

AbstractThe serious challenges posed by poverty in Africa call for a new approach. A Christological approach to these issues inspires hope. A Christology from above, or ‘high’ Christology, has much to offer regarding God’s looking after humanity. Christ as the one for others humbled himself to give a life of fullness to the poorest and most ill, thereby bringing hope both for this life and for eternity. The approach followed should not lead to the exclusion of people, but rather to an endeavour to meet the challenge of brokenness. In societies where there is no hope left, the Christ of the wounded leads the way to new healing. Christ, verily God and verily human brings us before him in our totality, to be involved in all the needs of the community. The church should be the hands, feet and eyes of Christ for the needy.

AbstractIn the South African discourse on the political relevance of Jesus Christ, a vast array of conceptions of Jesus emerged over the years of the struggle, the liberation, the quest for spirituality and the theology of reconstruction. This discourse has taken place within the framework of the two broad historical movements of a “high” and a “low” Christology. In a recent thought provoking and informative article Mouton & Smit investigated four of the dominant discourses on Jesus in contemporary South Africa. They surveyed the discussions of Jesus in the popular news and newspaper debates, academic circles and scholarship, the worship and spirituality of congregations and believers, and public opinion about social and political life. After reviewing a huge corpus of South African literature on concepts of Jesus they ask the question whether Jesus was lost in translation in the South Africa of recent times. This article is an attempt to take the argument further. First of all, the investigation will provide another outline of the Christologies in the recent South African discourse within the broad framework of a “high” and a “low” Christology. The concepts under consideration are the spiritual Jesus, the political Jesus and the historical Jesus. Then a case will be made for the transforming Jesus of the Kingdom of God as a corrective on the Christologies of Apartheid, the liberation struggle and the modern-day post-modern projections of the historical Jesus.

Abstract1. Introduction . For more than two-hundred years South Africa has been the meeting place for two fundamentally different types of religious traditions: African traditional religions and Western European Christian religions. Each of these two traditions possesses its own world view, its own beliefs, practices, and behaviour codes and is embedded in its own distinctive culture. One, European Christianity, is historically an interloping missionary religion with numerous quite distinct and often competing manifestations. As an interloping religion in South Africa it has sought to convert people to its beliefs, practices, and behaviour patterns, as well as to European culture which is its carrier. African traditional religions, by way of contrast, are not missionary religions at all. Instead they are the religions of small scale, non-literate societies and are based on lineal descent from a common ancestor or membership in a particular clan or tribal group.

AbstractCette these cherche a promouvoir une christologie africaine. Elle part du postulat que la soteriologie evangelique peut etre resumee par la formule suivante : jesus-christ est sauveur en tant qu'il est dieuhomme. Mais la christologie des deux natures, dans le contexte africain, souleve au moins deux problemes : 1e) la notion de "deux natures" suggere toujours en pointilles l'idee de deux etres. Comment alors saisir la realite d'un sauveur dont les traits dominants de sa personne sont ses deux natures ? 2e) le concept de nature est absent dans la plupart des categories de pensee africaine. Comment dire que jesus-christ est de nature divine et de nature humaine dans une langue dont la structure ne prevoit pas de telles abstractions ? d'ou la necessite, pour le theologien africain, de chercher a traduire autrement la substance de la christologie neotestamentaire. Cette quete s'inspire ici de la maniere dont barth articule les deux natures du christ dans sa christologie. L'analyse de la formule de chalcedoine qui suit met en exergue le probleme de relation entre nature et personne chez le christ. Le resultat de cette demarche permet de poser avec pertinence la problematique des notions de nature et de personne. On aboutit a la conclusion que la christologie, dans le contexte africain, devrait recourir aux symboles, etre dynamique et relationnel.