African Cultural Hermeneutics: Interpreting the New Testament in a Cultural Context

Abstract

African cultural hermeneutics demonstrates how the gospel can be interpreted and made relevant for African social situations. The aim of this study is to show the influence of African culture on the gospel message. The study began with a discussion of the different names used for Africa in the ancient time and the influence of Egyptian wisdom on Jesus. Since Jesus sojourned in Egypt, he might have appropriated African wisdom and mode of discourse. Similarly, the African concept of the Messiah was known as Messu, Krst, or Karast in Egyptian pantheon. Osiris and Horus are shown as archetypes of Jesus. Thus, the Godking, redeemer, saviour-creator of the New Testament Christology—existed in Africa long before the coming of Jesus. Moreover, monotheism, which has an African background, was introduced by Pharaoh Akhenaton of the nineteenth dynasty in Egypt. The conclusion shows that important themes found in the gospel narratives have their versions in African religion and culture. This reveals that Jesus not only fulfilled Old Testament themes, but also realized African theological aspirations of the distant past.