Abstract
Christianity in Africa has experienced phenomenal growth in recent times. This growth however comes with the challenge of how the African church can maintain its numerical strength and at the same time ensure that the faith of its members is well grounded in Scriptures. One way to respond to this challenge is to provide the church with African-brewed resources for didactic purposes. In such an exercise the role of African mother-tongue biblical hermeneutics and theologizing cannot be overstated. This article is a mother-tongue commentary on the second epistle (letter) of John based on the Bono-Twi text. The second letter of John was chosen because contemporary African society shares relevant aspects of the context of the addressees of this letter. For example, false teachers abound in the African church just as they did in the community to whom this letter was addressed. The Bono-Twi text was obtained from the Greek text (Novum Testamentum Graece: Nestle-Aland) through a meticulous application of relevant principles of translation and a careful mediation between the biblical culture and the Akan culture. Afterward, a Bono-Twi commentary was produced through careful textual analyses, interpretation and mother-tongue theologizing that brings together Christian spirituality and the African (Bono) worldview. All Bono-Twi texts have been translated into English to make the work accessible to non-Akan readers as well. The main conclusions from the study are that (1) true believers must believe that Jesus is the Christ and he came in flesh (2) believers must (under no circumstance) compromise the basic truths about Christ and his salvation. Therefore, in a context where false teachers abound in various societies the church must stand for the truth, teach it and practicalize it to expose heresies. Keywords: False Teachings, Love, Second John, Truth
Highlights
Background to 2 John The issue of the authorship of 2 John is a complex one
Following Eusebius, many modern scholars have challenged the view that “the Johannine” epistles were written by John the Apostle
Most of their arguments are not based on “hard evidence” but on attempts to reconstruct the Johannine community.6. They argue that the title “the elder” is suggestive that the epistles were written by John the Elder
Summary
Background to 2 John The issue of the authorship of 2 John is a complex one. The writer identifies himself as “the elder” (v. 1; 3 John 1) and shows his familiarity with and ecclesiastical authority over his audience. Following Eusebius, many modern scholars have challenged the view that “the Johannine” epistles were written by John the Apostle.5 Most of their arguments are not based on “hard evidence” but on attempts to reconstruct the Johannine community.. John might have avoided the title “‘apostle’ to avoid sounding pompous.” Again, there are remarkable similarities between 1 John (which some scholars consider to have been written by John, the Apostle) and 2 John that stand against Jerome’s view.9 Both letters address the same historical situation, namely, the presence of false teachers who reject Jesus’ incarnation and “run ahead” to teach false doctrines about Christ John’s second letter was meant to correct wrong teachings about Christ which some false teachers were propagating, to caution the church against deceivers, and to encourage believers to follow the truth, walk in love, and abide in the doctrine of Christ.. Na mmom bɛ a benim nɔkorɛ he nyinaa nso dɔ ho, ɔnam nɔkorɛ he a ɔte yɛ mu na ɔbɛtena yɛ mu akosi daa daa he nti. Adom, mmɔborɔhunu ne asomdwie mfiri Agya Nyankopɔn ne Yesu Kristo, Agya he Ba he, nkyɛne mmra yɛ so nɔkorɛ ne dɔ mu
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