Abstract
Africa has been presented as underdeveloped and backward until the adventure of colonial architects. Archaeological remnants and structures, some of which are still standing to date, portray a different reality seemingly echoed by the biblical account. The endowment of Africa with natural resources, evidence of processing abilities and references to established kingdoms occasionally used as instruments of divine punishment of Israel or provision of refuge suggests a much more advanced situation than has been routinely presented by historians. The biblical record which has been proven for its reliability and historicity provides us with the impetus to re-analyse key texts in order to re-examine the views that have been posited. The Western tendency to undermine Africa's advancements is well known. This article therefore considers the story of the Ethiopian Eunuch as a point of reference to African realities reflected throughout the biblical text.
Highlights
Africa has been presented as underdeveloped and backward until the adventure of colonial architects
Adamo’s 2018 historical-biographical and theological reading of the portrayal of Africa and Africans in the book of Jeremiah provides the plausibility for the acceptance of the historicity of characters and the events in the book as nonfictional
Casely-Hayford discovered fresh insights on African history through archaeological sites that are a statement of architecture that rivals the Great Wall of China, ancient universities that predate European establishments, kingdoms with extraordinary resources, artistic traditions that are replicated in contemporary arts, religious sites that surpass the Vatican, and a country with more pyramids than Egypt that could only suggest a south to north influence
Summary
Adamo’s 2018 historical-biographical and theological reading of the portrayal of Africa and Africans in the book of Jeremiah provides the plausibility for the acceptance of the historicity of characters and the events in the book as nonfictional. Sampson Ndoga, “The Biblical Portrayal of Ethiopia as a Challenge to Western Perspectives of Africa,” Old Testament Essays 34 no. 486 Ndoga, “The Biblical Portrayal of Ethiopia,” OTE 34/2 (2021): 485-502 of colonialism[2] stands in stark contrast to Jeremiah’s portrayal of Africa and Africans,[3] Adamo reveals His seminal study on the one hand, succeeds in showing biblical narratives as historically reliable in the rendering of African history.[4] These narratives are confirmed by archaeological findings. Recent calls to regard decoloniality as an approach to the (re)reading of biblical texts bears witness to scholarly attempts to rid itself of some of the inherent imbalances long seen by Adamo: My examination of the biblical texts that mention Africa and Africans (Cushites and Egypt) has shown that the ancient biblical world was not prejudiced towards black people in their midst. Africans engaging with African accounts (autobiographical) African criticism of non-African views on African accounts
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