Jesus Christ the Ancestor

There is a plethora of Christological initiatives to creatively and firmly root Christianity in Africa without either Christianity compromising its prophetic vocation or the healthy cultural values of the people being destroyed. From the backdrop of the African religio-cultural scenario and the patrimony of the Church these Christological models seek to address the question, «but you, who do you say that I am?» (Mt16:15). It is a Christological question which underlines the need for a relevant theology which arises from and is accountable to the people.
The African cult of the ancestors epitomizes the African quest for salvation (soteriology), goodness in the society (ethics), relationship with one another (community), union with God (spirituality), and the end of the human person (anthropology and eschatology). These African values are perfectly fulfilled in Christ. This work singles out the African ancestral Christological model with its paschal and ecclesiological dimensions to demonstrate, that even though no human term can exhaust the mystery of Jesus Christ, the ancestorship of Christ as perfect and analogical model opens up a mutually enriching dialogical encounter between Christianity and the African culture. Through the analysis and application of the Christological conciliar definitions of the Church from the council of Nicea to Chalcedon, this African confession of Christ as the ancestor is weighed on the balance of the classical Christological orthodoxy.

Autorentext
The Author: Uchenna A. Ezeh was born in 1959 and is a native of Igogoro Enugu-Ezike Nigeria. He is a priest of the Catholic Diocese of Nsukka. He obtained a Bachelor's degree in Philosophy (1984) from Bigard Memorial Seminary Ikot Ekpene and a Bachelor's degree in Theology from Bigard Memorial Seminary Enugu (1988). He received a Master's degree in Theology (1997) and a doctorate in Dogmatic Theology (2001) from the Leopold-Franzens University Innsbruck, Austria.

Zusammenfassung
"Die Arbeit zeugt von feinem hermeneutischem Gespür für afrikanische, aber auch westliche Kulturtraditionen und deren Theologien. [...] Sie überbrückt Kulturgrenzen, ohne die Kulturen zu mischen. Zugleich ist sie durch Einarbeitung und Rückverweise auf die Sekundärliteratur bzgl. abendländische und afrikanische Theologie auf dem neuesten Stand." (Lothar Lies, Zeitschrift für Katholische Theologie)

Inhalt
Contents: Ancestor Christology Christianity Inculturation African Theology African Culture Councils Religion.