"And the rulers of the nations shall bring their treasures into it": A Review of Biblical Exegesis in Africa

Anglican Theological Review, Spring 2006 by LeMarquand, Grant

There is a growing interest in African biblical studies in the Western world as well. Knut Holter, a Norwegian, edits and publishes the Bulletin for Old Testament Studies in Africa, a little journal in which African scholars can interact with one another and learn of publications and events of common interest. Holter also edits the monograph series published by Peter Lang called Bible and Theology in Africa, which has produced five volumes to date. The massive work edited by scholars Gerald West (a South African Anglican) and Musa Dube entitled The Bible in Africa: Transactions, Trajectories, and Trends includes dozens of articles by Africans from all over the continent. The fact that a major Western publishing house produced this volume means that some of the fruits of African scholarship are now easily available to Western scholars who may not have been aware that such scholarly discussions were even taking place.

Since the Anglican Congress in Toronto in 1963, the Communion has held up "mutual responsibility and interdependence in the Body of Christ" as an ideal toward which Anglicanism should strive.22 It is no secret that at the moment Anglicanism is going through some turmoil that makes this ideal appear to be a long way off. One of the most troubling aspects of this unrest has been the way in which Africans have sometimes been denigrated. It has been fairly common to read comments in the church press about Africans and African church leaders which have not been based on knowledge of what actually takes place in that wonderful and complicated place. Sadly, some of what has been written by Western Anglicans has been (to be blunt) imperialist and racist in its tone. Sometimes the Bible has come into the discussion, with accusations being made that Africans simply do not know how to read Scripture properly, that they are ignorant of modern interpretative methods. One way to combat stereotypes is to get to know the "other" as a real person. It is my hope that this short review has given readers a glimpse into one little bit of the intersection between the Bible and Africa.

There are pressing problems for African biblical exegetes. There is rarely enough money for African scholars, seminaries, and universities to buy sufficient books needed for research. Most scholars, since they want their work to be known outside of their own ethnic group, are writing in their second or third language. Publishing houses in Africa have a very small market for scholarly books. The best-educated theologians have a very short teaching and research life since they are usually snatched up into denominational leadership or academic administration very quickly. War, political unrest, access to adequate health care, lack of clean water, and intermittent power supplies for lighting and computers (if there are computers) all play havoc with the work of theological institutions.

According to the book of Revelation, when the New Jerusalem comes down from heaven, "the rulers of the nations will bring their treasures into it" (Rev. 21:24). If any of these "rulers of the nations" are biblical scholars, many of them may turn out to be those who have sought to be faithful readers of the text for and with their people in the midst of poverty, powerlessness, and religious pluralism. It may be that the most significant readings, at least in the eyes of the Creator, are not those of the detached, objective scholarship of the rich Western world, but rather the interpretations of committed and engaged scholars, church leaders, and lay people seeking to be faithful in and to their own context. We have much to learn from them.