OCHENDO: AN AFRICAN JOURNAL OF INNOVATIVE STUDIES, 2023
The desacralisation of nature entrenched by the scientific enterprise, and the self-alienating fo... more The desacralisation of nature entrenched by the scientific enterprise, and the self-alienating forces of modernity have led to the destruction of nature, and the endangerment of the distinctiveness in African fauna, and animal population. These radical changes in African ecology and the harsh economic realities on the African continent have profoundly impacted the African ecological crisis which has further led to the terrifying and dehumanizing conditions of the African communities. Similarly, the ill-thought policies of government in their quest to modernize Africa, and to mimetically turn them into "civilized colonies of western democratic ethos" have exacerbated further the present ecological crisis of the African continent. Unfortunately, this civilizing agenda merely mimicked modernity and continually poses a serious threat to the ecological distinctiveness of the African continent. Engaging this problem of desacralisation, the paper adopts an ethno-philosophical methodology as a tool of intellectual enquiry with particular interests on the construct and appropriation of ecology in traditional African religious thoughts. Through this investigation, the paper advocates for the critical adoption of the resacralisation paradigm in context of the many ecological challenges of modern Africa.
Reading Matthew’s Gospel ecologically, scholars have investigated several dimensions of Matthean ... more Reading Matthew’s Gospel ecologically, scholars have investigated several dimensions of Matthean ecological conversations and have provided interesting insights into the ecological agenda of the gospel. Despite the contributions, studies have paid little attention to Matthean theology of biodiversity, the green nature of the parables, and the central importance of sperma (seed) as embodying the entirety of divine ecological revelation of God’s words and the ecological theology of Matthew. Exploring how Matthean ecological discourses call for new perspectives on our ecological crises, this article engages the parable of the sower from the perspective of the green nature of the parable, biodiversity, and the use of sperma as the centrality of God’s ecological/spiritual revelation. Its aim is to present new creative discourses for the ecological study of the Gospel of Matthew and offer an understanding of the parable from an ecological approach that can help us engage with our present ...
THE CATHOLIC VOYAGE: AFRICAN JOURNAL OF CONSECRATED LIFE, Vol.18, No.2,, 2021
The general theme of the present volume of our journal is “Governance in Institutes of Consecrate... more The general theme of the present volume of our journal is “Governance in Institutes of Consecrated Life in the Catholic Church in Africa”. The theme was chosen before the Covid19 crisis began in most African countries, including Nigeria. The idea was to explore, in particular, the significance, challenges, opportunities, and prospects of leadership. The emergence of the covid-19 crisis, though a coincidence, turned out to present new challenges and opportunities, and perhaps highlighted other latent challenges, in the governance. The crisis has led consecrated persons to seek or to explore new approaches to living a life in common, open new possibilities of mission, to consider new ways of living out their apostolate. At least, it called everyone to reflect anew on the ways to lead and live consecrated life in times of worldwide emergency crisis and attendant restrictions such as those caused by this pandemic. Through articles from various perspectives, this edition proposes studies and perspectives on some vital issues and the challenges, opportunities, and prospects of governance in Institutes of Consecrated Life in the Catholic Church in Africa.
This article undertakes a study of two Johannine stories – John 5:1-47 (of the healing of the man... more This article undertakes a study of two Johannine stories – John 5:1-47 (of the healing of the man at the pool of Bethzatha) and John 9:1-41 (the healing of the man born blind) – to discover the meaning and purpose of the evangelist’s use of these narratives, and their implications for understanding sickness and healing from faith perspective. In a comparative study of the two heal-ing accounts, the article shows how the evangelist emphasises the problem of the lack of faith as the purpose of the two stories, thus unraveling the reason why the two pericopae are called sign narratives. Perceiving the stories as sign narratives, this ar-ticle demonstrates how the evangelist uses them to explain the Christ’s event, and in particular the eschatological (the already and the future) redemption of the believers in Christ. Finally, the article reviews the implications of the healing stories in John 5 and 9 for understanding the current issues about healing and healing ministries in Nigeria. The argument here is that our physical dis(ability) should not be the focus of our transforma-tive encounter in Christ. The healing accounts caution against the use of our physical wholeness or disability as measure for right or wrong relationship with God.
This paper examines a wide range of issues relevant to asking the question of whether the three e... more This paper examines a wide range of issues relevant to asking the question of whether the three expressions of gratitude found in Greek texts were influenced by the message of Gal 3:28. Looking at the dating of the texts in question, their social and historical contexts, and the interactive influences of Greek, Jewish and Christian cultural values and ideas in the first three centuries, this paper suggests that there is no relationship of dependence between Gal 3:28 and the Greek writings. What they have in common is what we call thought structures, which have their origin in Greek philosophy and have been adopted by both Greek and early Christian writings, as well as other ancient works.
Scholars have suggested that Gal 3,28 is comparable to similar sayings found in rabbinic writings... more Scholars have suggested that Gal 3,28 is comparable to similar sayings found in rabbinic writings, and that the latter can help in interpreting and understanding the meaning and theology of Gal 3,28. In this study we have analysed and compared the alleged similar sayings found in Jewish texts and Gal 3,28 in order to demonstrate that Gal 3,28 is neither literally nor thematically related to the former, and we should not allow the alleged similar sayings found in rabbinic writings to influence our reading of Gal 3,28. Both texts reflect the conceptual uses of pairs of opposites in the Greco-Roman tradition, but at the same time, their subsequent usages or occurrences in Jewish and Christian texts came into being independently from one another.
Abraham and Isaac separately ‘used’ their wives to stay alive. Viewed, on one hand, as a pragmati... more Abraham and Isaac separately ‘used’ their wives to stay alive. Viewed, on one hand, as a pragmatic approach to life, the choice made by father and son demonstrates a moral failure that caused them to ‘sacrifice’ their wives, turning them to objects that could be exchanged. Hence, the end of preserving their lives justifies the means (lying and cooperation in formal evil of adultery). On the other hand, the story of Isaac, following in the footsteps of his father, offers us a reflection on how certain human actions, while useful and valid at a given point in time, cannot be judged morally good/bad or worthy of emulation without reference to the intention and historical situation of the primary agent. In Gen 20:1-18 and 26:1-11, the five protagonists (Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebecca and Abimelech) confront us with the perennial issues of patriarchy, the agency and compliance of women in reinforcing patriarchal patterns of politics and de-humanisation, the resilience and resistance of w...
OCHENDO: AN AFRICAN JOURNAL OF INNOVATIVE STUDIES, 2023
The desacralisation of nature entrenched by the scientific enterprise, and the self-alienating fo... more The desacralisation of nature entrenched by the scientific enterprise, and the self-alienating forces of modernity have led to the destruction of nature, and the endangerment of the distinctiveness in African fauna, and animal population. These radical changes in African ecology and the harsh economic realities on the African continent have profoundly impacted the African ecological crisis which has further led to the terrifying and dehumanizing conditions of the African communities. Similarly, the ill-thought policies of government in their quest to modernize Africa, and to mimetically turn them into "civilized colonies of western democratic ethos" have exacerbated further the present ecological crisis of the African continent. Unfortunately, this civilizing agenda merely mimicked modernity and continually poses a serious threat to the ecological distinctiveness of the African continent. Engaging this problem of desacralisation, the paper adopts an ethno-philosophical methodology as a tool of intellectual enquiry with particular interests on the construct and appropriation of ecology in traditional African religious thoughts. Through this investigation, the paper advocates for the critical adoption of the resacralisation paradigm in context of the many ecological challenges of modern Africa.
Reading Matthew’s Gospel ecologically, scholars have investigated several dimensions of Matthean ... more Reading Matthew’s Gospel ecologically, scholars have investigated several dimensions of Matthean ecological conversations and have provided interesting insights into the ecological agenda of the gospel. Despite the contributions, studies have paid little attention to Matthean theology of biodiversity, the green nature of the parables, and the central importance of sperma (seed) as embodying the entirety of divine ecological revelation of God’s words and the ecological theology of Matthew. Exploring how Matthean ecological discourses call for new perspectives on our ecological crises, this article engages the parable of the sower from the perspective of the green nature of the parable, biodiversity, and the use of sperma as the centrality of God’s ecological/spiritual revelation. Its aim is to present new creative discourses for the ecological study of the Gospel of Matthew and offer an understanding of the parable from an ecological approach that can help us engage with our present ...
THE CATHOLIC VOYAGE: AFRICAN JOURNAL OF CONSECRATED LIFE, Vol.18, No.2,, 2021
The general theme of the present volume of our journal is “Governance in Institutes of Consecrate... more The general theme of the present volume of our journal is “Governance in Institutes of Consecrated Life in the Catholic Church in Africa”. The theme was chosen before the Covid19 crisis began in most African countries, including Nigeria. The idea was to explore, in particular, the significance, challenges, opportunities, and prospects of leadership. The emergence of the covid-19 crisis, though a coincidence, turned out to present new challenges and opportunities, and perhaps highlighted other latent challenges, in the governance. The crisis has led consecrated persons to seek or to explore new approaches to living a life in common, open new possibilities of mission, to consider new ways of living out their apostolate. At least, it called everyone to reflect anew on the ways to lead and live consecrated life in times of worldwide emergency crisis and attendant restrictions such as those caused by this pandemic. Through articles from various perspectives, this edition proposes studies and perspectives on some vital issues and the challenges, opportunities, and prospects of governance in Institutes of Consecrated Life in the Catholic Church in Africa.
This article undertakes a study of two Johannine stories – John 5:1-47 (of the healing of the man... more This article undertakes a study of two Johannine stories – John 5:1-47 (of the healing of the man at the pool of Bethzatha) and John 9:1-41 (the healing of the man born blind) – to discover the meaning and purpose of the evangelist’s use of these narratives, and their implications for understanding sickness and healing from faith perspective. In a comparative study of the two heal-ing accounts, the article shows how the evangelist emphasises the problem of the lack of faith as the purpose of the two stories, thus unraveling the reason why the two pericopae are called sign narratives. Perceiving the stories as sign narratives, this ar-ticle demonstrates how the evangelist uses them to explain the Christ’s event, and in particular the eschatological (the already and the future) redemption of the believers in Christ. Finally, the article reviews the implications of the healing stories in John 5 and 9 for understanding the current issues about healing and healing ministries in Nigeria. The argument here is that our physical dis(ability) should not be the focus of our transforma-tive encounter in Christ. The healing accounts caution against the use of our physical wholeness or disability as measure for right or wrong relationship with God.
This paper examines a wide range of issues relevant to asking the question of whether the three e... more This paper examines a wide range of issues relevant to asking the question of whether the three expressions of gratitude found in Greek texts were influenced by the message of Gal 3:28. Looking at the dating of the texts in question, their social and historical contexts, and the interactive influences of Greek, Jewish and Christian cultural values and ideas in the first three centuries, this paper suggests that there is no relationship of dependence between Gal 3:28 and the Greek writings. What they have in common is what we call thought structures, which have their origin in Greek philosophy and have been adopted by both Greek and early Christian writings, as well as other ancient works.
Scholars have suggested that Gal 3,28 is comparable to similar sayings found in rabbinic writings... more Scholars have suggested that Gal 3,28 is comparable to similar sayings found in rabbinic writings, and that the latter can help in interpreting and understanding the meaning and theology of Gal 3,28. In this study we have analysed and compared the alleged similar sayings found in Jewish texts and Gal 3,28 in order to demonstrate that Gal 3,28 is neither literally nor thematically related to the former, and we should not allow the alleged similar sayings found in rabbinic writings to influence our reading of Gal 3,28. Both texts reflect the conceptual uses of pairs of opposites in the Greco-Roman tradition, but at the same time, their subsequent usages or occurrences in Jewish and Christian texts came into being independently from one another.
Abraham and Isaac separately ‘used’ their wives to stay alive. Viewed, on one hand, as a pragmati... more Abraham and Isaac separately ‘used’ their wives to stay alive. Viewed, on one hand, as a pragmatic approach to life, the choice made by father and son demonstrates a moral failure that caused them to ‘sacrifice’ their wives, turning them to objects that could be exchanged. Hence, the end of preserving their lives justifies the means (lying and cooperation in formal evil of adultery). On the other hand, the story of Isaac, following in the footsteps of his father, offers us a reflection on how certain human actions, while useful and valid at a given point in time, cannot be judged morally good/bad or worthy of emulation without reference to the intention and historical situation of the primary agent. In Gen 20:1-18 and 26:1-11, the five protagonists (Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebecca and Abimelech) confront us with the perennial issues of patriarchy, the agency and compliance of women in reinforcing patriarchal patterns of politics and de-humanisation, the resilience and resistance of w...
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