Africa and the Christianity

1. Africa and Christianity 12 November 2015. COLONEL DR. JÁNOS BESENYŐ (PhD)

2. Agenda • The early „African” Christianity • Egypt – the Coptic Church • Ethiopian Church • Nubia • Congo Free State and Christianity • Christianity and slavery • The African Christianity in the XIX. century. • The „Africanization” of the church • Current situation • Conclusion

3. The early „African” Christianity • Crucifixion of Jesus Christ – Simon of Cyrene • Cyrenians, Egyptians – The filling of the Holy Spirit – their return to home • „Ethiopian” - Treasurer Meroë´s conversion to Christianity • The Alexandrian Jewish community and Paul the Apostle’s activity • The attitude of the Roman Empire – allowing, tolerating, pursuing (AD 64-311!) – pogroms – the strengthening of Christianity • Respectful church-centres developed, for example Carthage, Hippo Regius and Alexandria • Strong effect on the system of Christianity: children-Christianity, predestination, dispatching of missionaries • Gnosticism

4. Egypt – Coptic Church • Service of Marc the Evangelist - Alexandria • National church, dispatchment of missionaries – expansion (Ethiopia, Jerusalem, Cyprus) – school system – lively scientific life • Significant role within the universal Christianity until The Council of Chalcedon (451), early Councils • Independent church from 451 • Monastic communities – Coptic language, surviving of culture and history • Byzanthian occupation – Arabic conquest (VII. century) – peaceful living together – violent Islamization – Arabization of the society • Restrictions (church-building, prohibition of renovation, payment of extra tax implemented on Christians, etc.), Alexandrian Centre, leading role in the Middle-Eastern Christianity

5. Ethiopian Church • 2000 year old, independent state • The spread of Christianity – Jewish community – direct contact with Jerusalem • The church develops at the III. century - Coptic (Frumentius) and missionaries arriving from West-Asia – ´Ezana of Axum (330-356) • Independent national church, doesn´t depend on the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Alexandria! • It distances itself from Rome after the Council of Chalcedon in 451 • VII-XIV. century: resists the Muslim invasion, the extermination of the neighboring Christian states • Its structure is similar to the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria and the Syriac Orthodox Church – patriarch, monastic orders, monasteries (the sole institutions of education) – the development of the current Ethiopian identity

6. Nubia • Contemporary Sudan – Meroë– treasurer of Candace, Queen of Ethiopia, small Christian community – Axum conquered it in 350 – development of Alodia, MakuriaésNobatia – in 540 – under Coptic and Greek influence – they converted to Christianity • Military nobility – mostly Coptic, but in smaller amounts Byzanthian-rite Christianity – supervision of the Coptic patriarch – good relations with Egypt – in the international blood circulation of the Christianity • Preserving Nubian culture, language (churches, schools, education, Bible) – the dissemination of written culture • Despite of their full power at the time of the Arabic conquest in the IX-X. c. – continuous wars with the Muslim conquerors (they even beat Saladin in the XII. century!) – they are cut off from the West • 1323 – Nobatia is reduced to vassalage of Egypt • 1400 – the Arabs raid Makuria • 1504 – the conquest of Alodia – the Funj Sultanate (Sennar) – some isolated communities survive until the XVIII. century.

8. Congo Free State and Christianity • The reappearance of Christianity on the continent in the XVI. century (Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, British, etc.) • Portuguese – trade, missionary work – Cape Verde, Gulf of Guinea, Angola, Mozambique, Kenya • Catholic missions vs. Muslim missionary work – gaining the trust of the local elite • Angola: 1491 – Nzinga a Nkuwu converts to Christianity, his son, Alfonso I of Kongo (1506-1543) – Christian state, Christian community with significant number – tight commercial and cultural relations with Portugal • The strengthening of slave-trade – deterioration of Angolan-Portuguese relations – Antonian movement of Beatrice Kimpa Vita

10. Christianity and slave-trade • Disputed attitude of the Christian churches to the institution of slavery (guarantee of the legislative background, material profit-making, missionary work, etc.) • The fights of Christian minorities (quakers, etc.) for the abolition of slavery – attitude towards Africans/the slaves are their brothers! – Liberia (1822) • Strengthening support of Catholics, Calvinists - Anne Mary Javouhey (the mother of the blacks) - the Sisters of St. Joseph of Cluny - David Livingstone • Boycott, media campaign against II. Leopold – more human treatment of the Africans • Abolition of slavery

12. The African Christianity in the XIX. century • Narrow bases on the continent – colonization – spreading Christianity – XX. century: about 40% • The role of the churches: education, language-knowledge – chance to rise, participation in the colonial administration – „Closed District” system, Muslim/Christian/Animist difference • The relations of Colonizers and Christian churches – Christian charismatic movement, the reevangelization of the World, interest towards Africa • „Opposition churches” – human rights, differences with the colonial administration – state education as punishment – diminishing of the missionaries influence • Preservation of African culture, languages, education of the later African elit, commercial, economic, medical etc. activities - Albert Sweitzer

14. The „Africanizaton” of the church • Contradictory relations of the historical Christian movements and the Africans, the locals don´t accept the whites – own religious leaders, own churches – Beatrice Kimpa Vita • African-initiated churches: more communities, they are extraordinary varied, lot of views, they didn´t acknowledge the superiority of the missionary organizations, they claimed that they are independent and equal to them, they required more respect for the African culture (incorporating it into the liturgy) • More, than 7000 communities at the end of the XX. century – two bigger associations (Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and the Zion Christian Church) • They incorporated well into their religious activities part of the former Animist cultural and religious customs, as well as the „liberation theology”, they support the religious service and career of women and they allow room for the various spiritual experiences, revelations – intensive growth

15. Current situation • Independence of the African countries – the Christianity didn´t dissappear, in fact, it strenghtens! At the beginning of the 1900´s, nearly 10 million, in 1970 116 million and in 2000 357 million Christians. 41% of the continent´s population (550 million person) practices one of the branches of Christianity, respectively daily 22800 Africans convert to Christianity • Christianity has a positive effect not only on the personal life of the ordinary people, but also on the economy, healthcare, education, the social image of women of the continents´ countries • Humanitary activities – Christian NGO-s • However the image of Christianity is politically contradictory (colonization)

18. Conclusion • Although Christianity weakened significantly in the Western world, on the African continent its growth seems continuous further on (Sub-Saharan countries) • The more and more profane Christian communities of the Western countries are rediscovering Africa, where they complete more and more, shorter or longer missionary and humanitarian works – regional economic prosperity • Africa´s reevangelization – the vigorous growth of the number of historical and neoprotestant communities • Activities of Christians at the Muslim-populated areas – strenghtening religious/cultural conflicts (Boko Haram, Mujao, etc.) – Security policy-challenge

19. Sources • A kereszténységtörténelmeésszerepeazafrikaikontinensen, FelderítőSzemle, XIV. évfolyam, 4. szám, 2015. november, pp. 23-35, http://docplayer.hu/40672453-Katonai-nemzetbiztonsagi-szolgalat-felderito-szemle-alapitva-2002-budapest.html • Arab Spring, Christian Fall? – The situation of Christian minorities in theMiddleEastafterthe Arab Spring (with Gömöri Roland) – International Institute forCounter-Terrorism, Herzliya, 2013. június, http://www.ict.org.il/Article/998/Arab_Spring_Christian_Fall

20. Questions? Thank you for your honourable attention!