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Periodical article Periodical article Leiden University catalogue Leiden University catalogue WorldCat catalogue WorldCat
Title:An African reconsideration of Christian 'anamnesis'
Author:Ndondji-Tshiwisa-Adidem, GhislainISNI
Year:1998
Periodical:Exchange: Journal of Contemporary Christianities in Context
Volume:27
Issue:1
Pages:37-51
Language:English
Geographic term:Africa
Subjects:time
Christianity
External link:https://doi.org/10.1163/157254398X00475
Abstract:The Christian religion is based on the fundamental paradigm of 'anamnesis'. While turning towards the past, it anticipates the future in the present and is orientated towards the future. African traditional 'anamnesis', on the other hand, turns radically towards an ancestral past which it tries to imitate and reproduce in the present. African Christians find themselves at the crossroads of these two contrasting views of 'anamnesis'. This article aims to reconcile the two. It discusses the relationships between them and explores the possibility for African 'anamnesis' to function in the Christian thought system. The author defines the concept of 'anamnesis', pays attention to the way it functions in the Bible and in the African setting, and finally compares the two traditions. For the Christian, remembering the life, death and resurrection of Jesus represents an intense activity which has serious, practical consequences for both the past, the present and the future. In contrast to this creative mode, remembrance in the African oral tradition is directed towards preservation and reproduction of the life of the admired ancestors. For the Christian African, the two traditions can be reconciled, with Jesus conceived as a Proto-Ancestor who offers shelter to people of all languages and religions. Note, ref.
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