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Browsing School of Theology by Author "Alinye, Bernard"

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    The Parable Of The Good Samaritan: An Exegesis Of Luke 10:25-37— Its Theological Messages And Some Pastoral Applications In An African Context
    (Tangaza University College, 2003) Alinye, Bernard
    Africa is indeed in a horrible mess. Many of its countries are involved in either civil war or war with their neighbours. The population increases in number, while on the other hand the economy stagnates, or in some countries it even decreases. The extreme poverty of most Africans and the quick spread of the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Africa seem to be one of the consequences of this dramatic situation. Moreover, as with any other society in the world we, Africans, are formed of a variety of influences that shape our way of thinking, acting and feeling. In other words we are fruits of a culture. Africa is indeed made up of different cultures. In spite of this diversity there are some common elements such as the gender issue in sub-Saharan Africa. Some of the African traditions transgress the rights of women. Being a son of this troubled society, it has always been my preoccupation to seek means and ways of freeing my brothers and sisters from this yoke which crushes them. My choice of this parable can be explained by the fact that the story of the Good Samaritan contains theological messages which are very relevant for all humankind and indeed for Africans today. Which are these theological messages? And how can these theological messages be assimilated by Christians in Africa? These are the main questions of this essay which [will try to answer in the following pages. This essay will be divided into three chapters. In the first chapter our attention will be centred on the socio-religious background of the parable of the Good Samaritan, which is important for us in order to grasp the different behaviour of the main characters of the parable. Our second chapter will be the exegetical analysis of Luke 10:25-37. We will first of all highlight the introductory questions related to the exegesis of the parable. Then in doing our exegesis, our attention will be focussed on the meaning of the actions of the different characters of this story, with a special accent on some key concepts such as: neighbour, love and compassion. The exegesis of the above text is very important because it will help us to draw the theological messages of the parable. Finally, in the last chapter we shall explicitly deal with different theological messages drawn from the parable and some possible pastoral applications in an African context.