The African Family: A Comparative Approach To The Trinity
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Date
2001-02
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Tangaza University College
Abstract
The doctrine of the Trinity is central to the Christian revelation. In fact the confession of one
God in three persons is rightly regarded as proper and specific to Christian faith and
revelation. This Trinitarian confession is and will always remain a mystery, a problem that
believers have to contend with. Through the ages, theologians of various cultural milieus
have given different interpretations to the Trinity. These theologians have used analogies and
theoretical categories that helped their contemporaries to understand and appreciate the
mystery of the Trinity.
It is the contention of this essay that an African understanding of the mystery of the Trinity
cannot rely on categories and models that are not close to their own reality. The study like the
one we are taking is focused on using a category and model close to the African cultures.
There are several images used to depict the Trinity. In this work we have taken the family as
an appropriate image.
The approach is in line with the AMECEA Bishops and the Synod of 1995 proposal; the
'Church as Family of God'. This theological 'discovery' was provoked by the need for a
better and integral understanding of the Church and the Christian faith in general.
In this paper the focus is to show how the African model of the Family helps in
understanding the Trinity.
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African Family, Trinity, God, Jesus, Holy Spirit