THE AFRICA BIBLE COMMENTARY 
Martha Th. Frederiks 
Introduction 
On July 5, 2006, the Africa Bible Commentary was officially presented to 
the wider public. I The ABC, as the commentary is known, is a joint project 
of the Association of Evangelicals in Africa and the International Mission 
Organisation, S1M (Serving in Missioni The presHelease states that the 
ABC is a one-volume, 1600 page Bible commentary, written by Africans 
for Africans. 3 The ABC gives a ' section-by-section exegesis and 
explanation of the whole Bible as seen through the eyes of African 
scholars,.4 Besides the Bible commentary, the ABC also includes 72 short 
articles on relevant social, cultural and theological issues. The book has a 
separate section called Guidelines for using the ABC, to aid non-academic 
readers in using the commentary.5 In total seventy African scholars from a 
variety of countries and denominations were involved in the project. 
The launch of the ABC in Nairobi attracted considerable attention, in 
Africa and abroad. Not only the church press, but also secular media, such 
as the South Africa Broadcasting company and the BBC, have paid 
I http ://www.africatiles.org/article.asp?ID= 12277 &ThisURL=.iinterfaith.asp& URLNa 
me=Interfai th%20Relations; consul ted: August 21 2006. 
2 Serving in Mission (SIM) is the continuation of the Sudan Interior Mission. When the 
I Sudan Interior Mission merged with mission organisations working outside Africa, it 
WaS decided to maintain the acronym SIM. In 2000 the name 'Serving in Mission ' was 
adopted. For further information about SIM see www.sim.org . 
3 Details T. Adeyemo (ed.), The Africa Bible Commentary: a one-volume commentary 
written by 70 African scholars, Grand Rapids, Zondervan 2006. rSBN-IO: 0-310-
26473-1. In Africa ABC is published and distributed by World Ative Publishers, 
Nairobi and by The book consists of 1584 pages to be exact. 
4 T. Adeyemo, 'General IntroduCtion' , Africa Bible Commentary, ix. 
5 ' Guidelines for using the ABC ', Africa Bible Commentary, xi tf. Note: the total 
number of articles is 79, but some are introductions to Bible books and/or parts of the 
Bible rather than articles on social, cultural or economic topics relating to Africa. 
Ghana Bulletin of Theology, Vol. 2 135 
Martha Th. Frederiks 
attention to the book.6 The BBC Africa-News headlines on July 5 cited the 
ABC s general editor Tokunboh Adeyemo, who stated that ABC was 
intended as 'a weaving of word of the Bible and the word of Africa'.' The 
article continues: 'Written by 70 contributors from 25 countries, the Africa 
Bible Commentary aims to explain the Bible from an African perspective. 
It contains local proverbs and folklore to help interpret the scriptures. The 
commentary also addresses contemporary issues such as HIV/AIDS, 
female genital mutilation, refugees, ethnic conflict and witchcraft. ,8 
The ink of the ABC is barely dry on the eve of the publication of the 2006 
volume of Analecta Bruxellensia. Therefore, the author of this article 
cannot claim to have read all 1600 pages of the Africa Bible Commentary. 
Yet a thematic volume on 'The Bible in Africa' would not be complete 
without some short impressions of this new monumental work of African 
Biblical scholarship. This article wants to give a brief introduction to the 
ABC, sketching the background of the commentary, its intended purpose 
and highlighting the way in which the authors of the ABC have 
endeavoured to contextualise their commentary to the African setting. 
Background 
The first seeds for the ABC were sown in Nairobi in 1994, during the 
second Pan African Christian Leadership Assembly (PACLA II). At some 
stage during this convention African Christian Leaders identified 'deficient 
knowledge of the Bible and faulty application of its teachings' as a major 
flaw in African Christianity. Though rejoicing about the enormous 
church growth in Africa during the last century, the African leadership 
expressed concern about the fact that quantitative and qualitative growth 
had not kept pace with each other in the African churches, especially not 
on the grass-root leveJ.9 Though African Biblical scholars have published a 
substantial number of books and articles - among them the grand work The 
Bible in Africa edited by Musa Dube and Gerald West 10 - the majority of 
the publications are aimed at an academic readership. Hence the Executive 
E.g. http://www.sabcnews.com/southafrica/generaI/0.2172.13082S.00.html 
(consulted: August 24 2006): http://news.bbc.co.ukl2/hi/africa/SIS2234.stm (consulted : 
July 6 2006) 
7 http://news .bbc.co.ukl2/hilafrica/SIS2234.stm; date, July S 2006. 
8 http://news.bbc.co.ukl2/hi/africa/SIS2234.stm; date, July S 2006. 
9 T. Adeyemo, ' General Introduction' , viii. 
10 M. W. Dube and G. O. West (eds), The Bible in Africa. Trajections, trajectories and 
trends. Leiden: Brill 200 I. 
136 
The Africa Bible Commentary 
Committee of the Association of Evangelicals in Africa decided there was 
a need for a commentary meant for 'Christian leaders at the grassroots 
level - pastors, students, and lay leaders.' II The mission organisation S1M, 
which had been involved in the distribution of books for pastors and 
evangelists, had also been contemplating to initiate an all-Africa Bible 
commentary project. Thus, the two organisations joined hands in the ABC 
project. 
In January 200 I, there was a meeting on the ABC at the Nairobi 
Evangelical Graduate School of Theology (NEGST). Participants were the 
AEA Executive Committee, some representatives of the SIM leadership 
and a number of others who were interested in the project. During the 
gathering an editorial board of four was selected: Tokunboh Adeyemo 
(Nigerian) was elected as general editor, Samuel Ngewa (Kenyan) was 
chosen as editor for the New Testament commentaries submitted in 
English, Tewoldemedhin Habtu (Eritrean) would assume responsibility for 
editing Angloph()ne Old Testament commentaries, whilst Issiaka Coulibaly 
(Tvorian) would take on editing the Francophone Old Testament 
contributions. In 2002, the group was extended by a French-speaking 
editor for the French New Testament contribu- tions (Solomon Andria, a 
Malagasy). With Adeyemo, Habtu and Ngewa connected to the NEGST in 
Nairobi and Coulibaly and Andria connected to the Faculte de Theologie 
Evangelique de I' Alliance Chretienne (FATAC) in Ivory Coast, the 
editorial board had two continental concentration points, one in East Africa 
and one in West Africa, representing English-speaking as well as French-
speaking countries. Both were firmly grounded in evange- Iical academic 
theological institutions. 12 Kwame Bediako (Ghana), Isabel Phiri (Malawi) 
and Yusufu Turaki (Nigeria) were asked to serve as theological aqvisors. 
The meeting agreed on five editorial guidelines for the ABC: 
The ABC should be a readable, accessible and affordable one-
volume commentary that pastors, students and lay-people can 
easily use; 
The ABC should be African in terms of its authorship and its 
content, which must reflects its African context. While remaining 
II T. Adeyemo, 'General Introduction', x. 
12 It is commendable that .right from the start the editorial board consisted of people 
from both Anglophone and Francophone Afri ca. All too often there is little 
communication and cooperation between the Anglophone and Francophone parts of 
Africa. 
137 
Martha Th. Frederiks 
true to the biblical texts, it must apply biblical teachings and truths 
to African realities; 
The contributors of ABC should be chosen to reflect the diversity 
of Africa as regards denominations and languages, and should 
include both men and women. The diversity of contributors should 
also find expression in their commentaries; 
As part of their contract, contributors to the ABC would be 
expected to accept the AEA Statement of Faith as a guideline for 
their work; 
The ABC project should be owned by Africans and should be 
managed independently, although under the ultimate supervision 
of the AEA. 13 
Only five years later, in July 2006, the English edition of the Africa Bible 
Commentary has been realised. 14 A French edition is expected in 2007 and 
there are plans for other translations of the ABC in languages such as 
Portuguese, Swahili and possibly Amharic. 15 Considering the funds 
necessary for the project, the difficulties in communications within Africa 
and the time investment of the generally overburdened African theologians 
who most of the time serve in the double function of pastors and lecturers, 
this is a major accomplishment. 
Contextualisation 
The Africa Bible Commentary aims to be a contextualised African Bible 
commentary. The vision statement for the Africa Bible Commentary 
explicitly mentions that the intention of the commentary is 'to make the 
word of God speak relevantly to African realities'. 16 Contextualisation as a 
term became popular in the 1970s when the Theological Education Fund 
(WCC) adopted the expression in their report Ministry in Context. 17 Within 
theology contextualisation refers to those theologies that emphasise the 
interaction between context and ~ospel and have special attention for 
theologies conducted 'from below'. 8 
IJ T. Adeyemo, ' General Introduction', ix. 
14 The first print consisted of 46.000 copies. 
15 http ://www.sim.co.uk/standard.asp?id=1448; Consulted: August 242006. 
16 'The Vision' , Africa Bible Commentary, x. 
17 TEF commission on mission and world evangelism, 'Ministry in Context, the Third 
World program of the Theological Education Fund 1970-1977, 31 
IH D. Bosch, Transforming Mission : paradigm shifts in theology of mission, Maryknoll: 
Orbis Books 1991, 420f1 
138 
The Africa Bible Commentary 
Robert Schreiter in his book Constructing local theologies has identified 
two steps in the process of contextualisation: the analysis of the context 
and the identification of specific needs or concerns of a context. Analysis, 
according to Schreiter, is done by listening carefully to a culture/context in 
order to understand its rhythm, its struCtures, strengths and weaknesses. 
The analysis is followed by an evaluation of the particular needs and 
concerns of a context and leads an agenda for contextualisation. Should the 
community for example be in need of reconstituting their social identity, 
then contextualisation could focus on the development of an 'ethnographic 
theology'; if the community is more concerned with social change and 
countering oppression, then contextualisation could concentrate on 
developing a liberation theology. 19 
Schreiter20 and scholars like Justin Ukpong21 and David Bosch22 have 
roughly differentiated between two strands within contextual theologies. 
All three point to an inculturation (or indigenisation) model and a socio-
economic model (such as liberation theology, black theology, feminist 
theology etc.)?3 Both components of contextualisation, attention for 
19 R. Schreiter, Constructing Local Theologies, Maryknoll : Orbis Books 1985, 39ff. 
2U R. Schreiter, Constructing Local Theologies, 12-16. 
21 J.S. Ukpong, 'What is contextualization?', Neue Zeitschriflfur Missionswissenschafl, 
43( 1987), 161-168. 
22 D. Bosch, Transforming Mission, 420ff. Joan Burke, writing about inculturation, 
distinguishes between two types of inculturation: inculturation from the top down and 
inculturation from the bottom up. With ' inculturation from the top down' Burke 
indicates that form of inculturation that starts with the study of traditional institutions 
and concepts in view of adapting them to Christian practice. With the term 
'inculturation from the bottom up ' Burke refers to that type of inculturation that is 
based on the lived experience of people. Though this form of inculturation also requires 
a great deal of study and retlection, the starting point of this form of inculturation is the 
lived experience of people who have received the gospel and shaped it into their own 
cultural concepts. J.F. Burke, These Catholic Sisters are all Mamas! Towards the 
inculturation of the sisterhood in Africa, an ethnographic study, Leiden: Brill 200 L 
I 98tt Burke argues that this latter form of inculturation is closer to the people and their 
immediate experience and therefore should receive precedence over inculturation from 
above J.F. Burke, 'Religious Profession Rites as Barometers: The Igbo - Nigeria ' in 
A.Gittins, Life and Death Matters: the practice of inculturation in Ajrica, Nettetal: 
Steyler Verlag 2000, 159-173. 
23 Ukpong, Bosch and Schreiter each have their own nuances and emphases, but 
generally speaking distinguish between these two main models, immediately adding 
that the two strands easily melt together. 
139 
" 
Martha Th. Frederiks 
inculturation and for the socio-economic and political context, can be 
found with the ABC. 
The ABC was written by a large group of authors; seventy in all. This 
means that there is no homogeneity in the way in which the 
contextualisation process has been done. Rather, there is a large variety in 
the ways in which - and the extent to which - contextualisation is realised. 
Some commentators, such as Felix Chingota (Leviticus), Isabel Phiri 
(Ruth) and Joe Kapolyo (Matthew), have an abundance of references to 
African contexts, whilst others, like Tewoldemedhin Habtu (Ezechiel), 
Douglas Carew (Hosea) or Paul Kisau (Acts of the Apostles), are far more 
reserved in making connotations to the African setting. 
The General Introduction Of the ABC speaks about making use of African 
proverbs, metaphors and stories to make it speak to African believers in 
the villages and cities across t~e entire continent. ,24 The range by which 
contextualisation is realised, however, is much wider than the General 
Introduction would seem to suggest. Apart from African proverbs, 
metaphors and stories, the ABC commentators make use of analogies 
between the Biblical setting and the African context, insert African 
folktales, give examples from and applications to everyday African life, 
make exhortations to the African reader and refer to important and -well-
known African personalities and events. Often the examples, stories or 
proverbs cited betray the background of the author. The seventy-plus short 
articles on African issues that are included in the Africa Bible Commentary 
are also a means to contextualise the commentary. They give an in-depth 
examination of topics specifically relevant to the African public. 
Modes of contextualisation 
As stated above, the Africa Bible Commentary makes use of a variety of 
ways to contextualise the Biblical message for African readers. Roughly 
speaking, three modes - analogy, proverbs and folktales - focus on the 
African cultural context (inculturation). Four other methods - examples, 
applications to the African context, exhortations and references to African 
personalities and events - focus on the socio-economic and political 
24 T. Adeyemo, 'General Introduction', viii and ix. Note: Added is: 'The application is 
both bold and faithful. Thus the ABC does not speak of a Black Jesus. To do so would 
be a travesty ofthe Biblical story and cheap scholarship.' 
140 
The Africa Bible Commentary 
African setting. The articles form a separate category in which often both 
aspects are highlighted. 
The first method of contextualisation that jumps to the attention of the 
reader is that of analo~y. As has often been pointed out by scholars such as 
Mbiti25 and Ukpong, 6 there are numerous parallels between Biblical 
customs and worldview and African customs and worldview. 27 The authors 
of the ABC have made abundant use of parallels to contextualise the 
message of scripture. Solomon Andria, for example, in his commentary of 
Colossians 1: 15, where Jesus is called the firstborn over all creation, points 
out that also in many African cultures the firstborn has certain privileges. 
28 Anastacia Boniface-Malle draws a parallel between the prescribed 
punishment for adultery in the book of Numbers (Num. 25:13) and that of 
the Meru people of Tanzania. 29 Many more analogies are mentioned, such 
as the belief in diviners (Obad. 1: 1), the breaking of taboos and 
purification rites {Rom. 5: 12) and arranged marriages (Mt. I: 18), to name 
just a few. A topic like circumcision (Gen. 17:10-14 and Col. 2:11) is not 
just subject of an analogy, but also time serves as an opportunity to 
criticise traditional harmful practices such as female genital mutilation. In 
a short article that is linked to the Gen. 17 story, Silicy Mbura Muriithi 
vehemently rejects FGM and calls upon the churches to campaign against 
these and other traditional harmful practices. Thus, analogy both serves as 
an affirmation of certain traditional practices as well as an opportunity to 
condemn certain behaviours. 
25 1. Mbiti , New Testament Eschatology in an African background, London: Oxford 
University Pre.ss [971. 
26 1. Ukpong, fbibo Sacrifice and Levitical sacrifice: a comparative study of the 
sacrtjlcial systems of the fbibio people of Nigeria and ancient Israel as recorded in the 
book of Leviticus, Rome: Urbaniana Press [987. 
27 Ukpong in his article on ' Developments in Biblical Interpretation in Africa' has 
observed that comparative studies between the world of the Bible and the African 
reality formed the first phase of biblical studies in A ti·ica. J. Ukpong, 'Developments in 
Biblical Interpretation in Africa' in M. Dube and G. West, The Bible in Africa, 13. 
2~ Commentary to Col.l: [5; ABC [451. 
29 Commentary to Num. 25: [3; ABC [97. Note : she also draws the attention to the 
death penalty in Shari 'ah law for adultery, especially for women. 
141 
Martha Th. Frederiks 
Another mode employed is the usage of African proverbs. John Mbiti, 
renowned for his involvement in the African Proverbs Series,30 in his 
eminent Introduction to African Religion states that proverbs and myths 
form 'a rich deposit of the wisdom of many generations' which has been 
handed down orally for centuries. They are 'therefore, a major source of 
African wisdom and a valuable part of African heritage.,31 The ABC 
features a rich collection of African proverbs throughout the commentary; 
the remarks on Deuteronomy (Luciano Chianeque and Samuel Ngewa) 
alone include more than 15 of them. Also the booklet of Ruth abounds in 
proverbs. Chianeque, for example, enlightens the passage of Deutr. 2:25 
where Israel has to conquer the Transjordan area with the Ovimbundu 
proverb 'It is God who pounds ombowe for the one-armed person'. He 
writes: 'When preparing ombowe, a food made from cassava, it is first 
boiled and then pounded with a pestle. A normal person holds the pestle 
with both hands, but for the person with only one arm, it is God who helps 
him or her to pound ombowe. The Israelites might feel weak compared to 
the nations they confront, but God will be their second arm. ,32 
Commenting on the clash between Peter and Paul which is mentioned in 
Gal. 2: II ff, Samuel Ngewa cites the Kamba proverb that 'Axes in one 
basket will not fail to clang,' and adds: 'It is not surprising that there was 
sometimes disagreement between Peter and Paul, who were both strong 
leaders in the young church.,33 Thus, the message of scripture passages is 
summarized or elaborated upon by proverbs. 
Not only proverbs, but also folktales and myths are part of the traditional 
corpus of African wisdom. Scholars like Mercy Oduyoye and Musimbi 
Kanyoro have used folktales as leitmotifs in their theologies.34 Also in the 
ABC there are references to folktales and other African stories. The most 
elaborate tale can be found in the commentary to Matthew 7:5ff where Joe 
30 l.S . Mbiti (series editor), African Proverbs Series , Five Volumes. Pretoria: 
Uni versity of South Africa (UNISA) Press, 1997. (Also published by Nairobi : Daystar 
and Ibadan: Sefer Publishers). 
31 J.S . Mbiti , Introduction to African Religion, Oxford, Heinemann 1991 (second 
edition), 8. The book has a chapter which lists African proverbs starting from page 208. 
32 Commentary to Deut. 2:25; ABC 215. 
33 Commentary to Gal. 2: 11ft'.; ABC 1418. 
340duyoye, M.A., Daughters of Anowa: African women and patriarchy. Maryknoll: 
Orbis Books 1995. In Daughters of Anowa Oduyoye makes use of Akan and Yoruba 
myths. M. Kanyoro, Introducing Feminist Cliltural Hermeneutics, Sheffield: Sheffield 
Academic Press 2002, 13. Kanyoro uses one ofthe famous hyena myths in her book. 
142 
The Africa Bible Commentary 
Kapolyo relates a Bembe folk story about outsmarting a leopard. The 
account is told to enlighten Jesus' sayin§ that one. should not give dogs 
what is sacred nor throw pearls to pigs. 3 The use of folktales and other 
stories not only ties in with the African custom that knowledge and 
wisdom are transmitted by means of stories, but also points to an important 
African contribution to theology in general, that of narrative theology. 36 
The in-depth articles of the commentary form an in-between category of 
contextualisation.37 On the one hand, there are articles that address socio-
economic and political issues such as debt (Stephen Adei), refugees 
(Celestin Musekura), street children (Solomon Gacece), religious pluralism 
(Tokunboh Adeyemo) and land (Dwight Mutonono and Makoto Mautsa) 38, 
whilst at the same time cultural issues such as female genital mutilation 
(Sicily Muriithi), funeral and burial practices (Joe Simfukwe), initiation 
rites ((Judith Milasi) and taboos (Ernestina Afriyie) are discussed. 39 Also 
35 Commentary to Mt. 7:6; ABC 1124. Kapolyo writes: 'The point of Jesus ' saying 
about pearls and pigs can be illustrated by using a Bembe folk tale about a dangerous 
leopard that lived in a very tall tree. Many attempts to lure it down from the tree had 
failed. One day a man brought a dog and a goat to the tree. He tied them up and offered 
them food . He set nshima [a staple food for humans, which dogs eat and goats don't] 
before the goat and grass before the dog. Each refused to eat the food it was offered. 
But the man persisted in trying to get the dog to eat grass and the goat to eat nshima. 
The watching leopard eventually told the man to give the nshima to the dog and grass 
to the goat. The man responded with the proverb: 'Kalangilala wa muntu: apalama' 
[He who would guide a"m an must draw near] . If the leopard really wanted to help him, 
then it would have to come down from the tree and show him how to feed the two 
animals. Then the man went on trying to feed each animal the wrong food. Eventually 
the leopard could no longer bear such stupidity, and came down from the tree, grabbed 
the nshima and put it in front of the dog and set the grass before the goat. But while it 
was doing this, the man brought out his axe and killed the leopard. A key element of 
this tale is the stupidity of trying to feed good food to an animal that will not eat it. 
Everyone knows that this is futile, and that the only result will be frustration for all 
concerned. The same idea lies behinds Jesus' saying: Do not give dogs what is sacred; 
do not throw pearls to pigs.' 
I 36 For more details about narrative theology see M.A. Oduyoye, Introducing African Women s Theology, Shefiield: Sheffield Academic Press 200 I , 17 ff. 37 A few articles focus on biblical scholarship only e.g. A. Ndjerareou, ' Introduction to 
the Pentateuch', ABC, 7; S.Ngewa, 'Intertestamental Period', ABC, 1099 etc. 
38 S. Adei , ' Dept', ABC. 779; C. Musekura, 'Refugees' , ABC, 321 ; S. Gacece, 'Street 
r children', ABC, 1240; T. Adeyemo, 'Religious Pluralism', ABC, 1532; D. Mutonono 
I and M. Mautse, ' Land ', ABC, 290. 
39 S. Muriithi, 'Female Genital Mutilation ', ABC, 37; J. Simfukwe, ' Funeral and Burial 
Rites', ABC, 1462; 1. Milasi , ' Initiation Rites', ABC, 101 ; E. Afiyie, 'Taboos' , ABC, 
159. 
143 
Martha Th. Frederiks 
culturally important theological issues such as dreams (T. Adeyemo), 
healing (Kingsley Larbi), ~olygamy (Isabel Phiri) and ancestors (Yusufu 
Turaki) pass the review. 4 Though the authors do not hesitate to take a 
theological stance, most articles are balanced and careful1y worded. Isabel 
Phiri, for example argues that there is a tendency towards polygamy in the 
New Testament. She adds, however, that though most women reject 
polygamy and most evangelical denominations encourage monogamous 
marriages as God's ideal, Rolygamists can and should be accepted as full 
members of the church. I Likewise, Yusufu Turaki on the topic of 
ancestors does not condemn ancestral worship as such, but states that 
'Jesus has come to fulfil our African ancestral cult and has taken the place 
of our ancestors. (oo.) All the 'intermediaries' of African theology or of 
any other religion or culture, are inferior to the person and work of Jesus 
Christ.,42 Thus the articles seek to search to fonnulate theological stances 
on the day to day African realities. 
Contextualisation is also done by means of examples from the African 
context. Daniel Bitris in his commentary to Amos 8:6 (about salesmen 
using false scales to cheat the poor) states: 
These business practices are not confined to Amos' time. Some 
local traders still know the bottoms of their measures upwards to 
cheat unsuspecting customers. They adjust their scales so that 
they do not show true weights. When potatoes, oranges, tomatoes 
and other fruits and foodstuffs are sold in heaps or bags, some 
traders place defective ones or very small pieces at the bottom of 
the bag, while claiming that everything in the bag is the same size 
and quality as the ones on top. Oils may be mixed with poorer 
quality or cheaper products. Some of these ways of cheating not 
only steal customers' money but also hurt their wealth. Amos' 
condemnation of these practices still resonates today. 43 
The examples in the ABC are many. The story of Mt. 2 is exemplified by 
the plight of Angolan refugees in Zambia (Meheba Resettlement Scheme), 
40 T. Adeyemo, 'Dreams', ABC, 993; K. Larbi, 'Healing', ABC, 447; I. Phiri, 'The 
Bible and Polygamy', ABC, 429-430; Y. Turaki, 'The Role of the Ancestors', ABC, 
480. 
41 I. Phiri, 'The Bible and Polygamy', ABC 430. 
42 Y. Turaki, 'The Role of Ancestors', ABC 480. 
4) Commentary to Amos 8:6, ABC 1039. 
144 
The Africa Bible Commentary 
Jesus' saying of salt and light is illustrated by the salt production in the 
Mpika district in Zambia whilst the parable of the hidden treasure (Mt. 
13 :44) is explained with the example of the discovery of the Zambia 
Copperbelt Mines in 1922.44 
Examples as well the applications of biblical passages to the African 
contexts - another mode of contextualisation - make the ABC lively and 
enticing to read. The biblical texts receive new and up to date dimensions 
which address day to day issues. The theme of the book of Esther -
discrimination on the basis of race - applied to the African context, speaks 
about the condemnation of tribalism, racism and apartheid (Est. 3:6).45 Is. 
56:6ff., which speaks about the stranger who feels lost in his new setting, 
is applied to disintegration of traditional community structures due to rapid 
urbanisation and globalization.46 
Often the examples from and applications to the African context are 
followed by exhortations to the (African) readership. The already quoted 
commentary to Matthew 2: 13 ff by Joe Kapolyo not only connects the story 
of the flight to Egypt to the reality of millions of African refugees but also 
admonishes his readers not to despise refugees: 'We must not despise 
refugees or other marginalized pe,ople. The signs are already clear that 
Europe will most likely be saved from the logical fulfilment of humanistic 
secularism by the masses of downtrodden migrants from the developing 
world. In big cities like London, the majority of churchgoers are recent 
immigrants from the southern hemisphere.,47 
Last but not least the Africa Bible Commentary contains numerous 
references to African public personalities and events. Particularly striking 
is the reference to the martyrs under the regime of Idi Amin at the end of 
John's gospel (John 21 :21); martyrs who died in the expectation of 
resurrection in Christ.48 Similarly ({rresting is the , parallel between Herod 
and Mengistu in Mt. 2:9_11.49 But these are just two examples among 
many. Paul Kisau in his comm~ntary of the letter to the Romans mentions 
44 Commentary tei Mt. 2: 13ff, ABC 1112; Commentary to Mt. 5:1.3 , ABC 1120; 
Commentary to Mt. 13 :44, ABC 1138, 
45 Commentary to Est. 3:6; ABC 562. _ 
46 Commentary to Is. 56:6ft; ABC 846, 
47 Commentary to Mt. 2: 13ff, ABC 1112. 
48 Commentary John 21:21;ABC 1296. 
49 Commentary Mt. 2:9-11 ; ABC 1111. 
145 
The Aji-ica Bible Commentary 
-From the numerous references to the HIVI A IDS epidemic in the ABC, it is 
clear that the pandemic forms an always present context in which African 
theologians theologise. One of the articles is dedicate to the topic, written 
by the Ugandan Peter Okaalet56 and gives specific attention to the 
churches' calling amidst the epidemic. Commentaries with reference to 
HI VI AIDS are omnipresent. Isabel Phiri frames her commentary of Ruth 
in the context of HIV/AIDS. Writing about Naomi's family as a family of 
refugees, sht: states: 'Such displacement by famine is very familiar to 
Africans. Being a refugee is a stressful experience for anyone, but it is 
particularly difficult for women and girls because it can lead to sexual 
abuse and the spread of HJV/AIDS.,57 And a few verses later she 
comments on Ruth 1: 18 where Naomi expresses bitterness because she felt 
that 'the Lord's hand had gone out against me'. Phiri writes: 
She [Naomi] regarded the deaths of her husband and two sons as a 
punishment ' from God. She repeats this view in 1: 20-21 when the 
women of Bethlehem greet her. Some scholars have echoed 
Naomi's interpretation, insisting that God was punishing her 
family for ha~ing gone to live in a foreign land that worshipped 
other gods. These are the same scholars who see HIV/AIDS as a 
punishment from God. This interpretation does not concur with the 
experiences of other Hebrew people who sought refuge in foreign 
lands during famines. 58 
Also, other passages such as the commentary to Deutr. 25: 10ff. Mt. 8: 1f f 
and to Rom. 5:4, 1 Peter I: I etc. speak about HI VI Aids. All commentators 
speak about the pastoral calling of the church to break the stigma around 
HIVI  A IDS and to care for the widows and orphans. 
Another topic which features regularly, is the topic of leadership, political 
as well as religious. The ABC abounds in references to unjust political 
systems and appeals to church and political leaders to guard their integrity. 
To name just a few, passages like Numb. 8:26, John 1 :27, 2 Cor. 9:7 or 
Hebr. 13:20, all discuss the issue. Yoilah Yilp_et comments on Micah 3:1-4: 
Many African countries suffer under corrupt, selfish and tyrannicai 
leaders. Officials have been corrupted by the love of money, and a 
bribe is required before any service is rendered. Employers do not 
56 P. Okaalet, 'HlY/Aids ', ABC 667. 
57 Commentary to Ruth 1: 1, ABC 320. 
58 CommentalY to Ruth 1: 18, ABC 321-322. 
147 
The Africa Bible Commentary 
Nevertheless, despite these few drawbacks, my admiration for the 
commentary and for its authors is deep. The Africa Bible Commentary is a 
major accomplishment: scholarly, ecumenically and organisationally. The 
book is a joy to read, both for theological and devotional purposes. And 
the ABC is a book which is what claims to be: 'an explanation of the whole 
Bible as seen through the eyes of African scholars who respect the 
integrity of the text and use African proverbs, metaphors and stories to 
make it speak for African believers and in the villages and cities across the 
continent. ,61 A major achievement indeed! 
6 1 T. Adeyemo, 'General Introduction ', ABC ix. 
149