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from Part VIII - The African Jesus
Jesus as Ancestor
Much has been published in the last decade on the different images of Jesus in African theology. Two of these images that stand out the most are that of Jesus as ancestor and that of Jesus as healer. They are the most widespread of a broad range of images: Jesus as chief, king, master of initiation, eldest brother, etc. In all these images Jesus' role as the bestower and protector of life is the central concept on which everything turns.
African theology can thus be correctly characterized as a “theology of life.” It is also from this that it derives its “earthly” character. The earthly aspect is so important that it can even be called “holy”: “Life is so central that it must be characterized as sacred.” Human beings cannot ascribe value to their own lives and that of others solely by themselves, for their own lives are also involved here. The questions that life evokes take precedence over those of the individual human being, which explains the step towards a power who bestows life. In African religiosity, God is primarily the giver, the protector of life. Life thus means participating in the source of all life, participating in God. This participation concerns all facets of the created world, for God's presence is not limited to human lives: God can also manifest himelf in the material world and in the animal world.
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