Raymond Ahoua: The Transference of the Three Mediating Institutions of Salvation from Caiaphas to Jesus:  A Study of Jn 11:45- 54 in the Light of the Akan Myth of the Crossing of a River. Bern: Peter Lang, 2008 (European University Studies xxiii/853). xvi + 208 pp. ISBN: 978-3-03911-466-5. US$ 64.95.

 

The book is a revised version of a doctoral dissertation completed under the supervision of Dr Maria Magnolfi and Professor Victor Zinkuratire, University of Eastern Africa (Kenya), and the author is a Roman Catholic priest of the Congregation of the Sons of Divine Providence (Don Orione), presently working as a missionary in Kenya, after some years at the Catholic University of West Africa (Abidjan, Ivory Coast).

 

The book is a synoptic reading of two texts: (i) the New Testament narrative about Caiaphas, the high priest, who argues in the Sanhedrin that one man should die for the people, rather than allowing the whole nation to perish (John 11:45-54), and (ii) an Akan myth about the sacrifice of the king’s niece, here, too, in order to rescue the whole people. The book focuses on three parallel ‘institutions’, claimed to be reflected in both texts: priesthood, prophecy and royalty. To each of the three, the author devotes a main chapter, and he is able, I think, to justify his claim that both the New Testament text and the Akan myth circle around these three institutions. Both discuss the concept of a sacrifice of one on behalf of the many, and both make use of central institutions in religion and society to express this concept.

 

The book is a typically Roman Catholic work. One thing is that the author has had access to – and been able to make use of – relevant and updated scholarly literature in English, Italian and not least French. This reflects the Catholic system of training its clergy in various international settings, a system that sets an example for other churches and academic institutions. Another, and more important thing is that the book reflects and expresses typically Catholic hermeneutical concerns. The point of departure is the current need for inculturation of faith and theology into Africa, and this interpretative perspective is legitimised through references to Catholic church documents. An illustrative example is the author’s inclusive usage of the term ‘God’. In some cases one is not certain whether the term ‘God’ refers to Christian or traditional Akan concepts, cf. p. 78: ‘[…] the Komien [priest/prophet] appears to be the guarantor of this responsibility, since God has chosen him for this purpose.’ In other cases, however, it is clear that ‘God’ is used deliberately ambiguous, cf. p. 8, where the author, with reference to Heb 1:1 (‘God has spoken to our ancestors through the prophets’), argues that the presence of Komien in Akan societies ‘[…] testifies to God’s progressive revelation to humankind’.

 

This is a valuable contribution to a consciously Africanized biblical interpretation, and the book deserves a place in the libraries of universities and theological seminaries that aim to expose their students to biblical interpretation from African perspectives.

 

Reviewed 2009-03-06 by Knut Holter, MHS School of Mission and Theology, Misjonsmarka 12, N-4024 Stavanger, Norway. E-mail: knut.holter@mhs.no