Africa: A Cradle of Christianity

Like last month’s column, this article is part of a series that is intended to suggest how we can develop stronger leaders for tomorrow’s Church.

Stuart Donaldson, a great Western scholar, quotes one authority as saying: In the development of Christianity Africa plays the very first part: if it arose in Syria, it was in and through Africa that it became the religion of the world.

If Christianity was by the destruction of the Jewish Church-state released from its Jewish basis, it became the religion of the world by the fact that in the great world-empire it began to speak the universally current imperial language: and those nameless men, who since the second century Latinised the Christian writings… were in part Italians, but above all Africans (Church Life and Thought in North Africa A.D.200).

Of Tertullian, Donaldson says: There can be no doubt that the Church at large and particularly the Western Church owes him a debt of gratitude which is quite inestimable.

Tertullian was most probably born a pagan in Carthage, modern-day Libya, in about 160 AD, possibly converted around 197, and was subsequently ordained a priest.

He was a prolific writer who vigorously defended the Church against paganism, and argued against the persecution of Christians and in favour of what he thought was right.

The influence of Tertullian can be seen from the fact that he is credited with being the first Christian author of eminence to write in Latin which subsequently became the language of the Church. Previous to that all writings were in Greek.

St Augustine of Hippo, referred to in my previous article, is undoubtedly one of the most towering figures of the Christian faith. The author of Confessions, City of God and other books, St Augustine has had a decisive and lasting impact on Western theology and philosophy. It is significant that while Catholics and Anglicans regard him as one of the most prominent fathers of the Church, many Protestants see him as one of the theological fathers of the Protestant Reformation.

From the great thinkers let us go even higher in the leadership of the Church and look at the see of St Peter.

We begin with Pope St Victor I, who reigned from about 186-198. Gregory Elder, the prominent American historian, states categorically that Victor was born and raised in Africa.

An interesting fact to note is that if Tertullian was the first eminent author to write in Latin, the first Latin-speaking pope was none other than Victor I. What this means is that Africa played a significant role in the shift made by the Catholic Church from Greek to Latin as the official language of the Church.

Scholars give us the names of two other popes who were from Africa: St Miltiades (311-314) and St Gelasius (429-496).

Of the three thinkers named by Donaldson, I have so far not referred to Cyprian.

St Cyprian

St Cyprian was born in Carthage in 200 AD and was educated there. After his conversion to Christianity, he soon rose in the Church and eventually became bishop of Carthage.

He had strong pastoral and leadership skills which he used to guide both his flock and other leaders through the difficult period of the persecution of Christians under Emperor Valerian I.

Cyprian produced numerous books and letters against heresy and about persecution. He firmly refused to sacrifice to Roman gods and boldly professed Christ. He was finally sentenced to execution by beheading and had his head severed by the sword in 258.

Thus Cyprian joined his fellow African martyrs, Ss Perpetua and Felicitas who, along with several other African Christians, were martyred in 203.

Far from being a newcomer to the Christian religion, Africa has in fact played a major role in the development of Christianity.

The challenge for African Christians of today is to own the faith, defend it with their lives, champion it and spread it as the early African Christians did.