Jesus Christ as ancestor: An African Christian understanding

Abstract

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Son of Man, Son of David, Lord (Kyrios), Rabbi and Messiah. These are some of the names used by Christians today and even by the people from the era of Jesus Christ to address him or to communicate with him. Others use them because they were taught that this is the way you talk about him or to him. People use all these different names to describe Jesus Christ according to their understanding, knowledge, trust and belief in him. This article will describe how the Sotho, who are African Christians, from the township of Mohlakeng in Randfontein, know, understand, trust and believe in Jesus Christ according to the title of Great Ancestor. Views of the inhabitants of Mohlakeng are used to describe the complexity of the issue. This article discusses what the meaning of the concept of ancestor entails and determines whether Jesus can indeed be referred to as Ancestor. There are different answers to this question.

How to cite this article: Beyers, J. & Mphahlele, D.N., 2009, 'Jesus Christ as ancestor: An African Christian understanding', HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies 65(1), Art. #132, 5 pages. DOI: 10.4102/hts.v65i1.132