"Who am I for you?" (Mk. 8:29), Jesus' question seems to have a peculiarity in Mark. For, once again, it reveals the disciples' lack of understanding[2], and therefore a desire to know. The question arouses curiosity and reflects an expectation of an answer, accompanied to a greater or lesser extent by anxiety, in the face of the uncertainty that the answer will not be given, or dissatisfaction, which can translate into simple disappointment, even to the point of "despair". It is "directed" towards the person who is supposed to fill this ignorance, a "subject" who should know the answer.
Generally speaking, when a person asks a question, he or she is in an inferior position of knowledge. Put another way, the questioner has less knowledge than the answerer. But when the one who has the answer asks the question, the one called upon to answer runs the risk of discrediting, contradicting or evading the question.
For example, the question God asks at the beginning of the book of Genesis: "Adam, where are you?", is so that Adam can answer and tell the truth about what he had hoped to hide from God. This question is repeated in Gen 4.9, this time not to Adam, but to Cain, who has just committed fratricide: "Where is your brother Abel? God's question in this case is like the one against Adam and Eve in their hiding place. God confronts the murderer with a direct question about the whereabouts of his brother Abel, with the intention of bringing about repentance in his heart. It's worth noting that, in both episodes, every time God asks the question "Where are you?" comes after "What have you done?"[3] . In this way, God brings man back to the source of evil, to the responsibility of taking responsibility for his actions. It is often the question that sets him off-center, opening him up to awareness, suggesting that the answer can never be: "I don't know".
From these two examples, we can see that the fundamental characteristic of God's question to man is to ask him to look back on himself. Questioning is linked to this capacity for "reflection", which is the very essence of man's inner, spiritual life. God questions man to send him back in search of the essence of his identity. In other words, it is to discover the limits of our human knowledge. God interrogates man to remind him of his awareness of these three aspects: cosmic, anthropological and theological. In fact, the omniscient God doesn't necessarily expect an answer from man. For, if some of man's questions to God are cries for help, cries of distress, God's question to man is a questioning of his life, his relationship with God, his very being. What's more, He doesn't ask man about his religion, but about the state of his relationship or knowledge with his Creator. This seems to be Jesus' perspective
1.1 "Who am I for you?”: An identification issue
The question seems absurd, even provocative, since it's obvious that everyone knows who he is, except perhaps the insane and infants. Yet knowing who you are, cannot be reduced to a name, a date of birth and identity papers. And if we delve deeper into what he means by "I am", the answer is no longer so self-evident.
Above all, when someone asks, "Who am I to you?" , we don't know how to answer. There's no clear answer to the question "Who am I “ ? But, on the other hand, asking this question opens up a path of reflection, enabling us to abandon many illusions and create a new path in life. Because we can't think of a question without thinking of the answer, for they form a pair. The answer is complete; it must put an end to the problem, annihilate it, render it useless. So, if we want to react objectively, we mustn't answer too quickly, but take our time.
It was with this in mind that Jesus questioned His disciples. The two questions, posed in a rather laconic and suggestive style, require two levels of understanding: One relates to popular opinions (what we call religious belief) about Jesus: "What do people say about me? Who do they think I am?" ("Τίνα με λέγουσιν οἱ ἄνθρωποι εἶναι?") and the other engages the disciples' direct involvement, "for you" (Ὑμεῖς ), in their personal relationship with the Master "And you, what do you say? For you, who am I?" ("Ὑμεῖς δὲ , τίνα με λέγετε εἶναι?").
We should point out that the second question seems to go beyond this, in order to open up the possibility of a good answer for the disciples. In putting the question to his disciples, does Jesus see in them a belief that conforms to that of popular opinion, which attributes imaginary identifications to him? Let's not forget that the questions asked call on the disciples to take responsibility for distinguishing between religious belief and Christian faith.
As we have seen, the question "Who do people say I am?" led the disciples to substitute various signifiers for the name of Jesus. In their response, two of these signifiers corresponded to names that had already identified other people. As soon as they are uttered, we sense that these names have nothing to do with Jesus' identity. What happens, however, is a falsehood that Jesus did not contest[4].
Note here what happens after he asks, "But who do you think I am?" Jesus immediately challenges the use of the signifier Christ. Does this mean that Jesus was not disputing what was false, only what was true?
No. Rather, we believe that the acquired fact of a meaning has nothing to do with this question.
For it is the problems of the disciples, not the problems of Jesus, that are left hanging in the non-denial of false identities. Their problems, we think, deal with the consequences of what they thought was the resurrection of the dead. In particular, they were thinking of powers or privileges that should accrue to them: for example, to be like Elijah and leave this world without passing through death; to occupy the highest rank among the other disciples; to occupy the highest rank with Jesus in the kingdom of God.
But when Jesus challenges the use of Christ-identification, we can assume that this is Jesus' problem, not the disciples'. Jesus' problem is probably not unrelated to the way he talks about himself. He frequently declares himself to be the "son of man". In other words, he addresses himself, often enough to be noticed, not in terms of "I" and "me", but by calling himself a third person.
This inversion of the relationship between "me" and "the other" manifests a de-subjectification that leads his third person to bring him back to the reality of life and dictate all his behavior. First of all, there are those that seem to take shape for him in his imminent violent death. The "son of man", he said, would have to suffer much, be despised, scourged and put to death[5]
As we have seen, the question "Who do people say I am?" led the disciples to substitute various signifiers for Jesus' name. In their response, two of these signifiers correspond to names that have already identified other people. As soon as they are uttered, we sense that these names have nothing to do with Jesus' identity. What happens, however, is a falsehood that Jesus did not contest.
Note here what happens after he asks, "But who do you think I am?" Jesus immediately challenges the use of the signifier Christ. Does this mean that Jesus was not disputing what was false, only what was true?
No. Rather, we believe that the acquired fact of a meaning has nothing to do with this question. For what is left hanging in the non-contestation of false identities are the disciples' problems, not Jesus' problems. Their problems have to do, we believe, with the consequences of what they thought was the resurrection of the dead. In particular, they were thinking of powers or privileges that should accrue to them: for example, to be like Elijah and leave this world without passing through death; to occupy the highest rank among the other disciples; to occupy the highest rank with Jesus in the kingdom of God.
1.2 "What do people say about me? Who do they say I am?": A common belief (v.27)
For, the question, "What do people say about me? Who do they say I am?" ("Τίνα με λέγουσιν οἱ ἄνθρωποι εἶναι?") (v.27c), by the very fact that it is articulated as a request, expressly posits the other as present or absent and as able to give or not give this presence. To put it even more clearly, the subject does not desire to receive this or that, nor to have this or that. In other words, Jesus is not asking his disciples a school exam question. He doesn't care if people recognize him for who he is or if they mistake him for someone else. Nor does he care whether his disciples were more perceptive than the common people. Beyond the satisfaction of being recognized for who you are, there's what all prayer means. There is the demand for love, for the Other (who speaks) to give his very being. This demand for love is addressed to the Other as a place of speech, and it is there, in this place of speech, that the subject expects to find his desire.
Indeed, there's a creative streak in the questioning's own intention, something that not only moves the disciples in their way of believing, but also sets them apart from the way "people" believe in Jesus. First of all, we need to know what the general public (or religious people) think of the person of the Master. The term "people..." (οἱ ἄνθρωποι) alludes to the prevailing belief in His person. But beyond religious opinions and rites, how many "people" really have a belief of faith in Him?
It's worth noting that Mark had already lifted the veil on the ideas that gave free rein to the Jewish people, from the bottom to the top. From the anonymous crowd to Herod Antipas himself, opinions similar to those now being expressed by the disciples were being expressed. For some, Jesus is likened to John the Baptist or Elijah; for others, to one of the ancient prophets (v.28). This popular vision is interesting, making Jesus an envoy of God; but like that of the blind man of Bethsaida at the beginning of his healing, it is still very vague. Recognizing Jesus as a Great Prophet is not without value; it's a first step in faith. But it falls far short of the truth. "What do people say about me? Who do they think I am?" is significant.
This question seems to call for an identification in response. That's what the disciples must have thought too. But strangely enough, the disciples don't mention the most common names used by people. They don't reply: "Obviously, for them, it turns out that people aren't quite sure of Jesus' identity, and ask if He isn't the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, Jose, Jude and Simon. But generally speaking, people do as the disciples do and call him "Master". Instead, and for reasons that were not obvious, the disciples replied to Jesus: "John the Baptist; for others, Elijah; for others, one of the disciples.
These similarities with Jesus' name are not without precedent in Mark's Gospel. This is why the question put to the disciples at this precise moment has such a crucial Christological value. Over a long period of time, these men have followed Jesus in all his teachings and actions. By his side, they had travelled a journey that was not only geographical, but spiritual, punctuated by miracles. The time seems right for the Master to take stock of this long pedagogy of faith. The question is whether Jesus' friends are still trapped in the "blindness" he denounced in Mk 8.17-18[6].
Do they have a clearer perception of his true identity? The question thus posed to his disciples raises another aspect of the Christian life. The distinction between "believing that God exists" and "having faith in Christ". In James 2:19, it is written: "You believe that there is one God, and you do well; the demons also believe, and they tremble". So, is it a question of being locked into a form of religious belief, or of having a very personal relationship with Christ? The whole question of the Christian life rests on this point: for it is possible to believe in the existence of God without placing all one's trust in him, nor wanting to enter into the relationship with him that faith would consist in. Some even go so far as to suggest that belief is not indispensable to faith. In other words, the term "believe" enjoys the happy ambiguity of being able to designate both firm assurance of the existence of a being or thing, and doubt about its actual existence.
On the other hand, to have the belief of faith is to firmly believe in someone or something. In this case, we believe when we are sure of the existence of a thing or a being for which we are unable to provide material proof, because we have withdrawn into a zone inaccessible to all human experience.
Let's try to better understand what it means to believe: firstly, in contrast to knowledge, to believe "is to hold as true" an object of knowledge that cannot be verified, or an uncertain judgment, an insufficiently defined representation, a pseudo-concept[7]. Indeed, Paul Ricoeur sees belief as an inescapable existential instance, far beyond the quest for truth, based on the hope of finding an object of belief capable of giving meaning to human life and the universe[8].
And as Best F. rightly points out, belief is "the hope of compensating for evil, of finding consolation for misfortune and suffering, in short, of countering the existence of evil, leading us to believe in an all-powerful God, with the power to protect humans from evil, possessing the attributes that human beings desire (intelligence, goodness, wisdom and other qualities)"[9].
The belief in God that is faith is not necessarily linked to religious beliefs. Moreover, in this episode, Jesus Himself, by questioning His disciples on two levels, distinguishes between religion and faith, faith even becoming an instance of criticism of religions, especially when they are considered in their institutional aspects[10]. Indeed, should the disciples mutate from religious belief to faith? That's the question.
2. From religious belief to true faith: knowing the Messiah better
In principle, the essence of Christianity is faith. This identity between faith and religion is unique to Christianity. This is why the Christian religion seems to be distinct from the phenomenon of religious belief.
In view of the above, there is often a tendency to have an explanatory ambition for religion, which is to say that we all have one God in common (monotheism). Consequently, we cling to the creed of religious beliefs such as that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that Allah is great, that Mohammed is his prophet, that there is a great indivisible whole, and so on. In order to avoid ambiguity, confusion and absurdity (as far as possible), we limit our (already grand) explanatory ambitions to monotheistic religions in which people believe in the existence of a single God.
But beyond that, we can see a difference between belief and faith. Belief alone appears to be just one opinion among many, whereas faith brings us into a relationship that guides our whole life and radically changes our daily lives.
Because people often believe. But when we usually say "I believe", it doesn't mean I have faith, but rather "I accept the idea that...". It's easy for us to think that God exists. The Bible tells us in Ecclesiastes 3:11 that "God has put the thought of eternity in the heart of man, although man cannot grasp the work that God does, from beginning to end". It's also easy to understand that He loves us and wants to bless us. God heals, yes. God works miracles, yes. God is almighty, yes. God loves us, yes. But acceptance isn't enough; we have to go further, to faith. Because faith acts, and that's what it likes to do. It can only go so far if it has the ability to translate biblical truth into physical reality.
That's why, to the question "Who am I for you?", Jesus expects an adequate response to this divine revelation. This is "the obedience of faith" (Rom. 1:5; cf. Rom. 16:26; 2 Cor. 10:5-6), by which man relies fully and openly on God. This faith involves a double adherence: to God who reveals, and to the truth He reveals in His Son Jesus Christ, because of the trust placed in the person who affirms. This is why "we must believe in none other than God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit".
Moreover, Jesus' first question, "What do people say about me? Who do they think I am?", reveals that, if belief is not transformed into faith, it becomes what we call "religious belief", i.e., fervent believers. That's where most of us are. When we don't have true faith, which is God's righteousness, we substitute human, works-based righteousness. Everything is necessary to practice religious faith: regular church attendance, punctuated by prayers, fasting, memorizing Bible verses, listening to sermons all day long. But beyond all that, there's a lack of faith lurking behind his long, beautiful prayers.
Indeed, religious beliefs don't produce results the way faith does. After a while, we end up judging, criticizing and despising others. Religious belief is arrogant because it relies on our own righteousness and abilities.
Religion isn't just an act, it's a belief that makes us focus on spiritual things instead of being a godly person. God never teaches us what to do, but allows Him to transform us so that we are conformed to the image of Christ. Religious belief makes us superficial, and we never experience the deep inner transformation that God's Word brings. Religious belief distances us from God and leads us to death, because it leads us to live a false life based on personal merit and appearance.
But Jesus' question: "Who am I for you?" is intended to help us understand that believing is not enough. What we believe must be translated into Spirit-guided action, i.e. faith. Otherwise, we run the risk of becoming pious people who are content to respond to the demands of law or dogma. We need to move from religious belief to faith in His person, from public opinion to a personal relationship with "Him".
It's not just a question of limiting ourselves to a "God who exists", but of going beyond this to experience a personal relationship with "the man from Galilee", from "God said" we must move on to "I live according to God".
In fine, the man who refuses to admit the existence of a foundation on which his faith is rooted, resembles a man trying in vain to extricate himself from a swamp by holding up his own hair. To believe as a Christian is to admit that this meaning, which does not depend on us and which we can only receive, is already given to us, so that all we have to do is grasp it and surrender to it. In this way, we can rely on this meaning without fear. Christianity thus presents itself as an answer to the question "Who am I for you?", and defines us as people of faith. The answer to this question is given to us by God in Jesus Christ. Thus, through faith, the Christian becomes an adversary of the absurd or nonsensical. He can give deeper meaning to the answer given to the question.
Even if, when asked: "What do people say about me? Who do they think I am?", the disciples want to please Jesus. So they answer as best they can to satisfy him. First of all, they offer him various important figures with whom he could identify: "John the Baptist ... Elijah ... one of the ancient prophets risen from the dead" (Lk 9:19). To qualify the point at which Jesus would identify with these people, the terms Ego or Ego Ideal are equally inappropriate. The disciples know this. Jesus knows it too. So he asks them a second time, "Who am I?" This time, Peter answers before anyone else: "The Messiah" (Mk 8:29). Messiah" is a statement of value, of function. For the Jews, "Messiah" has long represented the highest degree of prestige, presence and precedence. With these words, Peter undoubtedly revealed his admiration for his master. And Jesus probably understood that Peter (and the other disciples) could not better affirm his love than by complimenting him with the prestige of being the strongest, of having power.
Even if, when asked: "What do people say about me? Who do they think I am?", the disciples want to please Jesus. So they answer as best they can to satisfy him. First of all, they offer him various important figures with whom he could identify: "John the Baptist ... Elijah ... one of the ancient prophets risen from the dead" (Lk 9:19). To qualify the point at which Jesus would identify with these people, the terms Ego or Ego Ideal are equally inappropriate. The disciples know this. Jesus knows it too. So he asks them a second time, "Who am I?" This time, Peter answers before anyone else: "The Messiah" (Mk 8:29). Messiah" is a statement of value, of function. For the Jews, "Messiah" has long represented the highest degree of prestige, presence and precedence. With these words, Peter undoubtedly revealed his admiration for his master. And Jesus probably understood that Peter (and the other disciples) could not better affirm his love than by complimenting him with the prestige of being the strongest, of having power.
In any case, he did not rebuke them. "He commanded them not to tell anyone" (v.30). Then, turning away from Peter's statement, he added: "The Son of Man must suffer many things, be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the scribes, be put to death and on the third day rise again" (Mk8:31). Let's repeat it for clarification. Jesus did indeed turn away, did indeed separate himself from the signified of Peter's statement, in order to situate himself in a certain ideal type of suffering, rejection, violent killing, by means of the image of a son of man with whom he identifies, while predicting his victory over death.
Why this detour, in which Jesus locates his "I" on a completely different model than the one that Peter had just proclaimed? Let's remember that Jesus' request to his disciples followed another request of Jesus, which the Gospel text defines as a prayer to God. By bringing the two requests together, we interpreted Jesus' double questioning of his disciples as a disguised way of asking them: "Do people love me? Do you love me? If the disciples had replied: "People love you, but we love you much more”. The proof is that we are always with you. We'll never leave you...", there's no guarantee that Jesus would have shown them his complete satisfaction. Perhaps he would have told them straight away what he later said to Peter: "I tell you, Peter, the cock will not crow today unless you deny three times that you know me"[11]. But here, in the presence of his disciples' responses, it is clear that, beyond the request, there can be no question of having satisfied Jesus. In fact, this dissatisfaction is, so to speak, an integral part of Mk's structuring of Jesus. To put it another way, in Mark. Jesus does not want what he desires.
Of course, it's all very well to rely on "what do people say" about Jesus, but for us, "who is he"? What place does he occupy in our lives? How important is He to us? Are we content to serve Him according to our rituals or beliefs, or do we serve Him in a relational dynamic?
Dietrich Bonhoeffer[12], a great theologian and well-known Protestant pastor who was hanged by the Nazis for his Christian ideas and his defense of the Jews, asked his parishioners in Berlin the following question: "If today you were accused of being a Christian, would they find enough evidence to convict you?" Bonhoeffer knew the importance of fidelity to the demands of the Gospel. In other words, the answer to Christ's question, "Who do you think I am?", determines the Christian's commitment to following Jesus Christ.
But, if faith is the acceptance of the truth revealed by the God of "Who am I for you?”, belief, on the contrary, is a religious experience that is still in search of absolute truth and is therefore deprived of the recognition of the God who has revealed Himself. In this perspective, for Africans, Jesus can be a great progenitor, because for them, progenitors are something big and powerful, just like Jesus is. According to Fotland[13], "'ancestor' is the most significant African title to be used for Jesus Christ because the ancestor is the most visible and prominent aspect of the transcendent realm.
3. Facing the question of faith as an African Christian: A Christological challenge[14]
So, how could an African Christian answer the question: “who am I for you?” if Jesus asked him? The question to who Christ is, is one of the most important and difficult questions that have to be answered in Africa. The answer has to be given by people according to their knowledge of Jesus Christ. The answer to who Jesus Christ is, is not a clear-cut answer, because everyone gives his or her answer according to his or her experience of Jesus Christ.
As Jesus’ disciples and others who gave answers that catered for their needs and expectations of that time, African Christians had different needs and expectations about him. That is why Jesus Christ was a respected man, but not just a man, but the Lord. This is what the missionaries have taught the Africans, and this is what they believe about Him. As Lord, Africans say, it is not impossible for Him to become the Great Healer and be revealed to them as their Great Ancestor. Even the Bible talks about different aspects that are required to be an ancestor according to African culture.
In fact, their knowledge and context allowed them to give such answers or names and even though they were not really sure if they were right or wrong, they continued in their process of naming him. The names or titles given to Jesus Christ by African Christians are in line with their belief of what Jesus Christ can and cannot do for and to them, what he can be, who he is and who he is not. With these names given it is the only way for them to feel close and in a good harmonious relationship with him[15]. But, it is very important to know that the question of who Jesus Christ is, is still very problematic for Christians today. The context and the belief are very different from each other, but the problem is the same and is still in need of an answer.
Even though, an African Christian believes that Christ delivers from sin and Satan. He delivers from sickness and suffering. That is why in this context, we can understand the general craze for a faith based on a theology of healing and illness in all its forms, on the psycho-medical sciences, and on a search for the meaning and experience of illness in society, which includes belief in witchcraft. The solution is to pray for deliverance. Through it, victims place themselves under the protection of Jesus Christ, who is more powerful than Satan and his followers, African sorcerers and magicians. Because, Jesus always heals when we implore him. He heals physically or inwardly, or both, he heals the one prayed for or someone else, according to the mystery of his Love. Indeed, to the question "Who am I for you?", the African Christian would answer: "He who heals".
Individuals are instructed to refer to Jesus Christ by one specific set of names and no others. The reason for this is that Christians are only allowed to use those names that have been revealed to them through the Word of God, and all other names are deemed inappropriate. This means, according to African Christians, that the Bible is the source that is appropriate for them to use as it is the only thing they believe to be true about the Lord and that would help them to stay true to their belief and be able to give an answer to the question. That is why these Africans gave Jesus Christ those names. They believe that you cannot give Jesus Christ other names that are different from those revealed in the Bible. As the Lord, He is above any name that comes from ordinary human beings.
It's also worth pointing out that the Gospel brought to African people by missionaries instilled expectations of Jesus Christ. This is revealed that their understanding of God as the only Savior and Lord originated from the Old Testament; however, the introduction of the New Testament changed their perspective. The arrival of Jesus Christ altered their beliefs and forced them to reevaluate how they related to God and what they believed about Him. This shift left them in a similar position as those questioned by Jesus Christ in Mk 8:27: ""What do people say about me? Who do they think I am?"" In order for them to answer, they had to rely on their religious beliefs regarding Jesus Christ.
Conclusion
Ultimately, Jesus' question, "Who am I for you?" calls for introspection and leads us to another personal question, "Am I a God-fearer or a follower of Jesus Christ? It's a vital question for every African Christian, who needs to question himself or herself. It is neither just about a new title for Jesus, an Africa-specific title, nor even an Africa metaphor used for Christ. It is about an understanding of Christology and consequently an understanding of soteriology. Africa still needs to search for a Christology explaining the redemptive work of Christ. Until then we all worship God and call upon him in imperfect language.
Jimi ZACKA, PhD
NT Exegete
[1] This article is a reworking of the main lines of a presentation by Jimi ZACKA at the scientific seminar organized by CREIAF and held in Kigali from February 23-25, 2022 on the theme: "Religious beliefs or Christian beliefs? What is needed for the African Christian?"
[2] Misunderstanding or ignorance is one of Mark's favorite themes. His emphasis on the disciples' lack of understanding is one of his distinctive features. It's worth noting that Mark is the evangelist who most often presents the disciples alongside Jesus in his narratives, but their presence at his side quite regularly raises a paradox: the disciples nevertheless demonstrate a profound lack of understanding of the master. Jesus is surprised that they don't understand the parable of the sower (Mk 4:13). He is surprised by their lack of faith (Mk 4:40). They don't recognize Jesus walking on the water, taking him for a ghost (Mk 6:45-52). Jesus again reproaches them for their lack of understanding after the second multiplication of the loaves (Mk 8:14-21). The disciples are people who have difficulty understanding what Jesus is saying. He has to explain everything... It's easy to see, then, that behind the figures of the disciples lie those of the Christians. Indeed, the disciples' lack of understanding runs throughout Mark's Gospel.
[3] Gn3.13 ; 4.10.
[4] Mettayer, A. « Pour vous, qui suis-je ? » : la mise en scène du sujet chez les synoptiques1. Théologiques, 10(2), 79–93., 2002
[5] Mk 8,31 ; 9,12.31 ; 10,34
[6]Mettayer, A., op.cit.
[7] R. Descartes, Méditations métaphysiques, Paris, Nathan, coll. « Les intégrales de philo », 2009, p. 71.
[8] P. Ricœur, Soi-même comme un autre, Paris, Le Seuil, 1990.
[9] Best, Francine. « Croire, croyances religieuses, idées et idéaux », VST - Vie sociale et traitements, vol. 132, no. 4, 2016, pp. 17-21.
[10] Ibid
[11] Mk 8:33
[12] Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German Lutheran pastor, theologian and anti-Nazi dissident who was a key founding member of the Confessing Church. He believed that two elements were constitutive of faith: the implementation of justice and the acceptance of divine suffering. Bonhoeffer insisted that the church, like the Christians, "had to share in the sufferings of God at the hands of a godless world" if it were to be a true church of Christ.
[13] Fotland, R., 2005, 'The Christology of Kwame Bediako', Journal of African Christian Thought 8(1), 36–49.
[14] Cf. Mbiti, J.S., 1989, African religions and philosophy, Heinemann Educational Publishers, Oxford
[15] Schreiter, R.J., 2002, Faces of Jesus in Africa, Orbis Books, New York
