Page 48 - LD215 History of the Church in Africa A4 final

A History of the Church in Africa

Because of the suspicion and hatred of King Herod, who ruled on behalf
of the Romans, an angel of the Lord told Joseph to take the child Jesus
and His mother to Egypt. He obeyed and they stayed there until Herod
died. It is significant that Africa was visited by Jesus as a child long
before He began His ministry in the land of Israel. Sanneh asserts that
news traveled rapidly and that Egypt had developed a remarkable postal
system by this time, making it difficult for Joseph and Mary to keep the
visit secret—even though they sought obscurity (1983, 2).

Another incident took place toward the end of the life of Christ on
earth. The gospel writer Mark indicates that after the trial of Jesus, a man
from Cyrene was forced to carry the cross behind Jesus (Mark 15:21).
Matthew identified him as Simon (Matthew 27:32). As noted above,
Cyrene (or Cyrenaica) was a Roman province in Africa. Mark adds
that Simon was the father of Alexander and Rufus. It is interesting to
note that Paul also mentioned Rufus in Romans 16:13. Remember that
both Mark and Paul wrote to people who lived in the Roman Empire.
Sanneh’s insight is helpful at this point:

In his letter to the Christians at Rome the Apostle Paul mentions
Rufus along with others, such as Priscilla and Aquila.… It would
appear that Rufus belonged to the growing Gentile Church
which the Apostle Paul was actively fostering, a point of some
significance for Africa which was about to become one of the
most important outposts of the wider mission to the Gentile
world. (1983, 2)

Africa in the Early Church

A dominant theme of this course is missio Dei (God’s mission) in a
historical context. God’s plan included the birth of the church on the
Day of Pentecost. It is significant that on this occasion, Africans were
present. When the believers in the upper room were filled with the Holy
Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them
(Acts 2:4), people from African nations were heard speaking in the
languages of Egypt, and parts of Libya, near Cyrene (Acts 2:10), as they
declared the wonders of God in their languages (2:11)! Luke, in writing
Acts, added: “Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another ‘What
does this mean?’” (2:12). Indeed, what does it mean? In the context of

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