Page 50 - LD215 History of the Church in Africa A4 final

A History of the Church in Africa

Christ. Philip is said to have explained this to Judich on enquiry
and also at his request to have baptised him in a roadside pool.
We shall never know for certain what role Judich played in
introducing Christianity to Meroë; but history tells us that Meroë
grew to be a prosperous and flourishing Christian kingdom in the
Upper Nile valley, lasting several centuries. (1983, 3)

Later in this book we will study more details about the Nubian church.

Luke recorded that “a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria,
came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of
the Scriptures” Acts 18:24). Apollos was
a fellow worker with the apostle Paul.
Paul noted that Apollos had a following
Africans have in Corinth. Paul called him “our brother”

a marvelous (1 Corinthians 16:12) and encouraged
Titus: “Do everything you can to help
Christian heritage. Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their
way and see that they have everything
they need” (3:13) This Jewish convert
to Christ was gifted with the power to persuade through teaching and
preaching. As a missionary from Egypt in Africa, he greatly influenced
the expansion of the New Testament church.

Although the Scriptures do not give us the full story about the involvement
of Africa in the plans of God, other sources indicate the personal
contributions of individuals and groups from Africa were numerous. It is
safe to say that the early church spread firm roots in African soil.

A Giant Baobab Tree

For many years, I have been fascinated with the giant Baobab Tree
found in so many places in Africa. Jonathan Hildebrandt compares the
church in Africa to a giant tree—and I will add the word baobab—in the
following manner:

Some historians like to think of African church history as
containing a series of disconnected incidents in history.… I have
chosen instead to emphasize more of the continuity of the

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