What our History Books Forgot to Tell Us
Once, to break up the 10-hour drive from Eldoret back home to Turkana, our family turned off the tarmac to follow signs to the Treasures of Africa Museum in Kitale. This odd little private museum was founded by an eccentric Scotsman who wildly claimed that the Karamajong language—a kissing-cousin to Turkana, in the vein of Portuguese and Spanish—and Gaelic, are intrinsically related. The entire museum of Nilotic and Celtic artifacts was built to support a common origin for the two distant languages. As a (very) amateur linguist fluent in Turkana, I was fascinated by this claim. While it seemed irrational, I couldn’t help but notice the suggested similarities. For instance:
- (Gaelic) cainnean: live embers (Karimojong) ekeno: a fireplace (Turkana) akeno: fire
- (Gaelic) acras: hunger (Karimojong & Turkana) akoro: hunger
- (Gaelic) ceilich: to eat (Karimojong & Turkana) ekelai: a tooth
- (Gaelic) lach: a laugh (Karimojong & Turkana) alakara: happiness
- (Gaelic) im: butter (Karimojong) akimyet: butter (Turkana) akimet: fat
- (Gaelic) caora: a sheep (Karimojong & Turkana) ekoroi: a male goat, buck
And many other instances. While the similarities seems farfetched, after reading Tom Oden’s How Africa Shaped the Christian Mind, it seems much more probable.
Oden’s hypothesis is simply this: “The [early] Christians to the south of the Mediterranean were 
teaching Christians to the north. Africans were informing and instructing and educating the very best of Syriac, Cappadocian and Greco-Roman teachers. This flow of intellectual leadership in time mature into the ecumenical consensus on how to interpret sacred Scripture and hence into the core of Christian dogma.”[1] Oden, a systematic patristic scholar, lays out his argument, then challenges contemporary Africans to find evidence to support it, thus inspiring them to lay claim to their rightful identity with an active heritage in the birth of Christianity. In similar fashion to Cahill’s claim that Christianity, ousted from mainland Europe by barbarians, was reestablished via the monks of Ireland and Scotland,[2] so Oden extends those roads to include Africa—as a/the motherland for early Christian exegesis and orthodox doctrine, transported via exiled desert fathers/mothers into Celtic monasteries. The circle becomes complete as those European Christians influenced by early African Christian theology return the Good News again to the continent in the modern mission movement.[3]
When I have visited Israel, the pilgrims surrounding me are often from Africa (usually Nigeria). While visiting Israel is a pilgrimage valuable for all Christians, I have found tremendous benefit in pilgrimaging to other historically significant Christian sites as well, such as Iona (and listening to stories of my husband’s trek on the Camino de Santiago). Personally, I would love to see my Turkana siblings learn about and embrace the African origins of our faith, and have the opportunity to visit, not only Jerusalem, but northern African sacred sites.
As somewhat outsiders to this part of the story (ie. non-African), those of us from the West must recognize that we have inherited an origin story that has prejudicially erased the African-ness of early theologians and Christian communities. This is deeply lamentable. But for Africans, this can be an opportunity for hope. When we know our name—our story, where we’ve come from—we have a heritage that gives us pride and standing. Too often I have seen the consequences of colonialism that Oden describes: “When victims are tempted to view themselves are entirely victimized by others’ domineering wills, then the sense of immobility and despair takes deeper hold.”[4] Origen, Tertullian, Athanasius, Augustine—these are Africans that laid the groundwork for our understanding of the study of scripture, orthodoxy, and ecumenical consensus. When their stories are told to Turkana students, their African identity must be included.[5]
[1] Thomas Oden, How Africa Shaped the Christian Mind (Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity, 2007), 28.
[2] Thomas Cahill, How the Irish Saved Civilization: The Untold Story of Ireland’s Heroic Role from the Fall of Rome to the Rise of Medieval Europe (Anchor, 1996).
[3] An essential caveat to include here is that Christian communities in Africa, while decimated by both Rome and Islamic invaders, have remained as signposts/living stones within the Coptic and Ethiopic churches. These communities and their stories cannot be overlooked.
[4] Oden, 27.
[5] Church leaders in Turkana can attend Turkana Bible Training Institute (founded by our family and CMF International in 2005)—a 2-year certificate program taught entirely in the Turkana language. Today, missionaries, Kenyan church leaders, and guests all teach courses, including one on church history. (see http://www.cmfi.org/explore/where-we-work/kenya/ and http://joshuaruthbarron.cmfmissionary.org/ministry/ for more on this.) Recently, TBTI has partnered with Hope International University to provide the certificates.
About the Author
Katy Drage Lines
In God’s good Kingdom, some minister like trees, long-standing, rooted in a community. They embody words of Wendell Berry, “stay years if you would know the genius of the place.” Others, however, are called to go. Katy is one of those pilgrims. A global nomad, Katy grew up as a fifth generation Colorado native, attended college & seminary and was ordained in Tennessee, married a guy from Pennsylvania, ministered for ten years in Kenya, worked as a children’s pastor in a small church in Kentucky, and served college students in a university library in Orange County, California. She recently moved to the heart of America, Indianapolis, and has joined the Englewood Christian Church community, serving with them as Pastor of Spiritual Formation. She & her husband Kip, have two delightful boys, a college junior and high school junior.13 responses to “What our History Books Forgot to Tell Us”
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Katy, your experience adds so much to the book. It seems more real to me. Thank you.
I can’t wait to hear your stories when we get to
Cape Town.
I almost included the picture of Perpetua and
Felicitas in my post, but I couldn’t find out just how dark-skinned they might be from
Carthage. Most pictures of them show them very light. What do you think?
Who knows what color of skin these saints actually had. As Oden argues, “What convincing argument can be set forth to deny their Africanness? How black were the Christians of North Africa? Black enough, if blackness is understood in terms of intergenerational suffering and oppression” (69). People gravitate towards icons of the same chromatic hue as themselves; while Jesus was certainly not Anglo-European, we imagine him with blond flowing tresses. The Catholic Church in Turkana commissioned the Stations of the Cross, set in a Turkana context (all characters were Kenyan). This model reminds us of the incarnational reality of God With Us (John 1, Heb 4:15).
Katy great post! I loved your cross-cultural reflections. “As somewhat outsiders to this part of the story (ie. non-African), those of us from the West must recognize that we have inherited an origin story that has prejudicially erased the African-ness of early theologians and Christian communities.” I agree! The hope I see is that while retelling the story we also engage those within to tell us their story which will in turn become our story. A unified historical understanding of the origins and continual influences of our Christian faith.
Yes!
As somewhat outsiders to this part of the story (ie. non-African), those of us from the West must recognize that we have inherited an origin story that has prejudicially erased the African-ness of early theologians and Christian communities. This is deeply lamentable. But for Africans, this can be an opportunity for hope.
Thanks Katy. This seems to be the essence of Oden’s argument and I think it is a strong one on both counts. You add something valuable with your own first-hand experience in this arena.
Your post made me think of a great book I read many years ago. Have you ever hear of “How the Irish Saved Civilization”?
It makes the case that, without Ireland, much of the ancient wisdom would have been lost as Rome fell.
Here is a summary.
https://vialogue.wordpress.com/2012/08/04/how-the-irish-saved-civilization-review-notes/
Yes, see my footnote #2. Also, Oden mentions it (p74) when discussing the trajectory of monasticism from Africa to mainland Europe to the Isles, then back to Europe then back to Africa.
Oops, I did not read your footnotes. Silly me. I do remember Oden touching on the subject, though. Great book.
What?? You didn’t read my footnotes?!? 😉
Great post Katy! I think you make a great point when you say, While visiting Israel is a pilgrimage valuable for all Christians, I have found tremendous benefit in pilgrimaging to other historically significant Christian sites as well…” I had the opportunity to travel to Chennai, India. While there I visited St. Thomas Cathedral. I knew that Thomas was in India but I didn’t realize the impact he had on the region. Though the Cathedral architecture was western, the Indian culture was very present and yet clearly Christian. It broadened my view of the Christian world. Enjoyed your post.
HI Katy,
Whenever I read your post I am taught more. You are one the road and still able to provide a post of unique food for thought.
I love the way you integrated your experiences and other authors, especially about Turkana.
“As somewhat outsiders to this part of the story (ie. non-African), those of us from the West must recognize that we have inherited an origin story that has prejudicially erased the African-ness of early theologians and Christian communities.”
This is where so much of my frustration lies, Katy. I’m obviously not African, but I feel like the entire world is robbed when the rich cultures are whitewashed out of the history of our faith. That hope you speak of, the hope that African’s will hear these stories and see their place in the chain of Christian history, is beautiful.
Yes! “When we know our name—our story, where we’ve come from—we have a heritage that gives us pride and standing.” Love this!