A History of Christianity in Africa: From Antiquity to the Present

Brief Description: This study of the development of Christianity in Africa begins in antiquity and shows how North Africa produced some of the most influential intellects of the time. The author looks at how colonialism revived Christianity in the fifteenth century and how missionaries began work in the eighteenth, and finally how social factors have influenced the nature of the faith in modern Africa. Marc Notes: First pub'd in U. K. by SPCK; Also avail. in cloth. Publisher Marketing: A History of Christianity in Africa examines the origins and development of Christianity in Africa from the early story of Egyptian Christianity to the spectacular growth, vitality, and diversity of the churches in Africa today. Isichei opens with the brilliance of Christianity in Africa in antiquity and shows how Christian Egypt and North Africa produced some of the most influential intellects of the time. She then discusses the churches founded in the wake of early contacts with Europe, from the late fifteenth century on, and the unbroken Christian witness of Coptic Egypt and of Ethiopia. Isichei also examines the different types of Christianity in modern Africa and shows how social factors have influenced its development and expression. With the explosive growth of Christianity now taking place in Africa - 393 million adherents projected by the year 2000 - and the increasingly recognized significance of African Christianity, this much-needed book fills the void in scholarly works on the continent's Christian past, also foreshadowing Christian Africa's influential future. Publisher Marketing: This unprecedented work is the first one-volume study of the history of Christianity in Africa. Written by Elizabeth Isichei, a leading scholar in this field, A History of Christianity in Africa examines the origins and development of Christianity in Africa from the early story of Egyptian Christianity to the spectacular growth, vitality, and diversity of the churches in Africa today. Isichei opens with the brilliance of Christianity in Africa in antiquity and shows how Christian Egypt and North Africa produced some of the most influential intellects of the time. She then discusses the churches founded in the wake of early contacts with Europe, from the late fifteenth century on, and the unbroken Christian witness of Coptic Egypt and of Ethiopia. Isichei also examines the different types of Christianity in modern Africa and shows how social factors have influenced its development and expression. With the explosive growth of Christianity now taking place in Africa and the increasingly recognized significance of African Christianity, this much-needed book fills the void in scholarly works on that continent's Christian past, also foreshadowing Christian Africa's influential future. Review Citations:

Booklist 04/01/1995 pg. 1358 (EAN 9780802808431, Paperback)

Contributor Bio:  Isichei, Elizabeth ELIZABETH ISICHEI taught at African Universities for 16 years, nine of which were spent as Professor of History at the University of Jos, Nigeria. She is currently Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Otago, New Zealand. She has written many titles on African history and religion, including The Ibo People and the Europeans (Faber, 1973), A History of Christianity in Africa (SPCK/Eerdman, 1995) and Voices of the Poor in Africa (Univ. of Rochester Press, 2002).