The recent announcement that Pope Benedict, a friend to our recently completed Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture project, has turned speculation towards who might succeed Benedict. Many are wondering if the cardinals gathered in conclave in the Sistine chapel might select someone from Asia, Latin America, or, perhaps, Africa. One headline even reads "Africa: Pontifex Africanus: Could the Next Pope be African?" (By Luke Lythgoe, 11 February 2013, All Africa.com).

For those who have studied early African Christianity, we know this, of course, would not be the first time an African was named pope. We read in the Liber Pontificalis of

The Society of Biblical Literature, through the ICI project, offers free online PDF files to scholars and students who would not otherwise have access to these resources. Most scholars and students in sub-Saharan Africa qualify for this program. The link below is a list of the publications available. If interested please email sblservices@sbl-site.org for more info.
http://www.sbl-site.org/publications/Books_ICIbooks.aspx

When the CEAC was first organized, one of the first issues we struggled with was whether or not we were needed or not. We knew that that were very talented scholars and church leaders in Africa who would be capable of carrying on the work we were proposing.

We decided to hold a consultation in 2008 to consult with these scholars and church leaders. We invited key leaders from all different parts of Africa and from many different denominations, including Coptic, Ethiopian, Catholics, Evangelicals, etc., both scholars and church leaders. Thomas Oden, the Director of the Center, presented the following core

There is a resource that our readers may already be aware of. However in case they are not, I would like to direct them to a resource online that has many of the same goals as the CEAC. There is a website devoted to African Journals Online. It notes, as we do, the intellectual flow largely from North to South and West to East. But such a flow of information has largely overlooked the value of scholarship the continent of Africa itself has to offer.  The journal states: "Historically, scholarly information has

For those interested in textual criticism, I was recently made aware of a new book that explores the coptic tradition of translation around the Gospel of John. Here is the write-up:

Askeland, Christian

John's Gospel

The Coptic Translations of its Greek Text

Series:Arbeiten zur neutestamentlichen Textforschung 44

89,95 € / $126.00*

xiv, 289 pages

ISBN:  978-3-11-028143-9

Aims and Scope

This monograph explores the history of the Coptic tradition of John’s gospel, considering when these ancient Egyptian witnesses are profitable for determining the earliest readings of their Greek sourcetext . The standard critical edition of the Greek New Testament cites the Coptic versions no fewer than 1,000 times in John’s

The following is a letter from one of our web readers who contacted us about how our work has helped him with his vision for Africa. We provide it to you to rejoice with us in the fruits of our labors:

Good day to you Dr Oden,

My name is Dr U Aligwekwe. I stumbled across the CEAC website quite by chance while researching material for a book I am writing with the title, 'Blackness: A Perspective from the Bible and from Early Christian History'. Suffice it to say that the wealth of information I gleaned from the website was nothing less than

We know that one of the key developments being focused on in Africa has to do with malaria and the debilitating effect it can have on the continent. New research indicates that researchers are moving ever closer to a cure. See the link to the following article that offers new hope for a perennial problem.

Good News on Malaria Cure

Along with Egyptian Christianity, one of the longest and most enduring Christian cultures on the continent of Africa is that of the Ethiopian Church. Christian histories by Rufinus and Socrates Scholasticus tell us about how the kingdom of "India"  (the ancient name for Ethiopia) was converted to Christianity by Frumentius. The story, as reported by the ancient church historians Sozomen, Socrates Scholasticus and Theodoret can be read by following the links provided. There is, however, also the story told in art as can be found in the Metropolitan Museum of Art by Emma George

We just received a review of Tom Oden's book The African Memory of Mark by Christopher Beetham, a professor at the Ethiopian Graduate School of Theology in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The review indicates that there is a shift in thinking in Africa as it begins to reappropriate its past. The Ethiopian Graduate School of Theology is a partner with us in our work. We hope you'll have a look at the review and let us know what you think.

Recent studies with DNA research point to a possible link of the Queen of Sheba with Ethiopia. DNA research may prove helpful in exploring other previously unidentified links with Africa that wil further help us understand Africa's unique contribution to our Judaeo-Christian heritage. You can find the article from the BBC by Helen Briggs in the link below:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-18526428