Diss.--Rom--Academia Alfonsiana, 1981.

Zugl.: International Faith Theological Seminary and University College, Magisterarbeit, 2009.

Doctoral diss.--Louisville (Ky.)--Southern baptist theological seminary. / Bibliogr. p. 213-224.

Zugl.: Würzburg, University, Diss., 2008.

Zugl.: Wien, Univ., Diss., 2003

University, Diss., 2005--Würzburg.

Texte remanié de: Thèse de l'auteur--Université de Aberdeen--1992. / Bibliogr. p. 311-334. Index.

Starting from conception till death, man as a being relates with others. In this relationship he often encounters lots of problems that threaten his existence. One of them is the threat to his dignity. This experience is vivid in many countries particularly in Africa. But my work is limited to an ethnic group in Nigeria, namely Igbo people. The work discloses the extent 'displacement of value' in Igboland has contributed to the devaluation of human dignity and the attempts made to combat it. This displacement resulted in what we can call "value crisis". Some elements, like Igbo culture and cultural communication with foreign cultures that have tentacles in modernized orientation, are discussed as 'transmission carriers'. In order to x-ray properly the heart of this research and communicate the necessary messages, the work is presented in six chapters. However, this summary will not be presented in chapters. Thus the need for a research on the reason for the failings and crisis of approach regarding this aspect of Igbo life that deals with the value of human dignity. This comes to term with the question which asked has the interest in the enhancement of the dignity of man waned because the effort towards this goal seem futile and unnecessary…Or is human dignity something we care about but take for granted as a cultural inheritance that no longer needs defence?” This question arouses thoughts on the value of HD. The entire work tried to justify the view that the protection of HD is for all times a true assignment of all. This must neither be considered to be relevant only for a time nor only for a portion or a group of individuals. Thus a special attention on this regard is demanded especially in modern day Igbo society. / Von der Zeugung bis zum Tod ist der Mensch ein Wesen in Beziehung zu anderen. Unabhängig davon hat der Mensch ein Problem damit, die Würde des anderen wahr werden zulassen. Daher die Notwendigkeit einer Forschung bezüglich der Annäherungskrise in der Richtung eines Igbo Lebens, das sich mit dem Wert der menschlichen Würde beschäftigt. Das steht im Zusammenhang mit der Frage: Ist die Sorge um die menschliche Würde etwas, womit man sich mal beschäftigt hat, heute aber nicht mehr, weil die Mühe umsonst zu sein scheint, oder ist diese menschliche Würde etwas wichtiges, aber auch als selbstverständliches Kulturerbe, das keiner Verteidigung mehr bedarf? Diese Frage setzt Gedanken hinsichtlich der menschlichen Würde in Bewegung. Das Projekt berechtigt die Annahme, dass die Verteidigung des Werts der menschlichen Würde eine gemeinsame Aufgabe ist. Dabei sollte es nicht als für eine gewisse Zeit relevant angesehen werden, noch für eine bestimmte Gruppierung. Das bedarf einer gewissen Aufmerksamkeit in der modernen Gesellschaft der Igbo.

From the history of the Church, we gather that one of the most major tests that confronted the early Christian community was whether everyone who wanted to become a Christian also of necessity had to become a Jew as a pre-requisite for entrance into the new community of believers. The issue at stake is whether one qualifies to be a Christian through adherence to the Jewish identity, which centres on circumcision and the observance of the Mosaic legal code. The crisis resulted to the convocation of the Jerusalem Council (cf. Acts 15), which tasked itself with the definition of the Christian identity. The Council bases its definition of Christian identity, separable from adherence to the Jewish cultural practice (a form of cultural imperialism), solely on election by God in Jesus Christ. Moreover, the event of the Pentecost in Jerusalem demonstrated what the nature of the spreading of the message of this new community of believers in Jesus Christ should be: that people from other cultures, “Parthians, Medes and Elamites; people from Mesopotamia, Judaea and Capadocia, Ponthus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylis, Egypt and the parts of Libya around Cyrene; as well as visitors from Rome, Jews and Proselytes alike, Cretans and Arabs” (Acts 2: 9-11), could understand the message that Peter communicated to them through the force of the breath of the risen Jesus in their own mother tongue, without first becoming Jews. Against the background of this crucial point in the history of the early Church and in consideration of the Second Vatican Council, this dissertation seeks to address the problem of identity, unity and diversity in the Christian religion with special reference to Africa. It proposes that the traditional African Rites of Initiation that mark the transition from one stage of life to the other and therefore the existential and essential transformation of the individual and group offer with their rich symbolisms a very fertile ground for dialogue with the Christian religion. It views the various Rites of Initiation (from birth and ritual circumcision over puberty and adult to marriage and funeral rites) as vital and immutable seminal points in the life of the individual African and his/her society at large. These Rites that express in various ways the African holistic view and conception of life and reality are, in terms of their religious symbolism, meaning and function, analogous to their Christian counterparts (such as baptism, confirmation, Eucharist, ordination, marriage) and can as a result be conveniently accepted or at least incorporated even if in modified forms as authentic African initiation rites for African Christians. Without being syncretistic, such an incorporation and modification at one and the same time recognizes and respects the cultural identity of the African and marks his/her transformation and acceptance of his/her new identity, modelled on Christ. In this way, the African Christian will be enabled to live, articulate and express his/her faith within his/her own historical-cultural milieu. On the whole, the presentation is predictive and prescriptive with regard to what the relationship and dialogue between Christianity and the African Traditional Religion should be or should not be. It is an honest effort to make the Christian message relevant to the African in his/her own perceptual and conceptual world-view. This task remains a steady challenge to African Christians who want to maintain at one and the same time and at the same level their African identity and their Christian calling. The balancing and reconciling of these two identities in a correlating rather than confrontational manner remains a task for the Church of today and tomorrow. The dissertation is a foundational contribution to building up and sharpening consciousness for this problem.

Texte remanié de: Th.--Fribourg, 2004. / Bibliogr. p. 261-267.