The aim of this study is to undertake research that will help with the formation of a theology to help the Asante people of Ghana live the Gospel in accordance with their own culture. It seems that the Enrichment model proposed by me can be a paradigm for such an -enterprise. Early Church theologians used the Day of Atonement to formulate its Christology. Similarly, Asante Christians can use the Odwira festival to enrich their theology. The study is divided into three sections. In the 'first section, I look at the backgrounds to Leviticus 16 and the Asante Odwira festival. There are four chapters. In the first chapter, a general introduction of the entire study is outlined.. In chapter 2, Asante beliefs and practices relevant to the Odwira festival are reviewed. In chapter 3, introductory information about the book of Leviticus and Leviticus 16 is discussed. In the four. chapter, ancient Israelite and Asante sacrificial systems are examined. Sacrifice in both communities is a means ofcontact with the spirit world. In the second section, I compare the Day Atonement and the Asante Odwira festival, also in three chapters. In the first part, I undertake a literary and ritual analysis of Leviticus 16. In the second, I analyze the ritual of the Asante Odwira. In the third part, I look at the differences and similarities between the two ceremonies. Clearly, there are differences between the two; however, the remarkable similarities cannot be overlooked. On the whole, in both, the central theme is purification and cleansing. In the last section, I deal with Odwira and Christian witness in Ghana. This section has two chapters. In the first, the introduction of Christianity in Asante by European missionaries and .their evangelistic approach is reviewed. Their techniques were typical of those found in the Replacement model of early Christian theologians; they sought to eradicate the beliefs and practices of the indigenous and replace them with European culture. This did more harm than good, because Christianity was presented as a foreign religion that was totally alien to the culture of the Asante. In the second chapter, I examine how the Odwira can enrich the theology of Asante Christianity. Just as the Jewish, Greek, Roman and European cultures have dictated the beliefs and practices of Christianity, in the same way, the native Asante culture, via its Odwira festival, can contribute meaningfully to Asante Christianity, to make it more Asante than European.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:486783 |
| Date | January 2007 |
| Creators | Adu-Gyamfi, Yaw |
| Publisher | University of Sheffield |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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