An African Introduction to the New Testament, written by a wide array of scholars from across Africa, is the first of its kind to engage every book in the New Testament from the African context. Each of the chapters offers a thematic engagement of the book in light of sociocultural and religious heritage. This introductory book provides readers with a glimpse of how African Christians read the New Testament text in their contexts by fleshing out themes that connect with African cultures. This volume is a valuable resource for anyone interested in African voices in biblical interpretation, as it provides an introductory platform for delving deeper into every book of the New Testament.
Ferdinand I. Okorie earned a PhD in New Testament and early Christianity from Loyola University, Chicago. He is the vice president and academic dean at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, and also an associate professor of New Testament studies. He is the editor in chief of U.S. Catholic magazine. He is the author of Favor and Gratitude: Reading Galatians in Its Greco-Roman Context (Lexington Books; Fortress Academic, 2020) and coeditor of Bible, Interpretation and Context: Reading Meaning from an African Perspective (Lexington Books; Fortress Academic, 2023). Elizabeth W. Mburu is the regional coordinator of Langham Literature in Anglophone Africa and an associate professor of New Testament and Greek at Africa International University, Kenya. She pursued her doctoral studies at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Wake Forest, North Carolina. She is actively involved in research and publishing in the areas of New Testament, intercultural hermeneutics, contextual theology, and worldview studies. She is the author of Qumran and the Origins of Johannine Language and Symbolism (T&T Clark, 2010) and African Hermeneutics (HippoBooks, 2019), and coeditor of Reading Hebrews and 1 Peter from Majority World Perspectives (T&T Clark, 2024) and Prophet, Priest, and King: Christology in Global Perspective (Zondervan Academic, 2025). Abeneazer G. Urga (PhD, Columbia International University) has served as the department head for the MA in biblical studies, lectures in biblical studies at the Evangelical Theological College in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and is an adjunct professor at Columbia International University and Ethiopian Graduate School of Theology. He is a member of Equip International and SIL Ethiopia/International, and an associate member of Studiorum Novi Testamenti Societas. He is the author of Intercession of Jesus in Hebrews (Mohr Siebeck, 2023) and coeditor of Reading Hebrews Missiologically (William Carey, 2023), Reading 1 Peter Missiologically (William Carey, 2024), Reading Hebrews and 1 Peter from Majority World Perspectives (T&T Clark, 2024), and Reading James Missiologically (William Carey Publishing, 2025).
An African Introduction to the New Testament is an important and timely introduction to the New Testament from a uniquely African perspective. Written by eminent African New Testament scholars it examines the authorship, historical context, literary features, and theological themes of the various New Testament writings in view of the pressing challenges facing African communities today. Corruption, tribalism, traditional beliefs, and spiritual warfare are some of the challenges discussed. For anyone seeking to understand how the New Testament can be authentically embraced within diverse African contexts, this resource provides invaluable insights that honour both textual integrity and cultural relevance. --Marius J. Nel, Professor in New Testament, Stellenbosch University
