It is known that the Hebrew faith is one of the oldest faiths in the world. In the Hebrew Bible, only the Old Testament is present, and although both the Jews and the Christians worship the same God, their Bibles are quite different. It is believed that the Hebrew faith originated in Africa. Scholars know that the African continent is one of the oldest places of the world. According to David Rose, the Jews come from Asia and Africa and their language belongs to the group of languages called Semitic. Hebrew includes elements from both Arabic and Latin languages. Both Jews and the Muslims worship prophet Abraham. In fact, both of these religious groups have the same God but His name differs.
In the past, cultural diffusion took place. The people that were described in Genesis 10 had Afro-Asiatic origins and they spoke the language similar to Hebrew. From this we can understand that the Jews and the Semitic groups that lived in Africa had the same roots. Overall, the traditions of the Jews are much closer to those of Asians and Africans then the Europeans.
NORTH-AFRICAN ORIGINS OF CHRISTIANITY
Scholars have been debating on the origins of Christianity. And one of the most popular versions is that Christianity originated in Egypt. This can be easily proved. During the new Kingdom Egypt, there was a ruler called Akhenaten. He was the first to introduce a monotheistic religion in Africa, which used to be all pagan. Back then, people we’re not ready to except such change. Akhenaten ordered to erase all the pagan gods and introduced one and only God – Aten.
However, his plan didn’t succeed. Akhenaten was eraised from all the historical records, and all the old gods were in power again. It took a long time before Christianity came to Egypt, and Christian Yahweh was introduced as the only God. But, studying the past, we can understand that there were some attempts to introduce monotheism in Africa before Christ.
Vodun – literally means “spirit.” This is one of the oldest faiths in the world that originated in Africa thousands of years ago. This religion includes meditation and possession. During the religious rituals, the body of a priest or a priestess gets possessed by the spirits. This religion was thought to make the Africans stronger when they were colonized by the European empires.
Ifa – an African religion that originated in Nigeria. Just like Vodun, it belives in spirits, nature forces, and the deceased relatives. It also concentrates on magic and witchcraft.
Nkisi – an object depicting a human-like creature that was used for worshiping in some of the African religions. According to the African myths, this object contains spirits of deceased relatives or natural forces. Nkisi could be made from all kinds of materials, including metal, wood and fabric.
Orisha – a deity of West African religions (modern Nigeria). Orishas can be divided into several groups, including deceased relatives and natural forces. They existed long before all the people were born, and they were believed to come from Heaven. Orishas live on and in the earth, and they are invisible to human beings, although they are able to coexist with them.
Ashe – A power that is beared by Orishas. It is a philosophical concept of some of the African religions, which stands for things turning real after they are voiced. Essentially, whatever a person says is likely to turn real, as the words are given power and force by Ashe, and so they are likely to come true.
AFRICAN COSMOLOGY
What do people mean when they talk about cosmology? When we talk about the African cosmology, we mean a number of values and ethics that were important for the people of that area. It illustrates the rules that they followed and the deities that they worshipped. As we know, Africans were pagans, and all of their traditions were deeply rooted in the history. And African cosmology, the main word that describes the whole system of values is “spirit.” People of this land relied largely on their beliefs in spirits of the deceased relatives and some of the sacred spirits (gods and demons). Spirits that they were shipped differed depending on an area where people lived.
If we compare this to the early Christianity and Judaism, we can see that the belief in the spirit was present in both of those cultures. Even now, the Christians worship God the father, his son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. Of course, this is connected to the pagan roots of Christianity and Judaism. And as the humankind started in Africa, we can surely say that Christianity and Judaism have a similar cosmology to that of the pagan African religions.
Just like the pagans in Africa, some Jews and Christians believe that when they die, their relatives go to Heaven. From there, they supervise things that happen on Earth, and are able to help their living children or grandchildren. Also, Africans believe in the existence of the evil spirits, just like Christians do. With the African pagans, we share the belief that the spirits are able to visit the world of living and sometimes even interact with them (remember how Jesus visited some of the Saints in their dreams.)
Bibliography
"Religion - African Diaspora - Spiritual Assets: Ase And Konesans." - Ashe, Flow, Initiates, and Power. Accessed March 04, 2016. http://science.jrank.org/pages/11051/Religion-African-Diaspora-Spiritual-Assets-Ase-Konesans.html.
"AFRICAN VOODOO | Vodun African Religion | Spirituality." AFRICAN VOODOO | Vodun African Religion | Spirituality. Accessed March 04, 2016. http://www.africanholocaust.net/news_ah/vodoo.htm.
Brandon, George. "Orisha." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Accessed March 04, 2016. http://www.britannica.com/topic/orisha.
"Ifa: The Religion of the Yoruba Peoples." Ifa: The Religion of the Yoruba Peoples. Accessed March 04, 2016. http://www.religioustolerance.org/ifa.htm.
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Rose, David. Judaism. Dunstable: Folens, 1995. Accessed March 4, 2016.
