Postcolonial Paul in Africa?

Paul’s mixed reception over centuries in Africa has rendered a spectrum of portrayals marked out by the extremes of, on the one hand, quietist if not acquiescent politics and misogynism and homophobia, to name a few, or on the other hand, the apostle of liberty, universality and equality. With the exception of a few recent studies, the Apostle remains a largely ambiguous figure in the appropriation of his writings, if not in acknowledgement of his literary legacy and theological positions. Different reasons can be offered for a sense of Pauline alienation on the continent, with the weight of the interpretive tradition(s) a particular concern. This contribution builds on an earlier assessment of Pauline alienation in Africa (Punt, HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies, 79, 1–8, 2023) to explore various models both of escaping Paul’s imprisonment in hermeneutical-theological paradigms and for promoting a postcolonial reappropriation of the Pauline texts. Consideration is given to methodological and theoretical concerns such as acculturation, demythologisation, decolonialisation and related concepts in attempting to address the question of the relationship between decolonising and Africanising Paul.