Honor Sewapo

University of Ibadan · Department of Religious Studies

Servanthood, an attitude exemplified by Jesus Christ, is central to the New Testament, including Lucan accounts. Servanthood has been given a wide range of interpretations as Luke discusses it to the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. However, there is a dearth of literature on the context of Luke with the term διακονέω that appears only once in the...

Water, a universally shared commodity by all religious traditions that is vital for the growth and preservation of life, is a dominant motif and expanding core symbol in the Fourth Gospel. In half of the 21 chapters of the Fourth Gospel, water, water pots, rivers, wells, springs, the sea, pools, basins, thirst and drink are used in context and disc...

Ταβιθά also called Δορκάς, of whom Lucan account attests as the only female disciple of Jesus in the New Testament, was an exemplary sacrificial leader of the first-century women at Joppa in the Acts of the Apostles. Previous studies on Ταβιθά have focused more on her conversion experience, Apostle Peter’s ministry in Caesarea and how he raised her...

John the Baptist's choice of living on a natural diet, locusts and honey, is central to the Matthean narrative. Studies have shown that the choice of diet has remained the last resort for the reduction of the global burden of non-communicable disease and is included in Goal three of the 2015 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals on healthy l...

Lay Preaching, Laypersons so-called by the Holy Spirit to proclaim the Word of God, is central to the book of Numbers. Moses is the central personality throughout this book, which is a record of the service and walk of God’s redeemed people, Israel. Previous studies on the Book of Numbers have focused largely on its Church leadership and the exodus...

The quest for leadership, request to secure the foremost seats of influence at the side of Jesus (as done by James and John), is evident within Markan narratives. After this indecorous request, conflict crept into the camp of Jesus’ twelve disciples as the ten other disciples fumed over James’ and John’s bid to outflank them in prominence. Extant l...

The term 'vegetarianism' which refers to the practice of eating vegetables, fruits, nuts, grains and legumes with no animal product, has attracted scholarly attention not just in Christianity but in the whole wide world. Existing studies on the phenomenon of vegetarianism (plant-based diet) focused more on the individual health benefits and consequ...

Central to the Letter of James is the theme of the poor and the rich. The issue of the poor and the rich is as ancient as the New Testament and reaches farther back to the Old Testament. Jesus' teachings in the Synoptic Gospels demanded a kind of disciple that barred any competing commitment to peoples or things: money, property and possessions oth...

shepherding), which refers to one of the distinctive features and discourses, as well as, is largely a vehicle for expressing Jesus' self-consciousness and self-proclamation, is essential in the Gospel of John. Previous studies on the Fourth Gospel have focused largely on ποιμὴν "shepherd" and πρόβατα "sheep" and applied them to the task of secular...

The quest for leadership, request to secure the foremost seats of influence at the side of Jesus (as done by James and John), is evident within Markan narratives. After this indecorous request, conflict crept into the camp of Jesus' twelve disciples as the ten other disciples fumed over James' and John's bid to outflank them in prominence. Extant l...

Jesus Christ directly commanded the early church to carry the Gospel to other places. Literature on mission has focused largely on its role in Matthew, Luke-Acts, and John, with little attention paid to Mark and its contribution to Jesus’s mandate for mission. I examine Mark’s gospel to discover insights regarding how Jesus carried out his mission,...

The Matthean messenger's import, summed up best in the testimony of Jesus Himself, is central in Matthew's Gospel. In Matthew's anecdote about Jesus praising John the Baptist,

Witnessing Jesus Christ as the Son of God who came on earth, died, resurrected, ascended to heaven as the saviour of the entire world has become widespread as Christianity by the relentless and unflinching pursuits of his adherents. Christianity in Africa is neither a recent happening, nor a by-product of colonialism, but goes back to the apostolic...

This paper examines Matthew 5:17 in the Bible with a view to establishing its contribution to eradicate breaking the law in Africa. Using Ralph's grammatico-historical approach, it also reveals that Jesus fulfilled the law in his own life through teaching and selfless service. Hence, it recommends that holistic obedience to the law in the life, tea...

Paul’s call, which explicates that he is a chosen instrument of God, and the success of his pastoral ministry dovetail with his Damascus road experience. Paul, who was a persecutor of Christians experienced a conversion on the road to Damascus and became an apostle to the Gentiles. Existing studies on this remarkable experience have focused more on...

Ruth's persistent loyalty to Naomi in the book of Ruth, which refers to an ideal daughter-in-law and mother-in-law’s relationship, is central in women’s relationships. Existing studies on this remarkable story have focused more on the principal character of Ruth and Naomi’s attitude towards her daughters-in-law than on its contribution to the succe...

Paul of Tarsus, a Pharisee, was one of “the die-hards” of Judaism. He persecuted men of the Way in their personal houses, gatherings and in Jerusalem before his Damascene experience. He claimed to have done all these evil to his neighbours owing to his religious zeal hitherto not enlightened. Similarly, in the Northern part of Nigeria, especially t...

Partiality, which is sometimes referred to as favouritism, is the bedrock of all discriminations. James makes clear that partiality is sin against the Almighty God. Existing studies on partiality have focused more on the justification of its practices and meanings at the neglect of its negative influence on obedience to the sovereign God and His La...

Seductive practice is a bane of contemporary leadership. It is thus a thing of concern for secular and sacred worlds. Previous studies on the subject blamed King David and all men in positions of power (civil, ecclesiastical or academic) who take advantage of their “power” to abuse women sexually. Despite their usefulness, the studies neglected the...

Paul’s proclamation of reconciliation is central in his understanding of peace building. Existing studies on this concept often focus primarily on reconciliation terminology which is unique to Paul in the New Testament; Paul’s use of “reconciliation” which is quite different from that in Greek literature or the Hellinistic Jewish writings; and Paul...

Mentoring relationships, in which a more experienced mentor works to advance the personal and professional growth of a less experienced protégé, have witnessed a noteworthy increase in use as a mechanism for leadership development. Previous studies on mentoring relationship have focused more on organisational leadership researchers and leadership p...

Hosea, whose name means Yahweh saves, concentrates on the covenant relationship between God and Israel. Having lived in the eighth century BC, Prophet Hosea prophesied in the pre-exilic northern kingdom of Israel, and his prophecies were written down and preserved in the Bible. Hosea’s prophecy in 11:1, ἐξ Αἰγύπτου μετεκάλεσα τὰ τεκνα αὐτοῦ “out of...

Nigeria is a multilingual nation with over 515 languages. Nigeria’s official language is English. Yoruba, Hausa and Igbo are often regarded as the majority ethnic groups in Nigeria. By implication, the languages of these three ethnic groups are regarded as the majority languages. Minor languages are “those Nigerian languages that are not major.” Ge...

The term πορνεία, which refers to the only biblical reason for divorce, has become a major concern within the ranks of the Church, Mosque and Traditional Cult in Africa. Existing studies on the phenomenon of divorce have focused more on its varied causes and consequences than its permissible condition in the biblical texts. The study, therefore, ex...

shepherding), which refers to one of the distinctive features and discourses, as well as, is largely a vehicle for expressing Jesus' self-consciousness and self-proclamation, is essential in the Gospel of John. Previous studies on the Fourth Gospel have focused largely on ποιμὴν "shepherd" and πρόβατα "sheep" and applied them to the task of secular...

The sacrifice of Christ, which provides forgiveness of sins and the hope of being perfected, forms the foundation of Christian faith in the letter to the Hebrews. Hebrews reflects the continuity between the old and the new covenants, interest in the earthly life of Christ, and the realisation that his sacrifice needs to be interpreted. Existing stu...