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撮要

雖然《聖經》是由西方宣教士及殖民者傳入非洲，但作者認為，與西方基督教相遇和與《聖經》相遇必須分而視之。本文的論述指出，一個對非洲人民不同的詮釋及應用《聖經》方法的嚴謹探究，能使被殖民化的非洲人自身有力及以尊嚴解讀《聖經》。除此以外，本文縷述，從殖民者手中得來的解讀方法，後來竟成為了非洲社會、政治及文化的基礎。另一方面，雖然亦有不少人從外引入一些抵抗殖民主義，及肯定非洲人民身分及尊嚴的解讀方法;但本文辯稱，非洲人民必須從他們祖先最初與《聖經》相遇的經歷及解讀方法，尋回及復原他們的本色化信仰資源。

ABSTRACT

Although European missionaries and colonialists brought the Bible with them to Africa, it can be argued that the encounter with Christianity and the encounter with the Bible should be examined separately. The argument of this paper is that a careful exploration of the ways in which Africans appropriated the Bible will identify a range of interpretative strategies that enabled missionized and colonized Africans to “read” the Bible in an empowering and affirmative manner. Furthermore, it will be argued that the interpretative strategics forged in the colonial encounter have functioned as phenomenological, socio-political, and cultural foundations for subsequent periods. While a host of other, usually imported, interpretative strategies have been used in resisting colonialism and in affirming African dignity and identity, this paper will argue that we need to return and recover the indigenous resources developed by our African ancestors in their initial encounters with the Bible. These interpretative strategies, the paper argues, are essential indigenous resources for the process of reconstruction in Africa.

原載於《建道學刊》8期（1997年7月），頁37-62。