shapeType75fBehindDocument1pWrapPolygonVertices8;4;(21496,0);(0,0);(0,21493);(21496,21493)posrelh0posrelv0pib
"7.~"'f 
-I 
~ 
	,.)..... 	., 	.' 
" i 
~. . .•..• 

· CathoDc Sodal 
Teachings In-Route 
InAfdca 
General Editor: 
Obiora F. Ike 

/ 

shapeType75fBehindDocument1pWrapPolygonVertices8;4;(21498,0);(0,0);(0,21498);(21498,21498)posrelh0posrelv0pib
PRINTED BY 
SNAAP PRESS LTD., 46 UDOn ST.,. P.O. BOX 11204 ENUGU TEL: 0421339902 
All rights reserved. 
Apart from any fair dealing for purposes of private study, research, criticism or review, no 
part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any 
form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise without the prior 
permission in writing of the publisher. Nor shall it be sold or circulated in any form of binding 
or cover other than that in which it is published. 
Copyright 

© 	Catholic Institute 
for Development, 
Justice and Peace 
(CIDJAP) 
3 Ikwuato Street, Uwani 
P.O. Box 302, Enugu 
Enugu State, Nigeria. 
First Published 1991 
ISBN 978-222-135-X 
A CIDJAP PUBLICA nON 

shapeType75fBehindDocument1pWrapPolygonVertices8;4;(21496,0);(0,0);(0,21462);(21496,21462)posrelh0posrelv0pib
I -;0:- , 
," 
", 

'j 
" 

',i 
~ 
~ 
". 

RELIGION AND POLmCS 
HAVE WE DECIDED TO BECOME CHRISTIANS? 
Lessons from and challenges of the centenary celebration 
of the catholic church in Eastern Nigeria 
by 
Rev. Fr. Ikechukwu Ani 
1. THE BONE OF CONTENTION 
1.1 The aim of this article 	, 	, 
It sounds a bit strange to address the questioning title of this paper to 
Bishops, Theologians, Christians and Catholics who are gathered to 
consider the relevance of the social teachings of the Church to, the African 
context. However I think it is necessary for us particularly at the beginning 
of a new decade, to review the present stage of the christian life in our 
countries as well as survey the foundations on which we want to build the 
future of our nations and countries in the next decade. For, what we could 
regard as relevant to our people depends much on our concept of the same 
people. 
The Centenary Celebration of the Catholic Church in Nigeria forms the 
point of departure for the matters this paper wants to discuss. I want to single 
out especially two brief documents, which certainly reflect or even 
determine the general atmosphere and the central issues of the whole 
celebration. These documents are: The Pastoral letter of Bishops of Onitsha 
Ecclesiastical province with the title: Put Out Into Deep Water, along with 
the Centenary Anthem printed on the back cover of the same letter. My 
attempt to analyse the said documents aims at exploring the concept of 
evangelisation expressed in these documents and especially with regard to 
our attitudes towards ourselves as a people and to our cultural heritage. , 
This paper therefore makes an attempt to survey grounds in order to 
discover the nature of our belief iri the message of Love and Forgiveness, 
Justice and Peace which Jesus Christ preached to all peoples. It is my 
conviction that if we are able to locate where we stand, then we shall succeed 
in articulating constructively where we should and actually want to go in 
order to achieve what we are searching for. Otherwise we face the danger 

i . 

of going for a heart operation whereas we would only need to remove a 
piece of broken bottle in our compound which injures our foot each time 
we want to enter our house, or vice versa. 
This evaluation will be followed by a theological reflection aimed at 
offering a biblical foundation for a christian life and a concept of 
evangeIisation based on the history of salvation in Jesus the Christ The 
result of this reflection would help discover some loopholes as well as offer 
some suggestions for a betterment. 
1.2 On taking a decision! 
Since we are asking a question that concerns the fact of deciding to be 
Christians, I would like to distinguish between three attitudes to life which 
go far to determine the growth of the human person, his ability to decide as 
well as the nature of the decision he takes. 
a) I decide myself all alone! 
This is the case when an individual considers an issue confronting him, 
knows exactly what to do and sees this as the best, laying an insignificant 
or perhaps no emphasis at all on the opinion of some other person, and 
decides. 
H the person concerned has a "big head", he would rule the earth and 
make history. He could contribute to the development or destruction of the 
world and humanity. Should his head be "small" as the case could be, then 
he might succeed in carving out a small world for himself, where he could 
easily get lost. Perhaps many centuries after his death, he and his positive 
contributions could be rediscovered. 
In each case, the development of his talents or the relevance of these 
talents to the human community and history in his life time, is seriously 
endangered through one sidedness and other consequences of an egoistic 
"I-know-it-all" mentality. 
b) Another Person decides for me! 
In thiS case, the individual does not at all care to rack his brain about 
issues and questions-that confront him because he has already accepted to 
give some other person the "authority" to decide for him. He simply follows 
his "blaster." This could lead to a situation whereby the person concerned 
becomes insensitive t~ issues which even endanger the crux ofhis existence, 
for the simple reason that the said "authority" knows his function already. 
161 

The life of this kind of personality is purely a game of chance, depending 
on the magnanimity of the "master", who could lead his 'disciple" on the 
part of life or on dangerous ways. The chances of developing the personal 
talents of such a dependent person are therefore limited to the much the said 
master is ready to and could tap. His talents are principally and constantly 
on the verge of stagnation. 
We distinguish this attitude from what is often described as reposing 
confidence in somebody which is an important aspect of the third point we 
want to mention. 
c)	I get personally involved in a process of decision making 
The third possibility is a selective combination of some constitutive 
elements of the first and second. It involves the ability of an individual to 
make a decision, however in a dialogical process in which, as far as it is 
necessary, he seeks and considers the views, suggestions and convictions 
of the other person, taking from both sides (his and that of the other). 
The end result could be a confirmation of the fact that his own 
standpoint is the best at the moment, or perhaps be composed of a healthy 
combination of the two or more aspects considered in the process of 
decision making, or eventually be a total but responsible adoption of the 
position of the other person. This type of person confronts issues with his 
whole being, whereby he lets his personal talents be constantly challenged 
in a progress of growth through his ability to share with the other person. 
These different attitudes in the dynamics of human life could 
characterize not just an individual but a whole community ·or even a whole 
cultural heritage. They could as well go far to determine the concept of God, 
as well as the politico-socio and economic system of any society. 
Consequently we consider this distinction necessary because it would help 
us examine the nature of our relationship to the God or perhaps the "gods" 
we worship as Christians in Africa. 
2 A CRITICAL EVALUATION OF THE PASTORAL LEITER: 
"PUT INTO DEEP WATER, THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN 
EASTERN NIGERIA 1885-1985" 
The cover page of the pamphlet of 2S pages bears the map of Eastern 
Nigeria, in the middle of it a big cross mounted in the midst of palm trees, 
other trees or perhaps human beings. A ship, representing the one with 
which the Missionaries first arrived on the banks of the River Niger at 
165 

shapeType75fBehindDocument1pWrapPolygonVertices8;4;(21469,0);(0,0);(0,21498);(21469,21498)posrelh0posrelv0pib
Onitsha, is seen sailing on the water. The Rivers Niger and Benue are the 
feeding tributaries to the big sea on which the Missionaries sailed. 
Let usflrst of all consider in a summary fonn and comment on the major 
points raised in the pamphlet. 
2.1 The Parable of the mustard seed fulfilled in Eastern Nigeria 
The pastoral letter begins with a joyful acclamation of the fulfillment 
of the parable that the kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, the smallest 
of all the seeds, which a man sowed in his field. It grows up to be the biggest 
shrub of all and becomes a tree so that the birds of the air come and shelter 
in its branches. (Matt. 13:31-32). 
The small seed that entered the little soil on the banks of the River Niger 
at Onitsha in the form of a couple of Missionaries has, after a hundred years, 
grown ~to twelve dioceses by the time of the centenary ,celebration. (Today 
more dioceses have emerged). In addition the increase in the number of 
priestly and religious vocations and the choosing of two illustrious sons of 
the Province for the Sacred College of Cardinals, aretemarkable. 
We are all witnesses to this growth. 
This phenomenal result is usual, as stated in the letter, "with places 
where martyrs' blood had flowed. It is a sign that the eloquent prayers of 
the devoted Missionaries have been heard by God" (pp.5-6). 
The growth described above moves to the expression of gratitude to 
God, to whom all honour and glory should be given; to the early 
Missionaries; to the Sacred Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, 
which showed enthusiasm for the missionary movement, supported our 
early Missionaries and to date still supports the indigenous priests of the 
Province. 
The Centenary Anthem summarizes, projects and gives colour to the 
vote of thanks of the Bishops. Since this Anthem speaks for itself, we 
consider it necessary to reprint it the way it was composed. 
The words of the Anthem are as follows: 
Let's sing to God praises aloud 
Hail Father Lutz's team, 
Bishop Shanahan who made us proud 
When on the wings of charity carried 
166 

	They atOni~ Waterside arrived 	' 
Weather, toil, sickness and death they defied 
Anned with the Cross of Christ ' .. - 
In Eastem Nigeria Catholic Faith they sowed 
	A-promising Chmch they founded, 	. 
o God most Provident 
Our Father hi heaven above 
We thank Thee for the gift of Catholic Faith 
To ~ur hwnble prayers hearken 
Catholic Missionaries reward 
May the Catholic Church stronger grow 
May the light of Catholic Faith ever glow 
Our Country Nigeria bless 
All Hail 1885, a blessed year you are. 
The Blmops extend their gratitude also to those appropriately described 
	the ni 	r missionary auxiliaries. They are lay men and,women, teachers 
as e plonee 	. 	1 	•• 	. 	ould 
and Catechists "without whom the work of the ear y rmssioaanes w 
have been well nigh impossible" (p.8). Last but not the least,.~ go to 
the local Chiefs, whose disposition towards and co-operation With ,th,e 
Missionaries is regarded to have been excellent. 
The pastoral letter presents the example. of the ~tionall= :: 
challenge "to the indifferent, non-challant and somenmes near 	. 
position of our today's secular leaders" (p.10).. The pr_o~ brou.~ to 
:: local communities through the co-operation of the chiefs With reIigtoul 
bodies is unfortunately being destroyed today through the stance of 
non-co-operation of the secular leaders in the modem time. 
With this observation the Bishops correctly locate a major problem in 
our s~ciety today, namely, an unfortunate di~hotomy between the 
ial-political and the religious dimensions of the life of our ~le. These 
soc 	.. 	. ._..lI.;.' hall 	. enmity to one 
different faces of the same com stand tooay in c 	engmg 
another. 
2.2 "Quantitative versus qualitative growth" & "The Tasks of the 
	second Century" 	. . 
This section of the letter documents a very important aspect of christi.an 
f
 ith namely being Christians in word and action, pointing at a way of life 
ann namery, '.. Ii thr gh words and 
which manifests the presence of Christ. m our ves 	ou 
167 

, " 
J 	j' _'I 
,;.,' 
	actions. Although the number of beli 	. 
	in. 	evers increased and pe ha 	till 
	creases rapidly, there seem to be 	b' dan. 	'r ps s 
shallow. This fact manifests itself an a;: t evidence that the faith is 
"in the prevalence of superstiti ,acc~r g to the- wordings of the letter 
	materialism under a thin 	ous naftlve customs and beliefs as well ~ 
veneer a christi . 
	christians" (pp.11-12). 	' Ianity among many of our 
	The result of this unfortunate h 	. . 
	follows: "While bel. 	.P .en~enon 15 nghtly described as 
	ongmg to one religious group ni 	f ot 
sometimes develop membershi . , ' " any a our catholics do 
which they think spiri itual hlP m a nwn~r of other religious groups from 
e p or a solution t thei ital 
personal prestige can be obtained" (p 12') 10 • elf, VI . problems and a 
	hristi 	. . t 15 high tim 	'bee 
c. ans to the very marrow of our bones th B· h ~ we arne 
this and other points mentioned in th 1 " e 15 ops admonish, To realise 
new strategy of the following centurye ;thtter sho~~ also ~ ~ item in the 
a e Christian Faith in our land 
	The letter enumerates' and discusses the tasl 	, 	. 
under fout headings: (i) Intense C h th~ ~~ of .th~ second century 
Families, (iii)Meaningful concept a::: ~15, h,(ll) Bui!ding up Christian 
I. - e urc and (IV) The Church and 
(i) Intensive£atechesis 
	The Bishops emphasize the need for th 	.. 		' 
	very welltrained "Catechists R erend 	e trammg of more personnel 
		' ev 	Brothers, Reve d S· 	' 
va unteers" for religious education. F Ilowi veren isters and lay 
Missiooaries, Priests are advised to a owmg the. exm:nple of the early 
who will help in the religious educati::: :~p~e m training people 
	Considering the above matter seriousl 	' 
that intense religious education 15. rtainl Y one would agree with the fact 
	.th 	ce 	y necessary Up till 
WI some little changes we still' • 	. now, perhaps 
accurately expressed in ~ words" enJoy a personnel structure which is 
for Catechesis to the present da Lay volunteers." Most of our personnel 
the hours of the day war kin ! e:eordactually lay men and women who spend 
		g m 		er to earn th ir li . 	" 
	hours in instructing childr 		d 	e 	vmg and the evening 
	..- •••• ...1 	en an grown ups on the christi d 	" 
e .•.. !:' •. ...--v in the text of our catechism. an octrine as 
the efforts of these "I •• 	We must ever remain grateful for 
	va unteers 		' 
	It is however necessary to evolve structur 	hi 
.lhe danger of "operating" a "clerical" 01 ~~, c~ would help avoid 
Church in which the contribution of th ' La. urc WIth Lay volunteers" a 
e Ity to the growth of our common 
168 

Christian Faith is officially possible only during the "free time" of tb,Qse 
concerned. I think we should now realise the ,need for more full time and 
salaried lay workers in the concept, of our Church organisation. 
	> 	• 
(ii) The role of the Family in the growth of the human person 
The Bishops' call for an increased interest in family apostolate is 
cOrrectly based on the conviction that the traditional Afiicall' "depends on 
the family for his or her full growth, religiously, rnoral\y and economically" 
(p.16). The second century apostolate shouid therefore make good use-of 
the opportunities offered by the traditional social structures of our cultures. 
(iii) Meaningful concept of the ChurCh 
The Bishops draw our attention to what they describe as the meaningful 
concept of the Church, namely unity. Looking back at the time of the early 
Missionaries, they observed that the "unity principle was the one Bishop 
Shanahan of Southern Nigeria and the missionaries who presented 
themselves to the people as a body united for one purpose - the teaching of 
the Gospel of Jesus Christ" (Ibid) 
.. 
With reference to the "primitive" Church whose virtues are summarized 
m Acts 4,32, the bishops recommend; "There is need in the second century 
of our christianity to insist on this way of life of the Church of the first 
century of christianity, the Church of the ApoStle and Martyrs." Today 
disunity seems to be the order of the day apparently as a result of the fact 
that we love our ethnic group more than Christ, as the Bishops observe. 
One would agree with the Bishops that disunity is against the faith we 
profess. However, we might no longer need a "Bishop Shanahan" as a 
uniting principle. We need a unity based on the principle of justice and 
peace, forgiveness and love, so that we could reap the fruits of the 
uniqueness and diversity in our cultures without dichotomising our 
relationship with one another. The christian oneness in heart and soul is not 
meant to extinguish uniqueness and diversity. 
For some time now we were unable to reap the fruits of what God 
wanted to offer us through our different ethnic groups. Because of the 
unfortunate surging up of some dangerous "ghetto-groups" which operated 
on the principles of racism and dichotomy, we neglected, fought against and 
consequently lost the values and constructive aspects of the energy which 
emanates when two or three friends,brothers and sisters join hands to fIght 
a just cause. Instead of incarnating Christ on the existing structures which 
169 
\ 
\. 

1

shapeType75fBehindDocument1pWrapPolygonVertices8;4;(21462,0);(0,0);(0,21495);(21462,21495)posrelh0posrelv0pib
shapeType75fBehindDocument1pWrapPolygonVertices8;4;(21473,0);(0,0);(0,21499);(21473,21499)posrelh0posrelv0pib
manifest a diversity of cultures, we quickly rejected. them and'Souglit to 
substitute them through olher structures which cannot yield better results. ' 
Our present quest for unity should nOt overlook this poiat, 
fIV) The Church and I ' 
The paragraph aD. "the Church 'and I" exhorts 'each believer to love the 
Church. This exhortation is based on the principle formulated in the 
doC,unient of vat.n CWtcil which maintains that God has "willed to make 
menholy and save them, not as individuals without any bond or link between 
them, but rather to make them into a people who might acknowledge him 
and serve him in holiness" J (cf. p. 21). 
sillce '"the aiurch carries 0.0 her ministry of salvation through each and 
every one of us, just as the Bishops appropriately point out, it is necessary 
to add that whatever theChurch teaches should be constantly reviewed and 
renewed through a thorough reflection on the message of Jesus Christ the 
Saviour of the world. The accounts and narratives of the Bible remain a very , 
	valuable base for this. 	. 
Moreover those entrusted with the service of formulating "what the 
Church teaches" should avoid isolating themselves from the concrete 
history of the believers. Otherwise they would face the danger of answering 
every other question except those that are being asked by the faithful. This, 
would mean the inability to take the.people seriously. In order to avoid such 
an UDrortunate isolation, the leaders of the Church should remain open to 
corlstructive and prophetic criticisms which would contribute to genuine 
.renewal of our onward march in the light of God. More than any other time 
in out history we must gradually realise thatthe march in the second century 
(jf 'out christian faith entails the courage to question and renew some 
unfortunate but already established "norms" which continuously' prove 
themselves as stumbling blocks to out faith. It calls also for openness and 
readiness for the dialogue that could lead to progress thereby avoiding the 
scape-goating of individuals who sacrifice their lives or deposit their ideas 
for the service of the truth. 
In very clear terms the Bishops condemn what could be regarded as the 
greatest catastrophe of our history, namely the dangerous imitation-mania:, 
that is, taking the way things are done in Europe as the measure of everything 
and longing to do it the way it is done there. Although the premises of the 
argumentation in the letter is based on an absolutist moral principle which 
170 

could easily lead to misunderstanding,2 ~e P<?~t,~ing ma~ is ~t~the;, 
"primary concern should not be ~t a ~g 15 done ~ere.~anG ~~re ,.but' 
whetherwliat is done here or there ,15 good (p.19~ The believer 15 mVlt~ 
toconcern himself always with the question, what does the Church teach 
about an issue? 	, . 
2.3 "Rejoicing in the life the Centenary Cele~ra~io? brings~ ~: '. - _ .. 
"We conclude by assuring you dear brother prtests, religious and 
people of God that as shepherds making efforts to be good,.we;,., 
	love you" (p. 24). 	. 	. . .' - tho: 
	Th 			earted and impressive words at the begmrung of e last 
	~w~ 		thB~ 
paragraph of the pastoral letter manifest the ~incere concern of e, 	ops 
s
  rds of their Flock. It is an expression of Pastors who feel deep.ly 
	as e e 	. 	tat d 
with their people arid who are ready to give their lives for ~em,Jus~ as s e 
	in the follow up statements of the same paragraph. 	, 	, 
These fatherly words will remain a far, reaching merit of o~ Bishops, 
for they are words which penetrate deep into the hearts of beli~v:ers and 
which should move every christian to seek ways towards the fulfillment of 
what is appropriately described as the aim of the whale Centenary 
Celebration. 
The Bishops remind us that like every celebration of the events of our 
salvation, the Centenary is meant to bring us new life, Therefore the effects 
of the celebratioo. should not end with the climax of ~ecember 7th 1985, 
they emphasi.zci. 
The faithful is consequently invited to rejoice in the l!ie the centc:nary 
brings to all in Eastern Nigeria by reaping thefruits of the dtfferent seminars, 
discussions hours of prayer organized on both Parish, Zonal, Dioc~ and 
Provincial levels. Developing a new awareness in living out ~ur faith 15 far 
from being a private endeavour emanatingj1.lSt from h~an ~15dom. Rathe~ 
to accomplish this according to God's will, we need humili~, praf~r: 
1
		hristian lives •• This is summarized in the explanation 0 e e 
	exemp ary c· 	. f onl 
of the letter: "We need above all the abiding presence of Christ or Y 
when he was with the apostles did their putting out into the' deep ~ater effect 
a great catch of fish, an event that prefigured a greater reality, namely 
winning souls for Christ" (Ibid) 
171 

shapeType75fBehindDocument1pWrapPolygonVertices8;4;(21494,0);(0,0);(0,21499);(21494,21499)posrelh0posrelv0pib
shapeType75fBehindDocument1pWrapPolygonVertices8;4;(21479,0);(0,0);(0,21498);(21479,21498)posrelh0posrelv0pib
	l.4 . ~o general observaJiop~, 	- 
a)	Still dreaming of the "goqd" old ~ys ofthe-~~ly.Missionaries~ ~~ , 
,It is indeed important to note. the earnestness with. ~hich the. 
achievements of the- early preachers of th~ word of God m ,our' country are- 
recorded, acclaimed and projected as exemplary. Our _gratitud~,)~. 
adequately expressed in different passages of the pastoral letter and in the 
C~~~a1'):r ~the~."1'1ie ~tory of ' the Church in our land' can never be' 
compl~te, without mentioning their tireless efforts. This is why it is all the 
more: if: tliingiofjoy to read how fribidIy OUr people in general, including 
the local chiefs, received our visitors who came to spread the m&;sage of 
	Christ, 	' . 	'. 
. Looking closely at several pp,&sages ofthe ~~qral letter, it is' 
nevertheless almost impossible to avoid getting the impression thl!t ~ 
•• Eastern Nigerian Church" is still-dreaming of the one time "good old days" 
of Bishop Shanahan and his co-workers,. Very often the Missionaries are 
cited as examples which our believers as well as the leaders of the Church 
today should emulate. 
However we wish to point out the danger posed by this dream, more 
especially because these Missionaries are fondly represented as if they were 
"angels" who brought the message to us directly from heaven. A one-sided 
analysis of the activities of the early Missionariescouldbe a stumbling block 
to ~e process of fruitful apostolate in our present day. For as long as we' 
continue referring to the time of the early Missionaries as ilit were the tfhj~ 
when. the best nature of the Christian Faith was manifested, w~ keeplivirtg 
only m the past. The result of this attitude is that we shall not succeed in 
articulating the history of our faith in Christ in its full diinensions by tending 
to reduce the. growth of our faith to an endless longing to be christians 
	according to the minds of the Shanahans. 	.. 
-f' 
Irisplte of the very useful contributions made by !he early Missionaries, 
we should never failto articulate the fact that the presence of these preachers 
and their missionary approach inflicted'a cultural shock On the nucleusof 
the life and history of ~ur people, a fact that isaptly described as "uprooting 
from the grass roots". Unl~ we learn to articulate this factconstructively, 
we ~ n~ succeed in locating the challenges ~f o~ presenf daymissibnary 
responsibility. Consequently one could, without mistaking, accuse those 
entrusted with the leadership of the christian populace of shying away from 
the questions and challenges of our time. We would continue attempting to 
172 

eonvert the endeavours of the early' missionaries. into .. the SQle,~ of our 
. Faith in Christ, whereas their attempts..<oWhich; were determined by the 
circumstances of their time, shOUld·be.riglitly,considered as a starting point 
of the dialogue between God and man as Jesus Christ preached and lived 
	. 	~. 	v : . 
. - 
out. 
	b) Our attitude towards ow. cultural heritage 	- 	- 	. -.- - 
It is interesting to note that the Bishops stress the need for making good 
use of the opportunitle$ offered'by the traditional, soci~' Struc.~ of 'our 
cultures (cf. p. 16): 11iis 'is' a. matter that is yet to be taketisenouSly today 
	especially' in EastemNigeHa:~; . 	- 	,- 	J 	'" 
:' . 'There' is no doubt that the tendency 'to copy. from the-early Missionaries 
has~turally led to the fact.thatw.~ carried over and still nurture the basic 
attitude of the early ~jo~es. ~wards our Poo.pl~ all4 cultll[~ ~ 
attitude which could be sUlIlJIUlrized m the words: 1'b.ey are pagans . The 
fate of the so-called "pagan" cultures wasn~g ~:a, Wtal eradication.,. 
Since we learnt that the best and most beautiful values are fouhd else 
where other than in our cultural milieu, we ~gllll the search for.~, "new 
world" we decided for heavenand hell, we consistently degradedand'even 
rejec~ all we are and ~ve. As a result of the fact ~t this.~~de ~es 
a hindrance to a personal encounter with Christ, the :~tian Paith 
presented itself as a foreign body in our cultur~ w~~ we, M.~g ~ 
uprooted from our very taproots and as such hung m the aJ1', remain in search 
of Ii place to land agam. It is thei'efare n.eCeSsary for us to ~view and ~w 
this attitude in order to take some steps towards a persc;rial encounter With 
Jesus Christ the Saviour ofthe world. 
	"" 	.. ",- 	'~1 	.-. 
3 TOW Alms A :eROCESS OF PERSONAL ENCOUNTEJt WITH 
JESUS CHRIST TIlE SAVIOUR OF THE WORLD - 
_ In.Ute light of a biblical narraii~e, we want to ~~y. the dynamics of 
an incident o! personal enconnter with Jesus Christ, in orde,r to draw sopte 
	lessons for the future of the Christian faith in our land. 	. 	. . 
3.1 The theOlogical basis ot our refttctions on the chriStian faith in 
	our cultures: John 4, 1-42 	. _;, 	>.~' 
h is worthWhile to state the central verse of the text which should_lead 
us to the crux of our search and which swnmarizes the result of the personal 
enconnter 'with Jesus Christ in Samaria according to the accounts of John: 
173 

shapeType75fBehindDocument1pWrapPolygonVertices8;4;(21479,0);(0,0);(0,21499);(21479,21499)posrelh0posrelv0pib
Yet the extent of our decision for Christ as a community of brothers and 
sisters, or in other words, the attitude of those entrusted with leadership, has 
to be renewed W~ have to sincerely consider how far we have supported, 
promoted or hindered attempts towards giVing Christ a place in our home, 
not just as individuals but also as a community, to incarnate him in our whole 
existence. 
The contents of the document surveyed above seem to speak for the fact 
that in many and important aspects of our faith, manifested through the basic 
attitude to our cultural heritage, we seem to have fixed out faith on "the 
woman at the well" and her testimony about Jesus the Christ. We hear and 
seem to have accepted her informatiOn about the man who has told her all 
she had ever done. Perhaps it could be said that we did accept her invitation 
and really went with her to the well. But we seem not to have the courage 
to find out whether "this man" is actually the Messiah. Perhaps it is correct 
that "our woman at the well" had no courage to ask the "thirsty Jew" whether 
he is greater than "our father Jacob". 
Instead of inviting Jesus to our home, we seem to have abandoned all 
we are and have and began "en masse" the unnecessary and tiring march 
towards the "Jewish Jerusalem", to a place which he already departed from 
in order to dwell among us. 
4.1 Cultural dialogue as "conditio sine qua non • for an authentic 
Christian livinl 
It is a normal human phenomenon that even the biblical accounts 
cootain colourings of the culture in which the witnesses concerned narrate 
their experiences of God. No one would expect that the message of Christ 
be preached without contextual colowings. Consequently, living out the 
message of Cluist includes among others the following aspects as essential 
dimensions of the cultural dialogue we mean: 
a)	Cultural dialogue is neither mere "Replacement" nor "Exchange" 
based on a cheap agreement 
In all our sincere attempts to. convert our people to the true christian 
faith, we should never forget that there is no christian culture in the 
quantitative sense of geographical location. The Christian Faith professes 
the message of Life to the world as preached by Jesus Christ. The fact is 
that this message is always coloured by several cultural and situational ups 
and downs of the one who bears testimony about this message. 
178 

Therefore in order for this message to make a meaning to our people, 
it has to be integrated, "incarnated" into our socio-cultural values. It is a 
widening of the horizons of our life which usually begins with a meeting 
between cultures in the persons of those who carry the message. This 
meeting entails therefore elements of confrontation, challenges and 
self-criticism. This should take place on the basis of the principles of sincere 
dialogue in human encounter, which offers the opportunity to share with 
and enrich one another through a continuous process of interaction in which 
the ability to say "Yes" or "No" plays a major role (adaptation), 
A cultural dialogue is consequently not the same with the "exchange" 
of cultures in the way one could exchange Naira for Dollars. Perhaps it is 
not wrong to remark that in the first century of Christianity in Eastern 
Nigeria, for example, the missionary attempts were geared towards a 
replacement, not even towards an exchange of our culture for other cultures. 
It is therefore not a wonder to observe that the faith reached the marrow of 
the bones of only a few who fought for and sought personally for the ground 
necessary for it. 
We should cease to be the passive partners, who seem to have neither 
a home nor a history prior to the contact with the testimony of "the woman 
from the well" about the "thirsty Jew" she met there. 
b)	Cultural dialogue entails saying Yes to Jesus Christ in our Home 
Saying yes to Jesus the Christ in our home entails giving him a place to 
dwell among us and not a replacement, not an exchange, not a demolition 
of the existing "Home" in the illusive attempt to construct a new model that 
has nothing to do with the previous one.10 
The cultural dialogue we advocate for involves taking our history 
seriously. This calls for a critical and oonstructive consideration of the 
events of our human history in the light of the history of salvation. 
The accusation levelled once in a while against our ancestors is that they 
failed to leave something behind for us which could serve as an orientation 
or a point of departure for the generation after them. This fact could be 
regarded as true, since our forefathers really did not publish any series of 
Enclyclopaediae on how they lived. The argument is not rare that since they 
did not systematize it in writing, they just acted unconsciously. 
-179 

shapeType75fBehindDocument1pWrapPolygonVertices8;4;(21491,0);(0,0);(0,21497);(21491,21497)posrelh0posrelv0pib
shapeType75fBehindDocument1pWrapPolygonVertices8;6;(21496,0);(1498,0);(1498,20967);(0,20967);(0,21499);(21496,21499)posrelh0posrelv0pib

Since this view is often accompanied with an: aversion to these 
forefath~ by the "modem Africans" , we were led into regarding the things 
we met as inferior and qualitatively irrelevant to hwnan life. We were not 
able to open our eyes and hearts for the life our ancestors shared with us. 
If we discover some practices from our cul~ which we just cannot reject, 
we try to degrade it with the' remark: "Our ancestors did not do it 
coosciously, they did not reflect over it and that is why they could not 
develop it; they did not know why they did it ·Therefore it was a very low 
culture." Of course this happened at a time we' pursued other "gods", to the 
extent that we had the courage to send our own fathers and their "gods" to 
a hell they did not know anything about, 
c)	Saying yes to Jesus in our home entaik taking our history seriously. 
Taking our history seriously requires the recognition of the fact that the 
presence of "Missionaries" was also a shocking experience to our cultures 
as wen as a deep cut into some aspects of our religious feelings. As long as 
we fail to recognise this cut and take it seriously, unless we are ready to 
draw coosequences from the said cultural shock, we shall be attempting a 
cosmetic bandaging of a deep sore on our. human skin; we shall continue 
building on sand. 

The attitude to this history is not just a fact of establishing scape goats, 
but rather a matter of seeking ways of developing the correct mind towards 
this shock. There is no need pretending as if nothing had happened, as if the 
shock were the type that automatically leads to heaven. Certainly the brave 
Miuicmaries would not cease to be "Saints" if we have to accept the fact 
that they made some mistakes even without knowing or wanting to. 

Our celebrations of the coming of the Onistian Faith should therefore 
necessarily include rites of reconciliation and forgiveness for what also went 
wnma. Again, the aim is not to condemn but rather it is a sign of sincerity 
to ourselves, a sincerity which makes it possible to develop the right attitude 
to die put history of our hwnan life. 

4.2 A poUtical christian Ute in the spirit otLove and Forgiveness, 
Justice and Peace 
Today our sincere politicians as well as theologians must have realised 
the fact that the structure of most countries in Africa is based on very shaky 
foundations. V cry easily we preach and talk about unity and peace and tend 

180 

to forget the basis: the. spirit of justice as the inevitable constitutive element 
of the forgiving Love which fosters unity. 

In Nigeria, for instance, many people seem to be ~g ofbuil~g ~a 
"nation" but at the same time overlooking the concrete fact thatNig~a 18 
not a "nation". The manner in which this ~on buildingis being attempted, 
manifests a great injustice m its very marrow, namely the attempt w~ch 
forgets that the Hausa man does not want to become an Igbo.~ and Vl':" 
versa, before getting the permission to enjoy the rights and·pnvileges ofhis 
citizenship in the country. Moreover, the very people who talk of "~e 
Nigeria", including many politicians, past and present rulers in 
Government, have all along tried to build a nation on sand through the fact 

. that artificial, unjust and inhuman structures were taken over to form the 
basis of the country. Many of our several governments have failed to take 
cognizance of the challenges facing the politics of the country on aCCOWlt 
of the manner in which the boundary of the country was drawn. 

" Up till now our government wants to forc~ peoples of ~ferent ?c~ 
and cultures to agree to develop a single culture m order to build a "nation . 
Is this necessary? Today we still pursue the illusion that a foreign language 
could serve as a uniting force, since it would be more difficult to agree on 
perhaps two or three indigenous languages. Is it not painful to discover ~ 
in the Nigerian Almanac of 1985, our National Anthem and the explanation 
of our National Flag were printed in six foreign lan~,uages oo1y '. We shout 
peace and unity, but avoid. seeking socio-political structures which would 
lead us to get to know and leam to share and unite with one another. 

Instead of blindly forcing every Nigerian to learn English in order to 
succeed in this country, is it nOt better to have three or four languages ~m 
the different cultural groups in the country? How could we expect the uruty 
of the different peoples of the country, if the citizens do not have the 
opportunity to mix up and communicate freely in the native language ~f 
each other? There is no incentive toleam the languages of the other ethnic 
groups with whom we share a common piece of the earth as citizens of the 
same country. Through the enthronement of a foreign lan~ge as the.means 
of comtnunication, we indirectly but actively and systematically decided to 
remain foreign to each another. No doubt, every culture should be dynamic. 
However, any attempt to destroy a culture completely is but a sign of 
grievous inhumanity. 

181 

shapeType75fBehindDocument1pWrapPolygonVertices8;4;(21495,0);(0,0);(0,21425);(21495,21425)posrelh0posrelv0pib
shapeType75fBehindDocument1pWrapPolygonVertices8;4;(21495,0);(0,0);(0,21498);(21495,21498)posrelh0posrelv0pib
After several years of self-rule, it is not possible for the citizens to enjoy 
the satisfaction of some basic human needs, whereas many millions of Naira 
are being budgeted yearly for big projects, which cannot even function well 
without electricity and water. 
It is certainly a legitimate attempt to preach the word of God to every 
individual with the aim of conversion to authentic christian life. 
Nevertheless this attempt would likely yield meagre fruits as long as we 
tend to n~g1~t the socio-political system which to a great extent determine 
the way of life and attitudes of the citizens. 
Christians in Africa and leaders of the Church today should not close 
their eyes to the fact that, for the interest of human dignity and peace, the 
peoples that make up the different countries should be given the opportunity 
to be interested in the cultural values of one another and that we need a 
system of education which promotes this interest Certainly this will call, 
among others, for far reaching structural changes in our Schools, Colleges, 
Universities and Seminaries. It is nevertheless a pain worth taking. 
We should take into consideration the facts mentioned above when 
preaching peace and unity. The duty to constantly awaken the government 
to review \Dljust social-political structures being nutured in the name of 
unity belongs to the contents of the message of salvation. Otherwise we 
continue digging a hole while at the same time filling it up with sand. 
o Some Recommendations 
a)	Commissions for the pron.otion of cultural dialogue and political 
awareness 
The pastoral interest of the Church in Nigeria today should not limit 
itself to ordaining priests who take over the very necessary and useful 
functions of managing parishes or teaching in seminaries or secular 
institutions. Commissions should be set up to direct a special attention to 
the needs of the people. I think of a commission whose function is to study 
our cultures and to seek possible ways of inculturation. We should not limit 
our interest to those traditional practices which have already caused one 
cooflict or the other amqng the faithful with one another or with the parish 
priest 
I think of a commission whose function would be to create awareness 
for and instil political responsibility in the christians so that they could take 
~ steps to demand from and help the governing polity to see that both 
182 

the rulers and the ruled learn to cut their coats according to their sizes. For, 
the attempt to live beyond our means leads to acquisition of material weal~ 
at the expense of fellow citizens and the development .of. the country. This 
should be a duty for both the ordained and the lay Christians. 
It is a big opportunity for the Church that h~ areas of work e~d to 
many parts of the country which seem to be politically ~ess lucrativ~ for a 
one-sided government That means, the Church comes 1D contact with the 
sufferings of many innocent people who seem to be of no political interest 
to the central administrative government Preaching the Good News to such 
a people should include attempts to make the.politicians who are ~ible 
for the secular aspect of the state do something about the matenal needs of 
the people. 
b)	Revival of our indigenous-cultural names in the celebration of the 
	sacrament of baptism 	. 
One of the greatest catastrophes of our borrowed attitude to the 
Christian Faith is the introduction of the so-called "Christian Names", those 
names of some already dead Christians, which appear in the compiled and 
sanctioned list of "Saints". Some of our names were rejected as pagan 
names. It therefore happens that when a woman wants to baptize he~ c~d 
with the name "Chinedu", she is diplomatically, if the parish pnest IS nice 
and gentle, forced to still look for a "christian" name. The woman ~~ ends 
up with suppressing "Chinedu" in order to enthr~ne,. for mstance, 
"Igneshos" (Ignatius). In this way a personal name IS rejected and ~e 
minister of the sacrament prefers and convinces the parents of the child 
accordingly to put a "sign board" on the little and helpl~ chil~. Instead of 
the child growing up to enquire why the parents have given him the name 
"Chinedu", he is exposed to the danger of spending ho~ reading the ta:les 
about the several "Ignatiuses' listed in the book of the Saints. By degrading 
our names to "mere Igbo names" , for instance, which we just tolerate more 
or less as an unnecessary attachment to the main Christian name, we deaden 
the dynamics of the personal life and history express~ .throu8h:names, we 
banish deep values relating to our life, history and reli~l~us basis, With the 
implantation of foreign names, we gradually lose the living grounds of our 
human environment. 
Would that this practice could be regarded as. a mistake of the past. 
183 

shapeType75fBehindDocument1pWrapPolygonVertices8;4;(21492,0);(0,0);(0,21499);(21492,21499)posrelh0posrelv0pib
A commission which could awaken our sensibility for this fact would 
help to revive our human. values. Of course this would demand a better 
preparation and therefore more meaningful celebration of the sacrament of 
Baptisin as an initiation into the Christian Community and way of life. 
Preparation for baptism should include, among others, some reflections on 
the meaning of the name(s) parents intend to give the child and the 
consequences of this for his training and growth and the duty of the parents 
towards t}leir child. We should not neglect this fact with the argument that 
it is impossible to visit about at least 30-50 families "just" in order to prepare 
parents and the children for the celebration of Baptism. H we know what 
this sacrament of initiation means, then we have to prepare and celebrate it 
as appropriately as humanly possible. 
c)	R.eview of the c.urriculum for the training of seminarians and 
teachers of religious education. 
As we have already remarked above, because of the need for intensive 
cateebesis in the second century of the Church in Eastern Nigeria, priests 
are invited to spend enough time in the training of more Catechists and 
teachers in religious education. In order to avoid a further alienation of our 
people from their kin and clan there is the need to adapt the programme of 
training to promote their interest for our cultural heritage, by introducing 
detailed courses in African cultures including our native languages. 
The contents of the training of religious teachers and priests should try 
to awaken sensibility for, as well as equip the future workers in the area of 
intensive Catechesis with the necessary materials. Our present catechism 
sbould be urgently reviewed both in view of its contents as well as its 
method. 
In a special and urgent manner, this concerns the academic programme 
of our seminaries where young : Africans are being prepared for the 
preaching of the message of salvation to their fellow men, as priests and 
	leaders in their different homes. 	. 
5.	CONCLUDING REMARKS 
It is a thing of joy that African Christian Theologians are presently 
showing great interest in Contextual Theology. This entails a new and 
increased research into our indigenous cultures resulting from a greater 
interest in what we are and have around us. As responsible leading members 
of the Cluistian Faith in our countries, they manifest their readiness to be 
184 

with their people, take their history, their search and questi~ seriously ~ 
that the necessary cultural dialogue could take place. ~ we r~ 
passive Christians who have decided to hand over our power of reasonmg 
and decision to a foreign body. thereby rejecting. what we are. what we haV~ 
and what we can do. in this way we contnbute to the ~e. 0 
development which leads to the destruction of the God grven talents of 
human cultures. 
Th· fforts are very encouraging and would yield more fruits as soon 
as we desist from fixing our "sight" only in a direction outside our own 
politic<rsocuil, cultural and religious context. 
In the light of the new process of personal ~counter .with Jesus Christ, 
the Saviour of the world, the relevance of the SOCIal teachings of the Church 
as well as other religious and administrative documents of the World Church 
to Africa, would depend much on the ability of those concemed,to translate 
such documents into a language which the people can understand. We mean 
translation in every sense of the word. 
References: 
1. The Church no. 9. 
	. 	. 	. ood i ood 	rywhere and whatever is bad is bad 
	2. It states: '"Whatever 15 g 	15 g 	eve 
everywhere." 
3. Cf. OBI. Celestine A. (Ed.)A Hundred Years ~fthe Catholic Church in 
Eastern Nigeria 1885-1985, (Africana-FEP Pub.) Onitsha 1985. p. SO. 
4 Cf UZUKWU Elochu1cwu E "Need for Deeper Prayer in our ~ 
~unities. (Some Comments 00 the Nigerian Church" in African C~ 
Studies S (1989) 1 pp.47-~~. ~ Au~ ~~~~~a: :r!>'m:ianisatic!' 
	disintegration, decomposltiOO • resulting rom ~ .- •••• - 	... 
and the political economy of colonial and post_independence Nlgena. 
185 

shapeType75fBehindDocument1pWrapPolygonVertices8;10;(4220,0);(439,0);(439,8126);(0,8126);(0,21498);(21498,21498);(21498,276);(13399,276);(13399,2013);(4220,2013)posrelh0posrelv0pib

'., 

«. 

S. The impression of Bishop Shanahan summarizes this attitude and its 
consequences: "Paganism was so deep rooted in the people and their mental process 
was so well attuned to it that mere Church going or observance would make little 
change in them. What they needed as a preparation for the faith and as a safeguard 
for it after its reception. was a new orientation of mind based on the acceptance of 
christian standarcB of judgement. Such a metamorphosis could come only through 
school, or through some sustained educational process". (Quoted in the Pastoral 
letter, p. 11) 

6. My interest for this biblical narrative was awakened by the book of Mercy 
Amba ODUYOYE: Hearing and Knowing: Reflections on Christianity in Africa, 
(Orbis Books) Maryknoll. New York, 1986. 
7.	MWhat? You are a Jew and you ask me, a Samaritan, fora drink?" (John 4,9a) 

8.	Cf. the discussion on whether the woman is only a symbolic figure 
representing the whole of Samaria and their several goods by SCHNACKENBURG, 
Rudolf, Das Johnnessvangelium, I, Tell Einleitung und Kommentar zu Kap. 1-4, 
(Herder), Freiburg, Basel Wien 1965; pp. 468 & 478; und STRATHMANN, Das 
Evangelium nach Johannes (Dad Neue Testament Deutsch Teilband 4), Gottingen. 
Vandenhoeck Ruprecht 1959 (9. Auflage), pp. 

9. Perhaps the conversation between Jesus and his disciples as stated in verses 
31-38 was a mental orientation and preparation for the disciples, so that Jesus did 
not need to hold a consultation with them again before accepting the invitation of 
the people of Sycha. It is not stated whether the disciples eventually went or stayed 
with him in Sycha. 

10. Although the biblical account does not say anything about what Jesus ate 
during the two days he stayed in Sycha, it is very unlikely that the Samaritans there 
went to the Jewish Jerusalem in order to buy him what he usually ate there. The 
Jesus who came to dwell among us should be welcomed with "OJ; and ose"., ie., 
kola and alligator pepper. 

186 

shapeType75fBehindDocument1pWrapPolygonVertices8;6;(21498,0);(0,0);(0,952);(20562,952);(20562,21498);(21498,21498)posrelh0posrelv0pib

Itis no longer because of your words that we believe, for we .: 
.! have heard for ourselves, and'we know that'this is indeed the' . 
	Saviour of the world." (Iohn 4;42)~' 	. 
'-,A '_' 

Certain incid~ts and aspects of the dialogue and encounter with Jesus 
make it possible for one to caption the narrative: '"ThC Samaritans decide 
to believe in Iesus ~ the Saviour of ~e WOrld":. 
a) Samaria Wore the encounter with.Jesus christ . 

. .The ~ of. the text reveals certain facts' about the Samaritan town 
of ~char. Here there e~ a well, regarded as one of the values left by 
then father Jacob, The discussion between Iesus and the Samaritan woman 
presents a clear idea regarding the relationship with this their forefather. 
The woman asksIesuS:-Are yoo a greater man than our father Iacob'who 
gave us this well and drank from it himself with his sons and his cattle?" 
(Iohn 4, 12). Late! on she says"'Our fathers worshipped on this mountain, . 
wfiile you Jews saytliat Jerusalem is the place where one ought to Worship." 
(John 4, 20) 
That means that Samaria has a culture different from that of the Jews. 
The Iews did not communicate with the Samaritans. It ls good to have this 
behind our ~d as we consider the drama which took place between Jesus 
	and the SaiDaritarfwoman. 	"." 
	b) J~ and the Samarit8D wom8D 		' . 
The Samaritan woman brings her personal history and the relationship 
. \\rith their Ja~u I~ with her as sJ:ae goes to draw water from Jacobs's 
well. She fmds Iesus, a Jew, sitting down and seeming to hav~ a rest on the 
grounds of the cJiscriminated Samaritans. This rest 00 the tetritori~ of the 
Samaritans is not enou&b,contact with the place and its people. ID. additioo 
he establishes a further contact with the woman apparently &caUSe he is 
thirsty. The surprise of the woman explains the depth of the discrimination.' 
~ot even the extreme needy situation of thirst could change the situation a 
bit, She could not understand the question of Jesus as "an occasion of death •• 
which usually suspends the power of every law and traditiqn for a moment. 
	., 	\ " 	) ... 

~e response of the Samaritan woman to Jesus' request for water 
~darigers the ~ontent of the dialogue as intended by Jesus. Although his 
aim has something to do with Samaritan-Jew-relationShip, his main interest 
seems however to be somewhere else, namely a personal dialogue which 
entails a certain degree of interest in each other. Consequently Jesus, who 

174 

is ~~y not asking for water, tries to ay'pid discussiag.the new and wide 
topic, "the Jews and the Samaritans" introduced by the w~ and sa!s: 
"If you· knew what God is offering and who it is that is saymg to youe give 
me a drink, you ~ould have been the one to ask, and he w.ould have given 
you livins water!"'While attempting to awaken.the woman's interest for 
"what God is offering'" and who he (Iesus) is, he does not neglect the ~act 
that the woman actually cariie to draw water. Rather ~ even offers to give 
	her "living' water". 			. 		. 	." 
		. i "r - _ 	• 		• \ 			- 
:sui the matter is not very simple since the woman expresses her 
ceitainty that their father-Jacob was a greater man than-the "'thirsty Jew~" 
She stands cnhettwoJeet while the confrontatiqn with Jesus goes OIl:! ~ow 
great could' Jf';SUS pretend to be, so that he could draw 'Yater from ~e deep 
wen without a bucket? In this she tries to prove to Jesus that tllen f~er 
Jac09 was greater than he. 

yet another' topic appears on the agenda: "Jesus and' Jacob, who is 
greater?" However the woman's questiOn brings ~ back to the ~xt of 
her aim of coming to the wen; Jesus gets accordingly the opportuDlty to 
repeat the offer of water, this time a 5peclal ~ ~~cing type. ~yOfte ~o 
drinks it will never get thirsty again; the watet will even "tum into a sprmg 
	inside him, welling up to e~ life" (John 4,14). . 	. 

At ~~, the woman asks him to give her but •• ~ ••. of that . 
water. Even though Jesus as.a Jew enjoyed ~e~~ o~ ~penonty. o~er 
her, thiS is the first time she seems to notice the possl~~ty of'rec.etvmg 
SOMething' frOM Iilln and clearly expresses her' ..w.iBh rot that. • ~he 
aclaioWledges the fact that Jesuseould give her ~ething~ ~ I'eCOIJllti~ 
0( What' Jesus Could do which expressa' • cerwn form of interest for his . 
persoo, offers Jesus the opportunity of attempting to let into her pi'vate life 
by asking her to go and call h« husbaDct e· This makes the woman tell ~ore . 
. about herself, DO bger about "our fathers', neith« 2e nor Jesus Jnt#ioned 
water at. this juncture. The COIlversation which follows leads ~ the first 
important discovery about the persm of Ouist: The W om~ notices that he 
is, .• propl;let. Thus the religious dimension of the ~VersattOll ~learly. rears 
its head. The woman differentiates between the Iewish place of worship and 
that of the Samaritans with regard to the place where me ought to worship: 
'"Our fathers WorShipped on this mountain, While you say that Jerusalem 
is the place of where one ought to worship." (John.4,20) .. ~ woman ~oes 
not seem to hide her unreadiness to accept the Jewish religious mentality. 

175