Nikkel, Marc R.

2018-05-22T12:46:21Z

2018-05-22T12:46:21Z

1994

This thesis documents the development of Christianity among the Dinka of Sudan both during and since the missionary era. It explores the major themes in the dialogue between the Dinka and Christian missions, Catholic and Protestant, and asks what, during each period, have been the reasons for Dinka resistance to evangelisation as well as motivations for conversion.

An introductory chapter addresses the problems of missionary translation and vocabulary, defines key Dinka terms, and examines theories of Dinka origins and early religious influences. Chapter II surveys the history of Dinka confrontations with foreigners during the 19th century, and asks how these encounters conditioned their responses to Christian missions.

Chapters III through V document three missionary ventures in Dinkaland asking what precedents each set for the Christian communities which later emerged. The mid 19th Century Austrian Catholic mission on the Upper Nile and in Northern Sudan is examined with interest in three notable Dinka converts of the period. Two chapters survey the 20th Century work of the Anglican, Church Missionary Society (CMS), and the Roman Catholic, Verona Fathers. What distinguished the approaches of each and what responses did they evoke? The contributions of key missionary figures and prominent Dinka Christians are evaluated. Of significance are the contrasting attitudes which Dinka converts developed toward their ancestral divinities and the manner in which they related these to the divine persons of Christianity

The final two chapters focus upon the thought and independent initiatives of Dinka Christians, contrasting developments among Catholics and Episcopalians. Translations from a selection of vernacular songs form the basis of Chapter VI, and reveal the distinctive vocabulary, metaphor and theology which have developed over five decades. The final chapter documents the emergence of an increasingly diverse indigenous Dinka church in independent Sudan, and evaluates the impact of civil conflict upon the rapid growth of the church in rural areas.

http://hdl.handle.net/1842/30581

The University of Edinburgh

Annexe Thesis Digitisation Project 2018 Block 19

Already catalogued

The origins and development of Christianity among the Dinka of Sudan: with special reference to the songs of Dinka Christians

Thesis or Dissertation

Doctoral

PhD Doctor of Philosophy