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SYMBOLS OF THE AFRICA STUDY BIBLEThis Ornate Cross serves as the primary symbol of the AfricaStudy Bible. The four points of the cross represent the four cornersof Africa: North, South, East, and West. The points are comprisedof spears, as the holy Word of God serves as our primary weaponin the battle for his kingdom. The concentric rings representthe unity the Gospel can bring to people of every country, race,and denomination. Finally, the four shields represent God’s allencompassing protection of those he has called to faith, suchthat they need fear only him.The Coptic Cross highlights “Learn” features in the Africa StudyBible, which provide key historical doctrinal understandingsof God’s Word and the Church. It represents the North Africanregion, reminding readers of Africa as ancient seat of Christianity,home of Augustine and Athanasius.The “Mate Masie” highlights the “Proverbs and Stories” features,revealing the connection between uniquely African sayings andthe wisdom of Scripture. It is an Adinkra symbol, representingWest Africa, and stands for wisdom and for God’s omniscience.The Nguni symbol for “Made Peace” serves to highlight the“African Touch Points” features, where Scripture and the Africanway of life are considered and reconciled. Representing SouthernAfrica, this symbol serves to represent our peace with God andone another.The Masai Shield and Spear highlight “Application Notes,” whichequip the reader with the tools they need to act righteously andfight for God’s glory. Representing East Africa, these symbolsremind readers of the safeguard of faith and of the great powerof God’s Word to defeat Satan.26

USING THE AFRICA STUDY BIBLEEAs Paul reminds us in 2 Timothy 2:15: “Workhard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one whodoes not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.”ach feature of the Africa Study Bible wasplanned by African leaders who teach andlead God’s people. Their goal was to help us growstrong in Jesus Christ and to give insight aboutGod’s Word to the continent and to the world asGod’s Word Through African Eyes.Each note is written to inform us about animportant topic or to help us understand a verseor passage. This is not information to memorizebut instruction on how to live a good and righteous life. Each is based on God’s wisdom andtruth. What are the special concerns and issuesthat we face in Africa? How does God want us tolive as we face each challenge? Even as we askthose questions, the Africa Study Bible is muchmore. It will teach us how to apply the Word ofGod to our lives. Each day, we must open theBible and let it be God’s bread for us through thepower of the Holy Spirit.The notes in the Africa Study Bible can showus, by example, how to apply God’s truth. Sometimes our thinking or our culture really fits thetruth in God’s Word, and this Bible shows ushow to celebrate and encourage that. Sometimes we need correction from God’s Word, andwe need to learn to think and live differently.Perhaps we need to find a new path or even repentance. The Africa Study Bible shows us howto do that, too. And sometimes, the Africa StudyBible will help us grow deep and mature in ourfaith or encourage us in the tough times.It is our prayer that we will not only be readingand learning what others have to say about theBible, but we will be learning by example to takewhat we are reading and apply it in a way thathonours God and builds his Kingdom for ourselves. The Africa Study Bible is written by leaders across our continent who have worked theirentire lives to learn how to apply the truth foundin the Bible. They wish to be faithful in applyingGod's Word to our lives in Africa and the world.As we read and listen to their wisdom, we canlearn this skill as well. The Bible has many moreapplications than we will find in this Bible, butby observing how to apply the Bible correctly, wecan learn to apply the Bible to our own situation.If you would like to learn more, we have developed tools that teach how to apply the Bible. Visitafricastudybible.com for more information.African Touch Points draw attention to Scripture passages with a special connection to Africa. There are three kinds of Touch Points. Insome Touch Points, we explore a passage wherethe Bible talks about Africa or a person fromAfrica. Other Touch Points have an importantquotation from one of the greatest early AfricanChristian leaders, whose writings and teachingshelped shape all of Christianity. Listen carefully to the voices of thinkers such as Augustine,Athanasius, Cyril, and Origen. Finally, manyof the Touch Points feature an example of howAfrican culture sheds light on the meaning of apassage. Often, African cultures are much closer to the culture of the Bible than the culturesof North America and Europe. This is a keyarea where the African church can speak aboutthe significance and impact of Scripture to theworldwide church.Introductions to each book of the Biblehelp us understand its history and biblicalcultures. They have a special focus on issuesclose to the African heart. Sometimes a bookof the Bible does not tell us who wrote it, butmost often we have evidence that may point toa particular person. Sometimes scholars whostudy the Bible disagree about who wrote abook of the Bible. Some stories were passed onorally for a long time before they were writtendown, just as is common in our culture. A priestor a prophet may have written stories down oredited a book years after it was first written tohelp it speak correctly to his own time. But wehave historical evidence showing us that therewas a very accurate transmission of the storieswritten in the Bible. We can trust that Godinspired this process, and Jesus affirms the OldTestament as the Word of God. In the AfricaStudy Bible, when we do not know who was theoriginal author, we may say something like “According to Jewish tradition, Moses wrote Genesis.” We affirm with our whole hearts the wordsof 2 Timothy 3:16: “All Scripture is inspired by27

28God and is useful to teach us what is true andto make us realize what is wrong in our lives. Itcorrects us when we are wrong and teaches usto do what is right.”Beyond listing general facts, the introductionswill connect you to the original purpose and audience. Many books of the Bible were originallyread aloud to a group of people or even sung.They are written records of stories, poems, andinstructions that people often heard rather thanread. Like musicians, often the authors used repeating patterns to communicate their message.They also focused on characters and plot to makea point, like great storytellers. They had a messagefor the listener to learn. The book introductionhighlights the story and the rhythm of each Biblebook and what the book can teach us, just like thetraditional African storyteller.Application Notes are used to inspire readersto apply what the Bible teaches to our lives.They will help us reflect on issues in light ofthe truths in Scripture. These notes can showus how the Bible's message should changethe way we live. They also help us understandhow to apply truth from Scripture to our dailylives. The goal of our writers is to teach us tothink about all issues in light of what the Bible says. We can use these notes to learn howto apply the Bible to our lives. First we workto understand the meaning of the text in theBible, then we apply that truth to our currentsituation.Proverbs and Stories illuminate andcomplement the biblical text. The Africanpeoples have a wealth of wise sayings, fables,and stories that the Africa Study Bible explores.These have been referred to as the treasures ofAfrica or the wisdom of the elders. This featurewill help the Bible come alive by highlightingpassages that have parallels with a specific African proverb or story. The proverb or story isused as a starting place to illuminate the original meaning of the Bible. Proverbs may eitherbe in agreement or in conflict with the text. Wecan follow this example to learn how the Biblerelates to our cultures either positively or negatively. In all things, the truth of the Bible is to beour authority even when it does not agree withtraditional wisdom. Often specific regions ortribes are identified, with the proverb quotedin the original language. These sayings are thework of the original author and no attempt hasbeen made to check for accuracy.Articles are about living the Christian lifeand critical concerns that face the Africanchurch and its people. The committee chosearticle topics and gave writers main pointsand issues to address. Each Article was writtenwith the following three questions: (1) Whatis the biblical basis for the perspective beingpresented? (2) What are the specific Africanissues for this topic? (3) How may the truth beapplied to everyday life? The Articles appearbetween books of the Bible so they do not interrupt the flow of the text. Read through theindex to find a topic of interest to you. Articleswill help us understand how to apply the Bibleto a specific area of life where God’s wisdomis needed.Learn Notes expand our thinking in theology,doctrine, and biblical values. The committeechose important topics to be explored, thingsthat “every Christian should know.” Each LearnNote explains the topic, giving a basic understanding that the majority of Christians agreeon. At least one special point of interest or application for Africa is considered for every topic.Learn Notes are placed near scripture aboutthe topic. Learn Notes show us how to discernthe great doctrines of our faith by listening tothe whole Bible speak with a unified voice.Learning and Teaching Helps are includedthroughout and at the back of the Bible. TheTopical Index and Concordance lists all theArticles, Application Notes, Stories and Proverbs,African Touch Points, and Bible references thatgive insight into a particular topic. This Topical Index and Concordance also includes twoother special features. Words that have specialmeaning for the church are explained—likepropitiation or sanctification. Also, this feature defines English words from the text of theBible that may be unclear or are seldom used inAfrica. A brief biography of each Early AfricanChurch Father who is quoted in African TouchPoints is included. This one feature, will equipus to learn or teach about almost any topicfound in the Bible.You will also find a special feature presenting the history of God’s people in Africa—ANarrative Timeline of God’s Work in Africa.This unique graphical timeline will help youunderstand God’s work in Africa from Abraham through the year 2010—it is an insightfuloverview of all God has done in our continentover almost 4,000 years.

29In addition, maps and other graphicaltimelines and features are spread throughoutthe Bible to help us understand the locations,people, time, and structure of the Bible. One ofthe features, Harmony of the Gospels, located at the end of the Gospel of John, gives usa wonderful overview of how the four Gospelstell a unified story and also how they tell theLife of Jesus from different viewpoints.Bible Overview Reading Plan was createdspecifically for the Africa Study Bible. Here is aplan to give you an overview of the whole Biblein one year by reading the length of a chaptersix days a week. If you committ to this, you willreceive a wonderful understanding of the storyof God reaching out to us.All of these features help us understand thewonder and diversity of the Bible, the richChristian heritage of Africa, and the part thatAfrica played in the events of the Bible.Colorful original art in the front of the AfricaStudy Bible was created to show the beauty andpower of God’s Word. Verses were chosen thathighlight the project’s goals and beloved verses give encouragement and power as they arememorized, shared, and hidden in our hearts.The art is built from many of the scripts, symbols, colors, and patterns of Africa. Here is abrief explanation of each piece:Mark 12:29-31—The two greatest commandments are illustrated. The spiraling circleat the top represents the eternal God and therow of people at the bottom represents ourneighbors. The two tablets, also in the background, remind us of the Ten Commandmentswhich can be summarized in these two commands given to us by Jesus.Ephesians 2:8-10—A special robe celebratesthe great honour God has given us to be a partof his family when we trust Christ. The letteringfor "God's Masterpiece" is designed to expressthe uniqueness of each one of us working together to bless the world.Galatians 5:22-23—In these verses, we canimagine various fruits on the same tree. Thisillustrates the supernatural nature of thesecharacter traits. The roots of the tree are included at the bottom to remind us that God'sSpirit makes us strong and enables us to liveabundantly.Psalm 67—A compass pattern was chosento represent God's rule and guidance over allthe world's peoples. The words follow the arc ofthe globe, stretching from one end of the earthto the other. The gold dots radiate from God'sname to illustrate that he is the source of allblessing.Psalm 91—The large background symbolrepresents the confidence that we should fearno one except God. The psalmist expresses thattrust in the Most High through the gentle metaphor of a bird's wings. This reminds us thatGod's Spirit also revealed himself in the formof a dove when Jesus was baptized.1 Corinthians 11:23-26—Jesus uses two pictures of the great sacrifice he made for us to beforgiven and accepted by a holy God. The first,his body broken for us, is illustrated here in across made from staffs of grain which sproutnew life. The second diagonal image is ofChrist's blood poured out freely as representedin the wine shared with his disciples.Philippians 4:12-13—A symbol for strengthand humility is shown very large in the background to illustrate the power of Christ to helpus do what we can't accomplish in our ownstrength. The cross, centrally located in the design, reminds us of the great cost by which wehave access to His strength.Romans 8:38—In lettering art, the artistattempts to make words look like what theymean. So these words are designed to showgreat confidence strong and close together. Incontrast, "God's Love" is written in a gentle,comforting style. The background shield represents the assurance that this eternal love protects us.2 Timothy 4:2—God's Word, the Holy Bible,represented here by a sword and fiery flames,has the power to change us as we listen andobey. The different styles of lettering help to express the meaning of each word or phrase.

HISTORY AND VISION OFTHE AFRICA STUDY BIBLEHistoryThe concept of a study Bible specifically createdfor the needs of African Christians was birthed intalks among African leaders, Oasis International, and Tyndale House Publishers. A survey andstatistical analysis to evaluate the understanding of the Bible by Christians in Jos, Nigeria, wasundertaken to evaluate the potential impact ofhaving the Bible in clear, modern language using African vocabulary and expressions. Theresearch clearly showed that meanings of wordsand expressions in modern English from theUnited States or the United Kingdom were notalways clear for English-speaking Africans.Over the following years, the project movedforward through conversations with leadersthroughout Africa, Bible experts at Tyndale, andthe Oasis International Board. These conversations included Dr. Tite Tiénou from Burkina Faso,a member of the team that formed the vision forthe Africa Bible Commentary. He would soon bejoined by several other contributors to the AfricaBible Commentary.It was decided that the project, if attempted,would focus on discipleship and life transformation by providing tools and helps to growChristians deep in their faith.During an extensive period of evaluatingthe need for the project, leaders from the continent were asked to give input. Seminary presidents, denominational leaders, and academicsspoke with unity: It was essential that we createa study Bible to reflect the knowledge, culture,and wisdom of Africa, with the purpose of growing African Christians and bringing insight toglobal Christianity.Brought together by Oasis International, theproject soon had a number of strong development partners, each bringing their unique skillsto the project. Special honour is due TyndaleHouse Publishers and Tyndale House Foundation, who provided expertise and seed funding.In addition, Livingstone, the creators of the bestselling Life Application Study Bible, began theirrole as consultant and editorial manager. Afterextensive preparation, the Founding Committeeof the Africa Study Bible met in Accra, Ghana.Leaders from every region of Africa, representingEnglish, French, Portuguese, and Arabic speaking areas and eleven countries formed the finalmandate for the project, making all major editorial decisions. Special thanks goes to MarkTaylor, Bruce Barton, Jeff Wright, and MatthewElliott—publishing experts who joined the meetings in Accra to advise the committee in studyBible creation.The committee came together in a spirit ofunity; the cornerstone of the meetings was a belief in the power and authority of God’s Wordand

is study Bible demonstrates two important things about our church in Africa. First, we are coming of age. We no longer have to get most of our Bible study resources from outside Africa. e Spirit of Jesus anointed well over 300 African writers, who contributed to this highly useful study Bible