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In his timely and thoughtful article, “From Nicaea to Africa: Legacy, Inspiration and Cultural Contextualization of Theology” published in September 2025 by the Catholic Scholarly Journal, Theological Studies, African Theologian, Fr Orobator (SJ), Dean of the Santa Clara School of Theology lays down distinctive markers which could be seen as a prelegomenon to the conference on the Council of Nicaea and Africa taking place at the Mundelein seminary, of the University of St Mary of the Lake, Chicago.
In his post synodal exhortation, Ecclesia in Africa, (EA) Pope St. John Paul II remarked that, “All those privileged to be present at the Special Assembly for Africa rejoiced to see how African Catholics are assuming ever greater responsibility in their local churches and seeking a deeper understanding of what it means to be both Catholic and African.” (EA, 11)
1700 years ago, the Church convened in Nicaea (modern day Turkey), to address a doctrinal controversy about the divinity of Christ and hence the Trinity. The Jesuit and Dean of the Santa : The singular achievement of the council was the articulation of the Nicene Creed as the definitive codification of a Christian doctrine of faith that affirmed the consubstantial nature of the Father and the Son. We recite this creed every Sunday declaring with Nicaea that “‘Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God” was ‘begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father.’”
In the journal African Christian Theology’s Call For Papers for the September Issue having as theme: “Nicaea at 1700: Roots and Branches in African Christian Theology,” the Editors wrote: "The creed is not mere Western Catholic dogma but an African doxology which raises not from philosophical speculation but from lived experience of God in Christ.”
Dean Orobator argues that “the three most important eyewitnesses at the Council of Nicaea not counting the emperor were from Africa namely Alexandria of Alexandria, Athanasius of Alexandria and Arius from Libya….It can rightly be claimed that their contribution dwarfed all other contributions in the sophistication, depth, and ferocity of their argumentation. If the council radically transformed the doctrinal framework that formed the bedrock of later theological development, these three African theologians bear arguably the greatest responsibility. This assertion further confirms a widely held consensus among historians that ‘in the first Christian centuries, northern Africa provided some of the keenest intellects and most influential apologists in Christendom.’”
The Jesuit African Theologian, Orobator maintains that “the impact of the Council of Nicaea on the church in Africa was profound beyond what is ordinarily assumed or understood, shaping theological thought, christological formulation, and ecclesiastical structure in important ways.” It is against this backdrop that this weekend’s conference running from Thursday October 9 through Saturday 11, 2025 seeks a deep dive into these and to flesh them out in a coherent and comprehensive manner.
The keynote will be delivered by Rev Dr Paulinus Odozor on the topic: “Nietzsche or Nicaea: The Quest for the remaking of the African mind.” In a version of this talk delivered at a Pan African Theological conference last August in Cote D’Ivoire, Dr. Odozor highlights the struggle against syncretism affirming “Africa is going through its Nicaean moment.” African Christianity is going through syncretism. Are they worshipping God and if so which God?
On Friday, the full day of the conference shall witness six presentations. The day shall kick off with Cyril Orji presenting on “Discerning the Contours of Rhetoric and Paradox in Nicaea.” And if you know anything about Nicaea, you would agree, language was crucial. Prof Orji shall among others draw from his book on Exploring Theological Paradoxes published in 2023 for his presentation.
https://www.routledge.com/Exploring-Theological-Paradoxes/Orji/p/book/9781032290584?srsltid=AfmBOop5gYlV15zu_5Bl1nAmNpSCx9ltACz5ntLjg_30FzZgR99EKrEO
This would be followed by a presentation by Joseph Lugalambi - on “Nicaea, Catholic Universities, and the future of the African Church.” Interesting to note that all presenters at this conference have affiliations with American universities. They are teaching at Notre Dame, University of Dayton, Ohio, Ave Maria University, Florida, Mundelein Seminary, DePaul University, Chicago, Augustine Institute, Missouri, Duquesne University, Chicago, Catholic Institute of Technology, and the Angelicum, Rome. Last August, the biannual conference of Pan African Catholic Theology and Pastoral Network https://pactpan.org/ held in Cote D’Ivoire and Nicaea and the Church in Africa featured on the agenda.
The next two speakers focus on two of Africa’s giants at Nicaea namely St Athanasius and St. Augustine of Hippo. Dennis Kasule shall sketch out the portrait of “St. Athanasius as a Model for Contemporary African Theologians” while Stan Chu Ilo shall highlight Augustine as a Faithful Interpreter of the Christology of the Council of Nicaea in His In Evangelium Joannis Tractatus. Just a word on Rev Dr Stan Chu Ilo, he is coordinator of the network of African Theologians and Pastoral workers, the greatest resource and repository of African Catholic professionals.
Paul ?látúbò ?sún Àdajà (Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Parish) shall bring all these home in his discourse “On Their Shoulders: The Nicene Creed and the Future of the Church in Africa.”
Emmanuel Ojeifo shall cap the day with a thoughtful presentation on “Constantine, Nicaea, and Christian Political Imagination: Lessons for Church-State Relations in Africa Today.” After all, what is a talk on Africa without politics?
Saturday’s presentations shall focus on Christology. As Orobator noted: The idea of Jesus Christ as an ancestor has strong resonances in many African cultures, given that the figure of an ancestor is “one of the fundamental pillars of religion” in Africa.
Bede Ukwuije’s paper shall be on “The African Jesus: Revisiting the African Reappropriation of the Historical Jesus in the Light of Nicaean.”
Tegha Nji shall chime in on “Christology of Nicaea and Ancestor Christology: A Critical Reassessment.”
Maurice Agbaw-Ebai shall touch on the interesting o and I controversy at Nicaea with his “A Philosophical Ressourcement of Homoousios for African Christology Today.” Matthew Levering who now deserves an African title shall dwell on “African Theology and Arguments for the Credibility of the Incarnation.”
This conference convened by Dr Matthew Levering and Rev Dr Maurice Agbaw-Ebai is a continuation of a series contributing to the development and understanding of African Catholic Theology. Their first collaborative initiative at least in print is with their published work “Joseph Ratzinger and the Future of African Theology” published in 2021. This is followed by “Africae Munus: Ten Years Later,” fruits of reflections on a conference on the post synodal exhortation of 2005 with the title Africae Munus. Dr Matthew Levering is the James N Jr & Mary D Perry Chair of Theology at the Mundelein seminary and well-known and respected within Catholic theology in the US. Last October 1, the Vatican Secretary of State appointed him to serve on the Pontifical Academy of Saint Thomas Aquinas. Rev. Agbaw-Ebai currently teaching in Rome at the newly created Catholic version of MIT named Catholic Tech located in Castle Gondolfo, Rome and also at the Angelicum is a Benedict enthusiast. He is the coordinator of the Benedict XVI Institute for Africa. Together with Dr Levering they are helping shape what Ecclesia in Africa describes as what it means to be Catholic and African.
