Abstract:
The Akan people of Ghana have concepts of ethnicity and social identity which are similar to
those found in the Mediterranean world, which find expression in the issues addressed in the
letter to the Hebrews. This similarity makes the reading of Hebrews in light of Akan ethnicity
and social identity possible, giving one the expected meaning from the perspective of those
concepts as within the original context of the audience. This article therefore discusses some
theories on ethnicity and social identity as well as the Akan people of Ghana and their concepts
of ethnicity and social identity. It further explains the social context of the letter of Hebrews
against which Hebrews is then read in light of Akan ethnicity and social identity. The focus of
this reading is on how the ethnic identity of the readers presented in Hebrews enhances the
social identity of the readers and provides the means by which the author’s appeal to his
readers for their faithfulness to God becomes meaningful and urgent.
Description:
This article represents a reworked version of aspects from the PhD dissertation of Seth Kissi, titled ‘Social identity in Hebrews and
the Akan community of Ghana’, in the Department of New Testament Studies, University of Pretoria, with Prof. Dr Ernest van Eck as
supervisor. (http://hdl.handle.net/2263/61186)
