Kiswahili Africa Bible Commentary Dedicated

Nairobi, KENYA (June 7, 2010)

June 2, 2010 in Dodoma, about 120 Bishops and key church leaders from around Tanzania took a break from a grueling programme during the Annual Christian Council of Tanzania (CCT) Bishop’s Conference to dedicate the newly published Kiswahili edition of the Africa Bible Commentary (ABC) — (Ufafanuzi wa Biblia katika Mazingira na Utamaduni wa Kiafrika – UBK).

The first-ever one-volume Bible commentary to be published in an African language was received with jubilation and thanksgiving by the Bishops who hailed it as the “wonderful tool that will help Christians in Eastern and Central Africa understand the Bible better.”

The ABC gives a section-by-section interpretation that provides a contextual, readable, and useful guide to the entire Bible. It also contains 70 articles on pertinent issues facing Africa’s churches such as HIV/AIDS, angels/demons/powers, funeral and burial rites, widows and orphans, and persecution.

The ABC is rich in sound theology and provides a balance of exegesis, exposition and application and all the contributors, translators and editors are solid scholars in the fields of Old Testament and New Testament studies.

Rev. Canon Dr. Mkunga Mtingele, General Secretary of the Bible Society of Tanzania, the exclusive distributors of the Kiswahili ABC in Tanzania, says “speakers of the Swahili language have waited a long time for a commentary like this. It has been written with meticulous care and thoughtful analysis. It will give readers a fresh and deeper understanding of the Bible.

Dr. Aloo Mojola, the Translation Consultant of the UBK says that “the Kiswahili ABC is an overdue theological tool. It will be an important resource on the Bible and a tool of great blessing wherever Kiswahili is spoken. It will no doubt contribute to the development of Kiswahili theological discourse, and to a deeper understanding and appropriation of the Christian faith.

During the dedication, Rt. Rev. Peter Kitula, Chairman of the Christian Council of Tanzania and Bishop of the Africa Inland Church Tanzania, Diocese of Mara and Ukerewe, led in observing a moment’s silence in honour of the late Dr. Tokunboh Adeyemo, General Editor of the ABC. The Rt. Rev. Kitula observed that Dr. Adeyemo, who passed away on March 18, 2010, was brilliant Biblical scholar and gallant soldier in the army of Jesus Christ. He said that Dr. Adeyemo left an indelible mark in the lives of Christians in Africa and the world.

The Kiswahili ABC will be available in Tanzania at the end of June and in Kenya starting mid-July 2010 and will retail for US$25.99 per copy. Online orders can be made at www.wordalivepublishers.com.