Holiness in African Perspective
The above distinction could be the basis for the development of modernism and secularism in the West. This is because it set up a dualism that was over and above and strictly independent from issues of cleansing that troubled people on a day-to-day basis. One could argue that as a result ‘God’ became promoted into a separate realm, thus leaving the world to function on the basis of entirely mechanical principles. This distinction between ‘God’ and the ‘world’ is these days much questioned. The man-on-the street in Europe however often continues to follow the distinction.
The difference between akathartos and katharos that preoccupies much of Africa is in many Western countries today seen as irrelevant. When it comes to the difference between hagios and bebelos, it seems that Western people presuppose themselves to be hagios (hence someone is despised for claiming to be ‘holier than thou’). They also consider themselves, by default, to be katharos. In Africa, we find little awareness of the category of hagios. People may be presupposed to be akathartos (Harries 2007:201).
The difference between akathartos and katharos is very closely related to sin. Sin renders someone akathartos. The particular sin often in mind in the Old Testament is that of adultery with other gods. This links in with the widespread African understanding of sin as being that which arises from the breaking of ancestral taboo (Dholuo; ketho kwer) that results in the activity of troublesome spirits. Cleansing (‘making holy’, i.e. returning someone to a state of katharos) occurs through a removal of the spirits that have found occupancy as a result of breaking taboo.
Notice that in Western Christian theology, the identity of sin bridges both categories, akathartos versus katharos and hagios versus bebelos. This is because of the assumption that presence of hagios presupposes that someone has already achieved katharos (Milgrom 1991:616 – as above). Sin, then, is foundationally ‘against God’. In Africa on the other hand, sin tends to be ‘against ancestors’ and to be equated with breaking of taboo. Committing sin in Africa exposes one to evil spirits. Solutions traditionally included animal sacrifice and various rituals, but among Christians casting out the evil spirits in the name of Jesus.
Mojola points to confusion in the identity of ‘holy’ in Luyia dialects (2003). We see this confusion in Table 1 resulting from the absence of a distinction between the hagios and katharos categories in Africa. The Holy Spirit as a result tends to be known for his role as bringing katharos rather than hagios.
Terminology in the Luo Bible examined above illustrates this kind of confusion. Pneuma Hagios (Greek) is in Luo often known as Roho Maler. We have seen in the above bible passages that the term ler is used to describe both the states of katharos and of hagios. In some cases mowal is used to describe hagios, whereas mokwer is used to describe akathartos. In normal use, ler can also mean clean (e.g. you have washed so now you are ler) and light (bring the lamp so that we have ler), this adding to potential confusion.
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