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Samuel Adekunle Ola Osungbeju

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Samuel Adekunle Ola Osungbeju FRIENDSHIP AND BETRAYAL: A NARRATIVE READING OF MATTHEW 26: 47-56 IN THE LIGHT OF THE CONCEPT OF OREODALE OF THE YORUBA PEOPLE IN NIGERIA. A THESIS SUBMITTED IN FULFILMENT OF ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN BIBLICAL STUDIES IN THE SCHOOL OF RELIGION, PHILOSOPHY AND CLASSICS, UNIVERSITY OF KWAZULU-NATAL, PIETERMARITZBURG, SOUTH AFRICA. BY SAMUEL ADEKUNLE OLA OSUNGBEJU 1 ABSTRACT The theme of friendship and betrayal cuts across many disciplines and cultures. This research focuses on the theme of friendship which is fundamentally related to the theme of the church (Matt.16, 18) and love as contained in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt.5-7), and is clearly expressed in Matthew 5:23-26 and 7:12. This theme rings through in Matthew’s Gospel as a narrative or story. This then forms the background to our search for a new understanding of the theme of friendship and betrayal in the Matthean Gospel with a focus on Matt.26:47-56 in light of the socio-cultural perspective of the Yoruba people in Nigeria. Friendship cuts across different societies with its diverse cultural distinctiveness. We find in the Matthean community, a model of friendship as exemplified by Jesus with his disciples as well as with the people of his day that is informed by love, mutual trust, loyalty, commitment, forgiveness, and which revolves around discipleship and equality. Although Jesus took on the role of a servant and friend with his disciples he remained the leader of the group. But his disciples abandoned him at the very critical point of his life with Peter even publicly denying knowing him. And the worst of all, a very close confidant of his, Judas Iscariot, chose to sell him to his enemies to be killed by crucifixion. In other words, all of the disciples, as Jesus’ friends therefore appear to have betrayed him in one way or the other. But Judas’ role in the Matthean Gospel, especially in connection with the confrontation between Jesus and the religious leaders of his day, stands out in quite a significant manner. However, some critical interpretations rooted in post-Enlightenment Western culture championed by William Klassen, Kim Paffenroth and Michael Cook have tried to make sense of the friendship and betrayal between Jesus and his disciples, especially by sympathetic explanations of the action of Judas, in a way which poses serious challenges to African cultural understandings of friendship. This is because Judas’ action of betrayal has left us with more questions than answers. Could Judas have been right in any way by his action of betrayal of Jesus, because as a disciple of Jesus he also shared his loyalty with the state? Could he have betrayed Jesus in order to precipitate God’s intervention on Israel’s behalf? Friendship sometimes involves a network of complexities of loyalties; and for that reason the question is whether friendship should be regarded as a private or public relationship, and which should be accorded primary loyalty in such complex circumstances. 2 This study has argued that the Yoruba concept of friendship and betrayal offers a relevant model on which to build a counter African postcolonial interpretation of friendship and betrayal in Matthew based on the Yoruba cultural worldview. Insights from cultural studies and Postcolonial theory, especially the work of Edward Said, have been combined with new methods of re-reading and re-interpreting the Bible along the cultural line of an African Contextual theology, which is called postcolonial inculturation-converstional theoretical approach to explore a new understanding of the theme of friendship and betrayal in the Matthean Gospel from the cultural perspective of the Yoruba people in Nigeria. Consequently, in this study, Judas’ action of betrayal is brought into “conversation” with that of Iya Olofi, as one of the Ifa oracular texts in the Yoruba cultural context to explore Matthew’s portrayal of a true friendship and betrayal, especially at the point of complex or confusing loyalties. This attempt, in addition to offering a new understanding and interpretation of the chosen Matthean text through contrapuntal dialogical interactions with Yoruba cultural context and post-Enlightenment Western cultural context, has also widened our horizon on the concept of friendship and betrayal from cross-cultural perspectives. Friendship is an important aspect in the social life of the Yoruba people as in most cultures of the world. Its distinctiveness, however, is seen in its covenantal nature usually sanctioned by the earth (ile) as a witness. The Yoruba cultural concept of friendship is based on trust, commitment, loyalty and forgiveness as the essential ingredients of any relationship with its attendant repercussions for any erring one in case of a breach of trust in such a relationship. Hence, the Yoruba concept of friendship is strongly opposed to betrayal and fosters peaceful co- existence, harmony and progress in so far as the bond of friendship or trust conforms to the moral values and norms of the society and it is faithfully kept against the individualistic nature and personal freedom of the post-Enlightenment Western culture of friendship. On the other hand, post-Enlightenment Western culture has also shown the social and psychological aspects of friendship for the individual as well as the clinical pathology of suicide in the context of friendship and betrayal as against its outright condemnation in the Yoruba cultural context. We also discovered that the aspect of confidentiality in friendship according to the Yoruba cultural practice could have negative effects, because of its potential avenue for covert associations or exploitation of friendship for personal gains that may make betrayal difficult because of the blood-oath that is involved. 3 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The enormity of this academic research would normally require the support of people from different perspectives. In that sense, this endeavour has been an outcome of several people with God through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit as the ENABLING FORCE; without who it would not have been possible to successfully undertake the project. I am sincerely grateful to my spiritual father and Bishop, The Most Rev. ‘Segun Okubadejo, Ph.D.; F.C.I.P.A., not just for all the support and encouragement given to me, but also for allowing me to undertake this prestigious academic work while still remaining a priest of the Diocese and retaining my positions and offices in the Diocese of Ibadan North and Ibadan Ecclesiastical Province of the Church of Nigeria - Anglican Communion. Similarly, I appreciate our mother, Mrs. J.T. Okubadejo for the same reason. God will continue to renew you daily for greater exploits in Jesus’ name. I cannot but also express my heart-felt gratitude to the congregation of God’s people at Bishop Akinyele Memorial Anglican Church, Iwo Road, Ibadan, Oyo State in Nigeria (THE BAMAC FAMILY), for their love, goodwill and prayerful support in various ways towards my ministry generally. I like to appreciate the following members Chief (Mrs.) Bukola Oni, Col. & Mrs. Isola (Rtd), Barr. & Mrs. F. B. Akinseye and Youth Christian Association for supporting this project one way or the other. I have also enjoyed God’s grace in a peculiar way regarding this undertaking through the instrumentality of the Akogun Tunde J. Afolabi, MFR, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Amni International Petroleum Development Company Limited, Lagos, who, in a very significant way, supported this project. I am touched by the peculiarity of his philanthropic gesture, which is distinctively Christian and service to God. I can only pray that the Lord for whom he has done the special act of Christian magnanimity will greatly reward him abundantly in all ramifications in Jesus’ peerless name. I appreciate very deeply and sincerely the Authorities of the University of KwaZulu-Natal for the significant support of the University towards this academic programme. May the University continue to wax stronger and stronger and from one level of glory to the other in Jesus’ name. I also like to acknowledge the supportive role of my wife, Mrs. Victoria O. Osungbeju and children, who through prayers, care, love and encouragement at the home front made it a 4 conducive atmosphere for me to undertake this important and herculean academic pursuit. May the Lord continually fill them with wonderful experiences of life and enrich them with his divine benediction. I also appreciate my friend, the Venerable F.O. Babatunji, who, as a student of the university, informed and encouraged me about the possibility of getting this programme done at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. I wish him every blessing in Jesus’ name. I appreciate the librarians and staff of the following institutions who assisted me one way or the other with relevant materials for this project: University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, University of Ibadan, Ibadan Immanuel College of Theology, Ibadan, The Dominican Institute, Ibadan, SS. Peter and Paul Major Seminary, Ibadan and the Nigerian Baptist Theological Seminary, Ogbomoso, all in Nigeria. I am also deeply grateful to Dr. Karen Buckenham for helping to edit this research work. May God’s blessing continually attend all her endeavours in Jesus’ name. The last but not the least, my own “Gamaliel”, a man of great learning and very painstaking in his work, Prof. Jonathan A. Draper. At first, I almost got dazed by his peculiar thoroughness, but later discovered that I was actually in the right hands for the impartation with the same sense of thoroughness like most of his students before me. I appreciate his significant contributions to the final accomplishment of this thesis. I will remain greatly indebted to him. I can only simply say thank you very much for being a significant part of this fulfilled dream regarding my doctoral studies.
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