Society for Research & Academic Excellence 2015 Society for Research and Academic Excellence www.academicexcellencesociety.com Conference Procedings 8th International Conference Date: 5th to 8th February 2015 Venue: Princess Alexandria Auditorium University of Nigeria, Nsukka Contact 080634650 [Conference Proceedings – University of Nigeria, Nsukka Page 1 Society for Research & Academic Excellence 2015 In this issues 2015 New Testament‘s Paul Achebe‘s Enoch and Religious Fanaticism in Contemporary Nigeria Adolphus Ekedimma Amaefule Teachers‘ Perception On The Extent Of Implementation Of The National Language Policy In Upper Basic Schools In Ebonyi State Raphael, I. Ngwoke The Impact of the Rapid Growth of Internet Availability and Social Media Language among Secondary School Students in Nigeria: Prospects and Problems Adanma Okolo& Nathaniel I.E. Preparing Agriculture Teachers For An Ideal Agricultural Education Programme At Secondary School Level In Nigeria Dr.F.M. Onu Concretization of Abstraction: Metaphorical Expressions in Legislative Discourse Agbara, Clara Unoalegie Bola Dramaturgy of social Relevance and Conflict Resolution: A Dialectical Study of The Wives Revolt by JP Clark‘s Agozie, Uzo Ugwu Perspective On Pre-Colonial Hausa Literature In Northern Nigeria Abdullahi Kadir Ayinde The Perceived Impact Of Population Growth On Housing In Asaba In 2014 Faith .I. Sajini The Role Of Job Experience And Marital Status In Workers‘ Adoption Of Preventive Practices Against Occupational Health Hazards In Enugu State, Nigeria Dorothy I. Ugwu, & Mr. A.I. Anike African Science: The Search for a Causal Link Kanu, Ikechukwu Anthony, OSA The Concept Of Citizenship: Its Application And Denial In Thecontemporary Nigerian Society Iwuagwu, Emmanuel Kelechi Ethics, Moral Education and Development in Nigeria Enyimba, Maduka Philosophy And The Development Of The Third World: Exploring The Power Of Ideology Stephen Chijioke Nwinya The Effective Security Network; A Paradigm For Improved Capacity Building In Nigeria Conference Proceedings – University of Nigeria, Nsukka Page 2 Society for Research & Academic Excellence 2015 Anuoruo, Adolphus, C. Gendered Role: A Challenge For Church Ministry In The Contemporary African Society Dike, Uzoma Amos Peace, Environmental Degredation And Development In Africa: The African Taditional Religious Overview T.O. Ebhomienlen The Political Dimension Of Jesus‘ Ministry: Its Implications For Evangelization In The World Today Nwube, Simeon Nnanna The Church, Politics And National Development Dick Ikani Odiba The Church, Politics And National Development Dick Ikani Odiba The Place of Biblical Research in Pastoral Ministry John Arierhi Ottuh, Modern Views of Conflict and Pauline Model of Conflict Resolution in 1 Corinthians 3:1-10 and Its Implication for the Nigerian Christian John Arierhi Ottuh, Issues And Challenges Of Measurement In Social Geronotological Research In Nigeria Nnachi Amos Imo Language practices in Christian denominations in the Northwest region of Cameroon Author Bio-Data Dr. Afutendem Lucas Nkwetta The 17th Century Ethiopian Rationalists: Rethinking the Ideological Race Classification of Africa Fr Kanu Anthony A Postcolonial Critical Perspective to Religion, Spirituality and Transformative Action1 in Africa Rev. Dr. Amadi Enoch Ahiamadu & Associate Research Fellow Proliferation of churches and national development Rufina g. Ikeazota Violence and Partisan Politics in Nigeria: The Place of the Church Favour .C. Uroko, Conference Proceedings – University of Nigeria, Nsukka Page 3 Society for Research & Academic Excellence 2015 Traditional Religion And Ethical System Of The People Of Isiala-Mbano Local Government Area Of imo State, Nigeria Dr Patricia Ebere Nwazonobi The Place of Sex in Marriage: Emerging Issues in Yoruba Muslim Marriages and the Islāmic Solution Raji Mubin Olatoye The Quest For Miracle In Contemporary Christian Ministry: A Challenge to Ministerial Integrity Dr. Oliver C Igwe Awareness And Involvement Of Exclusive Breastfeeding Among Rural Residents Of Nsukka, South Eastern, Nigeria Dr c.n. Ngwu Conference Proceedings – University of Nigeria, Nsukka Page 4 Society for Research & Academic Excellence 2015 New Testament‟s Paul Achebe‟s Enoch And Religious Fanaticism In Contemporary Nigeria By Adolphus ekedimma amaefule Abstract The face of true religion has sometimes been disfigured by the reality of religious fanaticism. This paper examined the pattern of this reality in pre- conversion Paul and then in the character Enoch in Chinua Achebe‘s Things Fall Apart. Due to subtle similarities between the two, Paul and Enoch, it proposed, by way of comparative analysis, that this Paul could have been the inspiration for Achebe‘s Enoch. It then looked at the relationship between the Pauline-Enoch-ian pattern of religious fanaticism and religious fanaticism in Nigeria today, the effects of such fanaticism on national development and finally suggested ways of curbing it. Keywords: Paul, Enoch, Chinua Achebe, Religious fanaticism, Nigeria. Introduction Radcliffe, it was, who had pointed out that, ―The point of any religion is to point us to God who is the point of everything‖ (2005:1), acorrect observation which could be expanded and ipso facto underscored by maintaining that in pointing us to God it, that is, religion, points us as well to man, created, as it were, in the image and likeness of the same God. In fact, religion - and that is, true religion- is meant to show us the face of God, is meant to help us to forge an intimate relationship with Him and at the same time is meant to help us to see this man created, as said above, in God‘s image and likeness, not as an enemy, but as a friend, not as a stranger, but as a neighbour to be lived with in peace, love and harmony. Reality, however, shows that this picture of true religion is often blurred by some who even as they exercise their own religionfind it difficult to give a little space to the other to do so even if the latter‘s own version of the same religion is different from theirs. These ―some‖, call them fanatics, or even fundamentalists, are not confined, as a matter of fact, to the three monotheisms of Judaism, Christianity and Islam but also to Buddhism, Hinduism, and even Confucianism(Armstrong, 2000: ix), etc. By their attitude - an attitude defined by Iweas ―the practice of religion beyond bounds of reason‖(1985: 221)–they often tend to make Ingersoll‘s unqualified observation that, ―Religion makes enemies instead of friends[…] covers all the horizon of memory with visions of war, of outrage, of persecution, of tyranny, and death‖ (1993: 1), wear the garb of verity. Our aim here will be to study the pattern of this attitude, religious fanaticism, that is, in Paul before his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus, and then in the character Enoch in Achebe‘s Things Fall Apart, a novel for which Orobator had once made a confession that we couldmake our own, here, thus: ―What I have found intriguing in reading and rereading this novel[Things Fall Apart] is the fact that it contains such profound source of wisdom, narratives, and events that can enrich, structure, and enlighten theological reflection from an African perspective. More significantly, this captivating African story provides me with an accessible methodology for giving theological reflection a distinctively African flavor‖(2008: 20-21). And because of the similarities between the two, Paul and Conference Proceedings – University of Nigeria, Nsukka Page 5 Society for Research & Academic Excellence 2015 Enoch, this paper proposes, by way of comparative analysis, that this Paul could have been the inspiration for Achebe‘s Enoch since, according to Macquarrie, ―No matter how novel any event or any idea, it is almost certain that it has not just come ‗out of the blue,‘ as we say. When we begin to consider it, we learn that it has antecedents‖(1993: 27). It then looks at the relationship between the Pauline-Enoch-ian pattern of religious fanaticism and religious fanaticism in contemporary Nigeria, the effects of such fanaticism on national development and finally suggests ways of curbing it. New Testament‟s Paul: The Making of A Religious Fanatic In his book, Pensees, the French philosopher and mathematician, BlaisePaschal, had made the following observation: ―Saint Athanasius was a man called Athanasius‖ (2003: XIV, 867). And it is an observation we could similarly make here, thus: St. Paul was a man called Paul, or, to go by his Hebrew name, a man called Saul. Yes, before the St. Paul who, following his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus(cf. Acts 9:1-19) – an encounter that completely changed him- had gone on three missionary journeys (cf. Acts 13:4-14: 28; Acts 15.40-18:23; 18:24-20:38), to the extent that he would, at the end of the day,not only be called by Brown a ―great missionary‖(1994: 35), or, even, an ―indefatigable missionary‖ (2011: 4) as Onwukemewould see him, or still,an ―apostolic missionary‖(2011: 126) in the view of Bosch, or better, an ―important missionary‖(2004: 29),according to the duo of Crossan and Reed, but also the ―greatest missionary of all time‖(2008: 166) as Wagnerwould consider him, there was actually a certain Paul, a certain Paul who is the object of our preoccupation here. According to a Second-century account, precisely, the Acts of Paul, this Paul, in terms of physical appearance, was a―man small of stature, with a bald head and crooked legs, in a good state of body, with eyebrows meeting and nose somewhat hooked, full of friendliness; for now he appeared like a man, and now he had the face of an angel‖(3:1 cited in Murphy- O‘Connor, 2008 a:44). This fact tends to receive a kind of confirmation when Paul would observe that some people had spoken of him as having ―no presence‖(2 Cor.10:10). Commenting on the foregoing, while Polhill tells us that, ―In the first-century thought tallness was sometimes seen as leading to slowness, but short people got things done.