Christos kurios

Peter J. Leithart, July 11, 2007

One of Afua Kuma's hymns to Jesus describes Him as an arriving hero:

"Children rush to meet Him
crowds of young people
rush about to make Him welcome.
Chief of young women:
they have strung a necklace of gold nuggets and beads
and hung it around Your neck
so we go before You,
showing Your praises, ose, ose,
Chief of young men:
they are covered with precious beads
and gold pendants worn by princes. . . .

They follow You, playing musical instruments.
Chief of all strong men: Owesekramofohene (lit. king of the valiant)
You have placed Your royal sword in our right hand
and the flag of victory in our left hand
while we lead You firing canons.
Chief of all chiefs
he says the chiefs are the wise men of the land
and let his judgment stand.
The one who lays his worries there
and says, 'Lord, judge for me'
is the only one that God can help;
God's wisdom sets him free."

This reminds us of Palm Sunday, or the arrival of the ark in Jerusalem. But Bediako says that the hymn draws on the customs of Akan kingship. The king "sits on the throne of the ancestors, receiving the homage of all his subjects at a high point of the year, as at the annual New Year Odwira Festival. But here the King is Jesus, the Chief of all chiefs." More generally, the "honorific titles are such as were and are traditionally ascribed to the human sacral ruler. By giving ancestral and royal titles to Jesus, these prayers and praises indicate how deeply Madam Afua Kuma has apprehended the all-pervasive Lordship of Jesus, in the ancestral realm of spirit power, and in the realm of the living community under reigning kings."