Early Engagements with the Bible in Tanzania

This book provides a critical analyses of the interface between the Bible and the people of central Tanzania, especially the Gogo, in the early missionary endeavours. This analysis is vitally significant if we are to come to grips with the prevailing interpretative practices of the ordinary readers of the Bible in Tanzania. Presently, in Tanzania, it has become a common practice for Christians, and even people of other faiths, to keep Bibles in their houses even though they do not read them. Scripture verses are written or inscribed on doors and on the walls of lounge rooms. Words of the Bible are written on buses and lorries. Sometimes a Bible is placed on a sick person for healing. At night, some people put their Bibles under their pillows. Others have been buried with their Bibles. Why do people treat, read and interpret the Bible the way they do? What resources do they have that facilitates their reading and understanding? This resourceful book provides some answers. This book is highly recommended for studies in African theology.