Abstract:
The quest for hermeneutics of exousia in the gospel of Matthewtranslated
to mean authority or power and the need to unravel the
evangelical mandate-the exigent call to make disciples of all nations
became imperative in view of inherent abuse of power, unbridled level of
corruption and blatant waste of resources seen in our African sociopolitical
sphere. These the researcher sees as a result of corrupt privileged
political class in Africa using Nigeria as a case study. The Church that
possesses divine authority of Christ Jesus, seemed to had applied onesided
understanding and approach in carrying out her evangelical
mandate in the given exousia (authority) and the matheteusate (make
disciple) within the purview of our periscope (Matthew28:16-20); hence
the need for this dialectics. The specific objectives of the research
include: to (i) investigate through a critical hermeneutical paradigm the
evangelical mandate in Matthew; and to (ii) chart a new course for the
Church to arise and take up the mandate of discipleship of the nations
dialectically for socio-political transformation. The method applied in
this research is historical descriptive as well as hermeneutical approach.
In order to achieve the objectives of the study the tool of redaction
criticism -a modern, scientific and analytical method of Biblical Studies
was applied. The thesis discovered that exousia in Matthew Gospel
apart from its conventional meaning also denotes political as well as
governmental authority to rule, and exercise control over nations and
sphere of life. The research reveals that the Church while not neglecting
the ultimate task of evangelism should assume her position and exercise
her God-given exousia and transform the nations socio-politically. The
thesis has also unveiled the fact that the Church as well as real Christian
politicians are ‘city technocrats, transformers and builders as the real
meaning of ‘politicians’ imply given the etymology of politics being
“polis” (city) and “techne” (technocrats, transformers, builders,
organizers). The church is hereby called to combat the challenges of
misrule resulting from spate of corruption, and collapse of socio-political
values in Africa with her given exousia. The thesis calls the Church to
arise and transform socio-politically the nations, continent of Africa and
Nigeria in particular.
