Abstract

Jesus was in Africa even before the rise o f Christianity. After all, the Holy Family had to flee to Egypt and, according to tradition, stayed there for six months. The Ethiopian who is mentioned in Acts 8, and who was baptized by Philip, was an African. The beginnings o f the Church in Egypt are traced back to St. Mark, o f whom the Coptic patriarch called h imself the successor. To bring Christianity to Africa, three attempts have been necessary; so this article is divided into three parts. The first part covers the beginnings o f Christianity to about the midbcvdnth century when the faith spread all over the Mediterranean world under the Roman Empire. The second part takes up the attempt to spread the Gospel between 1219 and 1800, coinciding with the Portugese explorations and discoveries. The third part is the modern period, starling at the beginning o f nineteenth century. This part, far more widespread, left practically no part o f Africa untouched. Its history is more complex because o f activities o f the different denominations in the Christian Church which caused confusion and division.