Book contents
- Nuer Messianic Judaism
- The International African Library
- Nuer Messianic Judaism
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Epigraph
- Contents
- Figures and Tables
- Preface and Acknowledgements
- Note on Language
- Glossary
- Abbreviations
- Maps
- Introduction
- 1On Encounters
- 2Urban Edges
- 3Church Genealogies
- 4Words of God
- 5Aesthetic Provocations
- 6Biblical Bloodlines
- 7Tradition Reinvented
- Conclusion
- References
- Index
- Series page
6 - Biblical Bloodlines
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 16 April 2026
Book contents
- Nuer Messianic Judaism
- The International African Library
- Nuer Messianic Judaism
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Epigraph
- Contents
- Figures and Tables
- Preface and Acknowledgements
- Note on Language
- Glossary
- Abbreviations
- Maps
- Introduction
- 1On Encounters
- 2Urban Edges
- 3Church Genealogies
- 4Words of God
- 5Aesthetic Provocations
- 6Biblical Bloodlines
- 7Tradition Reinvented
- Conclusion
- References
- Index
- Series page
Summary
This chapter explores how Messianics in Gambella understood their own Nuer ‘ethnic’ identity in relation to biblical genealogies. Some Messianics argued that Nuer are descendants of the biblical Cushite nation, while others insisted that they are descendants of one of the ‘lost tribes’ of Israel. The chapter explores this debate in light of longer processes of change in the conceptualisation of Nuer identity. The chapter shows how Nuer Zionists reinterpreted Nuer identity, known for its permeability and constructivist nature, in light of contemporary premillennialist Zionist notions of peoplehood, which emphasise ethnic fixity and focus on lineages, exclusive bloodlines and biological descent. The chapter shows how these processes impacted the way Nuer Messianics imagined their own ‘true’ identity and place in history and in relation to nation states, as both Nuer and Christian. The chapter offers a new perspective on Israelite identities in Africa and on the influence of born-again Christianity on the construction of ethnic identities.
Information
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Nuer Messianic JudaismTruth and Mediation in the Ethiopia-South Sudan Borderlands, pp. 179 - 209Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2026
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