Nyahuma, BlessingBlessingNyahuma2024-08-192024-08-192024978-3-98989-012-1https://fis.uni-bamberg.de/handle/uniba/96601Historiographically, evaluating afterlife conceptualizations reveals an intricate matrix of beliefs across civilizations. Preeminent within this schema is Ancient Egypt, whose eschatological paradigms, typified by figures like Osiris and rituals such as the “Opening of the Mouth”, experienced diachronic shifts across its dynastic epochs. Such conceptualizations were not insular, with clear intersections manifesting in Germanic spectral reverence and indigenous African ancestral veneration. The Qumranic eschatology, with its Judaic nuances, further enriches this discourse. Intriguingly, these motifs find a salient convergence within the Johannine Gospel, which merges the transcendence of mortality with the divine filiation in its proclamation of Jesus as both the “Logos” and the “Son of God”. Notably, this religious tapestry has contemporary political ramifications in Africa, wherein eschatological and Christological constructs are strategically deployed for governance and legitimacy. This analysis underscores the indelible imprint of afterlife doctrines, coupled with the “Son of God” motif, on both theological and sociopolitical terrains, with a pronounced resonance in the African milieu. Politicians have conscripted both ancestral and divine authority by intertwining the spiritual with the secular to fortify their position amidst the socio-political challenges. This synthesis sheds light on the profound influence of afterlife beliefs and Christological motifs and their pragmatic deployment in the socio-political landscape, notably palpable in African contexts.engEschatologyIntersectionsBeliefsAfterlifeFunction200bookpart