SACRED SPACES IN MATTHEAN CHRISTIANITY AND AFRICAN TRADITIONAL RELIGION: A SOCIO-HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS

Abstract

Sacred spaces shape religious identity and communal practices in both Matthean 
Christianity and African Traditional Religion (ATR), serving as dynamic sites of power, 
meaning, and collective memory. In Matthew’s Gospel, spaces like the Temple, 
wilderness, and synagogues function as arenas of divine encounter and ideological 
contestation, where Jesus redefines sacredness in opposition to religious authorities. The 
Temple represents religious and political authority, the wilderness signifies testing and 
revelation, and synagogues act as centres for teaching and doctrinal conflict. In contrast, 
ATR situates sacred spaces within natural landscapes such as groves and shrines, 
anchoring ancestral veneration, cultural continuity, and social cohesion in a worldview 
that perceives the divine as immanent in nature. Using Crossan’s socio-historical 
criticism and Mbiti’s cultural criticism, this study examines how these spaces are 
constructed, contested, and transformed within their socio-religious contexts. The 
analysis reveals that while both traditions use sacred spaces for communal rituals, their conceptual foundations diverge—Matthean sacredness is often institutionalised, whereas ATR emphasizes organic, natural sacredness. By highlighting these similarities and 
differences, this study fosters interreligious dialogue and a deeper understanding of how sacred spaces function across traditions. It further calls for research into how colonialism and globalization have reshaped these spaces, arguing that sacred sites are not static but evolve as expressions of cultural negotiation and spiritual resilience.