Isaiah Shembe
Encyclopedia
Isaiah Mloyiswa Mdliwamafa Shembe (1870– 2 May 1935), was the founder of the Zulu Nazareth Baptist Church
and a figure in the African independent church movement in South Africa
. His first names original spelling is "Isaya".
According to Shembe biographer Irving Hexham, not much is known about Shembe's youth, except that he was born into the Zulu families of Mayekisa and Mzazela near Estcourt, South Africa. After his baptism in 1906, he worked as an itinerant evangelist. In 1910, he began a ministry focused on healing and prophecy, and on 10 March 1910 he began the Nazareth Baptist Church or iBandla amaNazaretha, an indigenous church
for the Zulu people. Later, he established a holy city at ekuPhakameni and a yearly pilgrimage to the Holy Mountain of Nhlangakazi. In addition to his preaching and healing, he was known for composing Zulu hymns and sacred dances, for creating sacred costumes that combined Zulu and European clothing styles, for developing a new liturgical calendar (that omitted Christmas), and for dietary laws that included a restriction against eating chicken.
Shembe's legacy has created some controversy. In a 1967 book, G.C. Oosthuizen argued that the movement was "a new religion that sees Isaiah Shembe as 'the manifestation of God.'" Oosthuizen was attacked by Bengt Sundkler and Absolom Vilakazi as being too Westernized to understand Zulu culture, and claimed that the movement remained Christian. However, Oosthuizen's view has been embraced by two of Shembe's successors, his nephew Amos Shembe and his grandson Londa Shembe, who (although they fought with each other over who was the legitimate successor and eventually formed two separate branches of the church), both of whom believe that Shembe did indeed create something new.
A sculpture of Shembe was created from Carara marble by the US artist David Lambert and placed at the headquarters of a splinter group of the church at Matabetule in 1983.
The large majority of the three thousand African independent churches are either "Ethiopian
" or "Zionist
". The Zionist churches, whose name implies an identification with the holy mountain of Zion
in the Old Testament
, are largely charismatic prophet-led healing groups. Worship in the Zionist churches is an African variant of Pentecostal
spirituality.
Nazareth Baptist Church
Nazareth Baptist Church is an African Initiated Church founded by Isaiah Shembe 1910....
and a figure in the African independent church movement in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. His first names original spelling is "Isaya".
According to Shembe biographer Irving Hexham, not much is known about Shembe's youth, except that he was born into the Zulu families of Mayekisa and Mzazela near Estcourt, South Africa. After his baptism in 1906, he worked as an itinerant evangelist. In 1910, he began a ministry focused on healing and prophecy, and on 10 March 1910 he began the Nazareth Baptist Church or iBandla amaNazaretha, an indigenous church
Indigenous church mission theory
Indigenous churches are churches suited to local culture and led by local Christians. There have been two main Protestant strategies proposed for the creation of indigenous churches:...
for the Zulu people. Later, he established a holy city at ekuPhakameni and a yearly pilgrimage to the Holy Mountain of Nhlangakazi. In addition to his preaching and healing, he was known for composing Zulu hymns and sacred dances, for creating sacred costumes that combined Zulu and European clothing styles, for developing a new liturgical calendar (that omitted Christmas), and for dietary laws that included a restriction against eating chicken.
Shembe's legacy has created some controversy. In a 1967 book, G.C. Oosthuizen argued that the movement was "a new religion that sees Isaiah Shembe as 'the manifestation of God.'" Oosthuizen was attacked by Bengt Sundkler and Absolom Vilakazi as being too Westernized to understand Zulu culture, and claimed that the movement remained Christian. However, Oosthuizen's view has been embraced by two of Shembe's successors, his nephew Amos Shembe and his grandson Londa Shembe, who (although they fought with each other over who was the legitimate successor and eventually formed two separate branches of the church), both of whom believe that Shembe did indeed create something new.
A sculpture of Shembe was created from Carara marble by the US artist David Lambert and placed at the headquarters of a splinter group of the church at Matabetule in 1983.
Nazareth Baptist Church
The Nazareth Baptist Church, often called Shembe, is associated with a small group of churches, often referred to as African "messianic" churches, where the leader or founder is ascribed by his followers with supernatural powers.The large majority of the three thousand African independent churches are either "Ethiopian
Ethiopian movement
The Ethiopian Movement is a religious movement that began in southern Africa towards the end of the 19th century, when two groups broke away from the Anglican and Methodist churches...
" or "Zionist
Zionist Churches
Zionist Churches are a group of Christian denominations that sprang from the Christian Catholic Apostolic Church in Zion, Illinois. Missionaries from the church came to South Africa in 1904 and among their first recruits were Pieter Louis le Roux of Wakkerstroom and Daniel Nkonyane of Charlestown,...
". The Zionist churches, whose name implies an identification with the holy mountain of Zion
Zion
Zion is a place name often used as a synonym for Jerusalem. The word is first found in Samuel II, 5:7 dating to c.630-540 BCE...
in the Old Testament
Old Testament
The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
, are largely charismatic prophet-led healing groups. Worship in the Zionist churches is an African variant of Pentecostal
Pentecostalism
Pentecostalism is a diverse and complex movement within Christianity that places special emphasis on a direct personal experience of God through the baptism in the Holy Spirit, has an eschatological focus, and is an experiential religion. The term Pentecostal is derived from Pentecost, the Greek...
spirituality.
External sources
- Hexham, Irving, and G.C. Oosthuizen. The Story of Isaiah Shembe (2 vols.) 1996, 1999. Translated by Hans-Jürgen Becken. Lewiston, NY: Edwin Mellen Press.