Texts, authority, and community in the South African 'Ibandla lamaNazaretha' (Church of the Nazaretha), 1910-1976

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Periodical article

Title:	Texts, authority, and community in the South African 'Ibandla lamaNazaretha' (Church of the Nazaretha), 1910-1976
Author:	Cabrita, Joel
Year:	2010
Periodical:	Journal of Religion in Africa (ISSN 0022-4200)
Volume:	40
Issue:	1
Pages:	60-95
Language:	English
Geographic term:	South Africa
Subjects:	African Independent Churches Church history religious literature
External link:	https://doi.org/10.1163/157006610X494115
Abstract:	This paper on the history of textual production in the 'Ibandla lamaNazaretha' (Church of the Nazaretha) in South Africa illuminates the changing practices of governance and community in the Church during the period 1910-1976. The Church's documentary history provides insight into its leaders' efforts to use texts to govern, centralize and discipline their geographically far-flung, often unruly congregations. In addition to focusing on the documentary regime instituted by the Church's leaders, the paper also explores the reading and writing practices that animated ordinary believers. For laity, as well as for leaders, texts and a general range of literate practices were a means of knitting themselves together in opposition to the incursion of the State, and in distinction to contemporary rival Christians. Finally, the paper also seeks to position the texts of Nazaretha leaders and laity as significant material objects in their own right. Bibliogr., notes, ref., sum. [Journal abstract]