JB Krohn - What has Nairobi to do with Nicaea, African Identity with the Trinity?

Dr James B Krohn (PhD, Stellenbosch University) A play on Tertullian of Carthage's immortal words, "What has Athens to do with Jerusalem?," this paper seeks to address and propose a solution to the disparity between the complex and continually evolving phenomenon of African Theology ("Nairobi"), and the ecumenical orthodoxy established by the First Council of Nicaea in 325, particularly as pertaining to the doctrine of God the Holy Trinity. Whereas Nairobi symbolises the quest for authentic African Christian identity-intellectually and culturally construed, Nicaea in turn represents an expression of original African-inclusive Christian witness, doctrinally and salvifically construed and rooted in the identity of the Triune God. The pertinence of the question-statement unmasks ignorance concerning the prominence of the African church historically represented up to and from Nicaea, alongside Africa's current gigantesque presence in world-wide Christianity by sheer virtue of number. What is theologically held within the church in Africa, may well translate into universal future Christian expression. Therefore, a resolution to the challenge of establishing a valid Christian theology in Africa is not be found in intellectual and cultural-religious self-authentication, nor by concentrating on the existential needs of the African Christian community, but only by means of a return to the Triune identity of God as articulated by Nicaean orthodoxy. The conference was held from 2 to 4 September 2025 in Hout Bay, Cape Town. 00:00 Introduction 02:47 Nairobi and Nicaea: Setting the Stage 11:30 Africa: Ancient Glory and Present Prominence 17:05 African Theology: A Quest for Identity 26:14 The Problem of God in Modern Africa: Decolonising the Trinity? 31:02 Christ and Credo: Theology and Identity Revisited 38:23 Conclusion: Athanasius and the Struggle of Life