Global Hermeneutics? - International Voices in Biblical Studies ...

78 GLOBAL HERMENEUTICS?
the priestly program expressed in Leviticus 21 and Numbers 21, and in other
biblical sources ..., rejects all of these attitudes. The dead have no power, and they
are no longer members of the ongoing community. Their exploits during their
lifetimes are a source of inspiration and guidance to their descendants, but the
community itself looks forward to the future and consigns ancestors to the realm of
memory.
This in itself does not mean that there was no cult of the dead in biblical Israel.
Levine argues that there was indeed such a royal cult in biblical Israel which was
rejected and opposed in the near exilic and exilic periods as evidenced, for
example, in the following texts 2 Kgs 22–23; 2 Chr 16:14; Isa 8:16–22; Jer 34:5;
Ezek 43:7–9; Amos 6:10; etc. He writes: “Israelites inevitably engaged in rites that
would qualify as worship of the dead, notwithstanding deep-rooted objections from
priestly and prophetic quarters.” 45
Is the “hidden agenda”, to use Milgrom’s expression, of the Gorwa/Iraqw
purity rules relating to the dead some kind of objection to the cult of the dead so
prevalent in many African societies? The so-called living dead are an important
institution of African religious practice. There is no doubt that ancestral spirits are
an important factor in the life and practices of the Gorwa/Iraqw. The practice of
doing homage to the living-dead or taking them into account with respect to
decisions affecting everyday life and the community in general is a necessity if
disaster or evil has to be averted from the community as well as from the
individual. These spirits have to be placated and their general goodwill toward the
community sought. However, it seems evident that among the Gorwa/Iraqw there is
a widespread fear not only of the dead, but also a fear of their “ghosts” (mana, sg.,
manu, pl.), which are thought to forebode evil. The “ghosts” of the dead are often
associated with evil and with the Chief Evil being Neetlangw.
Ancestral spirits (gii, sg., gai, pl.) are also associated with sickness and various
calamities. They are therefore held in awe and fear. Nothing should be done to
anger them or upset them. Libations and sacrifices are therefore offered to the gai
as well as to Neetlangw mainly intended to placate them and so prevent any evil
intentions and thus protect society from terrible calamities. Libations are also
intended to keep the gai and Neetlangw from making any demands on the
community and to keep them far away from the community. No one wants to come
near these evil-causing beings. It is believed, for example, that if one is unlucky
enough to see mana (a human ghost), one may become sick or lose the power of
speech or even go blind. Interestingly such evil ghosts, manu or gai, are usually
considered to be male!
While it is important to recognise the obvious similarities between the
Iraqw/Gorwa system and the biblical Israelite system, it is equally important not to
overlook the differences between them. There are certainly differences between the
45 Ibid., 478.