Simon Kimbangu

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Simon Kimbangu (born September 24, 1889 , according to other information September 12, 1887 in Nkamba near Sona Qongo (Mbanza-Ngungu), Congo Free State ; † October 10, 1951 in Elisabethville (Lubumbashi), Belgian Congo ) was a Christian clergyman and martyrs . After his death he became the founder of a new denomination , the Kimbanguist Church, through his followers . Kimbanguists refer to Joh 14,16  LUT to justify Simon Kimbangu in following Jesus Christ.

Life

Kimbangu converted to Christianity in 1915 under the influence of Baptist missionaries and then worked as a religion teacher for converts himself . In 1919, Kimbangu moved to Léopoldville (Kinshasa) to find work. At this point he is said to have had visions. When, contrary to expectations, he was not appointed catechist by the Baptist missionaries after returning to his home village of Nkamba , he healed a woman for the first time, according to Kimbanguist tradition.

In 1921, when there were serious crises in the Congo, he became a magnet for many people with his sermons and miraculous healings , which he had started on the basis of a vision. This intensified when it was reported that he could heal the sick and bring the dead back to life. He was called Ngunza by his followers , the word for prophet in Kikongo . Although Kimbangu avoided direct political statements, the colonial authorities perceived him as a threat. As a result, the Force Publique marched into Nkamba on June 6th with the aim of arresting Kimbangu. Some Kimbangu leaders were arrested, but Kimbangu evaded arrest.

He then preached underground for three months until he finally surrendered in September 1921. On October 3, 1921, Kimbangu was sentenced to death by a military court in a show trial for disturbing the public tranquility, even though he had never called for violence. He was eventually pardoned by King Albert and given life imprisonment . He was imprisoned in Élisabethville until his death in 1951.

Kimbangu saw himself called to be a prophet and healer .

literature

  • Heinrich Loth : Simon Kimbangu. Prophet and Martyr in the Congo . Union-Verlag, Berlin 1980.
  • Marie-Louise Martin: Church without whites. Simon Kimbangu and his millionaire church in the Congo . F. Reinhardt, Basel 1971.
  • Werner Ustorf: Inculturation of the Gospel . In: De Kennung. Journal for Low German community work . Volume 11, 1998, ISSN  1433-5964 , pp. 5-31.
  • Werner Ustorf: African Initiative. The active suffering of the prophet Simon Kimbangu . Lang, Frankfurt am Main and Bern 1975, ISBN 3-261-00948-9 .

radio

  • Karin Sommer: The Black Messiah. Simon Kimbangu and his religious liberation movement in the Belgian Congo. Radio broadcast from October 14, 1995, Bayerischer Rundfunk .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ David Van Reybrouck : Congo: A Story . Suhrkamp Verlag 2012, ISBN 978-3-518-42307-3 , p. 173.
  2. ↑ a b David Van Reybrouck: Congo: A Story. Suhrkamp Verlag 2012, ISBN 978-3-518-42307-3 , p. 178.
  3. ^ David Van Reybrouck: Congo: A Story. Suhrkamp Verlag 2012, ISBN 978-3-518-42307-3 , p. 174.
  4. ^ David Van Reybrouck: Congo: A Story. Suhrkamp Verlag 2012, ISBN 978-3-518-42307-3 , p. 175.
  5. ^ David Van Reybrouck: Congo: A Story. Suhrkamp Verlag 2012, ISBN 978-3-518-42307-3 , p. 181.
  6. ↑ a b c David Van Reybrouck: Congo: A Story. Suhrkamp Verlag 2012, ISBN 978-3-518-42307-3 , p. 183.
personal data
SURNAME Kimbangu, Simon
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Christian martyr and founder of religion
DATE OF BIRTH September 12, 1887 or September 24, 1889
PLACE OF BIRTH Nkamba near Sona Qongo , Congo Free State (today: Mbanza-Ngungu , Democratic Republic of the Congo )
DATE OF DEATH October 10, 1951
Place of death Élisabethville , Belgian Congo (today: Lubumbashi , Democratic Republic of the Congo )