In the prescript of his Letter to the Romans, Paul proclaims the resurrection of Jesus Christ in power (Rom 1:3-4). The idea of power is dominant among present day Christians in Nigeria. It is, however, often misunderstood in a magic sense and detached from the fundamental Christian message. The book tries to investigate how Paul understands power in a Christian perspective and how this relates to contemporary ideas about religious power in Nigeria, in particular in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria. The methods used are those of New Testament Exegesis and of sociological field work. The final conclusion serves as a basis for proposals with regards to an authentic power Christology among Christians in West Africa and beyond.

The Author: Anthony Iffen Umoren, MSP, studied Theology at the National Missionary Seminary in Abuja, Nigeria, and Biblical Sciences at the Pontifical Biblical Institute, Rome, where he obtained the licentiate in 1991. He did his doctoral studies at the Catholic Institute of West Africa Port Harcourt (Nigeria) which were completed in 2004. At present he is lecturer of New Testament Exegesis and Biblical languages at the National Missionary Seminary, Abuja, and the Catholic Institute of West Africa (CIWA), Port Harcourt (Nigeria).