Temba Mafico

Temba Mafico
Born Chipinge, Zimbabwe
Nationality American
Education University of London; Harvard Divinity School; Harvard Graduate School of Art and Sciences
Occupation Minister, Professor, Administrator, Spiritual Mentor
Notable work Yahweh's Emergence As "Judge" Among the Gods: A Study of the Hebrew Root Špt
Spouse(s) Roslyn (née Brake) Mafico
Children David Mafico, Erika Willingham, Sean Ramsey

Themba Mafico is an author, Old Testament/Hebrew Bible professor, and a church minister. He has earned a Th.M., M.A. and Ph.D. in Old Testament at Harvard University. He was inducted in Theta Phi, was three times awarded the Faculty of the Year at the Interdenominational Theological Center and at the 2015 Commencement was honored for his long and honorable service as both professor and provost at the Interdenominational Theological Center. His major publication is a book Yahweh's Emergence As "judge" Among the Gods: A Study of the Hebrew Root Špt.[1] He has also made several contributions to the Anchor Bible Dictionary, Abingdon Bible Dictionary, The International Bible Commentary.

Early years

Dr. Mafico was born on December 28, 1943 at Gwenzi, a remote part of Zimbabwe (formerly Southern Rhodesia). He was the fifth born in a family of thirteen children who lived on the border between Mozambique and Southern Rhodesia. He attended Gwenzi Primary School, a satellite of Mount Selinda Mission, that was established by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (now United Church of Christ Board for World Ministries[2]) in 1893. In 1955 he enrolled at Chikore Secondary School, twenty five miles from Mount Selinda. He, like many other students, walked on foot through the jungle to reach Chikore. After completing the Rhodesia Junior Certificate, Mafico in 1958 enrolled for the Cambridge School Certificate at Hartzell Secondary School near the city of Mutare. He paid his way through school by doing menial work after school. With the mentoring of Rev. John C. Heinrich, who was the superintendent of American Board Mission (ABM) churches in Rhodesia, Mafico in 1960 embarked on his theological education at Epworth Theological School (now United Theological College) in Harare, Zimbabwe. He was the first student to attend seminary with a high school certificate. Following graduation in December 1962, Mafico was appointed pastor of the urban church of the United Church of Christ (formerly ABM). In 1968 he enrolled at the University of London (Rhodesia campus) and in 1970 he graduated as the first Rhodesian pastor to earn a bachelors degree majoring in religious studies and history. Upon graduation, he taught Religious Knowledge and was the first black school chaplain at Chikore High School.

Later Years

In August 1971, Mafico enrolled at Harvard Divinity School to pursue a masters degree in theology (Th.M.) which he earned in 1973. He immediately enrolled for the Ph.D. in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations of the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. He graduated with both the M.A (1977) and Ph.D. (1979), majoring in Old Testament/Hebrew Bible and history of the ancient Near East. He began teaching in the Department of Religious Studies, Classics and Philosophy at the University of Zimbabwe in March 1979. In addition to teaching, Dr. Mafico served as the University’s first chaplain. He introduced classical Hebrew and mentored several students who are now renowned scholars like Dora Mbuwayesango and Robert Wafawanaka. He founded the University Evening School and became its first Principal with a mission to enable ex-combatants to complete their high school education following Zimbabwe’s independence in 1980. Among his graduates is the former vice president of Zimbabwe, Dr. Joyce Mujuru. Currently, Mafico is distinguished professor of Old Testament/Hebrew Bible at Interdenominational Theological Center (ITC), MDC, UZ Choir Director, and UCC Minister.

Administration

Dr. Mafico has held many positions at ITC: Chair of Area I: Biblical Studies and Languages; Chair of Doctor of Ministries (DMin, 1992–94) degree program; associate vice president for academic services/associate provost (2003–10) and moved on to become vice president for academic services/provost (2011-2015). He resigned in July 2015 to return to teaching. He serves as the Theologian in Residence for the DMin degree program. He is also the editor of the Journal of the Interdenominational Theological Center (JITC) and the occasional book publications. Dr. Mafico served on the editorial Board of the Journal of Northwest Semitic Languages (1994-2006), and at the 2016 Biennial Meeting of The Association of Theological Studies of North America and Canada, he was elected to the Theological Education editorial board.

Honors and Awards

Inducted in the Theta Phi Honor Society (1995); twice nominated by ITC students as the best professor of the year (1994, 1997); awarded a plaque by the Board of Trustees for his long teaching and administrative service at ITC (Commencement 2015)

Membership in Educational Societies

Spiritual Pilgrimages

In 1994, Dr. Mafico led the first of many international pilgrimages for spiritual renewal to Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Palestine, Israel, Greece, South Africa and Zimbabwe. From 2006 to 2010, Dr. Mafico directed a series of pilgrimages to the Holy Land for ecumenical groups of pastors sponsored by the Cousins Foundation. His Website www.maficoinstitute.com is dedicated to helping pastors/ministers to realize the importance of rest, self-care and spiritual renewal.

Publications

References

  1. ↑ Yahweh's Emergence As "judge" Among the Gods: A Study of the Hebrew Root Špt. Edwin Mellen Pr. 2007-04-01. ISBN 9780773455184.
  2. ↑ "CSO Net - Civil Society Network". esango.un.org. Retrieved 2016-02-11.
  3. ↑ West, Gerald O.; Shomanah, Musa W. Dube (2000-01-01). The Bible in Africa: Transactions, Trajectories, and Trends. BRILL. ISBN 9004106278.
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