Eulogistic Names of God among Igbo Christians

Abstract

Previous studies on Igbo names mainly dwelt on the taxonomy, typologies and names of humans, with inadequate attention paid to names used in making reference to God. This paper examines praise names of God as devised and employed by Igbo Christians. The aim is to delineate the various names, the reasons behind them, and the relationship between such names and Igbo culture. The paper employs the theoretical framework of Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis and adopts descriptive methods for the analysis of purposively elicited data from twenty Igbo male and female respondents. Findings reveal a list of praise names such as Ukpakanagbanudummiri, Ugwunyirionyeoso, Aghaerii, etc., which express God’s greatness, mighty power, kindness, and benevolence. It establishes that most of the names are sourced from Igbo culture that are related to the names of God in the the Bible. The paper concludes that the praise names of God used by Igbo Christians present a holistic appraisal of divinity from the perspective of the user-respondents and Igbo worldview in general.