Smithsonian Libraries African Art Index Project DSI Search this
Type:
Articles
Place:
Africa
Africa, West
Date:
1993
Notes:
Similarities in religious symbolism in Christianity and in certain African societies give rise to speculation as to whether these were parallel or convergent developments. The numeric symbolism of 3 + 4 = 7 recurs in West Africa, where three represents the male principle and four, the female, and seven, balance and stability. Other religious symbolism relating to the trinity, to the "devil," to life after death, or to blood and sacrifice suggest parallels in human belief systems.