Rev. Emmanuel Moses Lijadu — The Anglican Priest Who Became an Ifa Scholar

This rare photo shows Rev. E. M. Lijadu studying Ifa inside the sacred Ifa grove in Abeokuta.

Rev. Emmanuel Moses Lijadu, an Egba man from Abeokuta, was one of the most remarkable religious thinkers of the early 20th century. He resumed work as a catechist in Ondo on October 18, 1890, and later became an ordained Anglican priest.

In the foreword of his 1901 book Ifa, he wrote:

“If we do not understand the source of the enemy's power, we cannot conquer them. This is the case with both life and spiritual battles. If we Christians do not understand the pagan and Islamic religion, we cannot present the gospel in a way that they will appreciate.”

His intention was clear: he wanted to study Yoruba religion in order to expose what he believed were its flaws and make Christianity more effective among Africans.

But something unexpected happened.

As he explored the depth of Ifa, Rev. Lijadu discovered a sophisticated spiritual system built on love, unity, selflessness, sacrifice, healing, and communal ethics. Instead of finding darkness, he found meaning. Instead of rejecting it, he became deeply fascinated.

This led him to write two of the earliest scholarly books on Yoruba religion:

Ifa (1901)

Orunmila (1908)

These books were not attacks on African religion. They documented it respectfully, preserving knowledge that might have been lost.

When he founded his own church in 1901 — The Evangelist Band Mission (EBM), known as Ijo Ajihinrerelofe — he incorporated Yoruba customs and cultural values that promote love, unity, and community life. This made the church extremely popular among the Ondos, Ikales, Ilajes and Ijos.

Rev. Lijadu eventually separated from the Anglican Church in 1920 after losing his Episcopate Mission. Conflict deepened when his only son, Folarin, was denied ordination due to doctrinal differences between the Anglican Church and Lijadu’s church. Rev. Lijadu personally ordained his son, which led to the withdrawal of his African Priest Licence.

Today, Rev. E. M. Lijadu is remembered as a bridge between Christian scholarship and Yoruba intellectual tradition — a man who entered Ifa to challenge it and ended up documenting and preserving it.

Sources:

Toyin Falola, Yoruba Gurus

Adegbola, Ifa and Christianity Among the Yorubas

Lijadu Personal Library, Ondo

Compiled by Bayo Akinsete