Notions and forms of ecumenicity: some South African perspectives

Abstract

This contribution addresses the abstract question of how the adjective �ecumenical� may be understood. What notions and forms of ecumenicity may be identified? There may be no single authoritative definition, but one may identify a range of specific connotations attached to the term �ecumenical�. Here I will have to fly a bit higher in order to gain an �overview� that is wider than South Africa. I will offer some South African perspectives where appropriate. In what follows below I will identify and briefly describe some 23 distinct ways in which the term �ecumenicity� can and has been understood in different historical epochs and contexts