The
Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (Amharic: የኢትዮጵያ ኦርቶዶክስ ተዋሕዶ ቤተ ክርስቲያን;
Transliterated Amharic: Yäityop'ya ortodoks täwahedo
bétäkrestyan) is an Oriental
Orthodox Christian church in
Ethiopia
. The
Ethiopian Church was part of the
Coptic Orthodox Church until 1959, when
it was granted its own
Patriarch by
Coptic Orthodox Pope of Alexandria
and Patriarch of All Africa,
Cyril VI.
One of the few pre-
colonial Christian
churches of
Sub-Saharan Africa,
it has a membership of about 40 million people (45 million claimed
by the Patriarch), mainly in Ethiopia, and is thus the largest of
all Oriental Orthodox churches.
The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church is a
founding member of the World Council of Churches
.
History
Origins
Tewahedo (Te-wa-hido) (
Ge'ez ተዋሕዶ
tawāhidō, modern
pronunciation
tewāhidō) is a
Ge'ez word meaning "being made one" or
"unified"; it is
cognate with the
Arabic term توحيد
tawḥīd, used in discussions of
Islam to mean "
monotheism."
Tewahedo refers to the
Oriental Orthodox belief in the one
single unified
Nature of Christ; i.e., a
belief that a complete, natural union of the Divine and Human
Natures into One is self-evident in order to accomplish the divine
salvation of humankind, as opposed to the "two Natures of Christ"
belief (unmixed, but unseparated Divine and Human Natures, called
the
Hypostatic Union) promoted by
today's
Roman Catholic and
Eastern Orthodox churches.
According to the
Catholic Encyclopedia article
on the Henotikon [32038]: the Patriarchs of
Alexandria
, Antioch
, and
Jerusalem
, and many others, all refused to accept the "two
natures" doctrine decreed by the Byzantine Emperor Marcian's Council of
Chalcedon in 451, thus separating them from the Roman Catholic
and Eastern Orthodox — who themselves separated from one
another later on in the East-West
Schism (1054).
The Oriental Orthodox Churches, which today include the
Coptic Orthodox Church, the
Armenian Apostolic Church, the
Syriac Orthodox Church, the
Malankara Orthodox
Church of India, the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, and the
Eritrean Orthodox
Tewahdo Church, are referred to as "Non-Chalcedonian", and,
sometimes by outsiders as "
monophysite"
(meaning "One Single Nature", in reference to Christ). However,
these Churches themselves describe their Christology as
miaphysite (meaning "One United Nature", in
reference to Christ; the translation of the word "Tewahedo").
The Ethiopian Church claims its earliest origins from the royal
official said to have been baptized by
Philip the Evangelist (
Acts of the Apostles, Chapter 8):
- "Then the angel of the Lord said to Philip, Start out and
go south to the road that leads down from Jerusalem to Gaza.
So he set out and was on his way when he caught sight of an
Ethiopian. This man was a eunuch, a high official of the
Kandake (Candace) Queen of Ethiopia in charge of all her
treasure." (8:27)
The passage continues by describing how Philip helped the Ethiopian
treasurer understand a passage from Isaiah that the Ethiopian was
reading. After the Ethiopian received an explanation of the
passage, he requested that Philip baptize him, and Philip did so.
The Ethiopic version of this verse reads "Hendeke" (ህንደኬ); Queen
Gersamot Hendeke VII was the Queen of Ethiopia from ca. 42 to
52.
Orthodox Christianity became the
established church of the Ethiopian
Axumite Kingdom under king
Ezana in the 4th century through the efforts
of a Syrian Greek named
Frumentius,
known in Ethiopia as
Abba Selama, Kesaté Birhan ("Father
of Peace, Revealer of Light"). As a youth, Frumentius had been
shipwrecked with his brother Aedesius on the Eritrean coast. The
brothers managed to be brought to the royal court, where they rose
to positions of influence and converted Emperor Ezana to
Christianity, causing him to be baptised.
Ezana sent Frumentius
to Alexandria to ask the Patriarch, St.
Athanasius, to appoint a bishop for
Ethiopia. Athanasius appointed Frumentius himself, who
returned to Ethiopia as Bishop with the name of
Abune
Selama.
From then on, until 1959, the
Pope
of Alexandria, as Patriarch of All Africa, always named an
Egyptian (a
Copt) to be
Abuna or
Archbishop of
the Ethiopian Church.
Middle Ages
Union with
the Coptic Orthodox Church
continued after the Arab conquest in Egypt
. Abu
Saleh records in the 12th century that the patriarch always sent
letters twice a year to the kings of Abyssinia (Ethiopia) and
Nubia, until Al Hakim stopped the practice.
Cyril, 67th patriarch, sent Severus as bishop, with orders to put
down
polygamy and to enforce observance of
canonical consecration for all churches. These examples show the
close relations of the two churches concurrent with the
Middle Ages.
In 1439, in the reign of
Zara Yaqob, a
religious discussion between
Abba
Giyorgis and a French visitor had led to the dispatch of an
embassy from Ethiopia to the
Vatican.
Jesuit interim
The period of
Jesuit influence,
which broke the connection with Egypt, began a new chapter in
Church history.
The initiative in the Roman Catholic missions to Ethiopia
was taken, not by Rome, but by Portugal, as an incident in the
struggle with the Muslim Ottoman Empire and Sultanate
of Adal for the command of the trade route to India
by the
Red Sea
.
In 1507 Matthew, or Matheus, an Armenian, had been sent as an
Ethiopian envoy to Portugal to ask for aid against the
Adal Sultanate. In 1520 an embassy under Dom
Rodrigo de Lima landed in Ethiopia
(by which time Adal had been remobilized under
Ahmad ibn Ibrihim al-Ghazi). An
interesting account of the Portuguese mission, which lasted for
several years, was written by
Francisco Álvares, the
chaplain.
Later,
Ignatius Loyola wished to
take up the task of conversion, but was forbidden.
Instead, the pope sent out João
Nunes Barreto as patriarch of the East Indies, with Andre de Oviedo as bishop; and from Goa
envoys went
to Ethiopia, followed by Oviedo himself, to secure the king's
adherence to Rome. After repeated failures some measure of
success was achieved under Emperor
Susenyos, but not until 1624 did the
Emperor make formal submission to the
pope.
Susenyos made Roman Catholicism the official state religion, but
was met with heavy resistance by his subjects, and eventually had
to abdicate in 1632 to his son,
Fasilides, who promptly restored the
state religion to Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity. He then expelled
the Jesuits in 1633, and in 1665, Fasilides ordered that all Jesuit
books (the Books of the Franks) be burned.
Recent history
An Ethiopian Orthodox priest
photographed in 2005.
The Coptic and Ethiopian Churches reached an agreement on 13 July
1948, that led to
autocephaly for the
Ethiopian Church. Five
bishops were
immediately consecrated by the
Coptic Pope
of Alexandria and Patriarch of All Africa, empowered to elect a
new Patriarch for their church, and the successor to
Abuna Qerellos IV would have the power to
consecrate new bishops. This promotion was completed when Coptic
Orthodox
Pope Joseph II
consecrated an Ethiopian-born Archbishop,
Abuna Basilios, 14 January 1951. Then in
1959,
Pope Cyril VI of
Alexandria crowned Abuna Baslios as the first Patriarch of
Ethiopia.
Patriarch Abune Basilios died in 1971, and was succeeded that year
by Patriarch
Abune Tewophilos. With
the fall of Emperor
Haile Selassie in
1974, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church was disestablished as
the
state church. The new Marxist
government began nationalising property (including land) owned by
the church. Patriarch Abune Tewophilos was arrested in 1976 by the
Marxist Derg military junta, and
secretly executed in 1979. The government ordered the church to
elect a new Patriarch, and
Abune
Takla Haymanot was enthroned. The
Coptic Orthodox Church refused to
recognize the election and enthronement of Abune Tekle Haymanot on
the grounds that the
Synod of the Ethiopian
Church had not removed Abune Tewophilos and that the government had
not publicly acknowledged his death, and he was thus still
legitimate Patriarch of Ethiopia. Formal relations between the two
churches were halted, although they remained in communion with each
other. Formal relations between the two churches resumed on July
13, 2007.
Patriarch Abune Tekle Haymanot proved to be much less accommodating
to the Derg regime than it had expected, and so when the Patriarch
died in 1988, a new Patriarch with closer ties to the regime was
sought.
The Archbishop of Gondar
, a member of
the Derg-era Ethiopian Parliament, was elected and enthroned as
Patriarch Abune Merkorios.
Following the fall of the
Derg regime in 1991,
and the coming to power of the
EPRDF
government, Patriarch Abune Merkorios abdicated under public and
governmental pressure. The church then elected a new Patriarch,
Abune Paulos, who was recognized by the
Coptic Orthodox Pope of
Alexandria. The former Patriarch Abune Merkorios then fled
abroad, and announced from exile that his abdication had been made
under duress and thus he was still the legitimate Patriarch of
Ethiopia. Several bishops also went into exile and formed a
break-away alternate synod. This exiled synod is recognized by some
Ethiopian Churches in North America and Europe who recognize
Patriarch Abune Merkorios, while the synod inside Ethiopia
continues to uphold the legitimacy of Patriarch Abune Paulos.
Following
the independence of Eritrea
as a nation
in 1993, the Coptic Orthodox Church in 1994 appointed an Archbishop
for the Eritrean
Orthodox Tewahedo Church, which in turn obtained autocephaly in 1998 with the reluctant approval
of its mother synod. That same year the first Eritrean
Patriarch was consecrated.
As of
2005, there are many Ethiopian Orthodox churches located throughout
the United
States
and other countries to which Ethiopians have
migrated (Archbishop Yesehaq 1997). The church claims more
than 38 million members in Ethiopia, forming about half the
country's population.
Practices and beliefs
The faith and practice of most Orthodox Ethiopian Christians
includes elements from Miaphysite Christianity as it has developed
in Ethiopia over the centuries. According to researchers Thomas P.
Ofcansky and LaVerle Berry, as with many Christian traditions,
Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity includes elements from the local
non-Christian heritage that are rejected by more educated church
members, but usually shared by the ordinary priest. Christian
elements include God (in Ge'ez / Amharic,
′Egziabeher,
lit. "Lord of the Universe"), the angels, and the saints, besides
others. According to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church itself, there
are no non-Christian elements in the religion other than those from
the Old Testament, or
Higge 'Orit (ሕገ ኦሪት), to which are
added those from the New Testament, or
Higge Wongiel (ሕገ
ወንጌል). A hierarchy of "Kidusan" (angelic messengers and saints)
conveys the prayers of the faithful to God and carries out the
divine will, so when an Ethiopian Christian is in difficulty, he or
she appeals to these as well as to God. In more formal and regular
rituals, priests communicate on behalf of the community, and only
priests may enter the inner sanctum of the usually circular or
octagonal church where the
tabot ("ark")
dedicated to the church's patron saint is housed. On important
religious holidays, the tabot is carried on the head of a priest
and escorted in procession outside the church. It is the tabot, not
the church, which is consecrated. Only those who feel pure, have
fasted regularly, and have generally conducted themselves properly
may enter the middle ring to take
communion. At many services, most parish members
remain in the outer ring, where debteras sing hymns and
dance.
Ethiopian Orthodox believers are strict
Trinitarians, maintaining the Orthodox teaching that
God is united in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This
concept is known as
səllasé, Ge'ez for "Trinity".
Weekly services constitute only a small part of an Ethiopian
Orthodox Christian's religious observance. Several holy days
require prolonged services, singing and dancing, and feasting. An
important religious requirement, however, is the keeping of fast
days. All devout believers are to maintain the full schedule of
fasts, comprising 250 days.1. Fast for Hudadi or Abiye Tsome
(Lent), 56 days.2. Fast of the Apostles, 10-40 days, which the
Apostles kept after they had received the Holy Spirit. It begins
after Pentecost.3. The fast of Assumption, 16 days.4. The gahad of
Christmas (on the eve of Christmas).5. The fast preceding
Christmas, 40 days. It begins with Sibket on 15th Hedar and ends on
Christmas eve with the feast of Gena and the 28th of Tahsas.6. The
fast of Nineveh, commemorating the preaching of Jonah. It comes on
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of the third week before Lent.7. The
gahad of Epiphany, fast on the eve of Epiphany.
In addition to standard holy days, most Christians observe many
saint's days. A man might give a small feast on his personal
saint's day. The local voluntary association (called the
maheber) connected with each church honors its patron
saint with a special service and a feast two or three times a
year.
Distinctive traits
Biblical canon
The Tewahedo Church Canon contains 81 books. This canon contains
the books accepted by other Orthodox Christians.
- The Narrower Canon also contains Enoch, Jubilees, and
three books of the Meqabyan;
- The Broader Canon includes all of the books found in the
Narrower Canon, as well as the two Books of the Covenant,
four Books of Sinodos, A Book of Clement, and
Didascalia;
There have been no printings of the Broader Canon since the
beginning of the twentieth century. The
Haile Selassie Version
of the Bible, which was published in 1962, contains the
Narrower Canon.
Language
The divine services of the Ethiopian Church are celebrated in the
Ge'ez language, which has been the
language of the Church at least since the arrival of the
Nine Saints (Abba Pantelewon, Abba Gerima
(Isaac, or Yeshaq), Abba Aftse, Abba Guba, Abba Alef, Abba Yem’ata,
Abba Liqanos, and Abba Sehma), who fled persecution by the
Byzantine Emperor after the
Council of Chalcedon (451). The
Septuagint Greek version was originally
translated into Ge'ez, but later revisions show clear evidence of
the use of Hebrew, Syriac, and Arabic sources. The first
translation into a modern vernacular was done in the 19th century
by a man who is usually known as
Abu Rumi.
Later,
Haile Selassie sponsored
Amharic translations of the Ge'ez Scriptures
during his reign, one before World War II and one afterwards.
Sermons today are usually delivered in the
local
language.
Architecture
Ethiopian Churches are considered by almost all who have seen them,
and many who have only seen pictures of them or read about them, to
be magnificent. The churches of Lalibela, each carved from a single
rock, are famous, and held to be miraculous. Tradition states that
the Deity, through His angels, helped with their very construction.
The Rock-Hewn Churches are unique to Ethiopia.
There are many
monolithic
churches
in Ethiopia, most famously the above-mentioned
twelve churches at Lalibela
. After these, two main types of architecture
are found—one
basilican, the other native.
The
Church of
Our Lady Mary of Zion
at Axum is an example of the basilican design,
though the early basilicas are nearly all in ruin.
These
examples show the influence of those architects who, in the 6th
century, built the basilicas at Sanˤā'
and
elsewhere in the Arabian
Peninsula. There are two forms of native churches: one
oblong, traditionally found in Tigray
; the other
circular, traditionally found in Amhara and Shewa
(though
either style may be found elsewhere). In both forms, the
sanctuary is square and stands clear in the center, and the
arrangements are based on
Jewish tradition.
Walls and ceilings are adorned with
frescoes.
A
courtyard, circular or rectangular,
surrounds the body of the church. Modern Ethiopian churches may
incorporate the basilican or native styles, and utilize
contemporary construction techniques and materials. In rural areas,
the church and outer court are often
thatched, with mud-built walls.
Ark of the Covenant
The
Ethiopian church claims that one of its churches, Our Lady
Mary of Zion, is host to the original Ark of the Covenant that Moses carried with the Israelites during the Exodus. However, only one priest is
allowed into the building where the Ark is located, ostensibly due
to dangerous biblical warnings. As a result, international scholars
doubt that the original Ark is truly there, although a case has
been put forward by controversial popular writer
Graham Hancock in his book
The Sign and the Seal.
Throughout Ethiopia, Orthodox churches are not considered churches
until the local bishop gives them a
tabot, a replica of the tablets in the original
Ark of the Covenant. The tabot is at least six inches (15
cm) square and made from
alabaster,
marble, or wood
(see
acacia). It is always kept in ornate
coverings on the Altar. Only priests are allowed to touch the
tabot. In an elaborate procession,
the tabot is carried around the outside of the church amid joyful
song and dance on the feast day of that particular church's
namesake. On the great Feast of
T'imk'et,
known as
Epiphany or
Theophany in Europe; group of churches send their
tabots to celebrate the occasion on a
common location where a pool of water or a river is located.
Similarities to Judaism
The Ethiopian Church, Jerusalem
The Ethiopian church places a heavier emphasis on Old Testament
teachings than one might find in any of the Eastern Orthodox, Roman
Catholic or Protestant churches, and its followers adhere to
certain practices that one finds in Orthodox or Conservative
Judaism. Ethiopian Christians, like some
other
Eastern Christians,
traditionally follow dietary rules that are similar to Jewish
Kashrut, specifically with regard to how an
animal is slaughtered. Similarly, pork is prohibited, though unlike
Rabbinical Kashrut, Ethiopian
cuisine does mix dairy products with meat. Women are prohibited
from entering the church during menses; they are also expected to
cover their hair with a large scarf (or
shash) while in
church,
per 1 Cor. 11. As with Orthodox
synagogues, men and women are seated separately in
the Ethiopian church, with men on the left and women on the right
(when facing the altar). However, women covering their heads and
separation of the sexes in the Church building officially is common
to some
Oriental Orthodox,
Eastern Orthodox and
Catholic Christians, as well as many conservative
Protestant and
Anabaptist traditions, and is also the rule in
Islam. Ethiopian Orthodox worshippers remove
their shoes when entering a church, in accordance with
Exodus 3:5 (in which
Moses, while viewing the
burning bush, is commanded to remove his shoes
while standing on holy ground). Furthermore, both the
Sabbath (Saturday), and the
Lord's Day (Sunday) are observed as holy,
although more emphasis, because of the
Resurrection of Christ, is laid upon
Sunday.
See also
References
- Berhanu Abegaz, "Ethiopia: A Model Nation of Minorities"
(accessed 6 April 2006)
- "Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church", World
Council of Churches website (accessed 2 June 2009)
- "Common Declaration" of Pope Shenoudah III,
Catholicos Aram I, and Patriarch Paulos - News and Media of the
Armenian Orthodox Church, 22 July 2007
- Turner, John W. "Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity: Faith and
practices". A Country Study: Ethiopia (Thomas P.
Ofcansky and LaVerle Berry, eds.) Library of
Congress Federal Research Division (1991).
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in
the public
domain.[1].
- EOTC Doctrine
- Doctrine of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church
- Archbishop Yesehaq. 1997. The Ethiopian Tewahedo Church: an
Integrally African Church. Winston-Derek Publishers.
- Mikre-Sellassie Gebre-Amanuel. 1993. “The Bible and Its Canon
in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.” The Bible Translator
44/1:111-123.
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