A history of Christianity in Ethiopia

I found this article on Ethiopia's Christian history and thought it worth re-publishing. I have not verified its content against other sources, but it aligns with the knowledge I already have.

Steve B
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Christianity in Ethiopia

Ethiopia has found strength in the church. From as far back as biblical times, the church has been the foundation upon which this magnificent country has developed.

When the flood waters receded, and Noah and his sons disembarked from the great ship, God told them to, "Be fruitful and increase in number; multiply on the earth and increase upon it" (Genesis 9:7). Each of Noah's sons and their wives set out to do just that. His eldest son Shem, whom Jesus descended from, went into what is now Jerusalem. Japheth went into Europe and Asia Minor. Noah's third son, Ham, settled in Canaan, which is now Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and East Africa (Bible Commentary).

One of the areas that Ham's descendents settled is now present-day Ethiopia, one of the oldest countries in existence (Bible Commentary).

The first known civilization in Ethiopia was that of the mighty Aksumite Kingdom. Having established itself in 1000 BC, in northern Ethiopia, it eventually spread over all of northern and even central Ethiopia. The ancient city of Axum, which was started by the Aksumites, was Ethiopia's first capital city (Kurtz 45).

During the reign of the Aksumites, King Solomon, who was in power from 970-930 BC, was visited by the Queen of Sheba (1 Kings 10: 1-13). Different theories have been presented as to where the queen was actually from. One Ethiopian story, called the Kibra Negast, states that the queen was actually Queen Makeda (said to have reigned from 1005-955 BC in the coastal regions of Ethiopia). This story claims that when Queen Makeda went to visit King Solomon, she converted to Judaism, and they became romantically involved. She bore him a son, Menelik I, and at the age of thirteen he went back to Jerusalem to get his father's blessing. Solomon, as the story states, appointed Menelik the first king of Ethiopia (Sorenson 23).

Because of this, Judaism spread throughout Ethiopia. Falashas, or black Jews, practiced a simple form of Judaism. Because they lived in near isolation, the Falashas had only the first five books of the Bible, known as the laws of Moses (Kurtz 31).

Axum was one of the largest and greatest cities of the Roman Empire, and because Rome dominated Red Sea trading, it was only a matter of time before Christianity would reach Ethiopia's shore (Marcus 7).

According to church tradition, two Syrian boys, Aedisius and Frumentius, introduced Christianity to Ethiopia. Emperor Ella Amida put these two young men, who were shipwrecked, to work as slaves.  As the years passed, they gained trust with the Emperor, and he released them from prison. After the emperor's death, his widow, who was now in power, asked them to stay and to advise her until her infant son, Ezanus, came of age. While in this capacity, Frumentius sought out Christian merchants to start up churches, which caused the spreading of the gospel throughout Ethiopia (Marcus 7). 

When Ezanus took the throne in approximately 303, Frumentius went to Alexandria, and was designated as the official bishop to Ethiopia. He returned to Ethiopia in 305 and began a lifetime of evangelism, including converting Emperor Ezanus to Christianity (Marcus 7).

In 350, Ezanus expanded his kingdom into Sudan and the Nile region to secure trade. After defeating the opposition, Emperor Ezanus thanked God for his protection, and for the next few centuries, no one is known to have challenged Axum's trading monopoly (Marcus 8).

Trade not only brought prosperity, but it also brought about change. Ge'ez began to take hold as the common language of the people and was often used by royalty. The Bible was also translated into Ge'ez. As well as the language taking shape, other countries began looking to Axum as a superpower (Marcus 8).

 In the 12^th century a new dynasty was beginning to emerge in the highlands of Ethiopia (Spaansen 2). Although this new dynasty, known as the Zagwes, retained the Aksumite social and political protocol, their achievements had remained obscured. It was not until Emperor Lalibela issued the building of eleven rock-hewn churches during his rule of 1185-1225 that they were recognized as a new political and religious power (Marcus 12).

 These eleven churches in Lalibela formed a museum of sacred architecture. In comparing these monolithic structures with other such structures in Ethiopia, it is obvious that the idea of hewing churches out of solid rock was inspired. What sets these structures apart are there amazing features, such as chiseled-out entryways, courtyards, and interiors, and the rich "geometric and linear" decorations. To achieve this awesome wonder, Emperor Lalibela recruited craftsmen from as far away as Egypt and the Holy Land (Marcus 12).

 Europeans were very intrigued with Ethiopia during the Middle Ages because they believed it to be the only Christian nation outside of Europe (Kurtz 66). Legends began to circulate in twelfth-century Europe of a mysterious priest-king named Prestor John. This devout Christian ruled a kingdom strategically placed to ward off the Islamic influence (Marcus 14).

 The mystery of Prestor John sparked the image of Ethiopia as an awe-inspiring kingdom and a much-desired ally (Sorensen 24). This persona, along with a kingdom that was both peaceful and united (with exotic animals and people), combined to create an image of Ethiopia that was captured in the minds of Europeans and prompted them to eagerly thirst for Ethiopian resources (Marcus 14).

 The Zagwe dynasty was overthrown in 1270 by Yekuno Amlak, who claimed to be a direct descendant of Menelik I, the son of King Solomon and Makeda, Queen of Saba. This claim made it very easy for him to proclaim himself emperor and to regain the Solomonic line in Ethiopia. This story, which is also told in the Kibre Negast, glorifies this monarchial line and associates Ethiopia with the Judeo-Christian tradition (Marcus 18).

 In 1436, Zara Yakob was crowned king. Since the Islamic challenge was sometimes a reality and always a threat, Zara continued to mold Christianity into Ethiopia's main line of internal defense. Even the most radical clergy were integrated into the political economy further unifying church and state. Zara Yakob fought Muslim control of shipping around the Horn of Africa, and reports of his success made their way to Europe, which only added to the mystique of Prestor John. Some European leaders exaggerated the importance of Ethiopia hoping to dissuade Muslim influence in Egypt, Arabia, and Syria. Zara Yakob was a very strong ruler and because his successors were weak, this lead to the decline of the Solomonic Monarchy (Marcus 24-27).

 The explosion of Islam into this mostly Christian kingdom had been long in the making. Islam had come to Ethiopia in 615 when a group of persecuted Muslims fled to Axum. Their leader, the prophet Mohammed, said that Ethiopia was "a land of righteousness where no one was wronged." During the latter part of the seventh century, Muslims swept over Africa and the Mid East forcing many people to convert to Islam in what is known as a jihad, or a Holy War (Kurtz 46).

 Though the Islamic armies had tried numerous times to defeat the Christian nation, it wasn't until 1528 that Ahmed "the left-handed" finally succeeded. By 1535, Ahmed had a kingdom that spread from the Red Sea to Ethiopia's interior. In that same year Ethiopia's Emperor Dengel sent a cry for help to Europe. Portugal responded and in 1541, after six terrible years of war, they delivered four hundred musketeers. When the Ethio-Portugese army caught up with the Muslim armies, the fighting continued for two long and agonizing years. On February 25, 1543, Ahmed was killed, and the Christians gained control of Ethiopia once more (Marcus 34). The fighting had left the country poorer, with many cattle killed and people taken away by the Muslims and sold as slaves in Arab lands (Kurtz 49).

 During the 1700s the Oromo people from the south attacked and raided the plateau region of Ethiopia. Unlike the Muslims, the Oromo people did not force their own religious beliefs or culture on the Ethiopians. In 1766, civil war broke out resulting in the beginning of the "age of the princes," which lasted until 1825 (Marcus 47). This period, also known as the zamena mesafint period, was best known for its slave trade. In the zamena mesafint, each province had its own king, and people felt loyalty to their own province, not to a country called Ethiopia (Kurtz 50).

Historically, Ethiopia has found its strength in the church. From its initial foundation from King Solomon and Queen Makeda, to the rise of Islam in the seveth century, to the resurgence of Christianity in the fourteenth century, the church has been and will continue to shape Ethiopia. 

source: http://fhi.net/fhius/ethiopiafamine/christian.html

"The Hard terms of the Kingdom" T.W.Tozer

“For myself, I fear any kind of religious stir among Christians that does not lead to repentance and result in a sharp separation of the believer from the world. I am suspicious of any organized revival effort that is forced to play down the hard terms of the Kingdom. No matter how attractive the movement may appear, if it is not founded in righteousness and nurtured in humility it is not of God. If it exploits the flesh it is a religious fraud and should not have the support of any God-fearing Christian. Only that is of God which honors the Spirit and prospers at the expense of the human ego. “That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.”
- A.W. Tozer, The Divine Conquest

A.W. Tozer, The Divine Conquest: The Cross and the Carnal Mind

“Remembering my own deep imperfections I would think and speak with charity of all who take upon them the worthy Name by which we Christians are called. But if I see aright, the cross of popular evangelicalism is not the cross of the New Testament. It is, rather, a new bright ornament upon the bosom of a self-assured and carnal Christianity whose hands are indeed the hands of Abel, but whose voice is the voice of Cain. The old cross slew men; the new cross entertains them. The old cross condemned; the new cross amuses. The old cross destroyed confidence in the flesh; the new cross encourages it. The old cross brought tears and blood; the new cross brings laughter. The flesh, smiling and confident, preaches and sings about the cross; before that cross it bows and toward that cross it points with carefully staged histrionics—but upon that cross it will not die, and the reproach of that cross it stubbornly refuses to bear.”

- A.W. Tozer, The Divine Conquest

Historical record of Jesus the Christ in literature

I was recently challenged by someone I met at the foreshore as to the historical validity of the person of Jesus, who is known as the Christ. Here then is some comment and reference to Flavius Josephus, a renowned Roman hostorian who wrote a history of the Hebrews.

Steve B
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Josephus' Account of Jesus in
the Testimonium Flavianum
by G  J Goldberg

Do the Christian gospels record actual events during the first century or are they the ecstatic visions of a small religious group? There are no surviving Roman records of the first century that refer to, nor are there any Jewish records that support the accounts in the Christian gospels - except one.

In Rome, in the year 93, Josephus published his lengthy history of the Jews. While discussing the period in which the Jews of Judea were governed by the Roman procurator Pontius Pilate, Josephus included the following account:

About this time there lived Jesus, a wise man, if indeed one ought to call him a man. For he was one who performed surprising deeds and was a teacher of such people as accept the truth gladly. He won over many Jews and many of the Greeks. He was the Messiah. And when, upon the accusation of the principal men among us, Pilate had condemned him to a cross, those who had first come to love him did not cease. He appeared to them spending a third day restored to life, for the prophets of God had foretold these things and a thousand other marvels about him. And the tribe of the Christians, so called after him, has still to this day not disappeared. (Jewish Antiquities, 18.3.3 §63.) 

Bumped on Facebook

I posted a link on Facebook regarding the Jesus Manifesto, and another user posted "we need to sign something for salvation now?". What a misunderstanding.

I posted "Did I mention salvation being dependent on this? It is actually a step away from dependence on human structures, and a step toward humble service to Jesus. Please feel free to actually read the site, and the other sites Frank Viola is involved in. I highly recommend his book Pagan Christianity (with George Barna) and also "Reimagining Church". See web site http://www.reimaginingchurch.org/ to get an overview. This stuff can strip religion from your life and help you see and serve Jesus more clearly." and then "Go on, look at http://www.paganchristianity.org/".

If you have not looked at these sites, see the links at the right of this page. It will be well worth your time :)

If you go...

If we go overseas on mission, how should we behave? How should we dress, act, share, spend etc? How will the locals feel about us? Will they think we are really helping, or will they think prosperous westerners are there again to make themselves feel good about "giving to the poor", after which they will go home and forget them?

Certainly dress is more of a sensitive point in some cultures. Ethiopia, which is largely Orthodox Christian, is one nation where a conservative approach is best. Why? Because showing flesh will offend the locals. Well meaning western Christians who are in a media and sexuality saturated culture, who go into a conservative culture like Ethiopia, can really stumble in their witness if  they take popular western dress. Who's right? Who's wrong? You'd have to look at the bible to understand what is godly and what's not. Standards set by Hebrew culture, which is clearly the closest we have to that set by God himself, certainly look more like conservative Ethiopia that modern U.S.A., Canada or Australia!

Behaviour is something we need to be sensitive about. In some countries, it is socially acceptable and even popular, for men to hold hands as they as they are in public as a sign of friendship; but it is not OK for male/female couples to do the same. Exactly the reverse of most western countries! It is good to research, get advice and then act with sensitivity, putting the credibility of your witness before your own wants.

What can we share? What will edify rather than offend the recipient? This is not just influenced by culture, but also social status, gender relationship and other factors. There are so many situations possible that consultation as interactions arise or "on the job learning" is a good approach.

Spending is another factor. Even buying a meal, a simple piece of clothing, soft drink or lollies may be minor expenditure to us, but how would we feel if someone visited from a really rich part of town for a few weeks and every day blew more than our days wage on luxuries? Putting our feet in their shoes will certainly make us more sensitive and less likely to cause offence.

The tendency tourists and even new or short-term missionaries have to land on a culture without enough preparedness to ensure their witness is not denigrated by insensitive behaviour is an unfortunate one. We hear much of the insensitivity of tourists; let's work to ensure we as Christians on mission have better track record.

To Go or To Give? - That's The Question

Many of us when we become interested in a need or a country decide we would like to go and help, which is an admirable intention. The question is, would it be better to go or to give from where we are? So what's in it for them, and what's in it for you?

Let's look at it from the aspiring missionary's point of view first.  If you go, you get to use your skills to help. If you stay, you get to send your money. From a skills justification point of view, we'd be fairly certain that the skill you have could probably be hired at or near the mission site. There would be some exceptions for sure, but some remote advice may help get things across the line. Then we need to question if "bang for buck" it's a good proposition to go if no one else can do the proposed task. Fairly clinical I know, but it's good to do some serious navel gazing some times :)

From the recipients' point of view, a bucket of money they can govern themselves may or may not be a good idea. If the mission is established with sufficient governance to ensure finds are used well then that's great; if not, there is risk of the funds being wasted or even misappropriated. A mitigation for this risk is again someone near the mission who can intervene and assist if necessary in an administrative manner.

So where does this leave us? Does it take the wind out of your sails? Does it look like only long term mission and not short term is viable? Let's think again. How do people get a taste for long term mission and confirm their calling? They get a taste by going on short term mission of course!

The bottom line here? I personally don't believe in short term mission trips as a "nice experience". I don't believe is "mission holidays". Going to a south sea island is a nice experience for sure. If you are going on holidays anyway, I guess it's good to help a bit. Going on a "mission trip" and treating it as a holiday too? That's more difficult.

To me, the best way to do mission is to really concentrate on mission. Go to serve. Go to confirm the impression in your heart that YHWH is calling you to a longer term, more effective commitment. It is my sincere opinion that time is short for this world. We can ignore the times; run and hide; or go and help. If you have not been on a mission trip, please pray about going. If you haved been, please pray about going for longer!