Chapter II History of Christianity in Ethiopia Introduction of Christianity Christianity

was implanted in Ethiopia as early as the first century (34 A.D), with the conversion
of the Ethiopian Eunuch by Phillip the Apostle. (Acts 8) Girma Batu 21 2015 EC.
History of EOTC I He was a treasurer of Queen Candace of Ethiopia, who went to
Jerusalem to worship the God of Israel. "From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia, those
who pray to me will bring me tribute." Zephaniah 3:10 According to the Acts of the
Apostles (8:26-40), the Ethiopian Eunuch was reading the Old Testament, the
prophecy of Isaiah, and it shows us the familiarity of Ethiopians to scriptures. But,
people like Shauf, Scott (2009 "Locating the eunuch: characterization and narrative
context in Acts 8:26) believe that the Eunuch is Gentile in the story, by both his ethnic
and possibly physical description. The man, locally known as "Bacos" on his way
back to his country, Met with Philip and was baptized, then returned home in 34 AD
for many EOTC believers this is the crucial and significant period for the birth and
establishment of Christianity. Ethiopian Traditional sources claim that Bacos
evangelized his people and brought the good tiding of Christianity to Ethiopia. To
support this view point, Eusebius, the Church historian (4th C.) singles out Candace’s
treasurer as the first gentile convert to Christianity. But his consideration of the
Eunuch as gentile contradicts with the Ethiopian background of Christianity. There is
also another story about the introduction of Christianity to Ethiopia. It is said that St.
Matthew preached Gospel in Ethiopia and became a martyr. According to Ruffinus,
when the Apostles drew lots to preach the Gospel to the pagans, Matthias drew Persia
and Matthew Ethiopia. It is also possible to have an idea that the good news arrived
prior to Bacos by one of the three wise men who traveled from Ethiopia to present a
gift for the child Christ. Some stories tell us that the person was an Ethiopian king
Bazen.13 In his homily on Pentecost, St. John Chrysostom mentioned that the
Ethiopians were present 13 Lule Melaku, History of EOTC, 2008, 42. Girma Batu
History of EOTC I 22 2015 EC. in the holy city on the day of Pentecost. It seems that
St. Luke did not mention them only because they were few in number. Those few
people might have introduced Christianity is the very crucial point. Moreover, from
the early period, Ethiopian pilgrims went annually to Jerusalem where there is an
Ethiopian Monastery built a long time ago on the land which was presented by king
Solomon to the Queen of Sheba- "Deir Sultan", means a fief of a ruler. (An article by
Fr. Jose Thomas)
======================================================
================ This discussion is about the advancement of christianity or its
second stage of development in Ethiopia. For many outsiders, this phase is the first in
evangelization since they believe that Abba Selama is the first one to introduce
Christianity to Ethiopia. But, taking the previous discussions into consideration we
say that it is a second evangelization, next to Bacos’ Readings • ገ ድ ለ አ ባ
ሰ ላ ማ፣ ከ ሣ ቴ ብ ር ሃ ን • ብ ፁ ዕ አ ቡ ነ ጎ ር ጎ ር ዮ ስ (ሊ ቀ ጳ ጳ ስ )
የ ኢ ት ዮ ጵ ያ ኦ ር ቶ ዶ ክ ስ ተ ዋ ሕ ዶ ቤ ተ ክ ር ስ ቲ ያ ን ታ ሪ ክ ፣ 1991፣ ገ ጽ
13 እ ስ ከ 25። • Taddesse Tamrat, Church and State in Ethiopia, 1972, pp. 21-30.
Consolidation of Christianity: St. Frumentius (Abba Selama) (330 A.D.) As we have
seen above, Christianity had been known in Ethiopia since a much earlier time before
the conversion of Ezana. The same is true with Frumentius. He is not the first
Evangelist to introduce Christianity to the people of Ethiopia. The story of the so
called conversion of the Axumites has come down to us in the work of the
contemporary Church historian, Rufinus (d. 410 A.D.) Girma Batu History of EOTC I
23 2015 EC. Meropius, a philosopher from Tyre, set out to visit India accompanied by
two young relatives, Frumentius and Aedesius. In the course of their Journey they ran
short of provisions and put in at a port on the African coast (Adulis). The local
inhabitants were hostile to Roman citizens, as they had recently broken of their
alliance with Rome. For this reason they Masacred Meropius and all aboard the ship,
sparing only the two boys, who were taken to the king. They soon gained the king's
interest and confidence. The younger Aedesius became the king's cup-bearer and the
elder Frumentius, who showed signs of wisdom and maturity became the king's
treasurer and secretary. Then the king was about to die and had given the two boys a
chance to return to their country, but the Queen (the Mother of an infant boy) begged
them to stay with her helping her administration. Both Frumentius and Aedesius
agreed and stayed to carry out the task faithfully. Frumentius started his mission with
some Christians among the Roman merchants settled at Aksum and encouraged them
to establish meeting places for prayer. It was a way to spread Christianity, to convert
the indigenous people and finally the young king himself became a convert, the story
says. * According to the EOTC’s Tradition this conversion was from judaism/Old
Testament religious position to Christianity. The story continues, when the young
king was old enough to rule the country alone, Frumentius and Aedesius asked him a
permission to leave Aksum. Aedesius returned home to Tyre, but Frumentius went to
Alexandria and laid the whole affair before the newly appointed patriarch, Athanasius,
begging him to appoint a bishop for Ethiopia. But Athanasius consecrated Frumentius
himself to be the first bishop of Aksum. Although Rufinus does not specify the name
of the country of which Frumentius went, other sources are more specific in this
respect. For instance a letter from the Girma Batu 24 2015 EC. History of EOTC I
Emperor Constantius, written in 365 A.D. to his "precious brother", Aezana and
Saezana, rulers of Aksum, concerns the Bishop Frumentius. Furthermore, the
inscriptions and coins of the Emperor Ezana testify to his adoption of Christianity. In
his early inscriptions, he styles himself "Son of unconquered Mahrem" But,
Inscriptions after his victory over Nubia show new terminologies "the Lord of heaven
and earth" and describes how he destroyed the images in their temples, affirming his
dissociation from paganism. A recently discovered Greek inscription belonging to
Ezana leaves no doubt on this matter. "… It begins: - In the faith of God and the
power of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost".14 According to Hansberry, by 331
A.D. Frumentius returned to Ethiopia, and was welcomed with open arms of the rulers,
who were not Christians at the time. Ten years later, through the support of the king,
the majority of the Royal family /kingdom/ was converted and Christianity was
declared the officials state religion.15 The introduction of Christianity and its
development to "State Religion" marked a turning point in Ethiopian history.
Christianity does not constitute a purely Religious phenomenon in the country, but
plays an Integral role in all aspects of national life. The Church is not only a religious
Institution, but has for many centuries been the repository of the cultural, political and
social life of the people. The true feelings of the people who first received Christianity
seem to have been expressed in the names they bestowed upon Frumentius, which are
Abba Selama, Kassate Berhan, and Father of peace and Revealer of Light". It is
interesting to note that Ezana and Saezana baptized with names signifying
illumination - Abreha (He illuminated) and Atsbeha (he brought the down). (Ibid) 14
The Church of Ethiopia, 1970, 5. 15 Hansberry, William Leo, pillars in Ethiopian
history, Howard university press, 1974. Girma Batu History of EOTC I 25 2015 EC.
According to the chronological lists of the Ethiopian bishops, Frumentius was
succeeded by the bishop Minas. He was apparently of Egyptian origin. From this time
onward began the peculiar Alexandrian jurisdiction over the Ethiopian church, which
was to last for sixteen hundred years. Throughout this period Ethiopians were not
considered to be eligible for consecration as bishops. Minas left some literary works
concerning his missionary activities, but the major contribution in the missionary field
was that of the Nine Saints.
======================================================= This
discussion is about the coming of the Nine Saints and their contributions to the EOTC.
Their contributions were so immense and mainly expanded Christianity throughout all
Ethiopia Either directly by their own evangelical activities or through their disciples.
Most of the external historians used to say they came from Rome, but no one is from
Rome but from the then Roman Empire. The usage Rome is sometimes deliberate and
aimed at claiming the EOTC was an adherent of the two natures Christological
tradition. When we found ሮ ም/Rome in our indigenous documents, it is none other
than the Roman Empire, and Ethiopian Church never adhered the two natures
traditions. Readings of the Week ገ ድ ለ አ ቡ ነ አ ረ ጋ ዊ Sergew Hable Selasie,
Ancient and Medieval Ethiopian History, 1972, 115-121. Expansion of Christianity:
The Coming of the Nine Saints Third Evangelization Girma Batu 26 2015 EC.
History of EOTC I “ በ ፊ ት በ ኢ ት ዮ ጵ ያ ዊ ው ጃ ን ደ ረ ባ የ ተ ሰ በ ከ ች ል ን ፣
በ ኋ ላ ም በ ፍ ሬ ምና ጦ ስ አ ባ ሰ ላ ማ ከ ሳ ቴ ብ ር ሃ ን ና በ እ ነ ዙ ህ ዗ ጠ ኝ
ቅ ዱ ሳ ን የ ጸ ና ች ል ን ሃ ይ ምኖ ታ ች ን ኦ ር ቶ ዶ ክ ስ ተ ዋ ሕ ዶ
ት ባ ላ ለ ች ። ”16 This important quote from his grace, shows clearly the historical
development of Christianity in Ethiopia from the Ethiopian Eunuch to the Nine Saints.
The Nine Saints were monks who came to Ethiopia in the early history of the
Ethiopian church. That means they came to Axum about 480, and were well received
by the emperor and people of the surrounding area. The Ethiopian ruler at that time
was Al’ameda, son of Sa’aldobba, who was succeeded by Tazena, father of Kaleb.
When Kaleb, the Ethiopian king, set out to campaign in Arabia in 527 to rescue the
Christians there from the persecution of their Jewish ruler, he solicited the prayer of
Abba Pantalewon, one of the Nine Saints. It is known that the arrival of the Nine
Saints in Ethiopia was related to the schism and disturbance in the universal church
over the nature of divinity and humanity in Christ at and after the Council of
Chalcedon in 451. The truth is that they are non Chalcedonian monks who rushed to
Ethiopia to protect the local church from the teaching of those who accepted the
decision of Chalcedon. Even though some of the sources insist that these monks
arrived at Ethiopia as a group via the monastery of Aba Pachomius in Egypt, it is
reasonable that at least some of them came separately at different times. The most
outstanding figures among the Nine Saints were Ze-Michael (Aregawi), Pantelewon,
Aftse, and Gerima or Isaac (Yeshaq) as their names indicate, they came from different
parts of the Eastern Roman Empire, such as Constantinople and Syria. They were
adherents of the same doctrine- Mia-physis. In Axum, (ቤ ተ ቀ ጢን ) they studied the
language and became familiar with the people and customs. After this preparation
they set out in different directions to preach christianity and to introduce 16 ብ ፁ ዕ
አ ቡ ነ ጎ ር ጎ ር ዮ ስ ፣ የ ኢ ት ዮ ጵ ያ ቤ ተ ክ ር ስ ቲ ያ ን ታ ሪ ክ ፣ 1991፣ ገ .
24። Girma Batu History of EOTC I 27 2015 EC. Girma Batu monastic institutions.
Only two of them, Abba Liqanos and Abba Pentelewon, remained in Axum, the
others went further East of the capital and founded hermitages in the old pagan
centers. * The Nine Saints, country of origin, Monastery founded by them, and days
of commemoration. Name Country of origin Monastery founded by himself
የ ዕ ረ ፍ ታ ቸ ው ቀ ን (ከ ብ ፁ ዕ አ ቡ ነ ጎ ር ጎ ር ዮ ስ . . . ገ ጽ 24 Abba Aregawi
Constantinople Debre Damo ጥ ቅ ምት 14 Abba Gerima Constantinople Debre
Medera ሰ ኔ 17 Abba Penetelewon Constantinople DebrePenteleon -Axum ግ ን ቦ ት
12 Abba Liqanos Constantinople Debre Qonatsil, Axum ኅ ዳ ር 21 Abba Aftsie Asia
Minor Debre Aftse, Yeha ግ ን ቦ ት 12 Abba Goba Cilicia Ger’alta Abba Alef
Caesarea Debre Bihza መጋ ቢ ት 11 Abba Yimata Cosia Ger’alata ጥ ቅ ምት 23 Abba
Tshehma Antioch Debre Tsedenia ጥ ር 16 History of EOTC I 28 2015 EC. The Nine
saints contributed much in eradicating cults and pagan shrines and founded many
churches and monasteries. They also contributed greatly to the development of the
Ge’ez liturgy and literature. The introduced new terms and vocabulary in to Ge’ez
such as Haymanot, qasis, ta’ot, qurban, Tsom, Orit, Tselot, Mekdes etc. Among their
great contributions Bible Translation is so immense. Such commitment was started by
Fremnatos like the book of psalms. Here, with the Nine Saints the very important
thing is that they were familiar with both Greek and Syriac. It seems that each father
translated one portion of the Bible that is why we see some considerable differences
in style from one book to another in the Ethiopic version. The Ethiopic version is one
of the earliest versions in the world. They also translated a number of basic religious
works in to Ge’ez – both doctrinal and literary content. Among these, Qerlos,
(translation of dogmatic treatises of Cyril) Homilies of Church Fathers, the ascetic
rules of St. Pachumis , the life of Saint Anthony by St. Athanasius, … Their influence
is extended also to art and architecture. The ruins of basilicas found in the ancient
cities of Axum, adulis and Hawlti may show a resemblance to Syriac churches.
Example, the church of Aregawi at Debre Damo has some unique features. Another
contribution of the Nine Saints can be seen in producing Ethiopian Church scholars.
Among this the most notable one is St. Yared, the disciple of Abba Aregawi.
Individual contribution of the Nine Saints Aba Aragawi or Zamika’el His names are
Ge‘ez, the first meaning ‚The Elder" and the second "of Michael," an indication that
his native name has not been preserved. According to tradition, Aragawi was the
leader of the group during the journey from Egypt to Ethiopia, a position that suits his
name. The founding of the celebrated Dabra Damo is attributed to this saint. It was at
this monastery that Iyasus Mo’a of Hayq Estifanos in Amhara and Abuna Takla
Haymanot of Dabra Libanos in Shewa were clothed with monastic habits at the hands
of Yohanni, a spiritual descendant of Aragawi. Girma Batu History of EOTC I 29
2015 EC. The saint was said to have used a long serpent to ascend the impregnable
summit of Mount Damo, where he built his monastery. Today people use rope to
reach it. It is also reported that the saint's mother, Edna, followed the group to
Ethiopia and established there a nunnery for virgins. Aragawi is commemorated on
Teqemt14. Aba Pantalewon (Pantaleon). Pantalewon is most remembered for the role
of his prayers in the success of Kaleb's campaign in Arabia. Before leaving his
African realm for the campaign, Kaleb visited the saint at his cell and received his
blessing and encouragement to fight ZuNuas (or Finnehas, according to local
tradition), the Jewish ruler of Arabia who had inflicted serious persecution on his
Christian subjects. Aba Pantalewon is also famous for the ascetic life he led. It is
reported that the cell with which he is identified—he is sometimes known as
Pantalewon of the Cell—was so narrow that he never slept or sat in it, even though he
never left it after he entered it forty-five years before his death. His cell, which was
north of Axum and wasknown first by the name of Dabra Asbo, later developed into a
famous monastery carrying his name, Dabra Pantalewon. Pantalewon is
commemorated on Teqemt6. Abba Yeshaq (Isaac) or Abba Garima Both names are
non-Ethiopian, even though his hagiographer attempted to derive Garima from an
Ethiopic word meaning wonderful. Yeshaq joined the group onlyafter it had arrived in
Ethiopia. It is reported that he left his parents' royal palace in response to an invitation
by Pantalewon. When the group decided to leave their center at the king's palace in
Axum, Yeshaq moved to Madara, not far from Adwa. He was famed for performing
many astounding miracles. A monastery bearing the name Abba Garima still exists
today at another place in Tigre and is an important religious center. His feast is
celebrated on 17 Sene. Aba Aftse. Girma Batu History of EOTC I 30 2015 EC. The
gadl of this saint offers very little historical information about him, except that he
made Yeha, an important archaeological site for pre-Christian Ethiopia, his center of
activities. The name is clearly non-Ethiopian. The monk is believed to have ascended
to heaven like Elijah. The feast of Afse is celebrated on 29 Genbot. Abba Gubba His
gadl reportedly exists but has not been studied by scholars, nor is his name listed in an
important fifteenth-century calendar. According to tradition, he founded his hermitage
west of Madara, not far from the original hermitage of Abba Garima. The fact that
neither of these two hermitages survived may indicate resentment and resistance to
Christianity at the heart of Axumite paganism. It is interesting to note that most of the
places where these saints established their evangelical activities were centers of pagan
worship. The feast of Gubba is celebrated with that of Aftse on Genbot29. . Abba Alef
His gadl repeats what has been written about the rest of his colleagues—that they
came together to Ethiopia, settled temporarily in the palace, and dispersed to establish
centers of religious activities. Like that of Abba Gubba, Abba Alef's name is not
found listed with those of his colleagues in the fifteenth-century palace calendar of
saints. However, the famous monastery Dabra Halle Luya isbelieved to have been
founded by him. His name may be related to the name of the first letter in the alphabet.
The feast of Alef is celebrated on 11th of Meggabit. Abba Yem’ata Some scholars,
including Dillmann (1880, pp. 1-51), state that he is also called Mata. This could be
confusion with another saint, Abba Matta‘, who flourished in Hawzen many years
before the coming of the Nine Saints. The feast of Yem’ata is celebrated on 28th of
Teqemt. Girma Batu History of EOTC I 31 2015 EC. Abba Liqanos This saint's gadl,
though known to exist, has not reached the hands of scholars. At the time of the
dispersion of the saints, Liqanos moved to north of Axum and founded a
monastery,Dabra Qonasil, known by its founder's name to this day. His feast
iscelebrated on 28 Hedarand 4 Terr. Abba Tsehma Abba Sehma is believed to have
settled southeast of Adwa. Like many of his colleagues, no gadl for him has yet come
to light. Nor is there any religious center carrying his name. There is, however, a
region of Tigre named Enda Abba Sehma. The feast of Abba Tsehma is celebrated on
16 Terr.
_________________________________________________________________ This
discussion deals with personality, life, and contribution of Atse Caleb. During his
reign, Ethiopia was at its peak and was a loyal son of the church as a devoted christian.
He contributed for the EOTC in many ways including his personal exemplary life. His
contribution is not restricted in Ethiopia, especially with his march to Yemen, he
protected orthodox christianity and christians of the area. Readings ብ ፁ ዕ አ ቡ ነ
ጎ ር ጎ ር ዮ ስ ፣ የ ኢ ት ዮ ጵ ያ ቤ ተ ክ ር ስ ቲ ያ ን ታ ሪ ክ ፣ 1991፣ (ከ ካ ሌ ብ
እ ስ ከ ዮ ዲ ት ) ገ ጽ 26 -31. Sergew Hable Selasie, Ancient and Medieval Ethiopian
History, 1972, pp. 123 143. Chapter III 3.1. Some Important Figures in Ethiopian
Church History 3.1.1. Life and reign of King Caleb Girma Batu 32 2015 EC. History
of EOTC I Caleb was the last major Aksumite king of Ethiopia, during whose reign
the kingdom reached the apex of its glory. (Ruled circa 514-543) Ethiopian and
Syrian sources refer to him as Kaleb, but Greek sources call him Hellesthaeeus, Ella
Atsbeha, or Ellesbas. Legend makes King Tazena his father.17 Very little is known of
his earlier life. He was educated at an Ethiopian Church school, but realized the
importance of Greek culture. He ordered the governor of Adulis, the famous Red Sea
port of the Aksumite period through which Greek trade came to Ethiopia, to copy the
Greek inscriptions of Ptolemy IV (Macedonian king of Egypt from 221-205 BC), and
of an unknown Ethiopian emperor. The 6th-century theologian and geographer
Cosmas Indicopleustes preserved the only exact copy, which he later included in his
book Topographia Christiana ("Christian Topography"). Aksum reached its last
period of glory during Caleb’s reign. Legends were inscribed in the Ge'ez language on
coins, and art and architecture flourished. Aksum controlled traffic on the Red Sea, as
well as much of the Far Eastern trade. Only Aksumites were permitted to sail ships to
the Far East. The Byzantine emperor Justin I (ruled 518-527) encouraged Aksum to
engage in the silk trade with China, in competition with the Persians. Caleb is
especially remembered for his military expedition in to South Arabia, which had long
been under Ethiopian control. About A.D. 523, Dhu Nuwas, a local prince of the
Najran area, led a revolt, after first having secured the support of the large Jewish
community in South Arabia by converting to Judaism. Moving during the winter,
when the weather would not permit Aksumite intervention he attacked the Ethiopian
military base, conquered the whole of South Arabia, persecuted the Christians, and
forced Judaism on them. The following summer, however, Kaleb heard of his exploits
and prepared a punitive expedition against him. Kaleb himself set out with his naval
force, defeated Dhu Nuwas restoring Ethiopian sovereignty over South Arabia in A.D.
525. 17 Taddese Tamerat, Church and State in Ethiopia, 1972: 123. Girma Batu
History of EOTC I 33 2015 EC. This victory won Caleb fame as the defender of the
Christian faith and increased his prestige and power. Axumite Ethiopia became the
third power in the Middle Eastern region as a whole after the rival Byzantine and
Persian empires. The Byzantine Empire frequently sent ambassadors to Caleb to
conclude commercial or military treaties. Ethiopian and Greek traditional stories state
that Caleb abdicated after his return from South Arabia. Dedicating his crown to the
Holy Sepulcher, he entered the monastery of Abba Pantaleon, where he spent the rest
of his life. He was canonized by the Ethiopian church, and was the first Ethiopian to
be recognized by the Greek and Roman Catholic churches as saint. Information is
available on the period from both external and internal sources. The former deals
mainly with the external achievements of Kaleb, especially his expedition to Southern
Arabiya. The later includes coins and epigraphic sources which have recently come to
light. 3.1.2. Caleb and the persecution of Christians in southern Arabiya Caleb is
known in world history for his expedition to Arabiya. During his time the Axumite
territory of south Arabiya, under his authority was greater than ever. The inhabitants
of southern Arabia were originally polytheists. Later, with the coming of a number of
Jews to Arabiya especially after the roman invasion, they began to accept Judaism.
However their conversion had political motives: they thought in this way to get help
from the Jews whose number was increasing day by day. Girma Batu History of
EOTC I 34 2015 EC. A reference map of the Empire of kaleb of Axum At the same
time Christianity had been introduced in Arabia. According to some historical sources,
the persecution, which happened, in southern Arabia was mainly directed against the
Ethiopians who inhabited various places in south Arabia in the first quarter of the
sixth century. This is why Caleb’s expedition was undertaken. The rivalry between
these two religions, Christianity and Judaism became acute when the local prince,
Dhu Nuwas was converted to Judaism and took the name of Josef. With the help of
his co-religionists he began to be more and more aggressive towards the Axumites
and the Christian religion. In the first stages of his persecution, he became successful
and went further to Nagran in the north of south Arabiya. Dhu Nuwas ordered the
people of Nagran to change their Christian religion to Judaism and when they refused
to change he ordered his army to execute them on the spot. Then he captured the city
of Nagran and burnt all churches there. We are told in the book of the Himyarites that
a Christian lady, whose name was Hammayya, came to Ethiopia and informed the
Bishop, Eutropius, and Emperor Caleb. According to Arabian sources, the king of
Ethiopia was informed by a certain inhabitant of Nagran, who had escaped the
massacre. He brought to Caleb the news Girma Batu History of EOTC I 35 2015 EC.
Girma Batu about the destruction of the city, carrying with half-burnt copy of the
Gospel as a witness. He begged Caleb and the Abyssinian bishop to wage war against
Dhu Nuwas. Caleb agreed and landed his army on the eastern front and began an
offensive war against Dhu Nuwas. Caleb became victorious and restored the churches
which had been destroyed by Dhu Nuwas and he gave encouragement to the Christian
population. This victory won Kaleb fame as the defender of the Christian faith and
increased his prestige and power. Aksumite Ethiopia became the third power in the
Middle Eastern region as a whole after the rival Byzantine and Persian empires. The
Byzantine Empire frequently sent ambassadors to Kaleb to conclude commercial or
military treaties. Ethiopian and Greek traditional stories state that Caleb abdicated his
power after his return from South Arabia. Dedicating his crown to the Holy Sepulcher,
he entered the monastery of Abba Pantaleon, where he spent the rest of his life. He
was canonized by the Ethiopian church, and was the first Ethiopian to be recognized
by the Greek and Roman Catholic churches as a saint.18 ካ ሌ ብ ን ጉ ሠ ኢ ት ዮ ጵ ያ
ኅ ለ የ በ ል ቡ ወ ይ ቤ ምን ተ ገ ቢ ር የ አ ስ ተ ፍ ሥሖ ለ እ ግ ዙ አ ብ ሔር
ረ ዳ ኢ የ ወ መድ ኃ ኒ የ ፀ ወ ን የ ወ ኃ ይ ል የ ወ መነ ነ መን ግ ሥተ ዜ ን ቱ
ዓ ለ ም ወ ገ ደ ፈ ል ብ ሰ መን ግ ሥቱ ወ ኢ ነ ሥአ ካ ል አ ን ዋ የ ዗ እ ን በ ለ
ል ብ ሰ ምን ኲስ ና ሁ ወ ለ አ ሐ ቲ ል ሕ ኲተ ማይ ወ ለ አ ሐ ቲ መን ጸ ፍ ወ ቦ አ
ገ ዳ መ ኀ በ ሀ ለ ወ ጰ ን ጠሌ ዎ ን . . . ወ ሶ በ ኅ ደ ገ ቤ ተ መን ግ ሥቱ
዗ ተ ቀ ጸ ለ በ ጊ ዛ ን ግ ሡ አ ክ ሊ ለ ዗ ወ ር ቅ ዗ ዕ ጹ ብ ሤ ጡ ፈ ነ ወ ዗ ምስ ለ
ጦማረ መል እ ክ ት ኅ በ አ ባ ዮ ሐ ን ስ ሊ ቀ ጳ ጳ ሳ ት ዗ ኢየ ሩ ሳ ሌ ም ከ መ
ይ ስ ቅ ል ሎቱ በ ዴ ዴ መቃ ብ ረ እ ግ ዙ እ ነ ኢ የ ሱ ስ ክ ር ስ ቶ ስ ። 19 ሰ ላ ም
ለ ካ ሌ ብ ት እ ምር ተ ኅ ድ ገ ታ ለ ብ እ ሉ እ ን ተ ፈ ነ ወ አ ክ ሊ ሎ
በ ኢ የ ሩ ሳ ሌ ም ይ ስ ቅ ሉ ዜ ን ቱ ኃ ያ ል ኢ ይ ት መካ ህ በ ኃ ይ ሉ 18 ገ ድ ለ
አ ቡ ነ አ ረ ጋ ዊ ፣ ወ ገ ድ ለ ገ ብ ረ ክ ር ስ ቶ ስ መር ዓ ዊ ፣ 1978፣ 92 19
ገ ድ ለ አ ቡ ነ አ ረ ጋ ዊ ፣ ወ ገ ድ ለ ገ ብ ረ ክ ር ስ ቶ ስ መር ዓ ዊ ፣ 1978፣ ገ .
88 -89 36 2015 EC. History of EOTC I አ መ በ እ ዴ ሁ ሠ ራ ዊ ተ ሳ ባ ተ ቀ ት ሉ
዗ እ ን በ ለ (ያ ) ይ ት ር ፍ አ ሐ ደ እ ምእ ሉ 20 በ ረ ከ ቱ ለ ዜ ን ቱ ጻ ድ ቅ
ካ ሌ ብ ፣ ወ ሣ ሕ ለ አ ምላ ኩ ት ኩ ን ምስ ሌ ነ ለ ዓ ለ መ ዓ ለ ም ዓ ሜን !
________________________________________________________________ Atse
Gebre Meskel and His Contributions to EOTC Based on Geez and Greek literary
sources, Sergew Haile Selasie said that Caleb abdicated his throne voluntarily,
without designating a successor. As it is already known he joined the monastery of
Abba Pentelewon, one of the Nine Saints. So, this rift created a problem of succession
between his sons: Gebre Meskel, Israel, and Gebre Krestos. The situation affected the
overall well being of Ethiopia.21 After many difficulties Gebre Meskel ascended to
the throne and contributed much for EOTC and Ethiopia. ወ ነ ግ ሠ ገ ብ ረ መስ ቀ ል
በ ጽ ድ ቅ ወ በ ር ት ዕ ወ ተ ሰ ምአ መን ግ ሥቱ ኲሎ ምድ ረ አ ዛ ብ ወ አ ል ቦ
዗ ተ ቃ ወ ማ ለ መን ግ ሥቱ ። ዗ ኅ በ ኢ ይ ወ ጽ ዕ ለ ጸ ብ እ ዗ እ ን በ ለ ለ ሐ ኒ ፆ
አ ብ ያ ተ ክ ር ስ ቲ ያ ና ት እ ስ መ ነ ግ ሠ በ ዗ መነ ሰ ላ ም። 22 ወ በ ዓ መተ
ነ ግ ሠ ገ ብ ረ መስ ቀ ል ን ጉ ሠ ኢ ት ዮ ጵ ያ ተ ን ሥአ ይ ሑር ኅ ቤ ሁ ለ አ ቡ ነ
አ ረ ጋ ዊ ከ መ ይ ባ ር ክ መን ግ ሥቶ ወ ከ መ ይ ፈ ጽ ም ጻ ሕ ቆ በ እ ን ተ ሕ ን ጻ
መቅ ደ ስ ። ወ ሶ በ የ ሐ ውር በ ጽ ሐ ፍ ጡነ ደ ብ ረ ዳ ሞ ወ ኃ ደ ገ ሠ ራ ዊ ቶ
ታ ሕ ተ ደ ብ ር ወ ዐ ር ገ ውስ ተ ውእ ቱ ደ ብ ር ምስ ለ ኅ ዳ ጣን ሰ ብ እ . . . (101)
This situation of the time is well documented in his chronicle, the Hagiography of St.
Yared and Hagiography of Abba Aregawi. Three of them traveled to many parts of
Ethiopia and built churches, traditional schools and expanded Christianity. In
response to Abuna Aregawi’s request Atse Gebre Meskel constructed a church at
Debre Damo and St. Yared presented the following symbolic praise for the church. ‚
ይ ሔውጽ ዋ መላ እ ክ ት እ ን ተ በ ሰ ማያ ት ፣ ይ ሔውጽ ዋ መላ እ ክ ት እ ስ መ
ማኅ ደ ረ መለ ኮ ት ዖ ድ ክ ዋ ዖ ድ ክ ዋ ዖ ድ ክ ዋ 20 ብ ፁ ዕ አ ቡ ነ
ጎ ር ጎ ር ዮ ስ ፣ የ ኢ ት ዮ ጵ ያ ቤ ተ ክ ር ስ ቲ ያ ን ታ ሪ ክ ፣ 1991፣ 28 21
Sergew, Ancient and …, 159. 22 Ibid, 162፣ ገ ድ ለ አ ቡ ነ አ ረ ጋ ዊ ፣ ወ ገ ድ ለ
ገ ብ ረ ክ ር ስ ቶ ስ መር ዓ ዊ ፣ 1978፣ 98። Girma Batu 37 2015 EC. History of
EOTC I ወ ር ኢ ኩ ሥነ ሕ ን ፄ ሃ ለ ቅ ድ ስ ት ቤ ተ ክ ር ስ ቲ ያ ን ምስ አ ል
ወ ምስ ጋ ድ ወ ምስ ት ሥራ ዬ ኃ ጢአ ት ይ እ ቲ ቅ ድ ስ ት ደ ብ ተ ራ ‛23 According
to Ethiopian Hagiographical sources, Atse Gebre Meskel ruled the country for 14
years (534-548). As it is indicated his reign was peaceful, and devoted his time and
power for building churches. As Gedle Aftse (Hagiography of Abba Aftse) says he is
attributed for the construction of St. Mary Church in Yeha. Atse Gebre Meskel also
founded the church in Our Amba in Gaynt Begemdir. Mention must be done also
about his religious-cultural contributions like that of Teketsel Tsige/ተ ቀ ጸ ል ጽ ጌ ።
Prior to his reign, there was one a secular ceremony of coronation. Now, from his
time onwards, it was decided that coronation must be performed in the courtyard of
the Churches. It is to be accompanied by lengthy prayer, after then the people
acclaimed the Emperor. This is the origin of the feast of ተ ቀ ጸ ል ጽ ጌ observed on
the tenth of Meskerem. On this occasion the priests go to the palace and offer flowers
to the Emperor to commemorate the fact that Yared crowned Gebre Meskel with
flowers. They sing ‚ተ ቀ ጸ ል ጽ ጌ ገ ብ ረ መስ ቀ ል ሐ ፄ ጌ ‛24 Another important
religious ceremony, which is believed to be started during Gebre Mesqel’s reign is the
festival of Hosanna/ሆ ሣ እ ና . St.Yared and the Emperor instituted the ceremony to
commemorate the advent of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem. On this occasion someone
rides on the back of a donkey round the courtyard of the church, while the people go
forward holding palm branches in their hands and chant hosanna in the
highest/ሆ ሣ እ ና በ አ ር ያ ም! The priests go in procession, bearing their crosses
and censers. Atse Gebre Meskel also built Churches in Jerusalem, Syria, and other
places that are not to be found today due to the next Islamic expansion. His feast day
is observed on 30 Hidar. 23 ሊ ቀ ካ ህ ና ት ጥ ዑ መ ል ሳ ን ካ ሣ ፣ ያ ሬ ድ ና
ዛ ማው፣ 30። 24 Sergew, Ancient … 162; E. A. Wallis Budge, The Saints of the
Ethiopian Church, (Cambridge 1928) Vol. III, p. 876) Girma Batu 38 2015 EC.
History of EOTC I _____________________________________________________
3.3. St. YARED This is first part of a discussion on St. Yared’s life and the next
session will be about his contributions to the EOTC. Readings * ገ ድ ለ ቅ ዱ ስ
ያ ሬ ድ * ጥ ዑ መ ል ሳ ን ካ ሣ ፣ ያ ሬ ድ ና ዛ ማው * ል ሳ ነ ወ ር ቅ ገ ብ ረ
ጊ ዮ ር ጊ ስ ፣ ማኅ ሌ ተ ያ ሬ ድ ፡ ጥ ን ታ ዊ ሥር ዓ ተ ማኅ ሌ ት ዗ አ ቡ ነ
ያ ሬ ድ ሊ ቅ * Sergew Hable Sellassie, Ancient …, 164-179 St. Yared is one of the
very few early Ethiopian saints known to history. His second hagiographer lived most
probably in the fifteenth century. However, the traditions firm that the Ethiopian
church owes the composition of Degua, its music as well as the great part of its hymns,
to this great saint. Yared flourished during the reign of Gabra Masqal. St. Yared was
born in Axum in the first half of sixth century. He was a son of an Axumite priestly
family of Abiyud or Yeshaq and Krestina (Isaac and Christina). When his father died
while the son was still a child, his mother took him to Gedewon (Gideon), a famous
biblical scholar of the time who also happened to be a relative. It soon became clear to
the child and the teacher that Yared did not have the talent for learning. Frustrated
after several trials and unable to further endure his master's beatings, Yared
considered abandoning school. He left his master and ran away from the town and
crawled under a tree near the tomb of Menelik I, called ማይ ኪ ራ ሕ .25 25 ሊ ቀ
ካ ህ ና ት ጥ ዑ መ ል ሣ ን ካ ሣ ፣ ያ ሬ ድ ና ዛ ማው፣ ገ . 20። Girma Batu 39 2015
EC. History of EOTC I While sitting there resting, he watched a caterpillar trying to
climb a tree. When he saw that it succeeded after very many attempts, he went back to
his teacher to try further. With persistence and prayers, Yared succeeded in becoming
a great scholar. The situation is summarized in a poem form (አ ር ኬ ) which is found
in the Synaxarium of Genbot 11. ሰ ላ ም ለ ያ ሬ ድ ስ ብ ሐ ተ መላ እ ክ ት ለ ሕ ዋ ጼ
዗ አ እ ረ ገ በ ል ቡ ሕ ሊ ና መን ፈ ስ ረ ዋ ፄ ለ ት ምሕ ር ተ መጽ ሐ ፍ ገ ብ አ
እ ምኅ በ ኮ ነ ነ ፋ ጼ በ ብ ዘ ሕ ጻ ማ ዗ አ ል ቦ ኁ ጻ ጼ መል እ ል ተ ጉ ን ደ ኦ ም
ነ ጺሮ እ ን ዗ የ ዓ ር ግ ዕ ፄ Since this time onwards, Yared’s life is completely
changed. As Sergew Haile Selassie said, his memory is improved miraculously. He
learned Old Testament and New Testament books in a single day.26 Yared grew up
serving as a deacon at the church of Axum, site of the "Ark of Zion," the Tabot (Ark)
that was believed to be house of Moses' tablets of the Ten Commandments. In a very
argumentative way some sources say that when he reached the age of maturity, he
married and became both a father and an accomplished priest. His marriage was,
however, not without problems. When he discovered that his wife had a lover, he
planned to ambush and to kill him. He abandoned the plan only when the messenger
of God came to him in the form of three birds and reminded him that he should rather
value his priesthood. Then, st. Yared succeeded to the position of his uncle, i.e.
teaching.27 The above historical view is not simply acceptable, even by the official
teaching of the church. Merigeta Lesanework Gebre Giorgis writes, St. Yared Led a
celibate life throughout his time. He strongly rejects Yared’s marriage for the reason
that there is 26 Sergew, Ancient … 165. 27 ሊ ቀ ካ ህ ና ት ጥ ዑ መ ል ሣ ን ካ ሣ ፣
ያ ሬ ድ ና ዛ ማው፣ ገ . 20። Girma Batu History of EOTC I 40 2015 EC. no any
information or evidence about his wife and children. He also presented an alternative
narration:- ቅ ዱ ስ ያ ሬ ድ ን ጹ ሕ ድ ን ግ ል እ ን ደ ነ በ ረ ና ዛ ማውን ም
የ ደ ረ ሰ በ ት ምክ ን ያ ት ማስ ረ ጃ ውን ከ ዙ ህ በ ታ ች አ ቀ ር ባ ለ ሁ ።
እ ውነ ተ ኛ ማስ ረ ጃ በ ት ግ ራ ይ ክ ል ል ፣ በ ኹለ ት አ ውላ ዕ ሎ አ ውራ ጃ ፣
በ ደ ስ ኣ ወ ረ ዳ ማር ያ ም ዓ ውዳ በ ተ ባ ለ ቤ ተ ክ ር ስ ቲ ያ ን የ ሚገ ኝ
ምል ክ ት የ ሌ ለ ው በ ብ ራ ና ላ ይ የ ተ ጻ ፈ ጥ ን ታ ዊ መዜ ሙር (ድ ጓ )
በ መቅ ድ ሙላ ይ የ ጻ ፈ ውን በ አ ማር ኛ የ ተ ረ ጎ ምኹት እ ን ዲ ህ ይ ላ ል ።
ከ ሐ ፄ ካ ሌ ብ ዗ መነ መን ግ ሥት እ ስ ከ ል ጃ ቸ ው ሐ ፄ ገ ብ ረ መስ ቀ ል
዗ መን ድ ረ ስ በ መላ ኢ ት ዮ ጵ ያ ሰ ላ ምና ጽ ጋ ብ በ ዜ ቶ ሕ ዜ ቡ ጠግ ቦ
ሁ ል ጊ ዛ ቀ ን ና ሌ ሊ ት እ የ ዗ ፈ ነ እ ግ ዙ አ ብ ሔር ን ያ ስ ቀ ይ መው
ነ በ ር ። . . . በ ዙ ህ ጊ ዛ [ቅ ዱ ስ ያ ሬ ድ ] በ ዗ ፈ ኑ ሲ ያ ዜ ን ሲ ና ደ ድ ሁ ሉ ን
የ ሚያ ውቅ እ ግ ዙ አ ብ ሔር በ ጣዕ መ ዛ ማው ዗ ፈ ኑ ን እ ን ዲ መል ሰ ውና
በ ሰ ጠው የ መላ እ ክ ት ዛ ማ ለ ዗ ለ ዓ ለ ም መታ ሰ ቢ ያ እ ን ዲ ያ ቆ ምለ ት
በ ወ ደ ደ ጊ ዛ ኅ ዳ ር 5 ቀ ን 534 ዓ .ም. ጊ ዛ ነ ግ ህ ከ ገ ነ ተ ኤ ዶ ም
አ ሮ ድ ዮ ን የ ሚባ ሉ ሦ ስ ት ነ ጭ ወ ፎ ች ል ኮ ወ ደ ጽ ር ሐ አ ር ያ ም
ነ ጠቀ ውና በ ዙ ያ ው የ ሚመሰ አ ን በ ት ን የ መላ እ ክ ት ዛ ማ
ገ ለ ጸ ለ ት ። . . .‛ It seems that at this time Yared left Axum (or even Ethiopia) and
probably went to the Holy Land and the neighboring countries where Christian
worship had developed. According to his hagiographer, singing in church in a loud
voice was not known in the Ethiopian church at that time. But in Jerusalem he heard
songs of praise to God in a loud voice. One of the birds appeared again and taught
him the three types or modes of melodies that are still in use in the Ethiopian church.
As noted, tradition ascribes to Yared the composition of the voluminous composition
for the year, the Deggwa. There is noreason to doubt that Yared was responsible for
the composition of the nucleus of the Deggwa, the text as well as the melody. But the
Deggwa was greatly enlarged by the inclusion of hymns for the saints who lived after
the death of Yared. It includes, for example, hymns of the majority of saints who
flourished from the fifteenth to seventeenth centuries. After serving at the church in
Axum for several years, Yared decided to abandon his homeland and go west to
Semen. The reason is not clear, but he spent the rest of his life teaching there. His
concealed tomb is believed to be there. Yared is commemorated on 11 Genbot. Girma
Batu 41 2015 EC. History of EOTC I
__________________________________________________________________ St.
Yared and His Contributions to the EOTC and Ethiopia By a specific reason, this
session will be presented and discussed in Geez and Amharic. Most of the sources on
the Saint are written with these two languages and then some were translated to
English and other languages. so, to have a direct access to the message we preferred
to do so.