The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, the largest of the Oriental Orthodox Churches, plays a crucial role in preserving the ethnic identity and fostering community among Ethiopian immigrants. With a history spanning over 2000 years, having embraced Christianity in the first century AD, the church has become a cornerstone of Ethiopian culture and spirituality, especially in diaspora communities like those in Maryland.
Origins and Early History
The Ethiopian Orthodox Church traces its roots back to the first century AD, with the story of the Ethiopian eunuch baptized by St. Philip as recounted in Acts 8:26-39 marking a pivotal moment. This account is considered the beginning of Ethiopian Church history. Eusebius identifies the eunuch as the first fruits of the faith in the whole world. Irenaeus notes that he preached the Gospel to the Ethiopians.
Ethiopia embraced Christianity and has maintained its doctrines from the era of the apostles to the present day. Early Christianity became the established church of the Ethiopian Axumite Kingdom under King Ezana in the 4th century when priesthood and the sacraments were brought for the first time through a Syrian Greek named Frumentius, known by the local population in Ethiopia as "Selama, Kesaté Birhan" ("Father of Peace, Revealer of Light").
Nine Syrian saints who came to Ethiopia in the fifth century also made a large contribution to the growth of the church by translating books from Greek, Hebrew, Syriac, and other tongues into the classical Ethiopian language of Geez and by propagating the Gospel, as well as founding monasteries and schools.
Theological Foundations
As is with all Oriental Orthodox Churches the teachings of the Church is founded on the Apostles experience of the Lord Jesus Christ as the Creator and Savior of the World. The first three ecumenical councils Nicaea 325, Constantinople 381, and Ephesus 431 which confessed the Son of God as being of substance with the Father and condemned Arius' formula are accepted by the Ethiopian orthodox Church, but the Church refuses to accept the Council of Chalcedon 451 presided by Pope Leo I which teaches the formula of the "two natures" against that of "one nature" the teaching of St. Cyril, Patriarch of Alexandria.
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The Ethiopian Church holds that there were two natures before incarnation, but only one after the union. Human nature was not dissolved in the Divine as Eutyches taught. But rather, the Divine made the human nature immediately its own. The word and the human constitute one nature, and union is established without confusion and without division.
The seven sacraments (mysteries) Baptism, Confirmation, penance, Holy Communion, Unction of the Sick, Matrimony and Holy Orders are important in the teaching of the E.O.C. The administration of these sacraments is somehow similar to that of other Eastern Orthodox Churches in many ways. But with more native elements especially in hymary (chanting) and the custom of rites. Sacraments are holy ordinance through which the believer receives an invisible grace under the form of an outward sign.
Establishment and Growth in the United States
Due to Political, Economic, Educational and other reasons many Ethiopians exiled to the various parts of the world. As Israelis used to do during their exile in Babylon, the Ethiopians spread all over the world and continued worshipping their God wherever they are and whenever they can. Studies depict that more than a million Ethiopian immigrants live in the United States of America of which one fifth of them reside in the Washington DC area including The CommonWealth of Virginia and the state of Maryland.
Although Ethiopian immigrants were highly dispersed throughout the Washington, DC metropolitan area, many created social networks through their religion, which allowed them to maintain and preserve their ethnic identity after they resettled in the United States. One of the religions that were transported from Ethiopia to the United States was the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. As demonstrated in Bill Broadway’s Washington Post article from May 2, 1998, “For Ethiopians, Church a Home Far from Home: Orthodox Christian Community Keeps Tradition Alive in D.C. At the time of the article, five Ethiopian Churches existed within the region, including Debre Mehret St. Michael’s Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, Debre Selam Kidest Mariam (also known as St. Mary’s), and Debre Haile Kedus Gebriel (also known as St.
In 1959, the first Ethiopian Orthodox parish was opened in the US: Holy Trinity Church in the Bronx, NY. Its founder was Fr. Notably, this first parish was envisioned as a mission for African Americans rather than a church for Ethiopian immigrants.
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After the collapse of the Communist government (1991), the head of Ethiopian Church, Patriarch Merkorios, was accused of collaboration with the former regime. A number of other Ethiopian bishops joined him, which further intensified the spread of Ethiopian Orthodox churches in America. Eventually, the exiled group formed “The Legitimate Holy Synod of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church” with headquarters in Oakland, California - a Church body in opposition to the Synod of Bishops in Ethiopia. For a number of years, Ethiopian Orthodox churches in America were divided between the two rival factions. This schism lasted until 2018, when delegations from both sides, along with the Ethiopian Prime Minister, met in Washington, DC. An agreement was reached that provided for the return of Patriarch Merkorios to Ethiopia to become co-patriarch along with Patriarch Matthias (elected in Ethiopia in 2013). The two Patriarchs would be of equal dignity, and all the bishops of both Synods would be mutually recognized.
Presently, Ethiopian Orthodox churches in the USA are divided into five dioceses, and they continue to grow rapidly.
Debre Mehret St. Michael’s Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church
The Debre Mehret St. Michael’s Church was founded on May 30, 1993. At that time, the services consisted of lessons from the Gospel and liturgy of atonement. As the number of parishioners attending continued to increase, a decision was taken to establish a church. The selection of the Ark became the primary focus. Three names of Arks were placed in a ballot and solemn prayers were held for seven days followed by liturgical prayers on the seventh day. When the ballot was drawn, the name of St.Michael was picked. After the nomination of St. Michael was announced, further prayers continued.
While we were in the process of searching for a building to rent, the Art of St. Michael arrived from Ethiopia. On October 3, the fifth month after the service took place, in collaboration with the clergy of the St. While praying for God’s help to provide us with deacons, as it was very difficult to hold liturgy service with only one cleric, Deacon Samuel Befekadu, and Deacon Kassahun Gebre Selassie, who were concurrently studying and working, joined our Church.
As the first building, we rented could only accommodate 100 people and the membership had doubled, six months later we were obliged to rent a larger space for 200 persons at a higher rate. Again, within a short time, the new space was becoming crowded and the parishioners had to stand in the corridors and stairwell. The parishioners patiently endured for three years the inconvenience of attending the services in this manner during the cold winters and the hot summers. Noting the increased number of parishioners, as of January 7th, the eve of the Ethiopian Christmas, and the proprietors of the building decided to rent to us the largest room they had at a monthly rate of $2,500.00.
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It is gratifying to mention here that, whenever we acquired a larger space, the number of the parishioners increased two-fold, and even the latter space rented became too crowded. After extensive discussions by the Clergy and the Administrative Committee on how to solve the problem, a unanimous decision was reached to acquire an edifice. The preliminary task was to institute a fund-raising program.
After extensive discussions, the Clergy and the Administrative Board proposed to use the budget($102,000.00), which was set aside for the purpose of acquiring religious vessels and providing various ecclesiastical activities, towards a down-payment on the mortgage payment. Since the mortgage payment would be on a long-term basis, the parishioners were asked to make voluntary contributions toward the down-payment by completing pledge forms, in accordance with individual ability. As St. Paul taught us in 2 Corinthians 9:7 “So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a Cheerful giver.”
By the Grace of God and in fulfillment of their spiritual obligations, within three months, the parishioners made donations toward the down-payment of a large building, costing $600,000.00, in Bladensburg (Earl Place) on the North Eastern section of Washington, D.C. The Building was purchased on payment of the first ($125,000). By the Grace of God and through the guidance of St. Michael, the conversion of the building was commenced. To convert the building in accordance with the regulation and the laws of the country, a tender was posted, so as construction companies could place their bids. Mr. Ayalew Debebe, a member of our parish, who is the owner of Ayu Construction, offered a bid for $185,000 to complete the renovation. In addition to completing the conversion, he donated his know-how, time and money to remodel the Shrine which, as you can see today, has been magnificently constructed. We would like to take this opportunity to offer our deepest gratitude in God’s name to Mr.
It becomes apparent through Broadway’s article that St. Michael’s church service was being held “in a converted electrical warehouse ….”[3] While transforming an old warehouse into a church may seem odd to an outsider or member of a well-established and funded religious organization, according to Elizabeth Chacko, this is an example of heterolocalism and ethnic place-making.[4] Ethiopian immigrants could not immediately afford the high costs associated with building a new church in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. Therefore, rather than wait until funding became available, they renovated a warehouse and held church services there as a temporary solution.
Adapting and Thriving: The Eritrean Orthodox Church Example
Similar to the Ethiopian Orthodox community, Eritrean Orthodox congregations have also found innovative ways to establish their presence. The Eritrean Orthodox congregation in the Colmar Manor area, across the Anacostia River from Bladensburg, provides a compelling example of adaptation and resourcefulness.
The congregation sold its old building in the Bloomingdale neighborhood of Washington, D.C., and acquired a new building in Colmar Manor. This new building was originally St. Paul’s Methodist Episcopal Church South, then Tabor Presbyterian Church, and later Greater Little Ark Baptist Church. The Eritrean Orthodox Church then renovated the existing structure, adding ornamental elements and stained glass windows to create a sacred space.
This approach exemplifies how immigrant communities utilize available resources and adapt existing structures to meet their religious and cultural needs. This is incrementalism, adaptation, doing the best you can with what’s available. It’s how culture is made, how places are made.
Challenges and Opportunities
Living in Exile brings a lot of opportunities, experiences and challenges. Many Ethiopians who come to the United States have a greater challenge of coping with the cultural shock, language barriers and understanding of the American way of life. Although many of them have the interest of allotting time for their God to worship there are few who got lost and involved in criminal activities. Considering the need of the Ethiopian Christians living in the Alexandria and Arlington Area, the church is established by Father Mulugeta Wondimu by the approval of his Holiness Archbishop Aba Fanuel head of the Washington DC area Diocese for Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido church.
The Role of the Church in Maintaining Unity and Tradition
The Ethiopian church has played pivotal role in maintaining the unity of the country and development of unique humble personality amongst its fellowship, and significantly cooperated with other international churches for the spread of evangelism. Our church would like to maintain the Ethiopian orthodox Tewahido church value, traditional and spiritual worship. The EOTC Church will propagate the Christian faith of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church and oriental churches.
Our liturgical and prayer sermon will be conducted in Geez, which is the ancient Ethiopian language and the nation’s language Amharic. In the near future the church has a plan to start English Liturgical and sermon.
Beliefs and Practices
The faith and practice of Orthodox Ethiopian Christians include elements from Miaphysite Christianity as it has developed in Ethiopia over the centuries. Christian beliefs include belief in God (in Geʽez / Amharic, ′Egziabeher, lit. "Lord of the Universe"), veneration of the Virgin Mary, 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 Həggä 'Orät (ሕገ ኦሪት),[citation needed] to which are added those from the New Testament, or Həggä Wongel (ሕገ ወንጌል).[83] A hierarchy of K'ədusan ቅዱሳን[citation needed] (angelic messengers and saints) conveys the prayers of the faithful to God and carries out the divine will, so when Ethiopian Christians are in difficulty, they appeal to them as well as to God.
Daily services constitute only a small part of an Ethiopian Orthodox Christian's religious observance. An important religious requirement, however, is the keeping of fast days, during which adherents abstain from consuming meat and animal products, and refrain from sexual activity. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church has 250 fasting days, 180 of which are obligatory for lay people, not just monks and priests, when vegan food is eaten by the faithful.
Priests intervene and perform exorcisms on behalf of those believed to be afflicted by demons or buda. It includes singing praise and victory songs, reading from the Scripture, prayer and confronting the spirit in the name of Jesus. Dialogue with the spirit is another important part of the exorcism ceremony. It helps the counsellor (exorcist) to know how the spirit was operating in the life of the demoniac.
The divine services of the Ethiopian Church are celebrated in Geʽez, which has been the liturgical language of the church at least since the arrival of the Nine Saints (Pantelewon, Gerima (Isaac, or Yeshaq), Aftse, Guba, Alef, Yem’ata, Liqanos, and Sehma), who are believed to have fled persecution by the Byzantine Empire after the Council of Chalcedon (451).
There are many monolithic (rock-hewn) churches in Ethiopia, most famously eleven churches at Lalibela. Besides 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 the architects who, in the 6th century, built the basilicas at Sanʻāʼ 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 centre, 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.
Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church: History, Traditions, and Spirituality
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 4th Century AD | Christianity established in the Ethiopian Axumite Kingdom under King Ezana. |
| 5th Century AD | Nine Syrian saints contribute to the growth of the church. |
| 1959 | The Church of Ethiopia was granted autocephaly (full independence). |
| May 30, 1993 | The Debre Mehret St. Michael’s Church was founded. |
