The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church is an autocephalous Oriental Orthodox church with its headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It is the largest of the Oriental Orthodox Churches.
The term "Tewahedo" (Ge'ez: ተዋሕዶ) is a Geʽez word meaning "united as one." This refers to the Oriental Orthodox belief in Miaphysitism, which means one perfectly unified nature of Christ. This is a complete union of the divine and human natures into one nature to accomplish the divine salvation of humankind.
Early History and Evangelization
Tradition holds that Ethiopia was first evangelized by St. Matthew and St. Bartholomew in the 1st century CE. The first Ethiopian convert is believed to be the eunuch in Jerusalem mentioned in The Acts of the Apostles (8:27-40).
Ethiopia was further Christianized in the 4th century CE by St. Frumentius and Aedesius, two men (likely brothers) from Tyre. They won the confidence of the king at Aksum and were allowed to evangelize. King Ezana was baptized by Frumentius, and Christianity became the state religion. Toward the end of the 5th century, nine monks from Syria brought monasticism to Ethiopia and encouraged the translation of the Scriptures into the Geʿez language.
The Book of Acts gives the account of the Ethiopian Eunuch of Queen Candace, who was first evangelized and then baptized by the apostle Philip (Acts 8:26-36). Eusebius, the great Church historian, refers to the Ethiopian Eunuch as “the first fruit of Christianity in the whole world.”
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Doctrinal Beliefs
The Ethiopian church followed the Coptic (Egyptian) church in rejecting the Christological decision issued by the Council of Chalcedon in 451 CE. The council stated that the human and divine natures of Jesus Christ were equally present in one person without commingling.
The Coptic and Ethiopian churches held that the human and divine natures were equally present through the mystery of the Incarnation within a single nature, which is called miaphysitism, or single-nature doctrine. The Roman and Greek churches interpreted this position as a heresy called monophysitism, the belief that Christ had only one nature, which was divine.
The Ethiopian church included the word tewahedo in its name. Tewahedo is a Geʿez word meaning “unity” and expressing the church’s miaphysite belief. Like other so-called non-Chalcedonian (also referred to as Oriental Orthodox) churches, it was cut off from dialogue with the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches until the mid-20th century.
The doctrinal teaching of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church is firmly grounded in the five pillars of mystery:
- Mystery of the Holy Trinity
- Mystery of Incarnation
- Mystery of Baptism
- Mystery of Holy Communion
- Mystery of Resurrection
The Ethiopian Orthodox Church accepted the three Ecumenical Councils Nicaea (A.D. 325), Constantinople (A.D. 381) and Ephesus (A.D. 431). Therefore, the Nicene-Constantinople creed has become the symbol of our faith.
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Our Creed:
We believe in one God, the Lord, the Father Almighty, maker of the heavens and the earth and of all things visible and invisible. We believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only-begotten Son of the Father, who was with him before the creation of the world: Light of Light, true God from true God, begotten not made, equal with the Father in his Godhead: By whom all things were made, but without him was not anything made, neither in heaven nor on earth; who for us human-beings and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and Mary, of the holy Virgin Mary. He was made man and was crucified for us in the days of Pontius Pilate; he suffered, died, was buried, and rose from the dead on the third day as it is written in the Holy Scriptures. He ascended with glory into heaven, sat at the right hand of his Father, and will come again with glory to judge the living and the dead; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father, we worship and glorify him with the Father and the Son; who spoke by the prophets; and we believe in one holy, universal, apostolic Church. We believe in one baptism for the remission of sin; and await the resurrection of the dead and the life to come, world without end. Amen.
Historical Developments
In the 7th century, the conquests of the Muslim Arabs cut off the Ethiopian church from contact with most of its Christian neighbours. The church absorbed various syncretic beliefs in the following centuries, but contact with the outside Christian world was maintained through the Ethiopian monastery in Jerusalem.
Beginning in the 12th century, the patriarch of Alexandria appointed the Ethiopian archbishop, known as the abuna (Arabic: “our father”), who was always an Egyptian Coptic monk. This created a rivalry with the native itshage (abbot general) of the strong Ethiopian monastic community.
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Attempts to shake Egyptian Coptic control were made from time to time, but it was not until 1929 that a compromise was effected: an Egyptian monk was again appointed abuna, but four Ethiopian bishops were also consecrated as his auxiliaries. A native Ethiopian abuna, Basil, was finally appointed in 1950, and in 1959 an autonomous Ethiopian patriarchate was established, although the church continued to recognize the honorary primacy of the Coptic patriarch.
When neighbouring Eritrea gained independence from Ethiopia in 1993, it appealed to Pope Shenouda III, the patriarch of the Coptic church, for autocephaly. This was granted in 1994; the Ethiopian church assented in 1998 to the independence of the new Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church.
Under the Amhara-dominated Ethiopian monarchy, the Ethiopian Orthodox church was declared to be the state church of the country, and it was a bulwark of the regime of Emperor Haile Selassie I. Upon the abolition of the monarchy and the institution of socialism in the country beginning in 1974, the church was disestablished. Its patriarch was executed, and the church was divested of its extensive landholdings. The church was placed on a footing of equality with Islam and other religions in the country, but it nevertheless remained Ethiopia’s most influential religious body.
Clergy and Practices
The clergy is composed of priests, who conduct the religious services and perform exorcisms; deacons, who assist in the services; and debtera, who, though not ordained, perform the music and dance associated with church services and also function as astrologers, fortune-tellers, and healers.
Ethiopian Christianity blends Christian conceptions of saints and angels with pre-Christian beliefs in benevolent and malevolent spirits and imps. Considerable emphasis is placed on the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament). Further, the church recognizes a wider canon of scripture that includes such texts as the apocalyptic First Book of Enoch. Circumcision is almost universally practiced; the Saturday Sabbath (in addition to Sunday) is observed by some devout believers; the ark is an essential item in every church; and rigorous fasting is still practiced.
The priesthood of the Ethiopian church, on the whole, is not learned, though there are theological seminaries in Addis Ababa and Harer. Monasticism is widespread, and individual monasteries often teach special subjects in theology or church music. Each community also has its own church school, which until 1900 was the sole source of Ethiopian education. The liturgy and scriptures are typically in Geʿez, though both have been translated into Amharic, the principal modern language of Ethiopia.
Calendar and Feasts
The calendar of the Ethiopian church came from Egypt and agrees with the calendar of the Coptic Church. But the two calendars differ with regard to the saints’ days and the time of observing them.
The year of the Ethiopian calendar contains 365 days to which is added every fourth year an extra day. Each year in this four-year period is dedicated to one of the four Evangelists who come in the following order: Mathew, Mark, Luke and John. The year of Luke is the Ethiopian Leap year and is the year which precedes the western leap year. Each year is divided into 12 months of 30 days. The extra 5 days are placed at the end of the year and known as Pagumen.
Yearly holidays in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church are celebrated by taking out the Ark of the Covenant from the Holy of Holies and carrying it on the head of a priest and going around the Church three times in procession (oudet) to the accompaniment of songs and hymns fitting each particular occasion. The celebration is wound up after a sermon is given.
Regularly recurring holidays are declared on the first day of the Ethiopian New Year which is also known as St. John the Baptist’s Feast Day. Ethiopian New Year falls on Meskerem 1st (September 11th) except in a leap year when it fall on September 12th.
The church also observes a number of fasts, including:
- Fast of the Apostles, 10-40 days, which the Apostles kept after they had received the Holy Spirit.
- The fast preceding Christmas, 40 days.
- The fast of Nineveh, commemorating the preaching of Jonah. It comes on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of the third week before Lent.
The total number of fasting days amounts to about 250 a year, of which about 180 are obligatory for all, and the rest are only for priests, monks, nuns and other special groups in the church.
What are the seven major fasts?
Some Major Feast Days:
| Feast Day | Date (Ethiopian Calendar) | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Christmas (Gena) | Tahisas 29 | Celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. |
| Epiphany (Timket) | Tire 11 | Commemorates the baptism of Jesus Christ in the Jordan River. |
| Hosanna (Palm Sunday) | One week before Easter | Celebrates Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem. |
| Fasika (Easter) | Varies | Celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ. |
| Pentecost | 50 days after Easter | Commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles. |
| Meskel | Meskerem 17 | Commemorates the finding of the True Cross by St. Helena. |
Sibket: Prophetic Announcement
‘Sebket’ is a Ge’ez word meaning ‘preaching, proclamation, (but in this context it is better to be defined as prophetic announcement)’. Every year, the Ethiopian church recognizes the clear prophetic statements that foretold the Coming of Jesus Christ for the salvation of mankind. It celebrates as one of the minor feasts of Our Lord Jesus Christ in three consecutive weeks known as “Sibket (prophetic announcement), Berhan (light) and Nolawi (shepherd)” prior to Christmas.
The church celebrates the feasts by drawing scriptural readings relevant to the specific declaration of the prophets, how it was to be accomplished, and what it means for mankind. Scriptures proved from prophecies of the Old Testament that Jesus Christ is indeed the promised Messiah and Savior, prophetically validating Him as the coming King of kings and Lord of lords!
