The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (Amharic: የኢትዮጵያ ኦርቶዶክስ ተዋሕዶ ቤተ ክርስቲያን) stands as the largest of the Oriental Orthodox Churches. The term "Tewahedo" (Ge'ez: ተዋሕዶ) translates to "united as one," encapsulating the church's core belief in Miaphysitism.
This doctrine emphasizes the perfectly unified nature of Christ, asserting a complete union of the divine and human natures into one. This contrasts with the "two natures of Christ" belief prevalent in Latin, Eastern Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, Lutheran, and most other Protestant churches.
The Oriental Orthodox Churches, including the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, are often referred to as "non-Chalcedonian" or, by some, as "monophysite," highlighting their belief in the single, unified nature of Jesus Christ.
Early History and Origins
References to Ethiopians in Jerusalem date back to the time of Saint Peter's preaching, as mentioned by John Chrysostom. Some accounts even suggest possible missions of the Apostles in the lands of Ethiopia as early as the 4th century. Socrates of Constantinople includes Ethiopia in his list as one of the regions preached by Matthew the Apostle.
Ethiopian Church tradition also recounts that Bartholomew accompanied Matthew on a mission that lasted at least three months. These missions are depicted in paintings by Francesco Trevisan (1650-1740) and Marco Benefial (1688-1764) in the Church of St. Bartholomew on the Island in Rome.
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The Bible tells us that an Ethiopian eunuch who happened to be in Jerusalem for the purpose of worshipping in the 1st century A.D. brought Christianity to Ethiopia (Acts.
The Ethiopic version of Acts 8:27 reads "Hendeke" (ህንደኬ); Queen Gersamot Hendeke VII was the Queen of Ethiopia from c. 42 to 52.
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").
Ezana Stone
Union with the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria continued after the Arab conquest of Egypt. Abu Saleh records in the 12th century that the patriarch 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 the observance of canonical consecration for all churches.
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Medieval Period and Jesuit Influence
During the Middle Ages, the Ethiopian Church witnessed the rise of influential monastic movements that challenged established religious and political norms. The period of Jesuit influence, which broke the connection with Egypt, began a new chapter in church history.
In 1507, Mateus, or Matthew, an Armenian, had been sent as an Ethiopian envoy to Portugal. In 1520, an embassy under Dom Rodrigo de Lima landed in Ethiopia. Later, Ignatius Loyola wished to take up the task of conversion, but was forbidden to do so.
After repeated failures some measure of success was achieved under Emperor Susenyos I, 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 by the authorities of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, and eventually had to abdicate in 1632 in favour of his son, Fasilides, who promptly restored Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity as the state religion.
Influence on the Reformation
David Daniels has suggested that the Ethiopian Church has had a stronger impact on the Reformation than most scholars acknowledge. According to Daniels, Martin Luther saw that the Ethiopian Orthodox Church practiced elements of faith including "communion under both kinds, vernacular Scriptures, and married clergy" and these practices became customary in the Lutheran churches.
Modern Developments
In modern times, the Ethiopian Church has experienced a series of developments. The 19th century witnessed the publication of an Amharic translation of the Bible.
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Haile Selassie also played a prominent role in further reforms of the church, which included encouraging the distribution of Abu Rumi's translation throughout Ethiopia, as well as his promotion of improved education of clergy, a significant step in the Emperor's effort being the founding of the Theological College of the Holy Trinity Church in December 1944.
The Coptic and Ethiopian churches reached an agreement on 13 July 1948, that led to autocephaly for the Ethiopian Church.
This promotion was completed when Coptic Orthodox Pope Joseph II consecrated an Ethiopian-born Archbishop, Abuna Basilios, 14 January 1951. Basilios died in 1970, and was succeeded that year by Tewophilos.
Challenges and Changes in the Late 20th Century
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 nationalizing property (including land) owned by the church.
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 Takla Haymanot was enthroned.
Following the fall of the Derg regime in 1991, and the coming to power of the EPRDF government, Merkorios abdicated under public pressure. The church then elected a new Patriarch, Paulos, in 1992 who was recognized by the Coptic Orthodox Pope of Alexandria.
The Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church was granted autocephaly from the Ethiopian Orthodox Church on 28 September 1993 following ratification by Coptic church Patriarch Shenouda III, but the two remain in full communion.
Recent Events
Patriarch Paulos died on 16 August 2012. On 25 July 2018, delegates from the Patriarchate in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and those in the United States, declared reunification in Washington, D.C.
On 7 May 2021, a group of Tigrayan priests and bishops announced the secession of the regional clergy from the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (EOTC) to establish the Tigrayan Orthodox Tewahedo Church (TOTC).
On 22 January 2023, an attempt to overthrow Abune Mathias was failed following a secret formation of new 26-made bishop Synod led by Abune Sawiros in Oromia Region diocese, such as in Haro Beale Wold Church in Woliso, and nine bishops of diocese outside the region. After not apologising for the illegal ordination, three Archbishops were excommunicated by the Holy Synod on 26 January.
On 31 January 2023, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed convened a discussion surrounding the incident where he responded that he was ready to resolve the conflict. On 4 February, three people were reportedly killed in Shashemene by the Oromia Special Forces.
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), to which are added those from the New Testament, or Həggä Wongel (ሕገ ወንጌል).
A hierarchy of K'ədusan ቅዱሳን (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.
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.
The Ethiopian Orthodox church is Trinitarian, maintaining the Orthodox teaching, formalised at the council of Nicea, that God is united in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
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. Fast of the Apostles-10-40 days, which the Apostles kept after they had received the Holy Spirit.
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.
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, 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.
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.
Ethiopian Orthodox Churches in the Diaspora
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.
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. Gabriel’s).
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.
The Debre Genet Medhane Alem Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church was established by the early Ethiopian exiles who had left Ethiopia due to lack of religious, political and social freedoms.
So a more sustained attempt was made to establish a permanent church in the Washington area. Led by Abba Petros (His holiness Abune Meqarios), in 1979, a group of worshipers, numbering perhaps 50, decided to incorporate our assembly as the Mahbere Memenane zahti Amanuel church and some years letter this name was changed to Debre Genet Medhane Alem Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church, and registered as a non-profit organization under the laws of Washington, D.C.
Over the years, Debre Genet Medhane Alem Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church has been the center of Ethiopian spiritual life in the Washington area. The Church has performed invaluable service for the Ethiopian community.
It is the Debre Genet Medhane Alem Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church that has spearheaded religious and community festivities traditionally conducted at important dates in the calendar of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church, such as Meskal (the finding of the true Cross), or Timket (the feast of Epiphany).
Perhaps the clearest evidence of the valuable contributions that Debre Genet Medhane Alem Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church has made to the Ethiopian Community in the greater Washington area is the example it set for enabling other Ethiopian Orthodox churches to be established.
Mekane Selam Medhane Alem Cathedral Mekane Selam Medhanealem church has been serving the Ethiopian community in Bay Area for the past 22 years. The initiative to establish the church was taken by a very few dedicated people under a good leadership of Mr. Yegezu Wondemu.
In 1993, after a lot of sacrifice, the church paid a substantial down payment and bought a used church building in Berkley. The blessing of Mekane Selam Medhanelam church was officiated by His Grace Abuna Melketsedek in the presence of many visiting clergies and the wider members of the community, on April 6, 1993.
In 200__ a church was located in Oakland which can accommodate over 300 people and has many rooms for all kinds of activities. The congregation unanimously voted to go ahead and purchase the building.
St. Michael Ethiopian Orthodox Church
Core Beliefs
Basic to the teaching of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (EOTC) is faith. The church believes that it is impossible to please the Lord without faith. It teaches its followers that the Kingdom of God shall be inherited by faith and good deeds.
