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Early Christianity
Ethiopian Orthodox Church
| Doctrines | The Ethiopian Orthodox
Church is one of the five so-called monophysite churches, characterised by
their rejection of the Council of Chalcedon (451). In contrast to
Chalcedon's doctrine that Christ is one person existing in two natures the
Ethiopian Orthodox Church affirms that Christ's humanity cannot be
separated from his divinity. After the incarnation the thoughts and
actions of Jesus were those of a single unitary being. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church closely follows the precepts of the Old Testament. Church members are expected to be circumcised, to follow the dietary practices set out in the Old Testament, and observe Saturday as the Sabbath.
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| History | Christianity in Ethiopia
dates back to the 4th century. It was brought to the region by a
Christian captive, Frumentius, who later became Ethiopia's first bishop.
Frumentius was consecrated by Athanasius the Great in Alexandria, an act
which placed the Ethiopian church under the jurisdiction of the Coptic
Church of Egypt. Monasticism was introduced towards the end of the 5th
century by nine monks from Syria who are believed to have translated the
Bible into the local language, Ge'ez. From the 7th century Ethiopia was
cut off from the rest of the Christian world by the Islamic conquest of
North Africa. Chronic skirmishes between Christians and Muslims led to
the outbreak of civil war in the 16th century and the sacking of
monasteries and the burning of churches. In the 17th century the
conversion of the emperor to Roman Catholicism and the attempt to impose
his faith on his subjects produced fierce resistance and the martyrdom of
many thousands of Christians. In 1959 the Ethiopian church became
independent from Egypt when an Ethiopian patriarch was elected.
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| Symbols | The finest examples of
Ethiopian symbolism and iconography are to be found at the Cathedral of
Axum, the site of the oldest church in Ethiopia. The cathedral is
lavishly decorated with paintings of scenes such as the coming of the Ark
of the Covenant, the Virgin and Infant, and the nine saints. The most
treasured icon is what the church believes to be the Ark of the Covenant
which according to tradition was removed was removed from the Queen of
Sheba's retinue in the time of King Solomon. The ark has never been
described by Christian sources since it is forbidden to see it. However,
Muslim chroniclers relate that it is a large white stone inlaid with
gold.
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| Adherents | The church is estimated
to have 22 million adherents in Ethiopia. The church also has members in
America and Trinidad (Europa Publications Limited 1995, 1:1135).
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| Headquarters/ Main Centre | The
Cathedral of Axum. The church can be contacted at the following address:
POB 1238, Addis Ababa.
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