Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church

Origins in Aksum

Ethiopian Christian tradition traces the faith to the court official baptized by the apostle Philip in the Book of Acts. As an institution, though, the church grew out of the kingdom of Aksum in the 4th century. Frumentius, a young Christian from Tyre, was shipwrecked and brought to the Aksumite court, where he rose to be an adviser. He was later consecrated bishop in Alexandria by Athanasius and returned as Aksum's first bishop. Ethiopians honour him as Abba Salama. King Ezana adopted Christianity around the middle of the century and was the first ruler to put the cross on his coins. The Met's Emma George Ross notes that the new faith may also have helped Ezana build ties with the Roman world and unite a diverse kingdom.

Monks, books and churches

About a century and a half later, a group remembered as the Nine Saints brought monasticism and translated religious texts into Ge'ez. Ge'ez is still the church's liturgical language, though parts of the liturgy are now said in Amharic. Monasteries such as Debre Damo became important centres, and monastic scriptoria produced illuminated manuscripts. Under the Zagwe dynasty, churches were carved from living rock at Roha, now Lalibela. The Solomonic dynasty, which took power in 1270 and claimed descent from Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, promoted devotion to the Virgin Mary and supported a rich tradition of icons and wall painting.

Faith and practice

The church belongs to the Oriental Orthodox family, which shares its faith with the Coptic, Syrian and Armenian churches. These churches share a heritage that goes back to the schism of 451. "Tewahedo" expresses the church's teaching on the single, united nature of Christ. The World Council of Churches notes a biblical canon of 81 books, 14 anaphoras (eucharistic prayers), and seven fasting seasons, including most Wednesdays and Fridays.

Trials and independence

The church has endured serious destruction, including the Adal wars of 1531–1543, which destroyed many churches and monasteries; persecution by Jesuit missionaries in the 17th century; and the Italian occupation of 1935–1940. During the occupation, bishops, priests and thousands of believers were killed, and more than 2,000 churches were destroyed.

For centuries the church's head, the abuna, was an Egyptian Coptic monk appointed from Alexandria. Reforms under Emperor Haile Selassie changed this. In 1951 Basilios became the first Ethiopian-born abuna, and in 1959 the church became fully independent of the Coptic Church, with Basilios as its first patriarch. It joined the World Council of Churches in 1948. The church was the state religion for most of Ethiopia's history and lost that status after the 1974 revolution.

Today

Estimates of its size vary. In a 2008 Berkley Center interview, a church official gave over 40 million members. The World Council of Churches now lists about 60 million. The church has dioceses and bishops abroad and runs development programs through its Development and Inter-Church Aid Commission.