The origins

THE ETHIOPIAN Orthodox Church (EOC) in Jamaica is not a popular denomination. It has a few branches in the country and is oft referred to as the “Rasta Church”. Yet, its origin goes way back to several centuries, making it much older than the mainstream denominations. The evolution of the church consists of many stages and a plethora of narratives, some of which are set outside of Ethiopia itself.

A 1970 publication of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, titled The Church of Ethiopia: A Panorama of History And Spiritual Life, by Professor Sergew Habele Selassie and Professor Tadesse Tamerat, says, “Although Christianity became the official religion of the Aksumite kingdom in the fourth century, the religion had been known in Ethiopia since a much earlier time … We are told of a certain Eunuch … who went to Jerusalem to worship the God of Israel.”

In Israel, the eunuch was baptised by a deacon named Philip. He returned to Ethiopia thereafter to preach the Gospel. Several sources are now saying the EOC, an independent Christian patriarchate in Ethiopia, is traditionally thought to have been founded by the preaching of the Apostle Matthew or the eunuch of the Acts of the Apostles. Yet, even before the trip to Israel, Christianity was openly practised by many of the merchants from the Roman Empire who had settled in the Aksumite region in Ethiopia. In cities such as Axum (Aksum) and Adulis, these merchants had built prayer houses and openly practised their religion.

But, the story that seems to be the foundation for the establishment of the church is that of Meropius, a philosopher from Tyre, southern Lebanon. With two young male relatives, Frumentius and Aedesius, he and his crew set out to visit India. They stopped along the coast of Africa at a place where the people were hostile to Romans. Meropius and the entire crew were killed. Only the boys were spared; they were taken to the king, who liked them.

Aedesius, the younger of the two, was made the king’s cup-bearer, while Frumentius became his treasurer and secretary. However, the king died early, leaving his wife with an infant son as heir to the throne. The widow, who was now regent, asked Aedesius and Frumentius to remain to help her administer the kingdom until her son was grown-up. But, it was Frumentius who sought out Christians among the Roman merchants settled at Axum, and encouraged them to establish meeting places for prayer, gradually sowing the seed of Christianity among the people.

Their young king himself was converted. When he was old enough to rule the country alone, Aedesius returned home to Tyre, while Frumentius went to Alexandria, Egypt, to ask the newly appointed patriarch, Athanasius, to appoint a bishop to minister to the needs of the growing Christian community at Axum. A council of priests agreed that Frumentius himself should be consecrated as the first Bishop of Axum.

The introduction of Christianity as the state religion of Ethiopia came about because it was the desire of the king. Christianity was introduced first to the royal court, and from there it gradually spread among people who voluntarily adopted it. The introduction marked a turning point in Ethiopian history. It was not only a purely religious phenomenon, but it played a pivotal role in all aspects of life.

Selassie and Tamerat say the birth of the Ethiopian Church took place at a time when Arian heresy was at its peak. Arian is the adjective derived from Priest Arius, a significant dissenter from orthodoxy. He was declared a heretic by the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea convened by Emperor Constantine the Great in 325, before the establishment of the Ethiopian Church.

In trying to impose Arianism on the people, Constantius, the son of Constantine the Great, expelled Athanasius from the Patriarchate of Alexandria. Yet the Council of Nicaea regarded its AD 325 decision as binding, and Ethiopia stood by Athanasius and the Nicene Faith. Frumentius remained in Axum to continue the teaching which he had learnt from Athanasius.

The Ethiopian Church holds Athanasius in sacred veneration. He was canonised a saint, and his work, The Life of Saint Anthony, was translated into Ethiopic, the language of the day. Yet, a plethora of sources are saying the EOC was established in the 4th century by St Frumentius and his brother, Aedesius. Frumentius was succeeded by Bishop Minas, said to be of Egyptian origin.

“From this time onward began the peculiar Alexandrian jurisdiction over the Ethiopian Church, which was to last for 1,600 years. Throughout this period, Ethiopians were not considered to be eligible for consecration as bishops. Minas left certain literary works concerning his missionary activities, but the major contribution in the missionary field was that of the nine Saints,” Selassie and Tamerat say.