By Peggy Fletcher Stack, The Salt Lake Tribune
The Ethiopian Orthodox Church traces its lineage back to the Queen of Sheba, in the 11th century B.C. Legend has it that Sheba married King Solomon, who fathered her son, Menelik. As an adult, Menelik returned to Jerusalem, it is said, and returned with the Ark of the Covenant.
The East African nation is even mentioned in the Bible. “Ethiopia will quickly stretch out her hands to God,” it says in the biblical book of Psalms. And in the book of Amos, the author asks: “Are ye not as children of the Ethiopians unto me, O children of Israel?”
Ethiopia was among the first nations to have Christian converts, but the church was not established as an institution until A.D. 340, when it got its first bishop and became the country’s official religion. Down through the centuries, the Ethiopian Church was part of the Oriental Orthodox communion, looking to Egypt and the Coptic Church for leadership. It also was constantly challenged by proponents of Islam.
In the 20th century, Emperor Haile Selassie helped push the Ethiopian Church into greater independence from the Coptic Church, writes Michael Allen for Harvard’s Pluralism Project at www.pluralism.org. In 1948, the Coptic Church agreed to consecrate an Ethiopian rather than a Copt as the next metropolitan of Ethiopia.
In 1974, though, Marxist revolutionaries overthrew Haile Selassie and severely persecuted Christians, seizing church properties and killing tens of thousands of believers, Allen writes. The communist government fell in 1991, and this in turn led to a schism within the church, with Patriarch Merkorios being accused of collaboration with the Communists and forced to resign. In 1992, the new government installed Patriarch Abune Paulos in his place, but Merkorios refused to recognize the election. The split between the two groups continues to this day, each one excommunicating the other.
“A bishop would never terminate his power or transfer his power to anyone else as long as he is alive,” says Dereje Shawl, an Ethiopian who runs The African Market in downtown Salt Lake City. “Merkorios went into exile because of political reasons. The new government appointed the current bishop, which is totally out of the doctrine of the church.”
Members of Utah’s tiny Ethiopian Orthodox community are divided about the competing bishops. “There is no consensus among the refugees as to who should lead the church,” Shawl says. “It’s a matter of opinion.” [What an ignorant. It is not a “matter of opinion.” It’s a matter of long established rules and procedures.]
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2 thoughts on “Ethiopian Orthodox Church: A long history”
It always gives me a sense of pride to be part of the oriental Church with rich rituals and meaningful symbols, which as visible sacraments that connect us to the invisible God. The Orthodox church, as “sacrament” itself is to lead us/connect us with the cosmos,”the cause uncaused” as philosphers ( theologians) called it. All the rituals, the apostolic power of the church leader(s) and the sacred duty vested in them are to serve as MEANS not as END. At times, when worship is thwarted by numerious rituals, it may switch the focus to an impression of viewing the means as the end. Perhaps, Our symbolism and rich tradition dragged us behind from seeing what is beyond all power, all calls, all services,and rituals. We may mind the many people who are confused as the result of what politics does to religion or what has been perceived it did.The moral leader(s)have moral duty not to make themselves the centre of concerns- as people are obliged to worship with mixed feelings; as much of the faithfuls’ energy is invested on this earthly matter, and as divisiveness begets divisiveness in the church members.
When highest moral leaders on earth have no way of solving spiritual problems; when those who have seen the light fail to bring hope to those in need; and when religion plays out politics and division, then the question is even more serious. Are we as community of faith left to our own interpretation of God? What is the measure of our judgment: feelings, affiliation, or the teaching of the church?
The rich tradition of our faith as Orthodox has to be our energy not our divisive power. But when leaders – those who are called to lead us to sacred duty need to speak up. Tell us the truth with love. It seems at times that we are left to our definition of what is right- which gives relativity to the absolute truth in the teaching of the church. I have no problem with relativity; The absolute Church teaching is preached based on context anyways. I am concerened about the quest of ” who is the shepherd of the church?” The wrong answer to this may lead many faithfuls to more notion of relativity in defining what is truth and this may show up as totaliterian, of course as reasoning surpasses faith and rituals and power become the end.
We hope as christians for the truth to be told in Love. The Church leader (s) to unveil the wisdom of the Church in solving problem.The faithful to focus on the sacraments and the invisible God they represent rather than who they stand with ( this leader/ that leader), that is my humble opinion. At least it reduces the hatred we are accumilating as we worship the same God thinking of the ills of one in the name of religion that is against this kind of spirit.
May God be in all
I think the Ethiopian Orthodox Church will always and be part of Ethiopian history, but this does raise some questions perhaps reflects of separation of church and state. It is obvious that the Church, IF and only IF it’s truly independent and is NOT answerable to the top leader of the country (as it is today to Meles Zenawi) politically speaking, would it do better and not suffer with the # of new generation or young orthodox church goers as it’s losing them to other denominations such as Pentacostal and others???
Also, the Orthodox Church was a powerful institutions that could even bring down leaders if they didn’t adhere to strict Ethiopianess and tradition, of course, the current “Pope”, never raises such issues and is 100% compliant, again going back to the question above….IS THE ORTHDOX CHURCH hurt incredibly by Meles/Paulos by not being independent. Understand that Meles has the guns, but let’s be honest, in past history, the church had the power to mobelize the people to be against certain rulers, even provoking war in the interest of the people, their interest and God! Obviously, it’s under occupation now!
Anyway, 35Million Ethiopian Orthodox members in Ethiopia and in the diaspora, officially makes Islam the dominant and even more dominant major religion of the future of Ethiopia, wether we like it or not! It’s also the fastest rising under Meles as people are being radicalized more and converting women (formerly christian) to Islam by a lot of Muslim Ethiopians. This simply act, will indeed make the future 100 Million Ethiopian population in 2015, under 25 million while the Muslims will for sure be at least 60+Million, thus technically the can politically be a force to be reckoned with and may claim Ethiopia an Islamic Republic as some radicals inside the country are amazingly advocating.
Food4thought