Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church

Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church

የኢትዮጵያ ኦርቶዶክስ ተዋሕዶ ቤተ ክርስቲያን[

Holy Trinity Cathedral in Addis Ababa, the seat of the Ethiopian Orthodox

Tewahedo Church

Abbreviation EOTC

Classification Oriental Orthodoxy

Orientation Eastern Christianity

Scripture Orthodox Tewahedo Bible

Theology Miaphysite

Polity Episcopal

Co-Primate Mathias

Co-Primate Merkorios

Region Ethiopia and Ethiopian diaspora

 Language Tigrinya, Amharic, Geʽez, Oromo

Liturgy Alexandrian

Headquarters Holy Trinity Cathedral, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Founder Saint Frumentius according to Ethiopian Orthodox

tradition

Origin 4th century

Kingdom of Aksum

Branched from Orthodox Tewahedo

Separations American synod-in-exile (1992-2018)

Members 36 million[1][2][3][4]

Other name(s) Ethiopian Orthodox Church

This article contains Ethiopic

text. Without proper rendering
support, you may see question
marks, boxes, or other
symbols instead of Ethiopic
characters.

Inside Debre Sema'it village rock church

The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (Amharic: የኢትዮጵያ ኦርቶዶክስ ተዋሕዶ ቤተ

ክርስቲያን,[ Yäityop'ya ortodoks täwahedo bétäkrestyan) is the largest of Eastern
Christianity's branch of Oriental Orthodox Christian churches. One of the few pre-
colonial Christian churches in Sub-Saharan Africa,[5] the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo
Church dates back millennia, and has a current membership of about 36 million people,
[1][2][3][4]
 the majority of whom live in Ethiopia.[6] It is a founding member of the World Council
of Churches.[7] The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church is in communion with
the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church, the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria,
the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, the Armenian Apostolic Church and the Syriac
Orthodox Church, having gained autocephaly in 1959.
The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church had been administratively part of the Coptic
Orthodox Church of Alexandria from the first half of the 4th century until 1959, when it
was granted autocephaly with its own patriarch by Saint Pope Cyril VI of
Alexandria, Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria.[8] It is one of the oldest
Christian churches and Ethiopia is the second country historically, following
only Armenia, to have officially proclaimed Christianity as its state religion (in AD 333).
Tewahedo (Ge'ez: ተዋሕዶ) is a Ge'ez word meaning "united as one". This word refers to
the Oriental Orthodox belief in the one perfectly unified nature of Christ; i.e., a complete
union of the divine and human natures into one nature is self-evident in order to
accomplish the divine salvation of humankind, as opposed to the "two natures of Christ"
belief commonly held by the Latin and Eastern Catholic, Eastern
Orthodox, Anglican, Lutheran and most other Protestant churches. The Oriental
Orthodox Churches adhere to a miaphysitic Christological view followed by Cyril of
Alexandria, the leading protagonist in the Christological debates of the 4th and 5th
centuries, who advocated mia physis tou theou logou sesarkōmenē, or "one (mia)
nature of the Word of God incarnate" (μία φύσις τοῦ θεοῦ λόγου σεσαρκωμένη) and
a hypostatic union (ἕνωσις καθ' ὑπόστασιν, henōsis kath hypostasin). The distinction of
this stance was that the incarnate Christ has one nature, but that one nature is of the
two natures, divine and human, and retains all the characteristics of both after the
union.
Miaphysitism holds that in the one person of Jesus Christ, divinity and humanity are
united in one (μία, mia) nature (φύσις - "physis") without separation, without confusion,
without alteration and without mixing where Christ is consubstantial with God the
Father.[9] Around 500 bishops within the patriarchates
of Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem refused to accept the dyophysitism (two natures)
doctrine decreed by the Council of Chalcedon in 451, an incident that resulted in the
second major split in the main body of the State church of the Roman Empire.[10]

Contents

 1Name
 2History
o 2.1Origins
o 2.2Middle Ages
o 2.3Jesuit interim
o 2.4Influence on the Reformation
o 2.5Recent history
  3Traditions
o 3.1Exorcism
o 3.2Biblical canon
o 3.3Language
o 3.4Architecture
o 3.5Ark of the Covenant
o 3.6Similarities to Judaism and Islam
o 3.7Debtera
 4Patriarch-Catholicoi, archbishops and bishops
 5Eparchies
 6See also
 7References
 8Bibliography
 9External links

Name
Tewahedo (Ge'ez: ተዋሕዶ täwaḥədo) is a Ge'ez word meaning "being made one" or
"unified". This word refers to the Oriental Orthodox belief in the one composite
unified nature of Christ; i.e., a belief that a complete, natural union of the divine and
human natures into one is self-evident in order to accomplish the divine salvation of
humankind. This is in contrast to the "two natures of Christ" belief (unmixed, but
unseparated divine and human natures, called the hypostatic union) which is held by
the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church.
The Oriental Orthodox Churches are known as "non-Chalcedonian", and, sometimes by
outsiders as "monophysite" (meaning "One Single Nature", in allusion to Jesus Christ).
However, these churches themselves describe their Christology as miaphysite,[11]
[12]
 meaning "one united nature" in reference to Jesus (the Greek equivalent of
"Tewahedo").

Ethiopian Orthodox icon depicting Saint George, the Crucifixion, and the Virgin Mary

Many traditions claim that Christian teachings were introduced to the region immediately

after Pentecost. John Chrysostom speaks of the "Ethiopians present in Jerusalem" as
being able to understand the preaching of Saint Peter in Acts, 2:38.[13] Possible missions
of some of the Apostles in the lands now called Ethiopia is also reported as early as the
4th century. Socrates of Constantinople includes Ethiopia in his list as one of the
regions preached by Matthew the Apostle,[14] where a specific mention of "Ethiopia south
of the Caspian Sea" can be confirmed in some traditions such as the Roman Catholic
Church among others.[15] Ethiopian Church tradition tells that Bartholomew accompanied
Matthew in a mission which lasted for at least three months.[13] Paintings depicting these
missions are available in the Church of St. Matthew found in the Province of Pisa, in
northern Italy portrayed by Francesco Trevisan (1650–1740) and Marco Benefial (1688–
1764).[16]
The earliest account of an Ethiopian converted to the faith in the New Testament books
is a royal official baptized by Philip the Evangelist (distinct from Philip the Apostle), one
of the seven deacons (Acts, 8:26–27):
Then the angel of the Lord said to Philip, Start out and go south to the road that leads
down from Jerusalem to Gaza. So he set out and was on his way when he caught sight
of an Ethiopian. This man was a eunuch, a high official of the Kandake (Candace)
Queen of Ethiopia in charge of all her treasure. (Acts, 8:26–27)
The passage continues by describing how Philip helped the Ethiopian treasurer
understand a passage from the Book of Isaiah that the Ethiopian was reading. After
Philip interpreted the passage as prophecy referring to Jesus Christ, the Ethiopian
requested that Philip baptize him, and Philip did so. The Ethiopic version of this verse
reads "Hendeke" (ህንደኬ); Queen Gersamot Hendeke VII was the Queen of Ethiopia from
c. 42 to 52. Where the possibility of gospel missions by the Ethiopian eunuch cannot be
directly inferred from the Books of the New Testament, Irenaeus of Lyons around 180
AD writes that "Simon Backos" preached the good news in his homeland outlining also
the theme of his preaching as being the coming in flesh of God that "was preached to
you all before."[17] The same kind of witness is shared by 3rd and 4th century writers
such as Eusebius of Caesarea[18] and Origen of Alexandria.[13]

Coin of King Ezana, under whom Early Christianity became the established church of the Kingdom of Aksum

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"). As a youth, Frumentius had been shipwrecked with his brother Aedesius on
the Eritrean coast. The brothers managed to be brought to the royal court, where they
rose to positions of influence and baptized Emperor Ezana. Frumentius is also believed
to have established the first monastery in Ethiopia, named Dabba Selama after him. In
2016, scientists excavated a 4th-century AD basilica (radio-carbon dated) in
northeastern Ethiopia at a site called Beta Samati. This is the earliest known physical
evidence of a church in sub-Saharan Africa.[5]
Ezana sent Frumentius to Alexandria to ask the Patriarch, St. Athanasius, to appoint a
bishop for Ethiopia. Athanasius appointed Frumentius, who returned to Ethiopia as
Bishop with the name of "Selama". From then on, until 1959, the Pope of Alexandria, as
Patriarch of All Africa, always named an Egyptian (a Copt) to be Abuna or Archbishop of
the Ethiopian Church.
Middle Ages

Late 17th century portrait of Giyorgis by Baselyos

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 always 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. These examples show the close relations of the two churches throughout
the Middle Ages.[19] In 1439, in the reign of Zara Yaqob, a religious discussion
between Giyorgis and a French visitor led to the dispatch of an embassy from Ethiopia
to the Vatican.[19]
Jesuit interim
The period of Jesuit influence, which broke the connection with Egypt, began a new
chapter in church history. The initiative in Roman Catholic missions to Ethiopia was
taken, not by Rome, but by Portugal, in the course of a conflict with the Muslim Ottoman
Empire and the Sultanate of Adal for the command of the trade route to India via
the Red Sea.[20]
In 1507 Matthew, or Matheus, an Armenian, had been sent as an Ethiopian envoy to
Portugal. In 1520 an embassy under Dom Rodrigo de Lima landed in Ethiopia. An
interesting account of the Portuguese mission, which lasted for several years, was
written by Francisco Álvares, its chaplain.[21]
Later, Ignatius Loyola wished to take up the task of conversion, but was forbidden to do
so. Instead, the pope sent out João Nunes Barreto as patriarch of the East Indies,
with Andre de Oviedo as bishop; and from Goa envoys went to Ethiopia, followed by
Oviedo himself, to secure the king's adherence to Rome. 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. He then in 1633 expelled the Jesuits, and in 1665 Fasilides ordered
that all Jesuit books (the Books of the Franks) be burned.
Influence on the Reformation

Icon of Samuel of Waldebba, a 15th-century Ethiopian monk and ascetic of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.

David Daniels has suggested that the Ethiopian Church has had a stronger impact on
the Reformation than most scholars acknowledge. For Martin Luther, who spearheaded
the Reformation, Daniels says "the Ethiopian Church conferred legitimacy on Luther's
emerging Protestant vision of a church outside the authority of the Roman Catholic
papacy" as it was "an ancient church with direct ties to the apostles". According to
Daniels, Martin Luther saw that the Ethiopian Orthodox Church practiced elements of
faith including "communion in both kind, vernacular Scriptures, and married clergy" and
these practices became customary in the Lutheran churches.[
In 1534, a cleric of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, Michael the Deacon, met with Martin
Luther and affirmed the Augsburg Confession as a "good creed". In addition, Martin
Luther stated that the Lutheran Mass agreed with that used by the Ethiopian Orthodox
Church As a result, the Lutheran churches extended full communion with the Ethiopian
Orthodox Church.
Recent history
Engraving of Abuna Salama III, head of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (1841-1867)

In more modern times, the Ethiopian Church has experienced a series of developments.
The 19th century witnessed the publication of an Amharic translation of the Bible.
Largely the work of Abu Rumi over ten years in Cairo, this version, with some changes,
held sway until Emperor Haile Selassie ordered a new translation which appeared in
1960/1.[25] 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,[26] 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.[27] A third development came after Haile Selassie's
restoration to Ethiopia, when he issued, on 30 November, Decree Number 2 of 1942, a
new law reforming the church. The primary objectives of this decree were to put the
finances of the church in order, to create a central fund for its activities, and to set forth
requirements for the appointment of clergy—which had been fairly lax until then.[28]
The Coptic and Ethiopian churches reached an agreement on 13 July 1948, that led
to autocephaly for the Ethiopian Church. Five bishops were immediately consecrated by
the Coptic Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of All Africa, empowered to elect a new
patriarch for their church, and the successor to Qerellos IV would have the power to
consecrate new bishops.[29] This promotion was completed when Coptic Orthodox Pope
Joseph II consecrated an Ethiopian-born Archbishop, Abuna Basilios, 14 January 1951.
Then in 1959, Pope Cyril VI of Alexandria crowned Basilios as the first Patriarch of
Ethiopia.
An Ethiopian Orthodox priest displays the processional crosses.

Basilios died in 1971, and was succeeded that year by Tewophilos. 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. The Coptic
Orthodox Church refused to recognize the election and enthronement of Tekle
Haymanot on the grounds that the Synod of the Ethiopian Church had not removed
Tewophilos and that the government had not publicly acknowledged his death, and he
was thus still the legitimate Patriarch of Ethiopia. Formal relations between the two
churches were halted, although they remained in communion with each other. Formal
relations between the two churches resumed on July 13, 2007.[30]
Tekle Haymanot proved to be much less accommodating to the Derg regime than it had
expected, and so when the patriarch died in 1988, a new patriarch with closer ties to the
regime was sought. The Archbishop of Gondar, a member of the Derg-era Ethiopian
Parliament, was elected and enthroned as Abuna Merkorios. Following the fall of the
Derg regime in 1991, and the coming to power of the EPRDF government, Merkorios
abdicated under public and governmental pressure. The church then elected a new
Patriarch, Paulos, who was recognized by the Coptic Orthodox Pope of Alexandria. The
former Merkorios then fled abroad, and announced from exile that his abdication had
been made under duress and thus he was still the legitimate Patriarch of Ethiopia.
Several bishops also went into exile and formed a break-away alternate synod.[31] This
exiled synod comprised some Ethiopian Churches in North America and Europe who
recognized Merkorios, while the synod inside Ethiopia continued to uphold the
legitimacy of Paulos.[citation needed]
Following the independence of Eritrea as a nation in 1993, the Coptic Orthodox Church
in 1994 appointed an Archbishop for the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church, which in
turn obtained autocephaly in 1998 with the reluctant approval of its mother synod. That
same year, the first Eritrean patriarch was consecrated.[citation needed]
As of 2005, there are many Ethiopian Orthodox churches located throughout the United
States and other countries to which Ethiopians have migrated (Archbishop Yesehaq
1997). The Church claims about 36 million members in Ethiopia, forming 43.5% the
country's population.[2][4][3]
Paulos died on 16 August 2012, followed four days later by Prime Minister Meles
Zenawi.[32] On 28 February 2013, a college of electors assembled in Addis Ababa and
elected Mathias to be the 6th Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.[33]
On 25 July 2018, delegates from the Patriarchate in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and those in
the United States, declared reunification in Washington, D.C. with the assistance of
Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.[34] Declaring the end of a 26-year-old schism, the
Church announced that it acknowledges two Patriarchs, Merkorios, Fourth Patriarch of
Ethiopia and Mathias I, Sixth Patriarch and Catholicos of Ethiopia, Archbishop of Axum
and Ichege of the See of Saint Taklehaimanot.[citation needed]

Traditions
Priests and deacons conducting a church service at Saint Michael Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church,
Washington, DC, US.

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 Ge'ez / Amharic, ′Egziabeher, lit. "Lord of the
Universe"), veneration to 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 Higge 'Orit (ሕገ ኦሪት),[citation needed] to
which are added those from the New Testament, or Higge Wongiel (ሕገ ወንጌል).[citation needed][35] A
hierarchy of Kidusan/ቅዱሳን[citation needed] (angelic messengers and saints) conveys the prayers
of the faithful to God and carries out the divine will, so when an Ethiopian Christian is in
difficulty, he or she appeals 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.[36] 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. At many services, most parish
members remain in the outer ring, where debteras sing hymns and dance.[37]

Processional crosses carried on long poles in Ethiopian Orthodox religious processions

The Eucharist is given only to those who feel pure, have fasted regularly, and have, in
general, properly conducted themselves.[36] In practice, communion is mainly limited to
young children and the elderly; those who are at a sexually active age or who have
sexual desires generally do not receive the Eucharist.[36][38] Worshipers receiving
communion may enter the middle ring of the church to do so.[36]
Ethiopian Orthodox believers are strict Trinitarians,[39] maintaining the Orthodox teaching
that God is united in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This concept is known
as səllasé (ሥላሴ),[citation needed] Ge'ez for "Trinity".
Daily services constitute only a small part of an Ethiopian Orthodox Christian's religious
observance. Several holy days require prolonged services, singing and dancing, and
feasting. 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.[36][38][40] All devout believers are to maintain the full schedule of fasts,
comprising at least 250 days a year apart from other forms of fasting purely left to
individual decision of the faithful.

An Ethiopian Orthodox ceremony at Fasilides' Bath in Gondar, Ethiopia, celebrating Timkat (Epiphany).

1. Fast for Hudadi or Abiye Tsome [ሁዳዴ/ዓብይ ጾም][ (Great Lent), 55 days prior
to Easter (Fasika).[41][42] This fast is divided into three separate periods:
Tsome Hirkal (ጾመ ህርቃል),[citation needed] eight days commemorating an early
Christian figure; Tsome Arba (ጾመ አርባ),[citation needed] forty days of Lent; and
Tsome Himamat (ጾመ ሕማማት),[citation needed] seven days commemorating Holy
Week.[41][42]
2. Fast of the Apostles, 10–40 days, which the Apostles kept after they had
received the Holy Spirit. It begins after Pentecost.
3. The fast Tsome Dihnet (ጾመ ድህነት),[citation needed] which is on Wednesdays in
commemoration of the plot organized to kill Jesus Christ by Caiaphas and
the members of the house of the high priest and Fridays in
commemoration of the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ (starts on Wednesday
after Pentecost and spans up to Easter, in other words all Wednesdays
and Fridays except during 50 days after Easter).[36]
4. The fast of Dormition, 16 days.
5. The fast preceding Christmas, 40 days (Advent). It begins with Sibket on
15th Hedar and ends on Christmas Eve with the feast of Gena and the
29th of Tahsas and 28th if the year is preceded by leap year.
6. The Fast of Nineveh, commemorating the preaching of Jonah. It comes
on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of the third week before Lent.
 7. The gahad of Timkat (Epiphany), fast on the eve of Epiphany.
In addition to standard holy days, most Christians observe many saints' days. A man
might give a small feast on his personal saint's day. The local voluntary association
(called the maheber) connected with each church honours its patron saint with a special
service and a feast two or three times a year.[37]
Exorcism

Inda Abba Hadera holy water in Inda Sillasie

Priests intervene and perform exorcisms on behalf of those believed to be afflicted by

demons or buda. According to a 2010 Pew Research Center study, 74% of Christians in
Ethiopia report having experienced or witnessed an exorcism.[43] Demon-possessed
persons are brought to a church or prayer meeting.[44] Often, when an ill person has not
responded to modern medical treatment, the affliction is attributed to demons.[44] Unusual
or especially perverse deeds, particularly when performed in public, are symptomatic of
a demoniac.[44] Superhuman strength — such as breaking one's bindings, as described
in the New Testament accounts — along with glossolalia are observed in the afflicted.
[44]
 Amsalu Geleta, in a modern case study, relates elements that are common to
Ethiopian Christian exorcisms:
It includes singing praise and victory songs, reading from the Scripture, prayer and
confronting the spirit in the name of Jesus. Dialogue with the spirit is another important
part of the exorcism ceremony. It helps the counsellor (exorcist) to know how the spirit
was operating in the life of the demoniac. The signs and events mentioned by the spirit
are affirmed by the victim after deliverance.[44]
The exorcism is not always successful, and Geleta notes another instance in which the
usual methods were unsuccessful, and the demons apparently left the subject at a later
time. In any event, "in all cases the spirit is commanded in no other name than the
name of Jesus."[44]
Biblical canon
Main article: Orthodox Tewahedo biblical canon
Drawing of the Virgin Mary 'with her beloved son' in pencil and ink, from a manuscript copy of Weddasé
Māryām, circa 1875.

The Orthodox Tewahedo Church Canon contains 81 books. This canon contains the

books accepted by other Orthodox Christians.[45]

 The Narrower Canon also includes Enoch, Jubilees, and I II III Meqabyan.

(These are unrelated to the Greek I, II, III Maccabees with which they are
often confused.) The canonical Enoch differs from the editions of
the Ge'ez manuscripts in the British Museum and elsewhere (A-Q) used by
foreign scholars (OTP), for example in the treatment of the Nephilim of
Genesis 6.[citation needed] The current 81-book version, published in 1986, contains
the same text as previously published in the Haile Selassie Version of the
Bible, only with some minor modifications to the New Testament translation.
 Some sources speak of the Broader Canon, which has never been published
as a single compilation but is said[by whom?] to include all of the Narrower Canon,
as well as additional New Testament books said to have been used by
the early church: two Books of the Covenant, four Books of Sinodos,
an Epistle of Peter to Clement — also known as "Ethiopic Clement" — and
the Ethiopic Didascalia. These may not all bear close resemblance to works
with similar titles known in the West. An eight-part Ethiopic version of the
history of the Jewish people written by Joseph ben Gorion, known as the
'Pseudo-Josephus', is considered[by whom?] part of the broader canon, though it
would be considered an Old Testament work.[46]
Language
Ethiopian Orthodox celebration of Meskel (Ge'ez for "cross")

The divine services of the Ethiopian Church are celebrated in the Ge'ez language. It has
been the liturgical language of the church at least since the arrival of the Nine
Saints (Pantelewon, Gerima (Isaac, or Yeshaq), Aftse, Guba, Alef, Yem’ata, Liqanos,
and Sehma), who fled persecution by the Byzantine Emperor after the Council of
Chalcedon (451).[citation needed] The Greek Septuagint was the version of the Old
Testament originally translated into Ge'ez, but later revisions show clear evidence of the
use of Hebrew, Syriac and Arabic sources. The first translation into a modern
vernacular was done in the 19th century by a man who is usually known as Abu Rumi.
Later, Haile Selassie sponsored Amharic translations of the Ge'ez Scriptures during his
reign, one before World War II and one afterwards. Sermons today are usually delivered
in the local language.[citation needed]
Architecture

The Church of Saint George, a monolithic church in Lalibela

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. The Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion at Axum is an
example of the basilican design, though the early basilicas are nearly all in ruin. These
examples show the influence of the architects who, in the 6th century, built the basilicas
at Sanʻāʼ and elsewhere in the Arabian Peninsula. 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. Walls and ceilings are adorned with frescoes. A courtyard, circular
or rectangular, surrounds the body of the church. Modern Ethiopian churches may
incorporate the basilican or native styles and use contemporary construction techniques
and materials. In rural areas, the church and outer court are often thatched, with mud-
built walls. The church buildings are typically surrounded by a forested area, acting as a
reservoir of biodiversity in otherwise de-forested parts of the country.[47][21]
Ark of the Covenant

The Chapel of the Tablet at the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion is said to house the original Ark of the
Covenant.

The Ethiopian Church claims that one of its churches, Our Lady Mary of Zion, is host to
the original Ark of the Covenant that Moses carried with the Israelites during
the Exodus. Only one priest is allowed into the building where the Ark is located,
ostensibly due to biblical warnings of danger. As a result, international scholars doubt
that the original Ark is truly there, although a case has been put forward by several
writers including Graham Hancock in his book The Sign and the Seal.[citation needed]
Throughout Ethiopia, Orthodox churches are not considered churches until the local
bishop gives them a tabot, a replica of the tablets in the original Ark of the Covenant.
The tabot is at least six inches (15 cm) square, and it is made of
either alabaster, marble, or wood (see acacia). It is always kept in ornate coverings on
the altar. Only priests are allowed to touch the tabot. In an elaborate procession,
the tabot is carried around the outside of the church amid joyful song on the feast day of
that particular church's namesake. On the great Feast of T'imk'et, known as Epiphany or
Theophany in Europe, a group of churches send their tabot to celebrate the occasion at
a common location where a pool of water or a river is to be found.[citation needed]
Similarities to Judaism and Islam
The Ethiopian Church, Jerusalem

The Ethiopian Church places a heavier emphasis on Old Testament teachings than one
might find in Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic or Protestant churches, and its
followers adhere to certain practices that one finds in Orthodox or Conservative
Judaism. Ethiopian Christians, like some other Eastern Christians, traditionally follow
dietary rules that are similar to Jewish Kashrut, specifically with regard to the slaughter
of animals. Similarly, pork is prohibited, though unlike Rabbinical Kashrut, Ethiopian
cuisine does mix dairy products with meat, which in turn makes it even closer
to Karaite and Islamic dietary laws (see Halal). Women are prohibited from entering the
church temple during menses; they are also expected to cover their hair with a large
scarf (or shash) while in church, as described in 1 Corinthians, chapter 11. As with
Orthodox synagogues, men and women sit separately in the Ethiopian church, with men
on the left and women on the right (when facing the altar).[48] (Women covering their
heads and separation of the sexes in churches officially is common to some other
Christian traditions; it is also the rule in some non-Christian
religions, Islam and Orthodox Judaism among them). Ethiopian Orthodox worshipers
remove their shoes when entering a church temple,[48] in accordance with Exodus 3:5 (in
which Moses, while viewing the burning bush, was commanded to remove his shoes
while standing on holy ground). Furthermore, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church
upholds Sabbatarianism, observing the seventh-day Sabbath (Saturday), in addition to
the Lord's Day (Sunday),[49] although more emphasis, because of the Resurrection of
Christ, is laid upon Sunday. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church calls for male circumcision,
with near-universal prevalence among Orthodox men in Ethiopia.[50]
Debtera
Main article: Debtera

A painting of performing debteras.

A debtera is an itinerant lay priest figure trained by the Ethiopian Church as

a scribe, cantor, and often as a folk healer, who may also function in roles comparable
to a deacon or exorcist. Folklore and legends ascribe the role of magician to the debtera
as well.[citation needed]

Patriarch-Catholicoi, archbishops and bishops

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve
this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be
 challenged and removed. (January 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this
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Patriarch-Catholicos
Main article: List of Abunas of Ethiopia
Since 1959, when the church was granted autocephaly by Cyril VI, Pope of the Coptic
Orthodox Church of Alexandria, an Ethiopian Patriarch-Catholicos of Eritrea also
carrying the title of Abuna is the head of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. The
Abuna who is known officially as Patriarch and Catholicos of Ethiopia, Archbishop of
Axum and Ichege of the See of Saint Taklahaimanot. the incumbent head of the
Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church is Mathias who acceded to this position on 28
February 2013.
Archbishops and bishops
Ethiopia:

 Mathias and Merkorios, Co-Patriarchs and Head of all Archbishops of the

Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church
Canada:

 Demetrios, archbishop of Eastern Canada

 Mathias, archbishop of Western Canada
Middle East:

 Dimetros, Archbishop of the United Arab Emirates and its surrounding areas
 Kewestos, Archbishop of Jerusalem[51]
South America:

 Thaddaeus, archbishop of the Caribbean and Latin America

United States:

 Fanuel, archbishop of Washington, D.C

 Markos, archbishop of New York and its surrounding areas.
 Philipos, archbishop of Pennsylvania and Head of Eyesus Church in
Baltimore
 Yaekob, archbishop of Georgia and its surrounding areas (Southeastern
States)
 Ewesatewos, archbishop of Minnesota and its surrounding areas.
 Natnael, archbishop of Colorado and surrounding areas
 Selama, archbishop of Ohio
 Sawiros, archbishop of Texas
 Michael, archbishop of Northern California
 Barnabas, archbishop of Southern California
Western Europe:
  Yosef, Archbishop of Europe, in Rome.

Eparchies
The current eparchies of the church include:[52]

 Awassa (Sidama)
 Axum
 Ambo
 Arsi
 Assosa
 Afar
 Bale Gobe
 Wollega
 North Wollo
 South Wollo (Dessie)
 Gambela
 West Gojam (Bahr Dar)
 East Gojam (Debre Markos)
 North Gondar
 South Gondar (Debre Tabor)
 Jerusalem
 Illubabor
 Jijiga
 Jimma
 Kenbata
 Methara
 Mizan Teferi (Kaffa)
 Negele-Borena
 Ogaden (Somali Region)
 Omo
 Selalya
 East Tigray
 West Tigray
 Central Tigray (Me'kele)
 South Tigray
 Khartoum and Nubia
 Shewa (Adama)
 North Shoa (Debre Berhan)
 Washington D.C and surrounding areas
 Eastern Canada
 Western Canada
 Trinidad and Latin America
See also

 Christianity portal

 Africa portal

 Abuna
 Christianity in Ethiopia
 Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church
 Ethiopian Catholic Church
 Ethiopian chant
 List of Abunas of Ethiopia
 Oriental Orthodox Church

References
This article includes a list of general references, but it remains largely
unverified because it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. Please
help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (December
2019) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

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Results"  (PDF). Archived from  the original  (PDF)  on 4 June 2012.  Orthodox 32,138,126
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the-presence-of-pm/
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 ‹See Tfd› This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public

domain: ‹See Tfd›Butler, Alfred Joshua (1911). "Abyssinian Church". In
Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. 1 (11th ed.). Cambridge
University Press. pp. 95–96.