Christianity in Ethiopia: How the Christian Church Developed in Ethiopia

Christianity in Ethiopia: how the Christian Church developed in Ethiopia

Daniel Medina A00749550

PhD. Ayot

African Scenario

Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey

Campus Chihuahua

Christianity in Ethiopia: how the Christian Church developed in Ethiopia

  I. Introduction

  II. Beginning of Christianity in Ethiopia

  a. King Solomon and Queen of Sheba

  b. Philip and the eunuch (The biblical story)

  c. Frumentius/King Ezana

  d. Nine monks from the east

III. Ethiopian Christianity and Islam

  a. The Zagwé Dynasty

  b. The Solomonic Dynasty

  c. The Muslim Jihad

  d. The Portuguese intervention

  IV.   Consolidation of the Orthodox Ethiopian Church

  a. Era of the Princes and doctrinal conflicts

  b. Reunification and Tweodros II

  c. 20th Century

  V. Conclusion

      Christianity in Ethiopia, the past and the present

  I. Introduction

      Christianity has a long history in Ethiopia, country that embraced the religion since biblical times and despite the threats of Islam and imperialism has remained firm in the faith with all and its different denominations. There are different versions of how Christianity came to be in Ethiopia, although all of them converge at some point; mostly, what varies is the time of when that happened. Some claim that the beginnings of Christianity in Ethiopia go as back as King Solomon´s times, even though the religion had not existed yet. This version includes the biblical story of Philip and the eunuch. Others claim that Christianity first arrived in Ethiopia in the IV Century A.D. with Frumentius and Aedesius, two Syrian Christian youth that arrived, because of a shipwreck, to Ethiopian shores. They then shared the gospel and later the king was baptized and the religion was made official. There are versions that claim that King Ezana´s conversion was a mere commercial strategy.

      From that moment Ethiopia has been... [continues]

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