Ethiopia: Religion


Figure 1.--These Ethiopic altar boys are serving in a Coptic liturgy. They wear a white cloth and have to serve barefoot.

Religion has played a major role in Ethiopia and continues to do so today. The Ethiopian Orthodox church is very strong in Ethiopia. It is one of the oldest Christian countries. The Coptic Church is also active. Christianity was introduced in Ethiopia during the 1st century, and expanded all over the country in the 4th century. Ethiopian Christianity in the 6th century it became monophysitistic. Ethiopis remained Christian in a region that became strongly Islamicized. There were, however, large numbers of converts to Islam. Islamic and Catholic Jesuites tries to conquer Islam in the 17th century but failed. There are a few Catholics and a growing number of Protestants as well as Muslims in Ethiopia today. There are significant regional patterns in religion.

History

We have some insight into Ethiopia's religious history because of references in the Old Testament. Some traditions are legendary, others seem based on fact. Some believe one of the lost Tribes of Israel settled in Ethiopia. The Queen of Sheba was born in Axum, a state which dominated what is modern Ethiopia for centuries. She travelled to Israel to meet King Solomon. They had a son named Menelik, who later became the first emperor of Ethiopia. Legend has it that Menelik brought the original Ark of the Covenant back to Ethiopia from Israel. Today, the Arc remains guarded by a select group of monks in Axum. Their sole commitment is to protect the sacred vessel. The kingdom of Aksum officially adopted Christianity as a state religion (early 4th century AD). This was before Rome and much of Europe adopted Christiamity. Ethiopin Christians wre cut off from the rest of the christian world bt the Aab conquest of North Africa (8th century). aran traders also began tp dominate the Red Sea ports, in part because the Arabs cintrolled the Indian Ocean. Christianity was the state religion, but it took centuries for the faith to spread, along with the Empire, to the highlands of central Ethiopia (12th centuries). This was when Ethiopin monks began to build rock-hewn churches. These monks are today highly regarded. Their lives recorded in writing. Both these beautiful churces and manuscripts have been preserved. The Imperial Government ordered that he Muslims and Jews of Gonder had to live apart from Christians, but they were allowed to practice their religion freely in their own quarter (1668). Mostky Protestant missionaries made little progress in converting Ethiopian Orthodox (Coptic) Christians. Haile Selassie issued a decreee prohibited missionaries from working with Ethiopian Orthodox Christians (1944). Nor did they have success proselytizing among Muslims. As a result, missionaries worked with the primitive pagan tribes practicing animist religions.

Faiths

Ethiopia is a predominately Christian country with a substabtial Muslim majority. Christianity has played amajor role in the country's history. Ethiopia is the only indigenous Christian country located outside of Europe. It developed independently and was cut off from the rest of Christendom for centuries as a result of the Arab conquest of North Africa. Precise data on the religious diversity is not available. About 60 percent of the country is Christian and 35 percent Muslim. Most of the Christians are Orthodox affiliated with the Coptic Church. There are also some Protestants, but relatively few Roman Catholics. Ethiopia has a special place in Islamic history. The country in Muslim tradition was Abyssinia (Al-Habasha). It was known as the "Haven of the First Migration" (Hijra).The Christians dominate the norther highlands. Muslims predominate in the south. There are also small numbers of other religions. Many of the ethiopian Jws were airlifted to Israel in 1991 during Ethiopia's civil war.

Missionaries

A HBC reader writes, "In the 1960s my sister was a missionary/midwife in Gondar in the North West of Ethiopia. She worked for the Church Mission amonst the Jews. Although belonging to the Church of England, she was required by the Govcernment to try and convert the local people into the Coptic Church. Many of those who were not converted were later airlifted to Israel. Sadly Ill health forced her return to England and she died shortly after, so I have no knowledge of the fate of her converts."







HBC





Related Style Pages in the Boys' Historical Web Site
[Smocks] [Long pants suits] [Knicker suits] [Short pants suits] [Socks] [Eton suits] [Jacket and trousers]
[Blazer] [School sandals] [School smocks] [Sailor suits] [Pinafores] [Long stockings]



Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing Web Page
[Return to the Main Ethiopian page]
[Return to the Main African tribal page]
[Introduction] [Activities] [Biographies] [Chronology] [Clothing styles] [Countries]
[Bibliographies] [Contributions] [FAQs] [Glossaries] [Images] [Links] [Registration] [Tools]
[Boys' Clothing Home]



Created: 7:05 PM 5/13/2009
Last updated: 7:05 PM 5/13/2009