Through radiocarbon dating artifacts uncovered at the church, the researchers concluded that the structure was built in the fourth century A.
The team detailed their findings in a paper published today in Antiquity. The discovery of the church and its contents confirm Ethiopian tradition that Christianity arrived at an early date in an area nearly 3, miles from Rome. The find suggests that the new religion spread quickly through long-distance trading networks that linked the Mediterranean via the Red Sea with Africa and South Asia, shedding fresh light on a significant era about which historians know little.
Helina Woldekiros, an archaeologist at St. That trade, by camel, donkey and boat, channeled silver, olive oil and wine from the Mediterranean to cities along the Indian Ocean, which in turn brought back exported iron, glass beads and fruits. The kingdom began its decline in the eighth and ninth centuries, eventually contracting to control only the Ethiopian highlands.
Yet it remained defiantly Christian even as Islam spread across the region. At first, relations between the two religions were largely peaceful but grew more fraught over time.
During the fierce five-year struggle against the invasion of Mussolini from to , several bishops, many priests and thousands of faithful lost their lives.
More than 2, churches were destroyed and numerous church manuscripts taken away. Since the Ethiopian Orthodox Church has been autocephalous. The church has 81 canonical books and 14 anaphoras. The language of the divine service is Geez, the ancient language of Ethiopia. Today, however, portions of the liturgy are also rendered in Amharic.
There are seven official fasting periods: 1 all Wednesdays and Fridays except during the 50 days after Easter ; 2 the Lenten fast; 3 the Nenveh fast; 4 the vigils or Gahad of Christmas and Epiphany; 5 the fast of the apostles; 6 the fast of the prophets; 7 the fast of the Assumption.
The supreme authority in matters of church administration and justice - legislative, administrative and judicial - belongs to the holy synod which meets twice a year, under the chairmanship of His Holiness the Patriarch.
The diocesan archbishop is the chairman of the diocesan parish council. The national parish council meets once a year in the patriarchate, also under the chairmanship of the patriarch.
The church has two kinds of clergy: the regular priests, who administer the sacraments, and the learned lay clerks, who are entrusted with the chant of the church offices and teaching in the schools.
There are six clergy training centres and one theological seminary. The current administrative structure has been most conducive for both the clergy and the laity to meet the vital needs of the whole human being and to work together for the development of the church, both spiritually and socially, through the respective parish councils.
The Sunday school programme unit is very active. Only those who feel pure, have fasted regularly, and have generally conducted themselves properly may enter the middle ring to take communion.
At many services, most parish members remain in the outer ring, where debteras sing hymns and dance. Ethiopian Orthodox believers are strict Trinitarians,[7] maintaining the Orthodox teaching that God is united in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Weekly 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. All devout believers are to maintain the full schedule of fasts, comprising days.
Fast for Hudadi or Abiye Tsome Lent , 56 days. Fast of the Apostles, 10—40 days, which the Apostles kept after they had received the Holy Spirit. It begins after Pentecost. The fast of Assumption, 16 days. The gahad of Christmas on the eve of Christmas. 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 28th of Tahsas. The fast of Nineveh, commemorating the preaching of Jonah. It comes on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of the third week before Lent.
The gahad of Epiphany, fast on the eve of Epiphany. In addition to standard holy days, most Christians observe many saint's 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 honors its patron saint with a special service and a feast two or three times a year.
The Tewahedo Church Canon contains 81 books. This canon contains the books accepted by other Orthodox Christians. There have been no printings of the Broader Canon since the beginning of the twentieth century. The Septuagint Greek version was 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. Sermons today are usually delivered in the local language.
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