Timeline of Orthodox Tewahedo Christianity explained

′The following is a chronology of the Orthodox Tewahedo Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox Churches from their base history to the present.

Early history

• Biblical claims – According to the traditional claims, John Chrysostom speaks of the "Ethiopians present in Jerusalem" as being able to understand the preaching of Peter in Acts, 2:38.^{[1] [2]}
• Early 4th century – Some Apostles reportedly took missions to Ethiopia. Socrates of Constantinople stated Ethiopia was one of region preached by Matthew the Apostle where a specific mention of "Ethiopia south of the Caspian Sea".^[3]
• 1st century – according to the New Testament book Acts, 8:26–27,^[4] Christianity was entered to Ethiopia by means of Philip the Evangelist via baptism of the Ethiopian eunuch.^[5]
• 330 AD – Christianity, it is widely considered, is introduced to Ethiopia by a Syrian Greek named Frumentius, after his voyage with his brother Aedesius to the Kingdom of Aksum. There, the two brothers were captured by the native Aksumite and brought to court forwarded to King Ezana, who was converted to Christian by influence of Frumentius.^{[6] [7]}

Middle Ages

• 960 AD – Queen Gudit persecutes Axumite Christians during the sacking of the city.^[8]
• 12th century – Communion with Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria.
• 1439 – During the reign of Emperor Zara Yaqob, a religious discussion took place between Giyorgis and a French visitor led to the dispatch of an embassy from Ethiopia to the Vatican.
• 1507 – Mateus, an Armenian, had been sent as an Ethiopian envoy to Portugal.
• 1520 – an embassy under Dom Rodrigo de Lima landed in Ethiopia.

Early modern period

• 1534 – 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 fellowship with the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.^[9]
• 1622 – Conversion of Emperor Susenyos I to Roman Catholicism under the pressure of Jesuits.^[10]
• 1624 – Susenyos proclaimed the primacy of Rome and condemned local practices which included Saturday Sabbath and frequent fasts.^[11]
• 1632 – Emperor Fasilides restored the state administration to Orthodox Tewahedo after ten years conflict.^[12]
• 1633 – Fasilides expelled the Jesuits and in 1665, he ordered that all Jesuit books (the Book of the Franks) be burned.^[13]
• 19th century – Publication of Amharic translation Bible began developing.^[14]

20th century

• 30 November 1942 – Emperor Haile Selassie ordered decree that allowed reforms on the Church with centralized financial funds.^[15]
• 13 July 1948 – the Coptic Orthodox Church agreed for autocephaly of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.^[16]
• 14 January 1951 – the autocephaly was ended when Coptic Orthodox Pope Joseph II consecrated an Ethiopian-born Archbishop.^[17]
• 1959 – Abuna Basilios crowned as the first Patriarch of Ethiopia.^{[18] [19]}
• 1974 – Disestablishment of the Church following the rise of the Derg and it's nationalized land policy.^{[20] [21]}
• 1979 – Patriarch Theophilos was executed by the Derg.^[22]
• 1991 – Abdication of Abune Merkorios under the pressure of EPRDF.^{[23] [24]}
• 1992 – Installation of Abune Paulos and creation of Exile Church.^[25]
• 28 September 1993 – Autocephaly of the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church formally approved by Coptic Patriarch Shenouda III.^[26]

21st century

• 16 August 2012 – death of Abune Paulos.^[27]
• 28 February 2013 – Abune Mathias from Agame province, elected as the 6th Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.^[28]
• 25 July 2018 – with the assistance of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, delegation took place between Patriarchate in Addis Ababa and those from the United States exiled Churches and declared reunification in Washington, D.C.^[29]
• 22 January 2023 – Abune Sawiros, Abune Ewostatewos and Abune Zena Markos designated 26-made Archbishops to overthrow the Holy Synod led by Patriarch Abune Mathias in Oromia Region diocese. The Holy Synod responded the ordination as "illegal" and excommunicated three archbishops on 26 January. On 31 January, the Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed convened a discussion on the matter, which he told he would ensure resolution for the conflict. His speech widely criticized by Holy Synod for lack of protection and also alleged involvement to the illegally formed Synod.^[30]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Our History . 2022-08-21 . The Ethiopian Orthodox Archdiocese . en-US.
2. Web site: 2020-05-03 . Churches Ethiopia: Inspiring and Blissful- 5 Houses . 2022-08-21 . www.gorebet.com . en-US.
3. Socrates and Sozomenus Ecclesiastical Histories, p. 57.
4. Web site: Bible Gateway passage: Acts 8:26-40 – English Standard Version . 2022-08-21 . Bible Gateway.
5. Shauf . Scott . 2009 . Locating the Eunuch: Characterization and Narrative Context in Acts 8:26-40 . The Catholic Biblical Quarterly . 71 . 4 . 762–775 . 43726615 . 0008-7912.
6. Harrower . Michael J . Winter 2019 . Beta Samati: discovery and excavation of an Aksumite town. Antiquity . 93. 372. 1534–52 . 10.15184/aqy.2019.84. Cambridge.org. free.
7. Web site: Windmuller-Luna . Kristen . Monumental Architecture of the Aksumite Empire . www.metmuseum.org . . 18 May 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150721200822/https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/aksu_3/hd_aksu_3.htm . July 21, 2015 . live.
8. Web site: 2018-06-30 . This badass queen took revenge on Ethiopia in 960 AD for chopping off her breasts . 2022-08-21 . Face2Face Africa.
9. Web site: Martin Luther and Ethiopian Christianity: Historical Traces . 2022-08-21 . The University of Chicago Divinity School.
10. Crummey . Donald . 2012 . Pedro Páez's History of Ethiopia, 1622 (review) . The Catholic Historical Review . 98 . 4 . 835–836 . 10.1353/cat.2012.0269 . 159736355 . 1534-0708.
11. Web site: Yumpu.com . Gondar – Phi Kappa Psi . 2022-08-21 . yumpu.com.
12. Web site: The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church . 2022-08-21 . www.ethiopianorthodox.org.
13. Book: Sargent, Jesse . Following in Jesuit Footsteps: British Expeditions to Ethiopia in the Early Victorian Era . Following in Jesuit Footsteps . 2018 . Encounters between Jesuits and Protestants in Africa . 13 . 33–58 . Maryks . Robert Aleksander . Brill . 10.1163/j.ctvbqs62t.5 . 2022-08-21 . Mkenda . Festo.
14. Hammerschmidt . Ernst . Ernst Hammerschmidt . 1963 . A Brief History of German Contributions to the Study of Ethiopia . Journal of Ethiopian Studies . 1 . 2 . 30–48 . 41965697 . 0304-2243.
15. Web site: ethiopian orthodox church service . 2022-08-21 . presma.upnvj.ac.id.
16. Web site: Ethiopia: The Postwar Period, 1945-60: Reform and Opposition ~a HREF="/et_00_00.html#et_01_05" . 2022-08-21 . memory.loc.gov.
17. Web site: Pope Joseph II of Alexandria and Related Topics . 2022-08-21 . hyperleapsite.
18. Web site: Basilios Ethiopian religious leader Britannica . 2022-08-21 . www.britannica.com.
19. Web site: Haile Selassie and the African Diaspora . 2022-08-21 . Keraneyo MedhaneAlem.
20. Web site: Ethiopia – Land Reform . 2022-08-21 . countrystudies.us.
21. Web site: Ufheil-Somers . Amanda . 1982-06-15 . Ethiopia's Revolution from Above . 2022-08-21 . MERIP . en-US.
22. Web site: "Common Declaration" of Pope Shenoudah III, Catholicos Aram I, and Patriarch Paulos . https://web.archive.org/web/20080828004034/http://www.armenianorthodoxchurch.org/v04/doc/English/visitseng.htm#11 . dead . 2008-08-28 . News and Media . Armenian Orthodox Church . 22 July 2007.
23. News: 2018-08-01 . Ethiopia's exiled patriarch Bishop Merkorios returns . en-GB . BBC News . 2022-08-21.
24. Haustein . Jörg . Østebø . Terje . 2011-11-01 . EPRDF's revolutionary democracy and religious plurality: Islam and Christianity in post-Derg Ethiopia . Journal of Eastern African Studies . 5 . 4 . 755–772 . 10.1080/17531055.2011.642539 . 59042446 . 1753-1055.
25. News: Goldman . Ari L. . U.S. Branch Leaves Ethiopian Orthodox Church . . 22 September 1992 . 29 April 2016.
26. Book: Prunier, Gérard . Understanding Contemporary Ethiopia . Ficquet . Éloi . 2015 . Oxford University Press . 978-1-84904-261-1.
27. Web site: Ethiopian church patriarch Abune Paulos dies. BBC News . 16 August 2012 . 16 August 2012.
28. Web site: Ethiopian church appoints Abune Mathias as patriarch . BBC News . 2013-03-01 . 2013-03-03.
29. Web site: Ethiopian Church officially declared reunification in the presence of PM Abiy Ahmed . Borkena Ethiopian News . live . 2018-07-26 . https://archive.today/20210911043055/https://borkena.com/2018/07/26/ethiopian-church-officially-declared-reunification-in-the-presence-of-pm/ . 2021-09-11.
30. Web site: St . Addis . ard . 2023-02-02 . News Analysis: As schism deepens, Orthodox Synod slams PM Abiy's remarks on ongoing crisis point by point, threaten to organize worldwide protest . 2023-02-04 . Addis Standard . en-US.