What crucial cultural contribution did the introduction of Christianity bring to Ethiopia?
1 Answer
The introduction of Christianity created a unique African Church that has provided a sense of cultural and national identity to Ethiopia.
Explanation:
The Tewahedo Orthodox Church of Ethiopia though related to the Coptic Orthodox Church of Egypt is unique to Ethiopia. The Church is deeply rooted in the history, social life, and ethics of the nation.
The belief in Ethiopia is that the royal line of the nation is descended from King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. This belief is supported by the existence of a large Jewish practicing part of the population especially in the Northwest. Since the fall of the royal line, the advent of a socialistic government, and the rise of a more radical form of Islam the Israeli government has actively sought to expatriate this Jewish population. The Story is also supported by references in the Old Testament.
Perhaps the existence of the practice of Judaism side by side with the traditional animistic ancestry worship made the for the ready acceptance of Christianity. The book of Acts 8: 26-39 records the conversion of a high ranking Ethiopian to Christianity. Trade with Roman Christians reinforced the introduction of Christianity to Ethiopia. By AD 325 Ethiopia had their own bishop and Christianity was declared the official state religion in AD 341.
The Ethiopian form of Christianity was extremely tolerant of other religions. Christians rarely made up more than 50% of the population. Jews, animists and Muslims were allowed to freely practice their religions and no pressure was exerted to force conversion.
The Tewahedo Orthodox Church was and is the dominant form of faith in the Ethiopian highlands, and was the dominant form of faith for the royal and ruling classes. The belief that they were descendants of King Solomon and possessed the Ark of the Covenant provided a strong sense of national pride and identity for the Ethiopian people. This faith and the highlands protected them from the military conquest of the Islamic armies.
The introduction of Christianity created a strong cultural identity in Ethiopia. The Orthodox faith of Ethiopia is unique to that country, not dependent on outside influences,and has long held the nation together. More than 50% of the nation still practices the Orthodox faith in spite of the challenges to the traditional religion due to the introduction of the Catholic faith in the 16th century, Western evangelical missionaries, Socialistic governments, and radical Islam.
