In the name of the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, one God, Amen.
It is mentioned in several places in the Books of the Old Testament that Ethiopia accepted the Old Testament and worshipped God before it accepted Christianity.
It is also well-known that the history of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church starts from the time of the apostles. We say this because the evangelist Philip baptized the Ethiopian eunuch and the eunuch on his return to Ethiopia spread the words of the Gospel and converted many Ethiopians to the Christian faith.
The history which testifies to the ancient beginning of our church is told in the Acts of the Apostles 8:26-40 and this is known by many. Besides as is explained in the church history, among the apostles St. Mathew and St. Andrew and others had also preached the gospel in Ethiopia and this makes the establishment of the Ethiopian church in the first century an incontrovertible fact.
Our church has made major contributions to the general development of Ethiopia and Ethiopians and it is still doing so. Our culture, our civilization, our independence and our basic education is built on the foundations of our church. Church is the symbol of unity and independence of Ethiopia and the Ethiopians and a centre of spiritual and social service. She has served the Ethiopian people by protecting and passing to succeeding generations, belief and culture, writing and education, art and ancient relics. The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church has thousands of churches and monasteries and the services of the churches and monasteries are not only limited to the spiritual sphere. Alongside their spiritual services, they have been serving as schools of literate education, church music, of the Holy books, handicrafts and arts. They have also served as museums of relics and libraries. They continue to serve so extensively at present also.
Through the schools run by the churches and monasteries our church has taught morals and discipline to the people and thus its contribution in preventing the negative consequences in society from lack of morale and discipline is immense.
Our church had served its followers in foreign countries such in other part of Africa outside of Ethiopia, Europe, USA, Caribbean area and in Australia by sending clergy and by building churches. This service still continues with increased efforts.
In particular, we realize that we have a prime duty to expand our apostolic work in our African continent. Out church will persevere to accomplish this task in an intensified manner with the help of God and with the prayers and diligence of the Holy Synod.
It is not the aim of this booklet to provide a comprehensive review of the long history of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and it is not also the aim to give a detailed account of its ongoing activities. The aim is rather to give a brief account for those who want a general understanding about our church related to the:
1. history of our church
2. monasteries and the monastic community members
3. our church education
4. ecclesiastical relics
5. ongoing activities of our church
The booklet is written by several contributors. The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo church is in possession of its own unique church music and form of mass, kene (poetry), commentary on Holy books. None o these were introduced from outside. They are the products of its own scholars and were prepared on the basis of the Holy bible and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
This heritage of indigenous origin is a source of pride not only to Ethiopians but also to the rest of all the black people. This booklet briefly explains that the church has the responsibility to transmit this heritage which it preserved for so long to succeeding generations.
We hope that the book although small, the materials presented in it on the various themes would give adequate information in brief form about the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church.
We accepted with great pleasure the selection of our church to host the 7th General Assembly of the All Africa Conference of Churches.
It is our belief that the delegates participating in this August assembly from all Africa and other parts of the world would be in a strong position to familiarize themselves sufficiently with the history of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and the spiritual and social services that it is rendering to the people.
There is no contradiction between the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and any other church. Our church however opposed in the past and will continue to oppose in future the proselytism among its spiritual flock. This is an apostolic tradition performed to protect oneself and we understand that it will not offend well meaning members of any other church.
Abba Paulos
Patriarch of Ethiopia and
Ichegue of the See of St. Tekle Haimanot
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