History of Ethiopia

Video Presentation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0SYa_YA7Yo

Ethiopia is situated in and near the Horn of Africa, on the easternmost part of the African continent. Ethiopia is near the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, and the Indian Ocean, yet the country touches neither of these waters. Instead, modern day Ethiopia is bordered by the countries of Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Kenya to the south, South Sudan to the southwest, and Sudan to the northwest. Ethiopia has a population of 93,877,025, making it the second most populous country in Africa. The capital city of Ethiopia is Addis Ababa. 

"Ethiopia Location"

Ethiopia’s geographic location and features have given the country a distinct historical advantage. Being situated on the edge of the Great Rift Valley, much of Ethiopia is higher above sea level than the rest of the African continent. Most of the continent’s land stands at an elevation of 500-1000 meters. Of the relatively small amount of continental land above 2,000 meters, Ethiopia possesses half. Of the scarce amount of land over 3,000 meters, Ethiopia is home to over three-fourths. This exceptionally high elevation is the cause for excessive rainfall in the Ethiopian highlands - rainfall which is exceptional for a country so close to the Red Sea. These unique circumstances - adequate rainfall and location on the Red Sea -  gave rise to the mighty kingdom of Aksum in the first century. Reader writes, “the unique environmental circumstances of northern Ethiopia combined with the trading opportunities of the Red Sea to fuel the rise of sub-Saharan Africa’s first indigenous state.”

 The Kingdom of Aksum stood, from the first century to the tenth century, over what is now modern day Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Yemen. One ancient historian referred to Aksum as one of the four major powers of the world - alongside Rome, Persia, and China. 

“Ethiopian Highlands”

In the fourth century, two young Roman citizens (Frumentius and Aedesius) became providentially involved, by way of shipwreck and capture, in the court of the Aksumite King Ezana. They brought the message of the Christian gospel to the king and his court. The young King Ezana converted to Christianity and made Christianity the official religion of his kingdom. After the king’s conversion, with the help of Frumentius and Christian Roman merchants, the gospel spread freely and widely throughout the country, reaching every man, woman, and child. Over time, Christianity became essential to the national identity of Ethiopia. According to Professor Sergew Habele Selassie, “Christianity does not constitute a purely religious phenomenon on the country, but plays an integral role in all aspects of national life. The Church is not only a religious institution, but has for many centuries been the repository of the cultural, political and social life of the people."

“Ethiopian Cross”

(Ethiopian Orthodox Church Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JHemzHe2CI).

Ethiopia’s association with the God of the Bible did not begin in the fourth century, however. Sometime around the tenth century BC, the Ethiopian Queen of Sheba traveled to Jerusalem to see the famed wisdom and wealth of King Solomon. She left Solomon with gold and spices and precious stones, and Solomon in turn “gave to the Queen of Sheba all that she desired,”

 and he taught her about the God of Israel. According to Ethiopian tradition, King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba had a son, Menelik I. Menelik was confirmed by Solomon to the be king of Ethiopia. Before returning to Ethiopia, however, Menelik insisted that he be granted to take the Ark of the Covenant, which God had instructed his forefather Moses to build. When he was not given such permission, he stole the Ark and brought it to Ethiopia where many, including most Ethiopians, believe “it still remains.” According to Mamman Musa Adamu, this legend “is clearly one of the most accepted, believed, pervasive and resonant among all the legends of origin in Africa, today. The legend is still widely believed by the majority of Ethiopians and is reflected in their day to day lives.”

“Solomon and the Queen of Sheba”

During the first years of the Christian church, having begun in and around Jerusalem, Philip the evangelist found an Ethiopian journeying home from Jerusalem, reading the prophet Isaiah. When Philip found him, he explained the words of Isaiah to him and “told him the good news about Jesus” (Acts 8:35). According to Ethiopian tradition, this Ethiopian brought the gospel to his homeland. Throughout the rest of the first three centuries, merchants from the Roman Empire brought the gospel with them to Ethiopia. Finally, in the fourth century, King Ezana proclaimed Christianity to be the official religion of the Aksumite kingdom.

“Philip with the Ethiopian”

In the thirteenth century, the Solomonic dynasty ascended to power. The Solomonic dynasty reigned, with few interruptions, until 1974. Each of the Solomonic kings claimed descent from Solomon, the Queen of Sheba, and Menelik I. One notable Solomonic ruler was Menelik II (1889-1913). The last of the Solomonic rulers was Emperor Haile Selassie (1930-1974). 

“Haile Selassie”

Ethiopia has had a long history of relations with the rest of the world. The Queen of Sheba, having traveled to Jerusalem in the tenth century, bore King Solomon a son and returned home with a knowledge of the God of Israel. The Christian gospel was proclaimed to Ethiopians by foreigners for centuries until the King himself became converted. Throughout the Middle Ages, the legend of a Christian priest-king in a distant land stirred the imagination of Europeans. “Prester John”, as he was called, was the “quintessential representative of a distant and largely unknown Christian might.”

 The identity of the legendary Prester John was “conferred upon the kings of Ethiopia when medieval Europe learned of the Christian kingdom that lay beyond the realm of Islam.” In 1487, King John of Portugal sent two Arabic speaking merchants to discover the land of Prester John and obtain the Christian king’s aid in a crusade against Islam.

“Presbiteri Iohannis, sive, Abissinorum Imperii descriptio”

In 1407, an Italian visited Ethiopia. He was the first European to step foot on Ethiopian soil. Some five hundred years later, Italians would seek to claim Ethiopian soil for themselves. In the age of European colonization, beginning in the late nineteenth century, Italy, seeking to stake their own claim on Africa, targeted Ethiopia. Ethiopia, under Menelik II, successfully resisted colonization by Italy, defeating the Italians at the Battle of Adwa in 1896. Ethiopia was the only major African country to retain its sovereignty against European colonizers, and the struggle against Italy was the “only one in this era in which the African country in question maintained its independence.” “In an age of relentless European expansion, Ethiopia had successfully defended its independence; in doing so, it cast doubt upon an unshakable certainty of the age—that sooner or later all Africans would fall under the rule of Europeans.” On the eve of the second world war, the Second Italo-Ethiopian War resulted in the Italian invasion and occupation of Ethiopia. The Italians were driven out, and Ethiopia’s sovereignty was recognized in 1944.

“Africa Imperialism Map”

Although the Ethiopians resisted the Italian colonizers, they did not altogether escape the effects of colonization. Some effects were positive. For instance, during its brief occupation, “Italy contributed in conducting scientific crop research, introduced better agricultural methods, attempted to assess Ethiopia's food and farming potentialities, acquainted the Ethiopian people with mechanized agriculture and catapulted Ethiopia into the machine age.” However, Italian influence also planted the seeds for a border war. King Menelik II ceded some of Ethiopia’s northern territories to the Italians in exchange for other goods. This land became the Italian colony of Eritrea and is today the modern state of Eritrea. After the Ethiopia victory at the battle of Adwa, the Treaty of Addis Ababa confirmed Ethiopia’s independence and strictly delineated its northern border with Eritrea. In 1998, a border dispute between Ethiopia and Eritrea led to a two year war. According to Philip White, the Eritrean-Ethiopian war “ended only after a full-scale invasion of Eritrea, the loss of some 45-50,000 lives, the displacement of 300,000 people, mass explosions, massive economic, infrastructural and development costs, the stoking up of conflicts across the region, a legacy of mistrust and loss of trade between the two states and lost livelihood in border areas, and serious political repercussions for the two leaderships which are still being played out.”

“Eritrean–Ethiopian War Map”

Foreigners have also come to Ethiopia as missionaries. The first Protestant missionary to Ethiopia was a German Lutheran - Peter Heyling. Heyling arrived in Ethiopia in 1634. “Heyling’s primary interest was to work with the Ethiopian Orthodox Church with the aim of ‘revitalizing’ the institution so that it would focus on its scriptural origins, reform, and be endowed with a heightened sense of evangelization in accord with the doctrine of salvation.” Missionary work in Ethiopia reached its peak during the reign of Haile Selassie in the 20th century. From 1974 to 1991, mission work subsided, due to the Marxist government which controlled Ethiopia (known as “the Derg”). In 1991, that government was overthrown, and missionaries returned to Ethiopia, where they continue to labor today. Today, Ethiopia is a republic, and is officially called the “Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.”

“Ethiopian Flag”

(Ethiopian National Anthem: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02t8_Ztf8e0)

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Scholarly Sources:

Adamu, Mamman Musa, “The Legend of Queen Sheba, the Solomonic Dynasty and Ethiopian History: An Analysis.” African Research Review. Vol. 3 (1), 2009, 468-482.

Belcher, Stephen Paterson. African Myths Of Origin. London: Penguin, 2005. 

Eshete, Tibebe. The Evangelical Movement In Ethiopia. Waco, TX: Baylor University Press, 2009.

Jonas, Raymond Anthony. The Battle Of Adwa. Cambridge, Mass.: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2011.

Quirin, James. "Is the Successful Military Resistance to European Colonialism in Late Nineteenth-Century Ethiopia Still Significant Today?" The Journal of African History 48, no. 2 (2007): 344-45. http://www.jstor.org/stable/4501061.

Reader, John. Africa: A Biography of the Continent. New York: First Vintage Books, 1999. 

Salvadore, Matteo. "The Ethiopian age of exploration: Prester John's discovery of Europe, 1306-1458." Journal of World History 21, no. 4 (2010): 593. Academic OneFile (accessed September 27, 2016). http://p2048-ezproxy.liberty.edu.ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?url=http://go.galegroup.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/ps/i.do?p=AONE&sw=w&u=vic_liberty&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE%7CA246449862&sid=summon&asid=4e916c807c461d3ddc0ba69f56366686.

Sbacchi, Alberto. “Italian Colonization in Ethiopia: Plans and Projects, 1936-1940.” Africa: Rivista Trimestrale Di Studi E Documentazione Dell’Istituto Italiano per L’Africa E L’Oriente 32, no. 4 (1977): 503-16. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40760485.

Sellassie, Sergew Hable, and Tadesse Tamerat. “The Church of Ethiopia: A Panorama of History and Spiritual Life.” Addis Ababa: Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, 1970. http://www.ethiopianorthodox.org/english/ethiopian/prechristian.html

White, Philip. “The Eritrea-Ethiopia Border Arbitration.” Review of African Political Economy 29, no. 92 (2002): 345-56. http://www.jstor.org/stable/4006821.

Multi Media Elements:

“Africa Imperialism Map”, (accessed 19 October. 2016. http://jmccrackenworld.com/Africa_ImperialismMap.jpg)

“Eritrean–Ethiopian War Map”, Horn of Africa (accessed 19 October. 2016. http://hornofafrica.de/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Eritrean%E2%80%93Ethiopian_War_Map_1998-620.jpg)

“Ethiopia Location”, Nouah’s Ark, (accessed 19 October. 2016. http://www.nouahsark.com/en/infocenter/worldwide/africa/ethiopia/ethiopia_location.php)

“Ethiopian Cross” (accessed 19 October. 2016. http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mek1thycJG1rxfsyuo1_400.jpg)

“Ethiopian Flag”, World Pics (accessed 19 October. 2016. http://worldpics.com.au/Ethiopia/flags/slides/1996ethiopia.gif)

“Ethiopian Highlands” (accessed 19 October. 2016. https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPAy-zy6oOFXRVePvzfG5fvniOAsHtKPgdk3BsUvS9ZFfD-8IFXH2YwMCRZK4B79hUF6dJxGyISuTGBAoWOuLh5gc7BN-7wj4VurrUARyoj_Wy8QdPuIU9z5KkUFL_54DymFubF_1qMXho/s1600/ethiopia+Simien+Mountain+ethiopian+highlands+19.jpg).

“Haile Selassie”, Wikipedia (accessed 19 October. 2016. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/07/Haile_Selassie_(1969).jpg

“Philip with the Ethiopian”, Kumulani Chapel, (accessed 19 October. 2016. http://kumulanichapel.org/wordpress1/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/philip-and-ethiopian.jpg)

“Presbiteri Iohannis, sive, Abissinorum Imperii descriptio”, Princeton (accessed 20 October. 2016. http://libweb5.princeton.edu/visual_materials/maps/websites/africa/maps-central/1603%20ortelius.jpg).

“Solomon and the Queen of Sheba”, Wikipedia, (accessed 19 October. 2016. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/Piero_della_Francesca-_Legend_of_the_True_Cross_-_the_Queen_of_Sheba_Meeting_with_Solomon%3B_detail.JPG)

Politics, National Identity, Borders

Political Past

Ethiopia’s political past is long and rich. The Kingdom of Aksum stood, from the first century to the tenth century, over what is now modern day Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Yemen. One ancient historian referred to Aksum as one of the four major powers of the world - alongside Rome, Persia, and China. “Aksum developed a civilization and empire whose influence, at its zenith in the fourth and fifth centuries AD, extended throughout the regions lying south of the Roman Empire, from the fringes of the Sahara in the west, across the Red Sea to the inner Arabian desert of Rub’el Hali in the east” (Reader, 208). 

With the fall of Aksumite Kingdom in the tenth century, Ethiopia entered into what has been called a “dark age”, until the accession of the Zagwe Dynasty in 1137. The Zagwe Dynasty held power for just over a century, when it was overthrown by a king, , who claimed to be descended from Solomon and Menelik I. The reestablished ‘Solomonic Dynasty’ reigned, with few interruptions, from 1270 to 1974. (There was a time [1769-1855] called the Zemene Mesafint, or the “Age of Princes”, in which the king’s central authority was only nominal, and the fragmented country was effectively governed by various princes). One notable Solomonic ruler was Menelik II, who modernized Ethiopia. The last of the Solomonic rulers was Emperor Haile Selassie, who reigned from 1930 to 1974. After Haile Selassie’s reign, Ethiopia was governed by a communist military provisional government known as “the Derg.” Today, Ethiopia is a republic, and is officially called the “Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.”

National Identity

Ethiopia’s long and rich history makes for a strong national identity. Historically, Christianity has been a definitive part of Ethiopian identity. In the fourth century, the Aksumite King Ezana converted to Christianity, and Christianity was declared the state religion. Ethiopia was the first major power to have officially adopted Christianity as the state religion. Over time, Christianity became essential to the national identity of Ethiopia. According to Professor Sergew Habele Selassie, “Christianity does not constitute a purely religious phenomenon on the country, but plays an integral role in all aspects of national life. The Church is not only a religious institution, but has for many centuries been the repository of the cultural, political and social life of the people.” Ethiopia’s relationship with the Christian God did not begin in the fourth century AD, but more than a thousand years before, when the Queen of Sheba visited King Solomon of Israel and, according to tradition, bore him a son - Menelik I, who ruled Ethiopia.

In the nineteenth century, Ethiopian national identity was demonstrated and solidified by the fact that the country retained its sovereignty against European colonizers. Ethiopia, under Menelik II, successfully resisted colonization by Italy, defeating the Italians at the Battle of Adwa. “In an age of relentless European expansion, Ethiopia had successfully defended its independence; in doing so, it cast doubt upon an unshakable certainty of the age—that sooner or later all Africans would fall under the rule of Europeans” (Jonas).

Borders

Ethiopia is a landlocked country, bordering six African states - Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Kenya to the south, South Sudan to the southwest, and Sudan to the northwest. Ethiopia has been involved in several border disputes. One recent border dispute was with Eritrea. In the age of European colonization, the Italians failed to colonize Ethiopia. The Italians did, however, manage to acquire some land. King Menelik II ceded some of Ethiopia’s northern territories to the Italians in exchange for other goods. This became the Italian colony is Eritrea and is today the modern state of Eritrea. After the Ethiopia victory at the battle of Adwa, the Treaty of Addis Ababa confirmed Ethiopia’s independence and strictly delineated its northern border with Eritrea. In 1998, a border dispute between Ethiopia and Eritrea led to a two year war. According to Philip White, the Eritrean-Ethiopian war “ended only after a full-scale invasion of Eritrea, the loss of some 45-50,000 lives, the displacement of 300,000 people, mass explosions, massive economic, infrastructural and development costs, the stoking up of conflicts across the region, a legacy of mistrust and loss of trade between the two states and lost livelihood in border areas, and serious political repercussions for the two leaderships which are still being played out” (White). 

Sources:

Jonas, Raymond Anthony. The Battle Of Adwa. Cambridge, Mass.: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2011.

White, Philip. “The Eritrea-Ethiopia Border Arbitration.” Review of African Political Economy 29, no. 92 (2002): 345-56. http://www.jstor.org/stable/4006821.

Missions to Ethiopia

Solomon and the Queen of Sheba

Ethiopia has been shaped by mission work, particularly Christian mission work. Sometime around 10 BC, the Ethiopian Queen of Sheba, having heard reports of the wisdom and wealth of King Solomon “concerning the name of the Lord”, traveled to Jerusalem “to test him with hard questions” (1 Kings 10:1-2). When she came to Solomon, the king “answered all her questions” (1 Kings 10:3). The Queen of Sheba blessed the one true God: “Blessed be the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and set you on the throne of Israel! Because the Lord loved Israel forever, he has made you king, that you may execute justice and righteousness” (1 Kings 10:9). She then returned to her own land. Thus the knowledge of the living God was brought to the land of Ethiopia. Solomon might rightly be called the first “missionary” to the Ethiopians.

Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch

Some one-thousand years later, in the first century, the gospel of Jesus Christ was brought to the Ethiopians. When a great persecution arose against the Church in Jerusalem, the disciples of Christ were scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, preaching the gospel as they went. Philip, a deacon of the Church, proclaimed the good news about Jesus Christ in Samaria. Then an angel said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south, to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza” (Acts 8:26). Philip rose and went. He found there “an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians” (Acts 8:27). This Ethiopian man had traveled to the temple in Jerusalem to worship. (It seems, based on this man’s interest in the Lord, that the knowledge of the Lord, which the Queen of Sheba had brought back to Ethiopia, was still intact. Moreover, this Ethiopian eunuch possessed at least a portion of the Scriptures. This seems to confirm the fact that the knowledge of the Lord was indeed alive in Ethiopia, even in the first century.) He was returning home, seated on a chariot, reading aloud the prophet Isaiah. The Spirit commanded Philip to join him. Philip ran to the chariot, overheard the man reading Isaiah the prophet, and asked “Do you understand what you are reading?” The Ethiopian responded, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” “And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. The passage he was reading was this: ‘Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter and like a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he opens not his mouth. In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth’” (Acts 8:31-33). Beginning with this passage, Philip told this Ethiopian “the good news about Jesus” (Acts 8:35). He believed and was baptized. According to Ethiopian tradition, this man returned home and spread the gospel among his countrymen. 

“Philip with the Ethiopian”

Frumentius and the Conversion of King Ezana

In the fourth century a young Roman citizen from Tyre named Frumentiu boarded a ship set sail for India, taking course along the African coast of the Red Sea. When the ship stopped at a port on the African coast to gather provisions, the passengers were attacked. Everyone on board was massacred except for Frumentius and one of his relatives. They were taken to the Ethiopian king in Aksum, where they served in the king’s court. Now there were Roman merchants in Aksum, many of whom were Christians. Frumentius, whose mind was turned to the things of God, began to seek out these Christians and help them spread the gospel. The young King Ezana himself became a Christian, and Christianity became the official religion of the Aksumite kingdom. Frumentius, who came to be called the “Father of peace and Revealer of light”, was consecrated the first Bishop of Aksum (“The Church of Ethiopia: A Panorama of History and Spiritual Life”).

Protestant Missions

Almost twenty percent of the population in Ethiopia is identified as Protestant. Protestant missions to Ethiopia began in the seventeenth century. (Catholic missions to Ethiopia began in the sixteenth century: Jesuits came to Ethiopia in 1557.) The first Protestant missionary to Ethiopia was a German Lutheran - Peter Heyling. Heyling arrived in Ethiopia in 1634. “Heyling’s primary interest was to work with the Ethiopian Orthodox Church with the aim of ‘revitalizing’ the institution so that it would focus on its scriptural origins, reform, and be endowed with a heightened sense of evangelization in accord with the doctrine of salvation” (Eshete). 

Missionary work in Ethiopia reached its peak during the reign of Haile Selassie in the 20th century. From 1974 to 1991, mission work subsided, due to the Marxist government which controlled Ethiopia. In 1991, that government was overthrown, and missionaries returned to Ethiopia, where they continue today.

Sources:

Eshete, Tibebe. The Evangelical Movement In Ethiopia. Waco, Tex.: Baylor University Press, 2009.

“Philip with the Ethiopian.” http://kumulanichapel.org/wordpress1/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/philip-and-ethiopian.jpg

Professor Sergew Hable Sellassie and Professor Tadesse Tamerat. “The Church of Ethiopia: A Panorama of History and Spiritual Life.” Addis Ababa: Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, 1970. http://www.ethiopianorthodox.org/english/ethiopian/prechristian.html

First Contacts with Europe and Asia

In the 10th century B.C., the Ethiopian Queen of Sheba “came to Jerusalem with a very great retinue, with camels bearing spices and very much gold and precious stones” to see the famed wealth and wisdom of King Solomon (1 Kings 10:2). She returned to her country, according to Ethiopian tradition, with a son by Solomon and a knowledge of the one true God. This is the first recorded contact between Ethiopia and the outside world, The results of this contact were immense: religion - and with it every aspect of life - in Ethiopia was forever changed. This contact was also the basis for the Solomonic Dynasty which remained in power almost continuously from 1270 to 1974.

During the first century, Philip, a deacon of the early church in Jerusalem, found an Ethiopian journeying home from the temple in Jerusalem, reading the prophet Isaiah. Philip accompanied the Ethiopian and told him the good news about Jews. According to tradition, this Ethiopian brought the good news to his homeland. Tradition also holds that Ethiopians were present on the day of Pentecost, and that the Apostle Matthew was sent to Ethiopia where he preached the gospel and suffered martyrdom. Throughout the rest of the first three centuries, merchants from the Roman Empire brought the gospel with them to Ethiopia. In the fourth century, Syrian Christians (Frumentius and Aedesius) who became involved in the court of the Ethiopian King Ezana, where they brought the message of the gospel to the king and his court. The young King Ezana, converted to Christianity and decreed Christianity to be the official state religion.

In 1407, a European visited Ethiopia for the first time - the Italian, Pietro Rombulo. This was, however, by no means the first contact between Ethiopia and Europe. According to John Reader, “Ethiopians regularly visited Egypt and Cyprus, and made pilgrimages to the holy places of Palestine, where they met European travelers and established links between Ethiopia and the rest of the Christian world” (Reader, 351). The first recorded contact between Ethiopians and Europeans on European soil was in 1306. In 1306, over one hundred years before any European had visited Ethiopia, some thirty Ethiopians arrived in Italy. They had been sent by their king as envoys to Europe to offer aid against Islam. According to Matteo Salvadore, “Wedem Ra'ad sent a delegation of thirty Ethiopians to Europe, most likely for the purpose of forging an anti-Islam alliance with European coreligionists... The encounter seems to be the first of a series of attempts that Ethiopian rulers made to establish formal contact with European elites on the basis of a common Christian identity.” The Ethiopian envoys visited Rome and Avignon and were preparing to sail home at Genoa, where they were interviewed by a priest.

Relations between Ethiopia and Europe continued throughout the fifteenth century. In 1400, King Henry IV of England sent a letter to Prester John, the legendary Ethiopian King, seeking an alliance for a crusade against Islam. Prester John was the “quintessential representative of a distant and largely unknown Christian might” (Salvadore). The identity of the legendary Prester John was “conferred upon the kings of Ethiopia when medieval Europe learned of the Christian kingdom that lay beyond the realm of Islam” (Reader, 350). In 1402, the Ethiopian King David (the Prester John from 1382-1413) sent envoys to Italy asking to receive Italian craftsmen into his court. During the 1420s, the French sent missions to Ethiopia. In 1487, King John of Portugal sent two Arabic speaking merchants to discover the land of Prester John and obtain the Christian king’s aid in a crusade against Islam.

“Presbiteri Iohannis, sive, Abissinorum Imperii descriptio.”
The Kingdom of Prester John depicted in a European map of Africa in 1603

“The episodes of interaction here considered had lasting consequences for Ethio-European relations: they engendered dynamics of reciprocal understanding based on a common religious identity that ran counter to ideas of African and black inferiority that represented the cultural norm for much of the modern period. Ethiopians became in fact agents of discovery and purveyors of geographical knowledge in an era when the dominating paradigm of difference was grounded not in racial but rather in religious identity” (Salvadore).

Sources:

Reader, John. Africa: A Biography of the Continent. New York: First Vintage Books, 1999. 

Salvadore, Matteo. "The Ethiopian age of exploration: Prester John's discovery of Europe, 1306-1458." Journal of World History 21, no. 4 (2010): 593. Academic OneFile (accessed September 27, 2016). http://p2048-ezproxy.liberty.edu.ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?url=http://go.galegroup.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/ps/i.do?p=AONE&sw=w&u=vic_liberty&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE%7CA246449862&sid=summon&asid=4e916c807c461d3ddc0ba69f56366686.

“Presbiteri Iohannis, sive, Abissinorum Imperii descriptio.” Copperplate map, with added color, 35 x 42 cm. From Ortelius’s Theatrum orbis terrarium . . . (Antwerp, 1603). Reference: Norwich, Africa 11. Purchase aided with funds provided by Bruce Willsie, Class of 1986. [Historic Maps Collection] http://libweb5.princeton.edu/visual_materials/maps/websites/africa/maps-central/1603%20ortelius.jpg

Natural Resources and Trade

Natural Resources and Trade in Ethiopia

Ethiopia is situated on the Horn of Africa, on the edge of the Great Rift Valley, near, but not adjacent to, the Red Sea. Ethiopia’s geographic location and features gives the country a distinct advantage in the way of natural resources and trade. Being situated on the edge of the Rift Valley, much of Ethiopia is higher above sea level than the rest of the African continent. Most of the continent’s land stands at an elevation of 500-1000 meters. Of the relatively small amount of continental land above 2,000 meters, Ethiopia possesses half. Of the scarce amount of land over 3,000 meters, Ethiopia is home to over three-fourths. This exceptionally high elevation is the cause for excessive rainfall in the Ethiopian highlands - rainfall which is atypical of a country so close to the Red Sea. According to John Reader, “the elevated land masses also force moisture-laden winds up to levels at which clouds form and rain falls. The hot and damp Red Sea winds... rise when they strike the Rift Valley escarpment... and are the source of the rain which falls on the plateau beyond” (Reader, 211). These unique circumstances gave rise to the mighty kingdom of Aksum. Reader writes, “the unique environmental circumstances of northern Ethiopia combined with the trading opportunities of the Red Sea to fuel the rise of sub-Saharan Africa’s first indigenous state” (Reader, 205). The Kingdom of Aksum was involved in a vast system of international trade, trading with Egypt, the eastern Mediterranean regions of the Roman Empire, and Arabia. They exported products such as ivory, rhinoceros horn, hippopotamus hides, gold dust, frankincense, civet-cat musk, elephants, and slaves.

The unique Ethiopian climate has also given rise to plants, endemic to Ethiopia, many of which are domesticated and economically important. Coffee originated in Ethiopia, and was there first domesticated. “The status of coffee as an endemic plant first domesticated in Ethiopia is unchallenged” (Reader, 212). From Ethiopia, coffee spread to the Islamic world, then to Europe, and then to America. Coffee has long been Ethiopia’s foremost cash crop. In 2012, coffee generated 26 percent of Ethiopia’’s export revenues. In previous decades that number was closer to 50 percent. Another plant to have originated in Ethiopia is teff. Teff is a delicate plant which produces a small grain, and “the cereal which contributed most to the historical development of the region” 212 Agriculture in general is the foundation of the Ethiopian economy, accounting for half of GDP and over 80 percent of exports. Mining, particularly gold mining, is also an increasingly important part of the Ethiopian economy. According to one report, in 2012, mining accounted for more than 19 percent of the total value of the country’s exports (World Bank Group).

"Ethiopian Coffee"

Sources:

“Ethiopian Coffee.” EphremTube. Accessed 23 Sept. 2016. http://www.ephremtube.com/Gallery/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Ethiopian-Coffee-with-be-seni.jpg

Reader, John. Africa: A Biography of the Continent. New York: First Vintage Books, 1999. 

World Bank Group. 2014. Strategic Assessment of the Ethiopian Mineral Sector: Final Report. Washington, DC. World Bank. https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/20585 

Religion in Ethiopia

Religion in Ethiopian is diverse. The major religions include Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and Paganism. The majority of Ethiopia’s large population (93.9 million) adhere to Christianity or Islam. Ethiopia is 34 percent Muslim and 63 percent Christian. Christianity is the predominant religion. Christians are further divided amongst the Orthodox Tewahedo Church , Protestant, and Roman Catholic churches (44 percent Orthodox; 19 percent Protestant; less than 1 percent Roman Catholic). 

http://www.geocurrents.info/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Ethiopia-Religion-Map1.png

Christianity in Ethiopia

According to the legend of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba (discussed in Blog Post 2), on the night that Solomon knew the queen, Solomon dreamt a dream. In his dream he saw a sun. This sun “arose of the people of Judah in Israel, but the people of Israel mistreated it and killed it and held it of no account, although it rose from the tomb and brightened the whole world, especially Ethiopia and Rome.” This sun, which Solomon dreamed of, is the Lord Jesus Christ, who was mistreated and killed and held of no account by the Israelite people from whom he arose, yet he “rose from the tomb and brightened the whole world, especially Ethiopia.” Solomon’s dream was certainly fulfilled; the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ has shone brightly upon Ethiopia since the time of Christ’s resurrection in the first century. 

During the first years of the Christian church, Philip the evangelist found an Ethiopian journeying home from Jerusalem, reading the prophet Isaiah. It is significant to note that this Ethiopian had travelled to Jerusalem to worship, and he also possessed a portion of the Scriptures (this was rare during this time). According to Ethiopian tradition, Ethiopians had worshiped the God of the Bible for several centuries before this - ever since the Queen of Sheba learned of the one true God and her son had taken the Ark of the Covenant back to Ethiopia. So it is no surprise that this Ethiopian had travelled to the temple and was reading the Scriptures. When Philip found him, he explained the passage of Scripture to him (from Isaiah 53), and “told him the good news about Jesus” (Acts 8:35). According to tradition, this Ethiopian brought the gospel to his homeland. Tradition also holds that Ethiopians were present on the day of Pentecost, and that the Apostle Matthew was sent to Ethiopia where he preached the gospel and suffered martyrdom. Throughout the rest of the first three centuries, merchants from the Roman Empire brought the gospel with them to Ethiopia.

In the fourth century, Syrian Christians (Frumentius and Aedesius) who became involved in the court of the Ethiopian King Ezana, where they brought the message of the gospel to the king and his court. The young King Ezana, converted to Christianity and made Christianity the official state religion. After the king’s conversion, the gospel spread more freely and widely throughout the country, reaching every man, woman, and child. Over time, Christianity became essential to the national identity of Ethiopia. According to Professor Sergew Habele Selassie, “Christianity does not constitute a purely religious phenomenon on the country, but plays an integral role in all aspects of national life. The Church is not only a religious institution, but has for many centuries been the repository of the cultural, political and social life of the people.”
(For more information on the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, see http://ethiopianorthodox.org/)

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Islam

Islam was introduced to Ethiopia in the seventh century - in 615 AD. Islam is the predominant religion in the easternmost regions of Ethiopia.

God’s Grace Toward Ethiopia

The one true living God - the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ - has mercifully shown, throughout history, a special favor toward the Ethiopian people. In 10 BC, the queen in Ethiopia visited Jerusalem and gained knowledge of the one true God which she brought back to her homeland. In the days of the prophet Jeremiah, an Ethiopian in the king’s court put his trust in the Lord and was saved (Jeremiah 39:16-18). In the first century, Philip the evangelist is led by God to bring the gospel to an Ethiopian. The Ethiopian believed and was baptized (Acts 8:26-39). In the fourth century, King Ezana adopted the Coptic Christian faith as the official faith of his kingdom. Throughout the middle ages, Ethiopia was ruled by a Christian priest-king, “Prester John.” Even today, Ethiopia is predominantly a Christian country. 

Sources:

Belcher, Stephen Paterson. African Myths Of Origin. London: Penguin, 2005. 

Professor Sergew Hable Sellassie and Professor Tadesse Tamerat. “The Church of Ethiopia: A Panorama of History and Spiritual Life.” Addis Ababa: Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, 1970. http://www.ethiopianorthodox.org/english/ethiopian/prechristian.html

Oral History and Music in Ethiopia

Ethiopian Oral History

Ethiopian oral history has had an important impact in shaping the country both culturally and politically. One legend has had a particularly significant impact: the legend of the Queen of Sheba. According to this legend, the Queen of Sheba came to Jerusalem some time around 1,000 B.C. to see the famed wisdom and wealth of King Solomon with her own eyes. She left Solomon with gold and spices and precious stones, and Solomon in turn “gave to the Queen of Sheba all that she desired” (1 Kings 10:13). The Queen of Sheba’s visit to Jerusalem is historically unquestionable; it can be read about in detail in 1 Kings 10. However, what follows is purely legend: according to the legend, King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba had a son, Menelik I. Menelik was confirmed by Solomon to the be king of Ethiopia. Before returning to Ethiopia, however, Menelik insisted that he be granted to take the Ark of the Covenant, which God had instructed his forefather Moses to build. When he was not given such permission, he stole the Ark and brought it to Ethiopia where many, including most Ethiopians, believe it remains today. 

Solomon and the Queen of Sheba
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_of_Sheba

Thousands of years later, this oral legend was promulgated as historical fact by emperors of the Solomonic Dynasty for political reasons. According to Chuck Missler, “from the restoration of the Solomonic Dynasty [in Ethiopia] around 1270 until the death of last emperor, Haile Selassie [in 1975], the emperors of Ethiopia claimed descent from Solomon and the Queen of Sheba” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1vzsU1aSvk). The claim was even made part of the Ethiopian Constitution in 1955 by Haile Selassie. The legend is widely believed in Ethiopia today to be true. According to Mamman Musa Adamu, this legend “is clearly one of the most accepted, believed, pervasive and resonant among all the legends of origin in Africa, today. The legend is still widely believed by the majority of Ethiopians and is reflected in their day to day lives” (Mamman Musa Adamu, “The Legend of Queen Sheba, the Solomonic Dynasty and Ethiopian History: An Analysis.” African Research Review. Vol. 3 (1), 2009, 468-482.

Ethiopian Music

Music has been an integral part of Ethiopia’s long history. Even today, the Ethiopian University of Addis Ababa’s Yared School of Music states: “Music is an important aspect of life and culture. It is a significant means of expressing and interpreting human experience, which involves the whole person: physical, mental, spiritual and social.”

One instance in which the importance of music can be seen in Ethiopian history is at the Battle of Adwa (1896). The Battle of Adwa was fought between the Ethiopian Empire and the Kingdom of Italy near the town of Adwa, Ethiopia. After the Ethiopian victory, a treaty was signed, and Italy recognized Ethiopia as an independent state: the long history of Ethiopian sovereignty was thus defended and secured. During the battle, strong, poetic, and patriotic songs (called in Amharic, “shilela”) were sung by the soldiers. The songs helped the Ethiopian soldiers to fight with unity, valor, and nationalistic purpose.  

Example of a “shilela”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uz6-dI4x3XU

The instrument being played in the above video is called a “Kirar.” The Kirar is a traditional Ethiopian instrument. Another traditional Ethiopian instrument is the “Masinko.” The Masinko has been used in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. The Masinko is a single-stringed instrument played with a bow.

The Masinko: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JHemzHe2CI