The Orthodox Church of Ethiopia: A History
Surrounded by steep escarpments to the north, south and east, Ethiopia has always been geographically and culturally set apart. It has the longest archaeological record of any country in the world: indeed, this precipitous mountain land was where the human race began. It is also home to an ancient church with a remarkable legacy. The Church of Ethiopia is the only pre-colonial church in sub-Saharan Africa; today it has a membership of around forty million and is rapidly growing. This book is the first major study of a community which has developed a distinctive approach different from all other churches. John Binns explains how its special features have shaped the life of the Ethiopian people, and how political changes since the overthrow of Haile Selassie have forced the Church to rethink its identity and mission. He discusses the famous rock-hewn churches; the Ark of the Covenant (claimed by the Church and housed in Aksum); medieval monasticism; relations with the Coptic Church; centuries of co-existence with Islam; missionary activity; and the Church's venerable oral traditions of poetic allegorical reflection.
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The Orthodox Church of Ethiopia: A History
Surrounded by steep escarpments to the north, south and east, Ethiopia has always been geographically and culturally set apart. It has the longest archaeological record of any country in the world: indeed, this precipitous mountain land was where the human race began. It is also home to an ancient church with a remarkable legacy. The Church of Ethiopia is the only pre-colonial church in sub-Saharan Africa; today it has a membership of around forty million and is rapidly growing. This book is the first major study of a community which has developed a distinctive approach different from all other churches. John Binns explains how its special features have shaped the life of the Ethiopian people, and how political changes since the overthrow of Haile Selassie have forced the Church to rethink its identity and mission. He discusses the famous rock-hewn churches; the Ark of the Covenant (claimed by the Church and housed in Aksum); medieval monasticism; relations with the Coptic Church; centuries of co-existence with Islam; missionary activity; and the Church's venerable oral traditions of poetic allegorical reflection.
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The Orthodox Church of Ethiopia: A History

The Orthodox Church of Ethiopia: A History

by John Binns
The Orthodox Church of Ethiopia: A History

The Orthodox Church of Ethiopia: A History

by John Binns

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Overview

Surrounded by steep escarpments to the north, south and east, Ethiopia has always been geographically and culturally set apart. It has the longest archaeological record of any country in the world: indeed, this precipitous mountain land was where the human race began. It is also home to an ancient church with a remarkable legacy. The Church of Ethiopia is the only pre-colonial church in sub-Saharan Africa; today it has a membership of around forty million and is rapidly growing. This book is the first major study of a community which has developed a distinctive approach different from all other churches. John Binns explains how its special features have shaped the life of the Ethiopian people, and how political changes since the overthrow of Haile Selassie have forced the Church to rethink its identity and mission. He discusses the famous rock-hewn churches; the Ark of the Covenant (claimed by the Church and housed in Aksum); medieval monasticism; relations with the Coptic Church; centuries of co-existence with Islam; missionary activity; and the Church's venerable oral traditions of poetic allegorical reflection.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780567695024
Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date: 03/19/2020
Pages: 320
Product dimensions: 5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.67(d)

About the Author

John Binns is Visiting Professor at the Institute of Orthodox Christian Studies, Cambridge, UK and a Research Associate at the School of Oriental and African Studies, London, UK.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations
Acknowledgements
Note on Transliteration
Abbreviations
Introduction A Tradition of Faith
1. Place and Idea: Identifying Ethiopia
2. Semitic and Cushitic: A Meeting of Cultures
3. King and Abuna: The Formation of a Church
4. Sacred Space and Sacred Time: An Approach to Worship
5. Monks and Missionaries: The Growth of Popular Christianity
6. Islam and Christianity: How Two Faiths Coexisted
7. Catholic Missions and Christological Debate: Exploring Doctrine
8. Students and Teachers: The Oral Tradition of Scholarship
9. Evangelicals and Pentecostals: New Ways of Believing
10. Survival and Growth: The Ethiopian Orthodox Tawehedo Church in the Modern World
Conclusion A Traditional African Church
Notes
Bibliography
Index

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