Ethiopian Orthodox Church is a Monophysite church. It ranks among the five Monophysite churches in Ethiopia. The church strongly follows the preaching inscribed in the Old Testament. This church of Addis Ababa believes in the single divine nature of Jesus. The members of this orthodox church of Ethiopia follow dietary practices and observe Sabbath on Saturdays. The main center of the church is The Cathedral of Axum.
The orthodox church is located in Addis Ababa. The church houses some of the finest paintings. Some of the paintings used for decorating the church are the Virgin and Infant, the nine saints and the coming of the Ark of the Covenant. The Ark of the Covenant is considered to be the most precious possession of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. According to history, this ark was removed from the Queen of Sheba's
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entourage during the rule of King Solomon.
Brief History of the Church
Christianity was introduced in Ethiopia in the 4th century. The religion was introduced by Ethiopia's first bishop, Frumentius. He was a Christian captive. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church is a branch of the Coptic Church of Egypt. At the end of the 5th century Monasticism was introduced by nine Syrian monks. They translated the Bible into Ge'ez, the local language of Ethiopia. With the introduction of Islam in Ethiopia in the 7th century, the country was cut off from rest of the Christian world. A civil war broke out in the 16th century due to the differences between the Christians and the Muslims. As a consequence the churches and the monasteries were burnt down. The Orthodox Church of Ethiopia became independent from Egypt in 1959.
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