The Ethiopian Orthodox Church Explained

Discover the fascinating history, unique traditions, and spiritual significance of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church (Tewahedo Church), one of the oldest Christian denominations in the world. From its roots in the 4th century to its deep cultural and religious influence in Ethiopia, this video explores the church's ancient rituals, sacred texts, and its role in shaping Ethiopian identity. Learn about the significance of the Ark of the Covenant, the role of fasting, and the importance of religious festivals like Timkat and Meskel.

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Sources/Recomended Reading:

Binns, John (2016). "The Orthodox Church of Ethiopia: A History". I.B. Tauris.

Samuelson, Calum (2023). "Theosis in the Ethiopian Tradition: A Preliminary Assessment". In "Transformation: An International Journal of Holistic Mission Studies", Volume 40, Issue 1.

Chapters:
0:00 Intro
1:27 Ethiopia in history
2:51 Early Christianity in Ethiopia
4:43 Kebra Nagast & Sacred History
6:44 Relationship with Coptic church
7:53 Miaphysitism & Christology (feat. ReligionForBreakfast)
12:00 Tewahedo church
12:45 Uniqueness of the Church, Art & Lalibela
14:55 The Ethiopian Bible
17:25 Judaic Character?
18:41 Churches
20:17 Tabots & The Ark of the Covenant
21:24 Liturgy & Festivals
24:59 Hierarchy & Debtara
25:30 Beliefs (Theosis?)
26:43 Monasticism
28:03 Music & Hymns
29:26 Religious diversity
30:28 Modern Ethiopia
32:47 Conclusions

#ethiopia #christianity #orthodoxy

[LetsTalkReligion]

Lately, I've been recording some of my videos without my classic Shure SM7, instead using a portable microphone. This inevitably results in somewhat lower sound quality in general, but it also makes the recording of the videos much easier and less time consuming. Let me know if you notice a major difference and if the sound quality is getting in the way, so I can decide what the best option is going forward.

[nihilean]

this guy couldnt make a bad video if he tried

[የደራሲዎችቃላት]

been asking for this for a long time. Thank you for posting it on Meskel. Happy Meskel phlip

[lazarus]

The cool feature about the Ethiopian Orthodox church is that it is so isolated that it preserves many texts and features from other (extinct) traditions. It can teach us a lot about the diverse climate in which both Christianity and Pharisaic Judaism emerged and prevailed, amd what other movements influenced them. In some ways Ethiopia functions in itself as some sort of 'ark'.

[kuroazrem]

I just hope the Armenian and Coptic churches get covered too.

[gamerk]

Ethiopian and us Armenians are brothers n sisters .

[monarchblue]

As a Catholic, I'm so happy you made this video. Ethiopian Oriental Orthodox Christians are some of the most piously inpsiring and kind brothers I have ever had the pleasure of learning about and being with. So happy more people get to learn about their beautiful tradition with this video.

[ZeeShitahun]

Today, Ethiopia celebrates "Meskel", the finding of the True Cross, the tradition of which is indigenous to the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church.

[joaomarcelofernandes]

A small observation about miaphisitism is that recent Catholic-Coptic and Orthodox-Coptic conferences have agreed that the original issue was basically semantic as each party would mean one thing when talking about physis and hypostasis. The Pope of Alexandria confessed pretty much the chalcedonian creed and, at least on this case, mutual claims of heresy are lifted which is a great step towards unity.

[rjmckenzie]

I have a friend who is apart of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, and I myself am trasitioning from pentecostalism to Ethiopian Orthodox. I am so glad you metioned the Rastas, because im half Jamacian and we adopt alot of Ethiopian symbols into our culture.

[Mike-pr]

22:20 Issue with the statement here. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church does not believe that the Communion is symbolic, but rather that it is the true Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. Even after the holy Liturgy, it is forbidden for the faithful to refer to the Holy elements as “bread” or “wine.”

[jacobjericho]

Can you grace us with a bit of pre-Christian ethiopian faith or religion and the relationship between Jews ✡ and Egyptian religion 🙏

[negadrasta]

omg man im a big fan of ur vids never in my imagination have i thought i would see this vid man im ethiopian in ethiopia ill watch it later since i have a job now but man this is goona be a treat thank you man

[hamodalbatal]

As an ex-Muslim I am just consistently fascinated by Christianity ❤ the more I learn the more I just love and respect this diverse and mystical religion

[Brytons_Thoughts]

I’m a huge fan of the book of Enoch, so I’ve been waiting for a comprehensive overview of the whole Ethiopian history for a while.

[Corpoise]

I'm a Coptic Christian, and I love our sister church. The Ethiopians I've met are kind people and have strong faith. The Ge'ez liturgy is beautiful.

[theamazingfuzzlord]

Thank you! There’s almost zero content about Ethiopia on YouTube and I’ve always wanted to learn more about it

[davidcope]

Could "symbolically consumed" be somewhat misleading? I know the Coptic church maintains a similar view to Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Church, with a more substantive emphasis on the presence of Christ in the sacrament. Wouldn't this also be the case with the Ethiopian church? Im not sure myself though.

[loverdeadly]

The diversity of Christianity is so fascinating to me, someone who grew up in a plain-jane repressed Lutheran Missouri Synod church. My pastor would have been loath to even acknowledge that orthodox and apostolic churches even existed. For all he cared the Land of Zion was Battle Creek, Michigan.

[kbqvist]

Great episode, gave me a flashback to 2018 where I participated in Timkat celebration in Gondar, over 3 days..